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That is the very best part of Michigan, and maybe the very best part of the entire midwest. Lake Superiors beauty is beyond comparison, the winters are stunning and many would consider Upper Michigan a paradise. While I live in the center of the lower peninsula these days, I lived for 9 years in the UP and id go back in a heart beat. Michigan is about the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, ice fishing etc. If you dont enjoy that kind of thing then you will never like Michigan. If you moved here from some big east coast state or somewhere in California I bet you are going stir crazy. Give it time and you may come to appreciate the solitude and country living.
I would respectfully disagree with the above statement in bold. I don't hunt, fish, camp, ice fish, etc. and I love it here in Michigan. There are plenty of other amenities here that make it a great place to live other than outdoor activities. I like that it's vastly safe and rural, the people are friendly and down to earth, the COL is very reasonable, wages are high relative to other parts of the country, there are great colleges and universities here, the scenery will knock your socks off, there is an abundant water supply and great beaches, and the weather between April and November is, simply put, unbeatable. Not that opporunities for outdoor activities don't abound here for those who are so inclined, but you don't have to be Grizzly Adams to have a great life in Michigan.
To the pp who hates upper Michigan:
Upper Michigan is one of those areas that many people would label as "extreme", in the sense that they don't appeal to a lot of people because they either have extreme weather conditions, are sparsely populated and therefore somewhat lacking in amenities like shopping and dining that a lot of people value highly, or they are just off the beaten path. Think of places like the Bayou Country in Louisiana, the High Desert in California, or the Everglades region in southern Florida. They don't attract a lot of people, many if not most people would not consider living there, and they offer solitude but also somewhat harsh living conditions. To move to upper Michigan would require more research than most areas, because it is a bit extreme as compared to more temperate, higher populated areas. It is the kind of place where the locals and their families have lived for generations. You either love it or you hate it, but rarely is there a middle ground. I can say that, while Lake Superior is absolutely breathtaking and the UP offers some of the most beautiful, pristine areas that I have ever seen, I wouldn't want to live there either. But you have to take into consideration when you move to an "extreme" place that it is just that, and that by its very nature, it isn't going to be filled with people and modern amenities.
Last edited by canudigit; 05-16-2011 at 01:49 AM..
I would respectfully disagree with the above statement in bold. I don't hunt, fish, camp, ice fish, etc. and I love it here in Michigan. There are plenty of other amenities here that make it a great place to live other than outdoor activities. I like that it's vastly safe and rural, the people are friendly and down to earth, the COL is very reasonable, wages are high relative to other parts of the country, there are great colleges and universities here, the scenery will knock your socks off, there is an abundant water supply and great beaches, and the weather between April and November is, simply put, unbeatable. Not that opporunities for outdoor activities don't abound here for those who are so inclined, but you don't have to be Grizzly Adams to have a great life in Michigan.
To the pp who hates upper Michigan:
Upper Michigan is one of those areas that many people would label as "extreme", in the sense that they don't appeal to a lot of people because they either have extreme weather conditions, are sparsely populated and therefore somewhat lacking in amenities like shopping and dining that a lot of people value highly, or they are just off the beaten path. Think of places like the Bayou Country in Louisiana, the High Desert in California, or the Everglades region in southern Florida. They don't attract a lot of people, many if not most people would not consider living there, and they offer solitude but also somewhat harsh living conditions. To move to upper Michigan would require more research than most areas, because it is a bit extreme as compared to more temperate, higher populated areas. It is the kind of place where the locals and their families have lived for generations. You either love it or you hate it, but rarely is there a middle ground. I can say that, while Lake Superior is absolutely breathtaking and the UP offers some of the most beautiful, pristine areas that I have ever seen, I wouldn't want to live there either. But you have to take into consideration when you move to an "extreme" place that it is just that, and that by its very nature, it isn't going to be filled with people and modern amenities.
The people who dislike upper Michigan are the same people who wander aimlessly around a shopping mall when it's 80 degrees outside.
I am not crazy about New England. I am stuck here for now, but luckily I can and will be leaving at the end of the summer. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is ever truly stuck somewhere, or if they just haven't left yet because deep down they're afraid. If you want to get out of a place bad enough, you can find a way.
Thanks for your post. I'm stuck in New England for now too and will be leaving the second I find a job. It's frustrating sometimes but I will find a way!
I feel the same way about Portland, Maine. While it's a beautiful little city and there are plenty of positive features of this town, it's just not for me. It's a sleepy place, the nightlife is nearly non-existent, I've found the dining to be a bit over-hyped, and it's not very urban (super auto-centric). It's not the type of place for an active (by active I mean more than outdoor activities) person in their early 20s. It's just too small of a town for my liking.
While I know there are plenty of worse places to be, I can't wait to leave. Until I tie up a few loose ends, I'm stuck.
So, long story short and without trashing a city (as I'm sure some of the next few posts will do), I can say I'm on the same page. Best of luck to you.
I got rep'd for this, so it brought me back to this thread 2 years later.
Update:
I left Portland in May 2009 and haven't looked back (for the most part, I'll explain later).
That post was polite to put it lightly. I always did my best when I was in Portland not to do the typical "grass is always greener" bashing of my current city. I didn't like it, it wasn't a good fit, but I tried not to make it worse by bashing the city in case the grass really wasn't greener.
Now that I'm out (in Boston, about to start a business 40 miles south of Boston with the caveat that I may need to go to NYC- I'd be thrilled to- to finish up my Masters), I can say with 100% certainty, the grass truly is greener on the other side.
I'm not one of those people that simply can't be happy. I really like Providence, RI when I lived there. I loved DC. I'd be happy in San Francisco (I've spent a total of 9 weeks there in the past year), and I'd enjoy living in New York to finish my degree.
Leaving was the best thing for me. I hated Portland (Maine). It has to be one of the most overrated places in the country to live by FAR. Before I moved there, I visited a bunch and really liked it. However, like most tourist destinations, visiting and living there are entirely different things. Portland's (and Maine's) biggest industry is tourism. The city spends inordinate amounts of money to promote itself and be "listed" by forbes and all of the other "best of" lists. The reality is that life in Portland is a far cry from visiting. Maine's BEAUTIFUL in the summer and fall (well, until the end of October). The problem is, once the tourists leave, its dead, grey and ugly. I've lived the majority of my life in New England and understand how the winters work. Portland's just so isolated up there on the coast that once the tourist leaves the miniature size of the town (a mere 65,000) is suffocating. When you're walking the few small blocks of the Old Port in the summer, it's nice... but the bulk of the year it's dead and those few small blocks of "city" get old fast.
To top it off, the isolation leads to a relatively insular attitude. Many people believe that Portland is the center of all arts and culture in the universe. They believe that Portland's food scene is on par with Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. (they honestly believe this) even though there is no sort of diversity whatsoever and even the BEST restaurants in Portland would merely be passable those other cities. It's the most self-congratulatory place I've ever lived. Every positive blurb written about Portland somewhere is headline news for a week.
Not nearly everyone there is bad. My girlfriend is originally from there (now finishing school in SF... would never return to Maine) and her family and some of our mutual friends are great people. Still, there are enough insular, smug, delusional, provincial twits to ruin it. I have visited a few times since leaving and each visit reaffirms my decision to leave. I wasn't making Portland seem worse because the grass was greener, I was pretending it wasn't as bad as it really is. Portland is a marketing wonder of a town set in a lovely natural setting. Do not believe the hype. Visit and enjoy it, but living there is an entirely different story.
The positives from living in Portland:
1) Meeting my girlfriend (5 years as of now)
2) Gaining a new appreciation for other places I've lived that don't get enough credit (New Bedford, MA for one... Providence, RI is another).
Thanks for your post. I'm stuck in New England for now too and will be leaving the second I find a job. It's frustrating sometimes but I will find a way!
I've spent a good chunk of my life in New England (MA, ME, and RI). Personally, I love it (well, Southern New England). However, having lived elsewhere and traveled a lot I can definitely see how it's not a good fit for everyone.
I HATE when I hear someone say "there's something here for everyone!" That person is either high on Zoloft or completely oblivious to other personalities. Is someone who doesn't like the cold going to love New England? Is someone who is extremely fond of the nightlife and South Beach lifestyle going to enjoy New England? Is someone who lives to ride their motorcycle going to enjoy New England (beyond June-September)?
Good luck. It's funny reading through these threads and seeing people get so upset that someone else isn't thrilled with their particular area.
I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, and while its not the worst place in the world, and there are things to like about it such as the natural beauty and the low cost of living, the city itself doesn't offer much especially for somebody my age with my interests. Its very conservative, extremely suburban-oriented, and overall doesn't offer enough "things to do" to keep things fresh for a long period of time. I am stuck here however for a few more years at least until the economy recovers.
I see countless threads on here with people talking about how great their cities are, but I was wondering how many people here live somewhere they don't really like but are stuck due to life circumstances. I see all these threads about young college grads moving to their dream city, but not everybody has the ability to pack up and move across the country even if they want to.
I've spent a good chunk of my life in New England (MA, ME, and RI). Personally, I love it (well, Southern New England). However, having lived elsewhere and traveled a lot I can definitely see how it's not a good fit for everyone.
I HATE when I hear someone say "there's something here for everyone!" That person is either high on Zoloft or completely oblivious to other personalities. Is someone who doesn't like the cold going to love New England? Is someone who is extremely fond of the nightlife and South Beach lifestyle going to enjoy New England? Is someone who lives to ride their motorcycle going to enjoy New England (beyond June-September)?
Good luck. It's funny reading through these threads and seeing people get so upset that someone else isn't thrilled with their particular area.
Thank you Irfox. I spent most of my life in Southern New England (CT) and there are certain things that I love. Although living here isn't for me, I will certainly enjoy visiting (in the Summer) after I move.
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