[dylvargas]

OP I have lived in several parts of California and most recently Sacramento area. Moved to Traverse City a few years ago and now in Alpena.
Cost of housing is great compared to San Jose or Santa Cruz, but, if you have pets watch out. not pet friendly whatsoever. Living downtown will be like a fairy tale. House are pricey for Michigan but apartments can be cheap if you are without kids and just trying the area out for a year or so. You will love the bike path and beach downtown. In the Summer you will feel as if you hit the lottery with the scenery and beauty of the water. clean and well kept up. food is overpriced in my opinion in the downtown eateries, but that's may just be me. speaking of food coming from the bay area this may be tough on you. you will have to pay for good food and pay a lot. winter and the attractions are just beautiful. bottom line is job and income. if your income supports your wants then all is good. if you have a decent income the place is freaking amazing. it all depends on where you want to live n such but overall the place is a Godsend. The schools are way ahead of California so don't pay attention to the poster knocking schools. the poster has never walked onto a high school campus in California in the past 10 years I am sure. we only left Traverse because of lack of income from our jobs. hospital is great, college is in town, arts community etc etc.

[ironlady]

Originally Posted by P0RC3LAIN

Hey everyone! Could really use some advice here!

I have lived in Santa Cruz/San Jose area, in California, my entire life. (Excluding one regrettable six months in Wisconsin - hottest/most humid summer of my life) But! I have some friends out in Traverse City!

My Fiance (who has a few relatives out there), and I, have been looking in to moving to Michigan. But, we are a little weary of the area because I haven't ever been and he's only been maybe a handful of times.

What is the crime rate like?
Cost of living?
Fun attractions for people in their mid twenties?
Weather? (Yes I know it's drastically different from what we are used to)
How well do Michigan locals treat people from other states, especially Cali?
Social scene/easy to make friends?
How hard is it to obtain jobs/unemployment rate?

I've researched a ton of websites, but I would rather ask people with more honest opinions.

We are sick of California's costs, the people here (they have loose morals and lack manners - at least around our age), the crime rate, there's no snow or even rain really, and the inability to start a family without worrying about all of the above.

Please let me know if you have helpful information or if you would advise not coming or anything like that!

Look forward to hearing from you all.

Hi P0RC3LAIN,

I lived in Los Angeles 10 years before moving to Michigan--more specifically, West Michigan near Grand Rapids, and here are some of my thoughts:

* Crime is crime. In one sense, yes, you feel a lot safer than you do in the big cities in California. However, I've called the cops more times here than I did in Los Angeles. Once when someone stole my $700--I chased them down and got it back. Second time was when a guy whipped his knicker out at me and my daughters going in to the local grocery store. I chased him down, too and got his license plate. Third time was when some grumpy old man started yelling obscenities across a parking lot like a mad man. All that here in a little bitty town.
* Cost of living is cheap compared to the Bay area.
* Weather. This is where I made my big mistake. I looked at the temperatures, the amount of snowfall and thought I was good to go. A new adventure. I didn't count on the cloud cover.
* Michigan locals seem to treat outsiders fine. I've never had any problems, and since I was raised in Texas, I have an accent that really gives me away.
* Not so easy to make friends, especially in winter when people tend to hibernate. If you do move to TC, look into gym memberships.
* Employment really depends on the field.

In all honesty, there are a lot of places in the country that you could move to that would be cheaper to live than CA and places that are more amenable to family values. I'd look for places that offer those two things that aren't so divergent from the other things about the Bay area that aren't so bad--like sunshine, activities for young couples, culture (in the form of museums, plays, etc.). Denver or Dallas or somewhere in the Carolinas would be a good place to start.

[raymondt]

Traverse City will not disappoint you! I lived in Traverse City in 2007-2009. Granted I was only 12 when I first moved there in 2007 (I'm currently 18), I have explored the city and surrounding areas extensively throughout my entire childhood and I return every summer so I am very knowledgeable of the area.

Grand Traverse County is the perfect place for you to relocate to if you don't mind very busy summers and frigid winters. The summers there are extremely busy, especially in July when the annual Cherry Festival takes place. However, with tourism comes lots of activities and things to do. The beaches there are stunning and the surrounding area right outside the city is beautiful as well. I lived about 15 minutes south of the city within walking distance to Arbutus Lake.

The cost of living is cheap and the area offers unlimited outdoor activities. There are many things that I enjoyed going to from Traverse City, including the Sleeping Bear Dunes, Northport, etc. It is also within driving distance from Chicago and the Mackinac Bridge so with those comes more things to do. The people in TC are very friendly and welcoming and this is definitely a great place to raise a family.

If anything, the only downside of living here is the very cold and intense winter and the lack of job opportunities. One reason why my family relocated back to the metro Detroit area is because Traverse City doesn't have a four year university. I don't know if that makes a difference but since I'm in college that is something I would like to know!

Good luck!

[Jswee]

Originally Posted by raymondt

One reason why my family relocated back to the metro Detroit area is because Traverse City doesn't have a four year university. I don't know if that makes a difference but since I'm in college that is something I would like to know!

Good luck!

I don't know if you are aware of this fact but the local community college, Northwestern Michigan College, offers the opportunity to get four year degrees and even masters degrees through their University Center, from a number of Michigan Universities, while staying in Traverse City the whole time. Partners with NMC in the University Center program include, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley, MSU, Ferris, Davenport, Central Michigan, Spring Arbor & Lawerence Tech.

[willzzz88]

I <3 the Bay Area in CA! So beautiful but so expensive (I'm in the IT/software field so I could move there but haven't, know some friends who have...). If you want a more rural area I recommend the beachside/sand dune communities along Lake Michigan or closer to Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo that are within 3 hour driving distance to Chicago. AND you can go to Chicago for the big city atmosphere and the airport if you like to travel. The mid-west is wayy more spread out and the Chicago metro area is huge so that brings down the rent prices in Chi-town. The southern Western MI beach-side communities are a good compromise between rural and urban and have decent paying jobs (not as bay area/chicago area crazy but decent).

[willzzz88]

You can also try North-western Indiana and South Eastern Wisconsin. Just check out options in Southern Lake Michigan.

[pricilla90]

Originally Posted by dylvargas

OP I have lived in several parts of California and most recently Sacramento area. Moved to Traverse City a few years ago and now in Alpena.
Cost of housing is great compared to San Jose or Santa Cruz, but, if you have pets watch out. not pet friendly whatsoever. Living downtown will be like a fairy tale. House are pricey for Michigan but apartments can be cheap if you are without kids and just trying the area out for a year or so. You will love the bike path and beach downtown. In the Summer you will feel as if you hit the lottery with the scenery and beauty of the water. clean and well kept up. food is overpriced in my opinion in the downtown eateries, but that's may just be me. speaking of food coming from the bay area this may be tough on you. you will have to pay for good food and pay a lot. winter and the attractions are just beautiful. bottom line is job and income. if your income supports your wants then all is good. if you have a decent income the place is freaking amazing. it all depends on where you want to live n such but overall the place is a Godsend. The schools are way ahead of California so don't pay attention to the poster knocking schools. the poster has never walked onto a high school campus in California in the past 10 years I am sure. we only left Traverse because of lack of income from our jobs. hospital is great, college is in town, arts community etc etc.

Hello! It is nice to see people move from CA to Michigan because that's exactly what I will be doing in July! I also live in Sacramento and I was wondering how it compares? I will be moving to Marquette-have you been there before and if so what should I expect coming from Sacramento? I feel like I am moving there blind because I can hardly find any information on the internet and I can't afford to go visit first.

[jmlowman]

I hope you like snow! :-)

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by pricilla90

Hello! It is nice to see people move from CA to Michigan because that's exactly what I will be doing in July! I also live in Sacramento and I was wondering how it compares? I will be moving to Marquette-have you been there before and if so what should I expect coming from Sacramento? I feel like I am moving there blind because I can hardly find any information on the internet and I can't afford to go visit first.

Marquette is the major city in an otherwise rustic northwoods environment. You mus tolerate or enjoy snow and relatively cold temperatures November-April.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by pricilla90

Hello! It is nice to see people move from CA to Michigan because that's exactly what I will be doing in July! I also live in Sacramento and I was wondering how it compares? I will be moving to Marquette-have you been there before and if so what should I expect coming from Sacramento? I feel like I am moving there blind because I can hardly find any information on the internet and I can't afford to go visit first.

Not comparable at all .

If it's comparable to anyplace, it would be Truckee or Carson City or South Lake Tahoe. Marquette actually gets within 10% of the total annual snow of all those cities too (All get between 180" and 190" annually)

Sacramento is almost exactly equal to Ann Arbor in cost of living, and Ann Arbor is just about the most expensive place to live in Michigan.

"Everything" is far away. Really, Marquette has everything you actually need, but if you want to go to a city, Chicago is 390 miles away, Detroit is 450 miles away, Milwaukee is 300 miles, and Minneapolis is 400 miles away. Downtown Sac to LA is actually less distance than any major city except Milwaukee!

Culturally, it's different. But that depends on who you see in Sac. If you are used to El Dorado Hills or Granite Bay, it's polar opposites. If you are used to Grass Valley or Colfax, it's actually pretty similar.