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We moved from orange County to Michigan quite a while ago, but for some of the same reasons. Here are some differences we found:
Much cleaner in Michigan.
Obviously more trees and lakes, river and streams. the rivers and streams are filled with water, not concrete or gravel.
medical services are much better here (maybe not in the UP)
Real estate is unbelievably cheaper (even in Ann Arbor). the $757K we sold our house in an unpopular city in Orange County, will buy a waterfront palace nearly anywhere in Michigan (including ANN Arbor).
Schools are generally better. Not all schools, but the schools in decent places to live. the State college opportunities are amazing for the population of the state.
Car insurance is substantially higher.
McDonalds fish Fliet, cheeseburger and an Iced tea was 4 cents more in California.
Most taxes are lower here. Some are a lot lower.
Gas is cheaper.
Food is cheaper.
I did not pay enough attention to utility costs to make any comparison. probably heating costs are a lot higher and AC costs a lot lower.
Beer is considerably cheaper here (at least in bars).
Car registration is pretty close but there is not smog requirement.
Homeowners insurance was considerably higher, which is odd becuase the risk of natural disaster is tiny in Michigan by comparison.
Good restaurants are fewer and further between. Ethnic options are particularly more rare. Many or most "Mexican" restaurants are pretty bad. Some people here think Taco Bell is Mexican food. In and out is not here at all BTW. There are a lot of great resturuants but the only concentrations of them are in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Sports are a much bigger deal.
Hunting is more popular. Skeet Shooting seems to be as much a business/marketing even as is golf.
Most people bring their lunch to work. few people go out to eat together at work (even before Covid).
You are more likely to be judged on whether you are a hard worker and contribute than by your income or what you wear/drive. You find some of the California materialism in some places but it is less prevalent.
It is harder to make friend and become a part of the community. Many people have lived in the same place with the same friends their whole lives. prove yourself to be honest and a hard worker and eventually you will be accepted.
Fences are far less common.
A remarkable number of people have: guns; boats of some kind; large dogs; a place "up north"; and a pick up or some sort of 4x4. A lot more people have nice tents than have nice Mercedes. Classic cars seem more popular than exotics.
You will be hard pressed to find a girl who does not know how to change a tire (except in Ann Arbor).
In general life is slower paced and more family oriented.
wioerdness is sometimes tolerated, but never worshiped the way it is in California.
The sun is allergic ot Michigan. it hides from us.
the UP is more like Alaska than it is like the LP.
Vacations are mostly up north or to Florida. (although I have never been to Florida).
A lot of people grow or raise their own food, even in suburbs, but especially in rural areas. A lot of people seriously hunt or fish to supplement their pantry.
Citrus does not grow here. Apples, pears, do well. Peaches do OK. Blueberries do well in some areas.
You have to have a wetsuit to surf.
Surpise! Beaches here are prettier and in some palces the sand "sings" .
We moved from orange County to Michigan quite a while ago, but for some of the same reasons. Here are some differences we found:
Much cleaner in Michigan.
Obviously more trees and lakes, river and streams. the rivers and streams are filled with water, not concrete or gravel.
medical services are much better here (maybe not in the UP)
Real estate is unbelievably cheaper (even in Ann Arbor). the $757K we sold our house in an unpopular city in Orange County, will buy a waterfront palace nearly anywhere in Michigan (including ANN Arbor).
Schools are generally better. Not all schools, but the schools in decent places to live. the State college opportunities are amazing for the population of the state.
Car insurance is substantially higher.
McDonalds fish Fliet, cheeseburger and an Iced tea was 4 cents more in California.
Most taxes are lower here. Some are a lot lower.
Gas is cheaper.
Food is cheaper.
I did not pay enough attention to utility costs to make any comparison. probably heating costs are a lot higher and AC costs a lot lower.
Beer is considerably cheaper here (at least in bars).
Car registration is pretty close but there is not smog requirement.
Homeowners insurance was considerably higher, which is odd becuase the risk of natural disaster is tiny in Michigan by comparison.
Good restaurants are fewer and further between. Ethnic options are particularly more rare. Many or most "Mexican" restaurants are pretty bad. Some people here think Taco Bell is Mexican food. In and out is not here at all BTW. There are a lot of great resturuants but the only concentrations of them are in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Sports are a much bigger deal.
Hunting is more popular. Skeet Shooting seems to be as much a business/marketing even as is golf.
Most people bring their lunch to work. few people go out to eat together at work (even before Covid).
You are more likely to be judged on whether you are a hard worker and contribute than by your income or what you wear/drive. You find some of the California materialism in some places but it is less prevalent.
It is harder to make friend and become a part of the community. Many people have lived in the same place with the same friends their whole lives. prove yourself to be honest and a hard worker and eventually you will be accepted.
Fences are far less common.
A remarkable number of people have: guns; boats of some kind; large dogs; a place "up north"; and a pick up or some sort of 4x4. A lot more people have nice tents than have nice Mercedes. Classic cars seem more popular than exotics.
You will be hard pressed to find a girl who does not know how to change a tire (except in Ann Arbor).
In general life is slower paced and more family oriented.
wioerdness is sometimes tolerated, but never worshiped the way it is in California.
The sun is allergic ot Michigan. it hides from us.
the UP is more like Alaska than it is like the LP.
Vacations are mostly up north or to Florida. (although I have never been to Florida).
A lot of people grow or raise their own food, even in suburbs, but especially in rural areas. A lot of people seriously hunt or fish to supplement their pantry.
Citrus does not grow here. Apples, pears, do well. Peaches do OK. Blueberries do well in some areas.
You have to have a wetsuit to surf.
Surpise! Beaches here are prettier and in some palces the sand "sings" .
You have to have a wetsuit to surf in California too. If you want to stay warm that is. Actually, the water is colder in the Pacific in California than in July, August, and September in Lake Michigan. I've swum in both and the water in the Pacific is bone chilling compared to Lake Michigan in the summer. I do agree that Great Lakes beaches are more beautiful than California beaches and with everything else you posted.
You have to have a wetsuit to surf in California too. If you want to stay warm that is. Actually, the water is colder in the Pacific in California than in July, August, and September in Lake Michigan. I've swum in both and the water in the Pacific is bone chilling compared to Lake Michigan in the summer. I do agree that Great Lakes beaches are more beautiful than California beaches and with everything else you posted.
But OP is looking near Lake Superior. Superior is cold AF from the time it thaws in the spring until it freezes in the fall . I've only been in the Pacific from Monterrey north, but that's pretty cold too.
UMN has a coupe buoys outside Duluth. Right now, 8:30 AM May 28, the water temperature just offshore Duluth is 35F. There is another buoy out in the lake halfway to Michigan, the water temperature out there is 42F.
The hottest the surface water in Superior has ever been recorded was 17C (62F).
Nothing south of Oregon is as amazing as Pictured Rocks
You have to have a wetsuit to surf in California too. If you want to stay warm that is. Actually, the water is colder in the Pacific in California than in July, August, and September in Lake Michigan. I've swum in both and the water in the Pacific is bone chilling compared to Lake Michigan in the summer. I do agree that Great Lakes beaches are more beautiful than California beaches and with everything else you posted.
I did not surf when I lived in southern California, but I did swim and snorkel and dive quite a bit. Swimming and snorkeling, I never used or felt I needed a wetsuit. Diving - never without one. Of course I did not ever try swimming in the winter, except at Christmas.
For a while, we had a tradition of going for a swim in the ocean on Christmas day. We usually did not stay in very long though. Really could have used a wetsuit then. I have never been able to stay in Lake Michigan or Superior for very long. Maybe it is just because I am older now. Erie is usually warmer. However the Detroit River is really cold right now, so Erie is probably cold too.
I did not surf when I lived in southern California, but I did swim and snorkel and dive quite a bit. Swimming and snorkeling, I never used or felt I needed a wetsuit. Diving - never without one. Of course I did not ever try swimming in the winter, except at Christmas.
For a while, we had a tradition of going for a swim in the ocean on Christmas day. We usually did not stay in very long though. Really could have used a wetsuit then. I have never been able to stay in Lake Michigan or Superior for very long. Maybe it is just because I am older now. Erie is usually warmer. However the Detroit River is really cold right now, so Erie is probably cold too.
Yes, Lake Erie is the warmest of the Great Lakes because it is the shallowest of them. I'm sure because of the cold spring it is cold now.
I surfed a little but mostly swam and snorkeled in Lake Michigan. I did find the water cold but didn't feel that I needed a wetsuit. I visited California twice, went to the beach each time (Laguna Beach in May and another beach that I forget in February) and tried to swim but got out real fast. It was so bone-chillingly cold each time, far worse than Lake Michigan. I saw other young guys swimming and surfing, but they all had wetsuits on. I never saw anyone wear a wetsuit on Lake Michigan, except for some hardy souls who dared to try surfing in the winter.
But I only tried to swim twice in California so that is not a good representative sample.
But OP is looking near Lake Superior. Superior is cold AF from the time it thaws in the spring until it freezes in the fall . I've only been in the Pacific from Monterrey north, but that's pretty cold too.
UMN has a coupe buoys outside Duluth. Right now, 8:30 AM May 28, the water temperature just offshore Duluth is 35F. There is another buoy out in the lake halfway to Michigan, the water temperature out there is 42F.
The hottest the surface water in Superior has ever been recorded was 17C (62F).
Nothing south of Oregon is as amazing as Pictured Rocks
Yes, if we're talking about Lake Superior then that is quite a different animal. Super cold all the time. I've been there a few times but never even bothered to try to swim in it since it is so cold.
We moved from orange County to Michigan quite a while ago, but for some of the same reasons. Here are some differences we found:
Much cleaner in Michigan.
Obviously more trees and lakes, river and streams. the rivers and streams are filled with water, not concrete or gravel.
medical services are much better here (maybe not in the UP)
Real estate is unbelievably cheaper (even in Ann Arbor). the $757K we sold our house in an unpopular city in Orange County, will buy a waterfront palace nearly anywhere in Michigan (including ANN Arbor).
Schools are generally better. Not all schools, but the schools in decent places to live. the State college opportunities are amazing for the population of the state.
Car insurance is substantially higher.
McDonalds fish Fliet, cheeseburger and an Iced tea was 4 cents more in California.
Most taxes are lower here. Some are a lot lower.
Gas is cheaper.
Food is cheaper.
I did not pay enough attention to utility costs to make any comparison. probably heating costs are a lot higher and AC costs a lot lower.
Beer is considerably cheaper here (at least in bars).
Car registration is pretty close but there is not smog requirement.
Homeowners insurance was considerably higher, which is odd becuase the risk of natural disaster is tiny in Michigan by comparison.
Good restaurants are fewer and further between. Ethnic options are particularly more rare. Many or most "Mexican" restaurants are pretty bad. Some people here think Taco Bell is Mexican food. In and out is not here at all BTW. There are a lot of great resturuants but the only concentrations of them are in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Sports are a much bigger deal.
Hunting is more popular. Skeet Shooting seems to be as much a business/marketing even as is golf.
Most people bring their lunch to work. few people go out to eat together at work (even before Covid).
You are more likely to be judged on whether you are a hard worker and contribute than by your income or what you wear/drive. You find some of the California materialism in some places but it is less prevalent.
It is harder to make friend and become a part of the community. Many people have lived in the same place with the same friends their whole lives. prove yourself to be honest and a hard worker and eventually you will be accepted.
Fences are far less common.
A remarkable number of people have: guns; boats of some kind; large dogs; a place "up north"; and a pick up or some sort of 4x4. A lot more people have nice tents than have nice Mercedes. Classic cars seem more popular than exotics.
You will be hard pressed to find a girl who does not know how to change a tire (except in Ann Arbor).
In general life is slower paced and more family oriented.
wioerdness is sometimes tolerated, but never worshiped the way it is in California.
The sun is allergic ot Michigan. it hides from us.
the UP is more like Alaska than it is like the LP.
Vacations are mostly up north or to Florida. (although I have never been to Florida).
A lot of people grow or raise their own food, even in suburbs, but especially in rural areas. A lot of people seriously hunt or fish to supplement their pantry.
Citrus does not grow here. Apples, pears, do well. Peaches do OK. Blueberries do well in some areas.
You have to have a wetsuit to surf.
Surpise! Beaches here are prettier and in some palces the sand "sings" .
Oh we forgot one thing - roads. Our "roads" are legendary. You will see when you get here. Might want to stock up on tie rods, rims, tires, shocks/struts, control arms and the like for your car. You will be replacing them soon.
Fortunately, in the UP the roads are much better. It is mostly in the highly populated areas that road conditions are unbelievably bad.
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. I've only been in the Pacific from Monterrey north, but that's pretty cold too.
