[Miss Otis]

Originally Posted by mkfarnam

But the humidity can kill you

Houston humidity is uncomfortable for 4 months a year, yes. But snow/cold/ice storms/dreary days of Ohio and Michigan last for much more than 4 months. (Not to say I don't miss the fall leaves or a snowy Christmas.) Nowhere is perfect.

[northstar22]

I'll take 12 months of snow over Houston humidity. Just the thought of it makes me sweat.

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

I'm graduating from college this year, and many people I'm graduating with plan to leave the great state of Michigan. Many are heading to Sunbelt states like Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona. It's true, there are more jobs in other states. However, unless God calls me to go somewhere else, I'm staying.

That's nice and all but promise me if you do move to my beloved south you'll leave your northern attitudes up north?

We have very low property taxes where I live. I live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood and still pay less than $1,000 a year in property taxes. I know up north the very idea of paying so little seems even treasonous but high taxes has done such good for states like Michigan we want you to keep them all there.

You are right, our libraries aren't as nice and they don't have the extended hours (ours are closed on Sunday) but I would rather have the extra $80 a week myself.

The unions. Please keep these up north? I know unions make better wages but when I see how well people live in Flint and Detroit I would rather suffer a little financial poverty here than poverty of the soul. Michigan, a strong union workers state.

[WheredoIlive?]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

I'm graduating from college this year, and many people I'm graduating with plan to leave the great state of Michigan. Many are heading to Sunbelt states like Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Arizona. It's true, there are more jobs in other states. However, unless God calls me to go somewhere else, I'm staying. As long as I can find a job that pays the bills, I will be fine. It doesn't have to be a professional job - I'll dig ditches or scrub toilets at McDonalds before I leave Michigan! To me, it's not worth leaving home to find a job - especially one that could go away next week. I'd rather make $8.50/hr in Michigan than six figures in the desert. In my opinion, you can't put a price on home and quality of life.

I'm not judging anyone who leaves - you have to do what you can to support yourselves and your families (if any). However, the economy here WILL turn around and there WILL be more jobs in this state. Things will get better.

Seriously STAY HOME.

The less people that leave home for jobs, which they can whisk away at their whim, giving up family, friends and community the better.

I regretted a move as you know I did 2 and half years ago. I am still homesick, except that town died on their end as well, with many friends leaving.

I have tried the moving out of state thing and it didnt work. Also Michiganders I think live in denial about rest of country seeing it as Shangra-la. I saw an article in newspaper about how SW [SUNBELT] is dying for lack of water, most foreclosed homes...etc. And who wants to live where it is hotter then hell most of the year? You never would get 65 degrees during first week of JUNE!

[darstar]

The UP is as hot as I would want. Today is was 73 , and when I got to the truck , I quickly turned on the AC ! I am building a new house , ( no AC ). There is always a breeze on my mountain top.

Michigan has some very diverse weather , but , always more pluses with little down side extremes. We are not the Great Plains , or the dry SW , or tornado ally . We are not swept away by floods , or hurricanes . All in all , Michigan is not a bad place to live. ........ I tried Florida for five years , enough !
Now , I find a visit to Key West a real treat , every few years , for a winter get a way.

Michigan is surrounded by water , fresh at that , its hard to beat. If I were younger , I might have tried Alaska , but , they do have earthquakes , and volcanoes .

[AliveandWell]

Originally Posted by WheredoIlive?

Seriously STAY HOME.

The less people that leave home for jobs, which they can whisk away at their whim, giving up family, friends and community the better.

I regretted a move as you know I did 2 and half years ago. I am still homesick, except that town died on their end as well, with many friends leaving.

I have tried the moving out of state thing and it didnt work. Also Michiganders I think live in denial about rest of country seeing it as Shangra-la. I saw an article in newspaper about how SW [SUNBELT] is dying for lack of water, most foreclosed homes...etc. And who wants to live where it is hotter then hell most of the year? You never would get 65 degrees during first week of JUNE!

This is a very well written post I must say! I agree with everything in this last paragraph. The thing is in CA where I am, a lot of people for some reason think that we have the best weather in the country due to the high number of sunny days and mild temperatures. And also, some people seem to think that CA is the best place which is not true IMO. I think the constant sunny, dry weather gets old after a while. I wouldn't even want to live somewhere where it gets too hot for half the year because I don't really like hot weather. True, you would never get any 65 degree days in June in Phoenix AZ for example.

While Michigan's economy is not too good now, it is not much better in CA. And when it comes to winter weather, I don't think Michigan has the worst winters, am I right? I think places like Buffalo NY or Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota are worse, right? When it is cold, you can ALWAYS put on clothes to stay warm, go outside and exercise, for example. What can you do when it is 110F? Run from building to building to avoid getting scorched? The bottom line is that CA is no paradise and its certainly not as good as people say it is, although it does have its pluses.

Even if I wasn't a Detroit Red Wings fan, I'd probably love to be in Michigan because of the beauty of the state and clean air(except Detroit which has poor air quality). Anyone who is able to live in MI and get a job and support themselves, I consider them VERY fortunate

[Sparrow_temp]

Staying in MI is seriously bad advice unless by some miracle you find a job in MI that is better than any other you could find elsewhere. I feel sorry for new grads this year -- employment opportunities are just very bad. The longer you are out of work -- the lower the chance at finding a job in your field. It's not fair but employers will consider you damaged goods if there's a long gap.

California is probably in worse shape than MI at the moment but there are many other states that are better. You also want to be someplace where that "next job" is easy to find because the days where you simply advance with one company are gone. There's no company loyalty and no employee loyalty. You're biggest pay increases will come when you move from company to company and you'll gain more diverse experience this way. Don't stay in MI thinking that things will get better because the odds are that things will be better almost anywhere else first. Go where you can succeed and if you really miss MI -- find a way back when things get better.

[fr8lnr]

I know the feeling.We are moving back to Lansing as well.They had a Mass layoff and closed down manufacturing plants and several other companies had mass layoffs.Bad or not we are going back.

[MEEK00]

Chances make champion i say go run there is nothing here