[Thebfam]

Hi,
We're looking to move back to Michigan to be closer to family. Colorado is not a fit for us and all our family is in Michigan. We left SE MI for jobs and found them here. We also had a child and found good medical care. It seems weird thinking of moving back to MI when we really have benefited being in CO even if it doesn't feel like the right place for us. We're considering something slower and smaller like Traverse City or Grand Rapids, nothing back SE. I'm nervous about finding good services like we have here (child has some special needs) and especially long term jobs since we want to buy our first home. Kinda feels like we're emotionally tied to the idea of moving near family when we are doing just fine here in CO. It's just not the Midwestern vibe we like. Anyone regret going back just for family? If you could choose, would you go for more money/ability to not stress over money or be near family and a community that fits?

Current city Colorado PROS: higher income with same jobs, great winters, nearby large city amenities, job growth, services for our child are great
CONS: land locked, summers too hot, no family, wrong fit
Possible cities Michigan PROS: great seasons, great lakes, family, feels right
CONS: lower income doing same jobs, little-no job growth, unsure about schools/services

[Indentured Servant]

After the recent death of a sibling....and aging parents in the area.....nothing is more important than family I have come to realize more. To me extra money is not all that important as long as you can make a fairly good living. Plus, if you are looking at Grand Rapids, it is rated as one of the most affordable areas in the country, which might help to mitigate the impact of having lower salaries.

If both my wife and I could find stable employment ,as we currently have where we live now......I would move back to Michigan on a quarter less household income. However, my wife is not from Michigan and she would be away from her family. Needless to say I am back in Michigan as often as possible.

[Thebfam]

Thanks Indentured Servant for the reply. And you're right. Less money would still trump overall happiness. I'm just worried about the amount of opportunity in TC or GR compared to where we are. I want to plan in case we both lost jobs there we could find similar ones again. Here, in our city, there's over a half dozen places with my husband's exact position so if he was let go he could apply to any one of those companies. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, but with us being laid off for the first time a few years ago, I want backup job options before a mortgage.

[YAZ]

Tough choice.

It's been almost ten years since I left Michigan, and I pine for the good 'ole days occasionally. Yeah, even the late winter climate beckons me as the ice fishing was typically good.

But I look about me (shameless peninsula plug ), and I appreciate what we have here & now.

There's a lot to be said about steady employment and the growth it brings, compared to scraping and scrounging to make a living. Of course, not everyone in Michigan is scraping & scrounging to eek out a living. And I realize that my misfortunes "back home" were partly due to bad decisions on my part.

Life is good here, and I enjoy relatives' visits here in Phoenix.

"Fit" is often related to adjustment. And adjusting can be very hard considering the lack of family being close by. And Colorado is certainly much different than the Great Lakes State.

Give it some time and don't make any quick decisions.

I'm sure there are many Michiganders that would love to have you back though.

[belleislerunner]

Why don't you tell us what you do? "Worried about the amount of opportunity" sounds rather vague - I'm curious what is leading you to think there isn't upward potential? Sounds like a mental block. I don't know of anyone in Michigan that's had that as a problem. The Michigan of 2014 is world's away from that of 2009.

Get back to be closer to family/the "fit" you want outside of work. I've found when you don't compare where you think you should be working, or how much you should be making, to something else - you find yourself much happier.

Anxiety doesn't rid you of tomorrow's problems, it just robs you of today's peace.

[DONNIEANDDONNA417]

Originally Posted by belleislerunner

Why don't you tell us what you do? "Worried about the amount of opportunity" sounds rather vague - I'm curious what is leading you to think there isn't upward potential? Sounds like a mental block. I don't know of anyone in Michigan that's had that as a problem. The Michigan of 2014 is world's away from that of 2009.

Get back to be closer to family/the "fit" you want outside of work. I've found when you don't compare where you think you should be working, or how much you should be making, to something else - you find yourself much happier.

Anxiety doesn't rid you of tomorrow's problems, it just robs you of today's peace.

i had to digest that concept as well

[Thebfam]

Husband is in auto service field and I'm now going back for a degree (likely unrelated to my previous experience). While I know MI has been doing better since we left, some of our family and friends are still struggling to find steady employment and/or decent paying jobs in their fields. That, and searching the job boards, is what led me to be concerned. There seems to be more opportunities there than when we left in '09 but the pay is substantially different than where we are currently. Ex. my husband makes $46/yr here vs $29 in TC with GR a wee bit better. With the cost of living differences it would be about $4-5 less than what have become comfortable with here in CO.

Belleislerunner, your point of not comparing is valid, although difficult for me to do when deciding between two locations

I appreciate all the responses. Thinking maybe i just shouldn't over-think this!

Thanks!

[JGatti]

My wife and I were also in a similar situation. We moved to Indiana where I had a really good job with a great future. My wife on the other hand grew impatient not finding a job in her field even though I was doing well enough for both. Well my kids missed home and she wanted to move home. So here we are.
We are now home, we are both making less than when we left. A lot less. However when we returned and neither had insurance we found out about Michigans children special health care services. Our son also has special needs and although we were given misinformation when he was diagnosed, it turns out his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes alone qualifies him for the program. I'm not sure your childs needs, or if this program can help. But if was a life saver when we moved back. We ran out of test strips and one bottle of I think 50 was $75, this lasts less than 2 weeks.
I just wish we could have moved a little further from family. Close enough to visit easily, but far enough to be away from them. Best of luck whatever you decide. Some things can't have a price put on them. Family being one of them. I'd prefer to make a little less and be home here in Michigan than more somewhere else. Not much changes, just take a little longer to save for certain things.

[lurtsman]

Wow. I live in Colorado. I wouldn't move to Michigan even if they offered to double my salary. The spectacular vistas in Colorado, the services, and the weather are just great. IMO the feels like in most Colorado cities during the summer is pretty similar to Michigan, and the winters are just so much warmer. However, to each his own. Being near family is important, so do what you must do. It's weird to hear someone say they don't feel right in Colorado, but if you're looking for that really midwestern vibe, it is true that Colorado is more west coast than midwestern.

[Thebfam]

Thanks Jgatti. This is just what we are discussing and it great to know you're enjoying MI. We are planning to move near one of our families and visiting the other and we have similar comcerns Thanks for the info on the children's special health care services. That makes me feel a ton better.
Not trying to beat up CO. We like CO in general and probably would like it even more if we moved to Boulder or around there. We really miss the water. The summers are much hotter here (90-100 most of summer) than in MI and we just don't go outside and do much. Guess we are not able to tolerate it like some people do. Downtown denver is cool but the traffic sucks so we don't go often. I think we are realizing we don't want to live in a city just outside a city. No point having tons of traffic and sprawl without being right in the walking portion of a vibrant downtown. You're right lurtsman about the winters...they are great!