[Valerie_MI]

The worst thing you daughter and SIL do is move to MI right now. The economy is awful and bankruptcy is HIGH! Alot of people and I mean ALOT ae leaving MI I for one am one of them. Dont get me wrong, this is home to me, and my husband has a great job, but its a dead end State and we will be living in Arizona in about 2 months. I guarentee they will be back in AZ, give them a yr

[rutha1105]

Originally Posted by Peter B

U prefer the rain, sleet , ice , snow mix??

Yes, when I lived in Arcadia, it snowed so much one night that I couldn't open ANY of the doors to my house to go outside and care for my animals. Since I was living alone, this presented a HUGE problem. I'll take the snow/sleet/rain yuck anytime, at least I can GET outside to be miserable...

[kberr32]

I have lived in Grand Rapids, Mi all my life. have family in TC. Traverse city is nice for about a month or so (july) and that is about it. Winters are ice cold. there are some neat things to see such as Leland ( old fishing villlage) pyramid point, good harbor bay, old mission, and others. you will not like the winters unless you are an winter sports person. Try to live right in TC. it is somewhat expensive. TC close to downtown is pretty nice. OLd victorian homes only minutes from the water. There is also a manufactured home community only about a mile from the waters edge. my mother in law lived there. the community is really nice and very affordable. this is not a 55 plus coomunity. it is very quiet and well taken care of.

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by kberr32

I have lived in Grand Rapids, Mi all my life. have family in TC. Traverse city is nice for about a month or so (july) and that is about it. Winters are ice cold. there are some neat things to see such as Leland ( old fishing villlage) pyramid point, good harbor bay, old mission, and others. you will not like the winters unless you are an winter sports person. Try to live right in TC. it is somewhat expensive. TC close to downtown is pretty nice. OLd victorian homes only minutes from the water. There is also a manufactured home community only about a mile from the waters edge. my mother in law lived there. the community is really nice and very affordable. this is not a 55 plus coomunity. it is very quiet and well taken care of.

Having lived here since 1986, I have to disagree that TC is only nice for one month a year. Spring, summer, and fall are all wonderful.

I had to stop and think what manufacturers home community you are talking about, but it must be the one off 3 mile rd. When I was looking to buy a home, I looked there (out of desperation, it was a sellers market at that point) and the monthly association fee at that time, almost ten years ago was well over $200.00 a month. The resale value there is of course going to be worse than a single family home.

Living in town is more expensive as the taxes are of course higher. Unless you have money to burn, I'd say stay outside the city limits unless you are going to be in an apt.

[postermom]

Originally Posted by PhxGal07

Could anyone give me some details about Traverse City, MI? I am in a dilemma. I am a single parent originally from Brooklyn, NY and now living in Phoenix, AZ for the past 4 years. My daughter wants to move and marry her fiance and go to Traverse City, MI where his parents live in the next town over. He is originally from there. Anyway, my grandson who is 4 months and I love so much of course is going with them. Problem is I settled in a nice apartment in Phoenix, have a good job, am clearing up some debt and have my mom in a really good Nursing Home. So I am torn between my grandson (I am a young 45 year old grandma ) and my life here. It is scary to pick up and go to a state you know nothing about. More facts are that I work over 10 years as a legal secretary. I have Osteoarthritis in my left knee (bone-on-bone) and some arthritis in my right. So with all these details can someone give some advice on MICHIGAN and if its worth the move and possible big expense all for the sake of being near my daughter/grandson. Any advice will be appreciated! Plus, where is the best place near Traverse City to get a job as a legal secretary. It doesn't look like that town has any jobs for that position. But I wouldn't want to be too far from them.

Funny, I just left Phoenix for northern Michigan!!! But I grew up here in Michigan, went to Michigan State, so I knew what I was in for. The ONLY reason I'm here (northeastern Michigan on Lake Huron south of Alpena) is for my elderly, ill parents. I am sick of 7 months of cold, snow and ice. You will have to be a Red Wing fan. Phoenix was a little too warm for me - I prefer Sedona, Tucson or even Flagstaff. Traverse City is a tourist town and expensive but you would not have trouble finding a job as a legal secretary. I've been a paralegal for 18 years. I agree with another writer here to let your daughter come and find out for herself before you make the cross-country commitment. You will definitely fell the aches and pains in this damp cold weather!!! I need the sun out even if it's cold and there is not enough sun anywhere in Michigan, even in summer. But then, the lakes are beautiful and hard-core Michiganders love it here. I personally will be happy to leave. Hope this helps.

[PhxGal07]

Well I really don't like Phoenix but I am stuck here because my mom is in a Nursing Home so I am the only one that visits her. I really miss NEW YORK!!! I am not so sure about Michigan now but am keeping it open. Does anyone know anything about Richmond Virginia?

[legalsexy]

I relocated to Traverse City 6 yrs ago w/my hubby, for his job, so my income is not the main income. However, we have lived in many places and I have nearly 20 yrs experience as a legal secretary. The Traverse City market is complicated. First of all, if you aren't "connected", it's difficult to find a job. I was lucky in that the city I was relocating from, one of the lawyers there had grown up in Northern Michigan and faxed my resume to several of his contacts - that helped me tremendously. I took four to five days after I moved here and "pounded the pavement" - I went around and talked to people. While I have found the people nice in Traverse City; I have found them cheap - they don't want to pay you - they have a saying up here - "A view of the bay is the price you pay", or something like that. I think it's stupid - we pay a higher price for gas and just about everything else because we live in a tourist area. Granted, it is a beautiful area. But, that's something in and of itself, too - you run into alot of people who don't want anything to change - they want everything to remain as if it were the 1950s or something. They don't want development.

If you want to be near your grandchild and make good money, check out Grand Rapids - the people there are a little more progressive in their thinking, too.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by PhxGal07

Well I really don't like Phoenix but I am stuck here because my mom is in a Nursing Home so I am the only one that visits her. I really miss NEW YORK!!! I am not so sure about Michigan now but am keeping it open. Does anyone know anything about Richmond Virginia?

I think as long as you have a job lined up ahead of time it would be okay but like any smaller city, jobs can be hard to get unless you luck out and there is an opening just in time.

I think Traverse City is quite opposite of Phoenix. People who most enjoy Traverse City or anywhere in northern Michigan adore the snow and enjoy winter outdoor activities. Summers are beautiful there but very short and on the cool side. It can be difficult to have become accustomed to lots of sunny days and going outdoors without bundling up and then changing over to a lot of cloudy days --- some people can actually be affected by lack of sun. And you have a whole different type of "sky" in Michigan -- no more big wide open sky but some people prefer it one way others like it the other way.

[Rapunzll]

Originally Posted by PhxGal07

Well I really don't like Phoenix but I am stuck here because my mom is in a Nursing Home so I am the only one that visits her. I really miss NEW YORK!!! I am not so sure about Michigan now but am keeping it open. Does anyone know anything about Richmond Virginia?

A view of the bay is half your pay!

There was a tshirt years ago that said, Drain the bay, double my pay!

I really think that the reason the pay is so low here is because they know that people are willing to take less money to live here. There are very few towns, in Michigan or elsewhere that has the beauty and the amenities that TC has.

[Sparrow_temp]

Northern MI is for retirees and locals who never wanted to escape.

In my opinion, the paycut you have to take to live there is simply not worth it since the cost of living is generally higher rather than lower. You'll see high employee retention rates in some businesses but that has very little to do with how well the employees are treated but simply the fact that there's no where else in the area to go.