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Originally Posted by Colin's Mommy
Great responses!! Thank you! I work in AA and have spent some time there... I think AA feels like it has been patched together. Its nice for dinner and the art fair but the city doesn't "flow" well in my opinion. I know it's flat. I have lived in MI for 26 of my 28 years  we do have some warm days but it is not usually hot. I hope that might give a little more information about what we don't like I know it's not really descriptive, it's kind of hard to put my finger on it.
I really do appreciate all of your thoughtful responses!! |
Of course it's flat, it's Michigan. The only hilly place in Michigan is the Porcupines, and those look like very small hills compared to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thing is, this whole "hot" thing... I get so tired of hearing that Asheville is mild in the summer. It is absolutely not. It's hot as hell here in the summer, just look at the latitude coordinate here; we're in the South, people! Michigan in the summer is much, much nicer, especially the Grand Rapids area, and even better the closer you get to Lake Michigan. Muskegon, in particular, has very nice summer temps. In comparison, Asheville, especially down here at the low elevation in the valley, has very high summer temperatures, in the 90's very often. Historical climate statistics do not tell the whole story here. Personally, I find summers here to be not much less miserable than Birmingham, AL, where I grew up. Obviously it's not as hot, but when you're living here, you can't really tell much difference because you're acclimated to this climate.
And I agree with Motordavid, the city does not exactly "flow". If you're just talking about downtown, and only downtown, yeah I guess it flows kind of, but the different neighborhoods here are placed in odd locations that sometimes have only one way to get to them due to the topography. This is not a city you would want to live in without a car, that's for sure. Unless you're really good at pedaling a bicycle, that is.
One thing you will be glad to know, or maybe not depending on your personal preferences: the winters are much milder here in general than they are in even lower Michigan. In my opinion, Michigan winters are not that harsh until you get up around Charlevoix/TC area, and obviously the UP, but the winters here are even easier. High temps are usually above freezing most of the winter, and it doesn't snow very much at all. There's usually snow on the ground for a total of about two weeks, if that, and it's not all at one time. We'll get snow, and then after a few days, it melts. The past two years we have gotten a couple of big snowstorms, but mostly it's painfully snow-free. What makes it frustrating is that it snows all around us, but not here, and we get this howling, icy wind during the winter that will turn a 25˚F day into a 10˚F day, and that wind can sting on your face, especially your nose. Yeah, the mountains have some strong winds coming off of them, so we get more cold and wind and ice than we do snow.
I don't really know how else to compare the two places. Asheville really is a pretty unique place, even with the changes that have happened. You should come here and visit for yourself, and see whether you like it or not. It's only about a 12-hour drive, not bad at all. I see Michigan plates all the time.
I will say this: I love Michiganders. Some of the friendliest people on Earth, always willing to say hello and wave and give a smile. Always willing to help out if you're stuck in a snow drift or having engine problems, just all-around kind, generous people. If people are going to be moving here, I would love to see more of them coming from Michigan.
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