[teachbeach]

You can always return/retire here~as well as visit often. If I were in your position, after last winter, I'd be looking to get out as well. Just not quite sure I would go to overpriced, overtaxed, overpopulated California. There are loads of other states with great weather, fun things to do year round, with lower COL, less traffic and lower taxes.

We moved here (by choice) three years ago, after I retired. It always felt like "home" and my family has deep roots and a long legacy in Michigan, even though I only lived here for 3 years as a child and for the 4 years I did my undergraduate work. Most of the rest of my family never left the state. Thank goodness for air travel, we can escape the cold and get our dose of Vitamin D during those frigid/gray months.

[one is lonely]

I can empathize with the topic poster. At the end of the day, Ann Arbor is really nice, but it's not that big. It's not going have the same feel as the more populated areas of California. Sure, you're essentially part of the Detroit Metro in AA, but unless you love sprawl and are an engineer, there aren't as many options available as you'd expect to find in that big of an area.

In terms of recreational opportunities, states like California slay Southeast Michigan. You might like water, but unless you enjoy small lakes, you have to drive forever to get to a quality recreational spot - unless you own a yacht in Grosse Pointe. I still think Metro Detroit screwed up bad with its shoreline (though most Metro Detroiters will NEVER agree - but do they ever stop to wonder why Detroit's entire tourist industry is basically people visiting out of sympathy/shock and awe?). You have to drive up to Lexington for a great experience, and New Baltimore or Marine City for an underwhelming one. St. Clair Shores looks stark, concrete, and ugly and is overpriced, with one if its prototypical restaurants appearing on Kitchen Nightmares.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by one is lonely

I still think Metro Detroit screwed up bad with its shoreline

Lake St. Clair has a fast flowing undercurrent. Not exactly conducive for recreational activity with the exception of areas that are shielded from the rest of the lake.

Unless millions of dollars were spent to reconfigure the shoreline similar to that of Chicago's then most of Metro Detroit's shoreline would remain as it is.

[detwahDJ]

Originally Posted by one is lonely

I can empathize with the topic poster. At the end of the day, Ann Arbor is really nice, but it's not that big. It's not going have the same feel as the more populated areas of California. Sure, you're essentially part of the Detroit Metro in AA, but unless you love sprawl and are an engineer, there aren't as many options available as you'd expect to find in that big of an area.

In terms of recreational opportunities, states like California slay Southeast Michigan. You might like water, but unless you enjoy small lakes, you have to drive forever to get to a quality recreational spot - unless you own a yacht in Grosse Pointe. I still think Metro Detroit screwed up bad with its shoreline (though most Metro Detroiters will NEVER agree - but do they ever stop to wonder why Detroit's entire tourist industry is basically people visiting out of sympathy/shock and awe?). You have to drive up to Lexington for a great experience, and New Baltimore or Marine City for an underwhelming one. St. Clair Shores looks stark, concrete, and ugly and is overpriced, with one if its prototypical restaurants appearing on Kitchen Nightmares.

Well Detroit and a lot of other places put their industry along waterways for convenient and less costly dumping. One guy died after falling in the Rouge River and contracting parvo. Part of Detroit's new city planning has been to reclaim the riverfront from industry (addressing past mistakes?). It'll be a long process.
I also notice that many businesses like dentists, insurance reps, lawyers, what have you, like to place their offices on prime waterfront even though their customers can't see it.

[mgkeith]

This article may or may not be helpful to the OP, but I hope it will be. Anyway, I found it to be possibly very useful reading for for anyone who is contemplating a big move of choice. Good to think about.
Wherever you go, there you are

[MItoBH]

Originally Posted by one is lonely

I can empathize with the topic poster. At the end of the day, Ann Arbor is really nice, but it's not that big. It's not going have the same feel as the more populated areas of California. Sure, you're essentially part of the Detroit Metro in AA, but unless you love sprawl and are an engineer, there aren't as many options available as you'd expect to find in that big of an area.

In terms of recreational opportunities, states like California slay Southeast Michigan. .

Thank you, you're spot on!

[MItoBH]

Originally Posted by mgkeith

This article may or may not be helpful to the OP, but I hope it will be. Anyway, I found it to be possibly very useful reading for for anyone who is contemplating a big move of choice. Good to think about.
Wherever you go, there you are

I'm at peace with myself and I love me. I have lived in other states before, travel overseas, and look forward to new adventures in California.

[mgkeith]

I'm glad to hear that OP, really.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by one is lonely

I can empathize with the topic poster. At the end of the day, Ann Arbor is really nice, but it's not that big. It's not going have the same feel as the more populated areas of California. Sure, you're essentially part of the Detroit Metro in AA, but unless you love sprawl and are an engineer, there aren't as many options available as you'd expect to find in that big of an area.

In terms of recreational opportunities, states like California slay Southeast Michigan. You might like water, but unless you enjoy small lakes, you have to drive forever to get to a quality recreational spot - unless you own a yacht in Grosse Pointe. I still think Metro Detroit screwed up bad with its shoreline (though most Metro Detroiters will NEVER agree - but do they ever stop to wonder why Detroit's entire tourist industry is basically people visiting out of sympathy/shock and awe?). You have to drive up to Lexington for a great experience, and New Baltimore or Marine City for an underwhelming one. St. Clair Shores looks stark, concrete, and ugly and is overpriced, with one if its prototypical restaurants appearing on Kitchen Nightmares.

I agree that Metro Detroit could use it's shoreline a bit better, but from what I hear the Detroit river currents are actually quite dangerous so I understand why it is the way it is.

Detroit's entire tourism industry is from people feeling sorry for it?
With nearly 16 million tourist a year I HIGHLY doubt that. In fact, I haven't met one person that visited Detroit out of sympathy .

[xfactor85]

Originally Posted by MS313

I agree that Metro Detroit could use it's shoreline a bit better, but from what I hear the Detroit river currents are actually quite dangerous so I understand why it is the way it is.

Detroit's entire tourism industry is from people feeling sorry for it?
With nearly 16 million tourist a year I HIGHLY doubt that. In fact, I haven't met one person that visited Detroit out of sympathy .

16 million tourists is actually a really poor number of visitors. Face it, what is there for visitors to do in Detroit that is not really unique to other cities? Except for a handful of "tourist" attractions like the Henry Ford Museum and lakes which are frozen 6 months out of the year and possibly the motown museum... what else does Detroit have? IE you can go to a better art museum than the DIA in other major cities, every major city has a "eastern market" like area.... "awesome" suburbs that every metro area has?

We get less than half as many visitors as Atlanta GA, which is a city of similar size to Detroit. Heck even Cleveland gets roughly 14 million tourists per year and that city is also in the rust belt and is half the size of Detroit.

Consumer Traveler – Forbes lists Top 10 most-visited U.S. cities

Here’s the Forbes list:

Orlando, Fla.: 48 million visitors
New York City: 47 million visitors
Chicago, Ill.: 45,580,000 visitors
Anaheim/Orange County, Calif.: 42,700,000 visitors
Miami, Fla: 38,100,000 visitors
Las Vegas, Nev.: 36,351,469 visitors
Atlanta, Ga.: 35,400,000 visitors
Houston, Texas: 31,060,000 visitors
Philadelphia, Pa.: 30,320,000 visitors
San Diego, California: 29,600,000 visitors