[YAZ]

I kinda toyed with the idea of moving back to Michigan after my divorce was final. This desert dweller changed his mind though after a camping trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

I reckon I'd move to Jacob Lake, AZ first.

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Moved out of Michigan in 2009 to NYC for a job. Moved back last month and it's a mixed bag honestly leaning towards good. I moved back to be close to my parents who are aging. Things I like about it being back here:

-more laid back, by far... people not in a constantly hurry, slower pace
-access to pristine rivers and lakes nearby, can enjoy outdoor water sports more easily/quickly
-Midwestern hospitality and manners... I can't tell you how refreshing it is to be back to that
-wide variety of shopping options, from big-box to independent
-lower cost of living (by far!) a gallon of milk is $2 instead of $6+
-lower taxes (again, this is huge for me)
-much more housing for your rental dollar in any part of the state
-the fact medical marijuana is legal and obtaining a license isn't difficult


Things I don't care for:

-the condition of the roads
-Republicanism (in Ann Arbor I avoid that though, obviously... for the most part)
-the long winters (although I'm getting around that by taking my vacation in February to the Virgin Islands for two weeks)
-insular attitudes, difficulty to meet people in certain situations
-everything being spread out without any real public transit

I now have a 1,200 square foot condo for the same amount I was paying for 400 square feet in Manhattan. I have actual storage space for my kayaks and ski gear and my parking is free! That means something when you had to pay $250 a month for a garage before. I have an actual yard with a small garden and plenty of green space for my dog to run around. I make less money than I did at my old job, but the cost of living really balances it out. My grocery bill alone is about $200 less. The only thing that is more expensive now is car insurance, but it's always been that way. Socializing can be a challenge but I'm gradually forming new friendships with coworkers and outdoor meetup groups.

Overall, it seems Michigan is turning a corner, albeit slowly. I really do think the natural beauty of the state is underrated as well as its overall potential. It would just be nice to see more investment in infrastructure and public transit. Having high-speed rail connected from Chicago to Detroit would cost a lot upfront, but would really help the long-term economic picture here.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by EastBoundandDownChick

Moved out of Michigan in 2009 to NYC for a job. Moved back last month and it's a mixed bag honestly leaning towards good. I moved back to be close to my parents who are aging. Things I like about it being back here:

-more laid back, by far... people not in a constantly hurry, slower pace
-access to pristine rivers and lakes nearby, can enjoy outdoor water sports more easily/quickly
-Midwestern hospitality and manners... I can't tell you how refreshing it is to be back to that
-wide variety of shopping options, from big-box to independent
-lower cost of living (by far!) a gallon of milk is $2 instead of $6+
-lower taxes (again, this is huge for me)
-much more housing for your rental dollar in any part of the state
-the fact medical marijuana is legal and obtaining a license isn't difficult


Things I don't care for:

-the condition of the roads
-Republicanism (in Ann Arbor I avoid that though, obviously... for the most part)
-the long winters (although I'm getting around that by taking my vacation in February to the Virgin Islands for two weeks)
-insular attitudes, difficulty to meet people in certain situations
-everything being spread out without any real public transit

I now have a 1,200 square foot condo for the same amount I was paying for 400 square feet in Manhattan. I have actual storage space for my kayaks and ski gear and my parking is free! That means something when you had to pay $250 a month for a garage before. I have an actual yard with a small garden and plenty of green space for my dog to run around. I make less money than I did at my old job, but the cost of living really balances it out. My grocery bill alone is about $200 less. The only thing that is more expensive now is car insurance, but it's always been that way. Socializing can be a challenge but I'm gradually forming new friendships with coworkers and outdoor meetup groups.

Overall, it seems Michigan is turning a corner, albeit slowly. I really do think the natural beauty of the state is underrated as well as its overall potential. It would just be nice to see more investment in infrastructure and public transit. Having high-speed rail connected from Chicago to Detroit would cost a lot upfront, but would really help the long-term economic picture here.

Glad you like it here, just please do not tell your friends from New York how great it is.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Glad you like it here, just please do not tell your friends from New York how great it is.

Yes, New Yorkers have pretty much ruined North Carolina, from what I hear. We'll take anyone from upstate New York, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, Finger Lakes, etc.. C'mon over friends. But none of those down-staters and New Jerseyites.

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Glad you like it here, just please do not tell your friends from New York how great it is.

I didn't say it was great, just decent. And that attitude is ridiculous- I've heard it before. Michigan needs people to come and invest here. New Yorkers are good people, they tend to be very entrepreneurial and hardworking. I find this offensive.

Although I agree with Magellan about New Jersey.

Do NOT lump those two types into one category, it's insulting!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by EastBoundandDownChick

I didn't say it was great, just decent. And that attitude is ridiculous- I've heard it before. Michigan needs people to come and invest here. New Yorkers are good people, they tend to be very entrepreneurial and hardworking. I find this offensive.

Although I agree with Magellan about New Jersey.

Do NOT lump those two types into one category, it's insulting!

I was totally kidding. But no Chris Christie supporters!!

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Originally Posted by magellan

I was totally kidding. But no Chris Christie supporters!!

Lol. But then again, if his supporters look anything like him they'll support our local food economy something fantastic. Pretty sure he can eat entire baby cow in one sitting.

[Geo-Aggie]

I'm assimilating, but I'm admittedly not a Michigander and I too have that attitude about New Yorkers from the city (those from out-state seem great). I find those from the city to be impatient, egotistical, angry, and just generally unpleasant to be around. I also find that the handful of high-schools acquaintances I have who have moved to NYC as a young adult fit that description pretty well.

While this is certainly a generalization that I'm sure many don't fit, generalizations come from somewhere and there is often a lot of truth within them. There's maybe some confirmation bias on my part too, but I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to say that culturally NYC is not a friendly or inviting place for most Midwesterners (or Intermountainwesternsers in my case ), while the rest of the state would be.

[canudigit]

I have read extremely degrading comments by New Yorkers/New Jerseyites about Midwesterners and Southerners on these forums for years. In the Naples, FL forum, for example, a woman from New Jersey was asking if people thought that Naples would be a good fit for her and she actually said, "I am very educated and enjoy the better things in life. Could I survive the Midwesterners?" Ugh. Really? Does she realize that people like her are why Midwesterners don't like or want New Yorkers/New Jerseyites coming here? How nasty and pretentious can you be?

There was another comment in one of the North Carolina forums by a med student from NYC who was doing his residency in NC and bragged about how he enjoyed going into a store at the mall in NC and messing up the stacks of folded jeans and tossing them around "to give the redneck idiots something to do, to make them earn their paychecks". When people commented that this was extremely rude behavior, he came back with that he was being attacked because people stereotype New Yorkers as being rude. Well...yeah...I mean, if the shoe fits...

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by canudigit

I have read extremely degrading comments by New Yorkers/New Jerseyites about Midwesterners and Southerners on these forums for years. In the Naples, FL forum, for example, a woman from New Jersey was asking if people thought that Naples would be a good fit for her and she actually said, "I am very educated and enjoy the better things in life. Could I survive the Midwesterners?" Ugh. Really? Does she realize that people like her are why Midwesterners don't like or want New Yorkers/New Jerseyites coming here? How nasty and pretentious can you be?

There was another comment in one of the North Carolina forums by a med student from NYC who was doing his residency in NC and bragged about how he enjoyed going into a store at the mall in NC and messing up the stacks of folded jeans and tossing them around "to give the redneck idiots something to do, to make them earn their paychecks". When people commented that this was extremely rude behavior, he came back with that he was being attacked because people stereotype New Yorkers as being rude. Well...yeah...I mean, if the shoe fits...

These types of prevailing attitudes really aren't unique to New Yorkers. It's pretty common among all coastal elitists. The worst/most ignorant questions about middle America that i've encountered have come from Northern California/Bay Area. Californians in general tend to be of a mindset that they are more evolved simply by virtue of their zip codes. New Yorkers seem like a bastion of worldly knowledge and tolerance in comparison.