[Rapunzll]

I've been working two jobs for nine years, that means I work seven days a week for most of the year. I'm leaving to move to TN, near my daughter. There are jobs there and the cost of living including property taxes and car insurance is cheaper. I am not willing to wait for this economy to improve. I'm 52 and a single woman, I need to get down to one job and have time for a life. That isn't going to happen around here.

[TeacherGuyMi]

I 23 and fresh out of college. I just moved from Mi to the Phoenix area about 6 weeks ago to take a teaching job because I couldn't find one back home in Michigan. I said good bye to my entire family, and the only state that I've ever known, in hopes of a great job and nice weather out here. It saddened me greatly to leave my home. I absolutely love Michigan, but I knew that if I wanted to start my career, I had to move. I read the Detroit News online everyday and I hate to read the stories of companies continuing to cut jobs and about the giant budget deficit that the state has. While I love it here in Arizona (I haven't seen a rain drop since I left Mi), there are definitely things about the state that I miss (besides my family). It really annoys me when I see and hear people bashing Michigan. I really miss being able to walk around the downtowns in most cities. Places like downtown Ann Arbor, Plymouth, Dexter, etc... have a lot of character and are great places to hang out on a Friday night. Michigan cities have a real sense of community for the most part. Down here, everyone is from everywhere else so there isn't much in the way of community/hometown pride. Michigan drivers are polite and considerate (especially compared to drivers down here who insist on driving 60 in the slow lane, when the speed limit is 40). You don't realize what it means to be from Michigan until you move down here and tell others (especially if you're a teacher) that you're from Michigan. If you have a solid job, Michigan is a great place to live and while I'm loving the 90+ degrees and sunshine that I get down here in Arizona, Michigan is home. I don't care if I live here for the rest of my life (I'll probably move back to Michigan at some point), I'll always be proud to say that I'm from Michigan.

[tmaxximus]

Hey there...I'm from MI too, MSU grad '93...going to Raleigh, NC, one of the hottest economys in the country...

Good job opportunities, diverse population, mix of southerners and northerners, east coasters, west coasters, due to the mix of research, industry, and the universities, NCSU, Duke, UNC...

Durham is rebounding nicely, Chapel Hill and Carrboro are quite cool....

Best of Luck!

[michigone]

I left for kansas, Idon't like wichita much but the weather is much better, and jobs are here. michigan has nothing to offer.
I don't believe that people are flooding out of michigan because the eoconomy is great. we are no. 1 in unemployment, and people leaving the state, growth that is neg. michigan has nothing to offer. People sell out now and get out before it it to late.

[Cato the Elder]

Yeah, MI has NOTHING* to offer.

*i.e. a turn-screw job with the Big 3 that will buy me a Corvette and beach home with my high school diploma just like it did for grandpappy and pappy.

[bubbagirl]

Originally Posted by scottmi65

I just moved to the Detroit metro area last month from WI and I am not seeing all the doom and gloom everyone talks about. If jobs are so tough to find or low paying why are the houses so pricey. I am looking around east Washtenaw county and 250,000 does not buy much house. There are plenty of sub divisions going in and new construction everywhere I look.

I actually am curious as to why so many subs are going up left and right. The reason why I say this is because, for one, we all know the housing market throughout the US is crappy, and MI is leading the pack. The builder that purchased the lot next to my land built a nice little starter home with w/o basement on 2 acres. It has sat vacant and quiet for over a year now, and he has even resorted to offer it as a lease or lease option to no avail.

I think the subs are a double edged sword. Builders are putting them up in hopes to gain something out of them (and not fold in many cases of the smaller operations), but then they over saturate the already saturated market. I also notice this with apartment communities. I once managed a community and the whole district I was apart of had a heck of a time getting renters ... because there were so many open apartments throughout and not enough renters (or qualified renters) available. That actually is what lead to my nearly district wide layoff / employee turnover. Apartment companies have resorted to getting rid of those that can't "make the sale" in hopes to get someone else in there that might turn apts faster - and you will see proof of this in the job classifieds. Because of this mentality, 8 of 10 property managers were jobless in my district, and of the remaining two, only one stuck around as they company was making nearly impossible demands. The market *should* dictate the price, but it is hard to tell a lien holder "sorry, this property is valued less than what is was X many years ago, so I'm only going to repay Y dollars." The money still has to be paid back, and you're seeing that surface when looking at houses.

Shame on the people of Michigan for not learning how to conserve their pennies for a rainy day or paying off their mortgages faster. Maybe this would be a good time to implement financial planning courses.

As for the topic at hand...... We're taking off the NE Ohio, looking to reside near or within Medina Co, just outside of Akron. Gorgeous area, good people, and an upbeat way of going (yet, slower paced...hmm). Will be back to visit family in MI and go camping as much as possible. I love Michigan's natural wonders!

[CTRelo]

Relocating to CT very soon. I'm not from MI and have only lived here a few years but I have to say it has the worst Political Leaders I have ever seen, and the people of MI keep re-electing them!!! Simply amazing.

Quite frankly if I were to start a new business it would be making those darn orange highway cones. MI seems to buy a lot of them. The highway department puts them out for miles blocking traffic but you are lucky to see 2men working and 15 men watching within a 60 mile orange coned highway stretch that causes massive delays and even deaths. Roads are terrible, fixing them lasts 2 years max. Don't blame it on the weather, I have been to states much colder then MI and the roads were beautiful.

MI seems to punish people for working by finding more and more taxes to pile on them and then threatens to lay off Police Officers and Firemen when people complain. Their newest "brain storms" have been a 2% Service tax, 9 cents a gallon gasoline tax......I could go on and on.


So......it's time to move on. I have to admit that I have come to like living here and like Northern Michigan a lot, but the negatives have tilted the balance way out of my favor. MI Politicians are driving people, and business, away in droves not to mention the College graduates. Good luck to those who stay. Hope you have a money tree in your backyard, if you will even have a backyard after this is all over.

[jkrutba]

I went to Wyoming/ Gillette ! Some one will write you a check if you are a hustler. I send my money back to Mi for my family. The only thing in Wyoming is paychecks. Hope you are not disappointed!

[villagefish]

We moved to Wyoming, but hate it...moving again in December '07

[v117a]

Maybe there is something wrong with me and my surroundings?
I just willfuly came back in 2006 to Detroit, Michigan from the Washington DC area.
In fact I love Detroit area. It seems that Detroit has more soul in it than Washington DC. The DC is too "official", but in reality there is no much fun.

I love Michigan nature, weather, Great Lakes. I go every weekend outside to Kensington Park to see these beautiful swans or spend time on beach on Lake Huron. There are no these disgusting ticks with Lime disease, like in the eastern states - you go outside on your backyard and then get them all over you.

Besides, Michigan has much more personal freedom compared to all these conservative states where you even cannot take a deep breath without someone's permission.

After reading this forum I have got on "Monster.com" and searched for "engineer" and has got 835 openings in Detroit area.
Also I have a lot of friends and relatives here. And I have a good job, all my relatives and friends doing good, have jobs and nobody is actually looking to leave Michigan.

I have been in many states and finally decided to come back to Michigan. And you can trust me: each state has it's own problems, every state looks beautiful only from afar.