[corijei]

Originally Posted by Clay385

Really, if you could move right now would you? Jobs are pretty slow everywhere, this last winter wasn't that bad, and with global warming worsening, this year looks promising too! So what's holding you here? Family? Culture? Seasons? People? Can't sell your house?

Ive thought about moving a few times but have been turned off by every place I researched so I guess I'm staying put.

If I could move, I would in a heart beat. There's 3 places I could go right now due to family being there and letting me stay for a while (Nashville TN, Glendale AZ, Houston TX). What's keeping me here is...

1. I can't afford the cost of living.
2. Don't have a car and would have pretty much start over with literately just my clothes if I took the bus or plane.

[weteath]

Originally Posted by JoulesMSU

Okay, there are some fair criticisms about Michigan, but "how long it takes to get around" is NOT one of them.

Michigan is one of very few states where just about everything is fairly close. From Lansing you can get to Grand Rapids, Mount Pleasant, Flint, Ann Arbor, Jackson, and Battle Creek / Kalamazoo in about an hour. You can also get to Detroit, Lake Michigan, Bay City, Port Huron, even Toledo in less than 2 hours.

That is not possible in a lot of other states. Take Florida, for example, if you are in the middle of the state (like Orlando) then it takes over 3 hours to get to some of the other major cities like Miami or Tallahassee. In Maine, all the "big cities" are 2+ hours away from each other. Even in North Carolina, Charlotte and Wilmington are a good 2 hour drive from Raleigh. Seattle to Spokane, Washington's two biggest cities, takes 4 hours!

Michigan is one of very few states where all the major cities are practically right next to each other and easy to get to. At worst, you are looking at about 2.5 hours to get from somewhere like Detroit to Holland as the LONGEST trip here, and that is among the shortest time for lots of other states.

I'd have to disagree with you here, look at places in/near around NYC, Chi, SF/Oakland, throw in LA DC area and Boston too.

I'm thinking in terms of getting around quickly by walking, transit, just downright awesome cities. For someone who wants a great urban experience, there isn't much of it in Michigan, you can't compare any of those cities to anything in Michigan.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by weteath

I'd have to disagree with you here, look at places in/near around NYC, Chi, SF/Oakland, throw in LA DC area and Boston too.

I'm thinking in terms of getting around quickly by walking, transit, just downright awesome cities. For someone who wants a great urban experience, there isn't much of it in Michigan, you can't compare any of those cities to anything in Michigan.

One definitely needs a car to get around. I've lived in a number of cities, I've found that in metro Detroit, cities function the way neighborhoods do in other places. I currently live in south Oakland County, just a couple miles north of Detroit. To get the urban neighborhood experience I had in other cities, I will go to the downtown areas of Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale, Clawson as well as downtown, and midtown Detroit. I need my car to get from place to place, but overall is just as good as any other city. NYC and Chicago are unique in having very good transportation, and extremely dense living. LA, DC, SF, as well as smaller cities like San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix you also need a car to get to the various neighborhoods, they aren't any better in my experience than living in Detroit.

Well, SF is better than pretty much anywhere if you can afford to live there. For great weather nothing beats San Diego.

[weteath]

Originally Posted by detshen

One definitely needs a car to get around. I've lived in a number of cities, I've found that in metro Detroit, cities function the way neighborhoods do in other places. I currently live in south Oakland County, just a couple miles north of Detroit. To get the urban neighborhood experience I had in other cities, I will go to the downtown areas of Royal Oak, Berkley, Ferndale, Clawson as well as downtown, and midtown Detroit. I need my car to get from place to place, but overall is just as good as any other city. NYC and Chicago are unique in having very good transportation, and extremely dense living. LA, DC, SF, as well as smaller cities like San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix you also need a car to get to the various neighborhoods, they aren't any better in my experience than living in Detroit.

You were able to explain it a little better than me, in Michigan you drive around to other cities which have different feels, in NYC and Chi for sure you can walk and the next block could be completely different. A one or two hour drive to Lansing, Ann Arbor, or Detroit is considered convenient here, whereas walking for an hour in those places you would have seen so much and still have much to see in even just strolling about on foot.

Gas is killer driving around to literally everything, bad public transportation etc. I just came back from NYC, so while I don't particularly like being in Michigan, I can make the most of it while I'm here.

I have to disagree with driving to royal oak or midtown etc, is just as good as living in NYC, Chi, etc. I felt a bigtime difference in those cities.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by weteath

You were able to explain it a little better than me, in Michigan you drive around to other cities which have different feels, in NYC and Chi for sure you can walk and the next block could be completely different. A one or two hour drive to Lansing, Ann Arbor, or Detroit is considered convenient here, whereas walking for an hour in those places you would have seen so much and still have much to see in even just strolling about on foot.

Gas is killer driving around to literally everything, bad public transportation etc. I just came back from NYC, so while I don't particularly like being in Michigan, I can make the most of it while I'm here.

I have to disagree with driving to royal oak or midtown etc, is just as good as living in NYC, Chi, etc. I felt a bigtime difference in those cities.

Like I said NYC and Chicago are unique in the US for having dense living, but when you actually live there, life is pretty much the same, you still end up doing the same things, you just walk a lot, and take the subway instead of drive. BTW, walking around Chicago in the winter is not much fun at all, lol. I'm all for people moving about and experiencing new places, but Detroit gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve. What I found is that the grass really is not greener elsewhere. it's always about the people in your life, not where you live.

[weteath]

Originally Posted by detshen

Like I said NYC and Chicago are unique in the US for having dense living, but when you actually live there, life is pretty much the same, you still end up doing the same things, you just walk a lot, and take the subway instead of drive. BTW, walking around Chicago in the winter is not much fun at all, lol. I'm all for people moving about and experiencing new places, but Detroit gets a bad rap that it doesn't deserve. What I found is that the grass really is not greener elsewhere. it's always about the people in your life, not where you live.

Agreed to an extent, that's why we have choice though, since I've been little I've dreamed of living in a big city. Everything isn't the same we have different taste. When you settle down you just accept things.

Somebody mentioned Jimi Hendrix in the thread, he hated Seattle and really never went back when he became famous, said he wanted to be buried in London. I'm a big guitar wannabe right now lol, I've played here in Michigan and Chicago, and people say I sound like a young Hendrix. Obviously from my point of view, if I never go beyond Michigan, it's a failure, however, there are plenty of older guys who are great and are satisfied being in the "small pond" so to speak.

It really depends on what the individual wants.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by weteath

Agreed to an extent, that's why we have choice though, since I've been little I've dreamed of living in a big city. Everything isn't the same we have different taste. When you settle down you just accept things.

Somebody mentioned Jimi Hendrix in the thread, he hated Seattle and really never went back when he became famous, said he wanted to be buried in London. I'm a big guitar wannabe right now lol, I've played here in Michigan and Chicago, and people say I sound like a young Hendrix. Obviously from my point of view, if I never go beyond Michigan, it's a failure, however, there are plenty of older guys who are great and are satisfied being in the "small pond" so to speak.

It really depends on what the individual wants.

Yeah, just saying, been there, done that, I've lived in many cities. I learned people often think things are going to be a lot different than they are in reality. That said, more power to you! I wish success wherever you end up.

[weteath]

Originally Posted by detshen

Yeah, just saying, been there, done that, I've lived in many cities. I learned people often think things are going to be a lot different than they are in reality. That said, more power to you! I wish success wherever you end up.

Thanks, and that is true as well, I have a friend who recently moved to NYC, he works a retail job and doesn't have much money, so I find him loving NYC to be a touch more hype driven than actuality. You can only survive so long lol. However, if you really got potential in a certain field, then hype builds quick in the dense cities.

[DaniellaG]

I actually hope to move back to MI and have been living in CA and in the past FL. MI is not perfect but for affordability of a safe and upscale area I think MI is a nice place to live. To get similar is CA you have to pay double or triple in terms of housing costs. On a lot of the forums people complain about the job market because the whole US is impacted though I agree some areas worse then others.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by weteath

Agreed to an extent, that's why we have choice though, since I've been little I've dreamed of living in a big city. Everything isn't the same we have different taste. When you settle down you just accept things.

Somebody mentioned Jimi Hendrix in the thread, he hated Seattle and really never went back when he became famous, said he wanted to be buried in London. I'm a big guitar wannabe right now lol, I've played here in Michigan and Chicago, and people say I sound like a young Hendrix. Obviously from my point of view, if I never go beyond Michigan, it's a failure, however, there are plenty of older guys who are great and are satisfied being in the "small pond" so to speak.

It really depends on what the individual wants.

As an artist or musician, it is true that if you're work never gets recognized beyond Michigan or even Chicago, then you're probably not that good, or didn't meet the right people to propel your career. That could be said for just about every State in the country except the coasts (and Nashville if you're a musician). That's why America's Got Talent and American Idol and other shows comb the country to eventually make those people big in California and New York. They don't say, "Congratulations, we're taking you to Des Moines!!!"

I know artists in our area who say that if your work gets shown in a gallery in New York, you can automatically see your commission and sale prices go up in Michigan. People just assign bigger notoriety for artists who are accepted in New York, so you can command a bigger price.

That doesn't necessarily equate to a better quality of life though. I also know artists who absolutely hated living in New York, and musicians who hated Southern California. The culture is different in both places, you just can't trust people at face value (for the most part). You will get screwed big time, at least once, living on the coasts.