[abingdonlad]

HI all, am in the process of interviewing (telephone) for a job at Michigan State University.

Can people tell me what Lansing is like and how different from the UK it is, we are currently living just outside of Oxford. It will just be me and the girl friend of 10 years coming over if all goes well and we decide to make the move...

Any comments would be great thanks

[chiroptera]

I'm surprised nobody has responded yet...I'm not from Lansing but you can do a search on "Lansing" threads on the forum for various discussions.

Your question is rather general; perhaps if you ask some more specific questions? Concerns? Have you been to the US? Having grown up as an expat, including living in the UK for many years, America can be very different to what you are used to.

[Nedibes]

I'm from Lansing, but haven't been to the UK, so it's hard for me to comment on differences per se. One thing I've heard people coming from Europe comment on is all the wide-open space in Michigan. Michigan is very nearly the same size as the UK (just a bit larger, actually: 98,000 sq miles/250,000 sq km vs 94,000 sq miles/244,000 sq km) but with a tiny fraction of the people (under 10 mil vs over 63 mil). So Michigan's cities tend to be smaller, and further apart. That's good news if you like outdoor/nature activities, like skiing and hiking; not so good if you prefer city activities like many and varied nightclubs.

Lansing proper has been hit pretty hard by the recent recession, and especially the downturn in the auto industry--big patches of the city are now empty fields of rubble where car factories used to be, and as a result other areas are emptying out, too (e.g. the large Catholic church/school in the neighborhood where I grew up, which was a neighborhood anchor for decades, is now shuttered). East Lansing, home of MSU, hasn't been hit as visibly, though there have been definite impacts.

Weather-wise, Michigan is going to be a lot colder and snowier than what you're used to in the winter. Michigan has a continental climate, but moderated by the Great Lakes, so it's a bit milder both summer and winter than surrounding states at similar latitudes. Maybe more snow, though. Lansing is somewhat infamous for having very grey winters--I don't know how the total number of cloudy days compare to Oxford, but what's striking about mid-Michigan is the long stretches in the winter when the sun doesn't come out at all (contrasted with very sunny summers).

Cultural/entertainment-wise (music, theater, art, etc.) Lansing and especially MSU have a lot going for them, but I imagine it will still seem very different from what you're used to, especially as London is only about an hour from Oxford but you really need to go to Chicago or Toronto to get the same big-city advantages, and both are about 4-5 hours away. (Detroit is not the write-off that some people credit, but also isn't a major world city.) Also of course pretty much nowhere in the U.S. has the weight of history that almost anywhere in Europe will; Lansing itself is less than 200 years old.

Hopefully someone else can speak to the differences you might find in culture/behavior; I think the subtleties of these kinds of differences are best described by someone who's lived both places. Although I will say that within the U.S., I've found that academic communities have a lot more in common than differentiating them, and I wouldn't be too surprised if that was the case internationally as well, at least between the U.S. and U.K.

Hope something in there helps--good luck!

[detwahDJ]

You probably are aware that Lansing is the state capitol. It is typical of American cities with a somewhat seedy "inner city" surrounded by more prosperous bedroom communities. The college is in a suburb, but without knowledge of the UK it's quite difficult to compare. Guess you should hear from someone who has resided in or travelled to both places, perhaps someone at the college itself. Good luck.

[philkirkham]

As a Brit ex-pat who's now happy in Michigan I've already been in touch with the OP - he originally posted on the British Expats site and I directed him over here as I got so much useful info before I made the move over.
Thanks to all who've responded on this so far - and on all the other threads that helped me and other movers make their move

[snoopygirlmi]

It's really comparing apples and oranges.

Lansing (the city) is really set up to support state government workers and that's about it. There's some manufacturing and a small airport, but it's really the "big city" in the middle of nowhere. It's also very much a 9-5 city. East Lansing has a slightly different feel to it because of MSU. However, if MSU wasn't in the area, the population would drop drastically. I lived in the area for about a year and I really didn't care for it much, so that's the perspective I'm coming from.

The area has a small town feel. My Jewish friends would go to Ann Arbor or Detroit to get Kosher food, but that was also before the grocery stores were more accommodating to organics and ethnic foods. I can't speak to how things are these days. That's how it was 15 years ago.

These days I live in SE Michigan and it's a much better fit. I don't mean to sound discouraging, but Lansing really isn't for everyone and I suspect it would be a huge cultural leap to someone who's used to having London an hour away.

A friend of mine moved up from Florida to go to a masters' program at MSU. He transferred back to UFlorida at the end of that year. Even though, he was from Michigan, he still found that the Southern culture was a better fit for him. He just couldn't get over how "cold" Michiganders seemed to be "these days".

Michiganders have been burned a lot over the past decade and we still have a lot of challenges to overcome economically. It inevitably comes out once in awhile.

Good luck to you!

[bmantx512]

So it's been awhile since I left MSU but I visit whenever I am back in Michigan. It's still one of my favorite places on the planet. As people are pointing out there is a big difference between Lansing and East Lansing.

If you plan to live near the University you will find a prosperous city with a great walking area. There are unlimited shops, restaurants and bars. Plus one of the more scenic universities around. The winters can be a bit rough, but it makes the spring and summer that much more enjoyable. There is kind of a strange vibe when the 40,000 students aren't there though. It feels more like the small town it is.

By the way if you are a footy fan be prepared to wake up early on Saturday and Sunday to follow the games. There were several places around town back in the day that would open early and show the games. I'm sure this is still the case.

Anyway, best of luck to you. I think you will enjoy the experience.