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I've been doing a lot of research on Michigan recently and I've got to say I'm really drawn to the state. It seems like a beautiful place with so much potential. It must be heaven for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, swimming, etc. The climate also seems ideal. I actually don't mind "gloomy" weather. Not everyone enjoys constant sunshine and warm temperatures.
Detroit has such a rich history and I can only imagine what a great place it must have been during it's glory days. Despite the city's downfall, it still seems to have a lot to offer, at least as far as entertainment goes (sports, music, etc.) But I'm not naive. I do understand that the city is in a dire situation and is dangerous.
My question is, what does Michigan's future look like? I guess to answer my own question, it looks pretty bleak at the moment. Terrible economy with high unemployment, high taxes, poor governing, etc. But is there any hope? Will Michigan turn around? I see places like Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina booming, but quite honestly, they don't appeal to me. I hate the weather and they seem less "real" (not sure if that makes sense) than many of the states, cities, and towns in the rust belt. Places like Michigan or Ohio seem much more authentic and unique.
I'll be graduating college in a few years with a B.S. in Accounting. Although the process to become a CPA will take a bit longer, is there even a remote chance of landing a job like that in Michigan? Or should I not even bother looking? Believe it or not, not every young adult like myself is looking to live where all the action is. I prefer leading a much quieter sort of lifestyle in a suburban or rural area.
Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
There are a bunch of GS-5/7 positions that pay 40k+ for accountants in Michigan, in Detroit this will go far, and many federal jobs have awesome benefits as well as good opportunities for promotion.
I've been doing a lot of research on Michigan recently and I've got to say I'm really drawn to the state. It seems like a beautiful place with so much potential. It must be heaven for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, swimming, etc. The climate also seems ideal. I actually don't mind "gloomy" weather. Not everyone enjoys constant sunshine and warm temperatures.
Detroit has such a rich history and I can only imagine what a great place it must have been during it's glory days. Despite the city's downfall, it still seems to have a lot to offer, at least as far as entertainment goes (sports, music, etc.) But I'm not naive. I do understand that the city is in a dire situation and is dangerous.
My question is, what does Michigan's future look like? I guess to answer my own question, it looks pretty bleak at the moment. Terrible economy with high unemployment, high taxes, poor governing, etc. But is there any hope? Will Michigan turn around? I see places like Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina booming, but quite honestly, they don't appeal to me. I hate the weather and they seem less "real" (not sure if that makes sense) than many of the states, cities, and towns in the rust belt. Places like Michigan or Ohio seem much more authentic and unique.
I'll be graduating college in a few years with a B.S. in Accounting. Although the process to become a CPA will take a bit longer, is there even a remote chance of landing a job like that in Michigan? Or should I not even bother looking? Believe it or not, not every young adult like myself is looking to live where all the action is. I prefer leading a much quieter sort of lifestyle in a suburban or rural area.
Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
We are going through some tough times, but Michigan will be fine in the long run. We have waaaaay too much going for us to stay down for much longer. Michigan is an amazing place, and if you like the outdoor activities...it doesnt get much better! You can go from a great town like Detroit, head north over the bridge to the U.P, and your in a whole different universe. Or you can head west to Beautiful Lake Michigan, or east to awesome Lake Huron. In between you have more lakes and rivers then you can count, and thousands of acres of awesome forest. As far as landing a job....thats a toughy... but not impossible. Good Luck!
I've been doing a lot of research on Michigan recently and I've got to say I'm really drawn to the state. It seems like a beautiful place with so much potential. It must be heaven for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, swimming, etc. The climate also seems ideal. I actually don't mind "gloomy" weather. Not everyone enjoys constant sunshine and warm temperatures.
Detroit has such a rich history and I can only imagine what a great place it must have been during it's glory days. Despite the city's downfall, it still seems to have a lot to offer, at least as far as entertainment goes (sports, music, etc.) But I'm not naive. I do understand that the city is in a dire situation and is dangerous.
My question is, what does Michigan's future look like? I guess to answer my own question, it looks pretty bleak at the moment. Terrible economy with high unemployment, high taxes, poor governing, etc. But is there any hope? Will Michigan turn around? I see places like Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina booming, but quite honestly, they don't appeal to me. I hate the weather and they seem less "real" (not sure if that makes sense) than many of the states, cities, and towns in the rust belt. Places like Michigan or Ohio seem much more authentic and unique.
I'll be graduating college in a few years with a B.S. in Accounting. Although the process to become a CPA will take a bit longer, is there even a remote chance of landing a job like that in Michigan? Or should I not even bother looking? Believe it or not, not every young adult like myself is looking to live where all the action is. I prefer leading a much quieter sort of lifestyle in a suburban or rural area.
Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
I like your desire to move here, but I have to admit I was a bit baffled and you lost a bit of credit with me when you said Arizona was booming. Last I read Arizona is in pretty bad shape. I have two brothers there and neither of them describe it as booming. In fact one is moving partially because things are getting so bad there.
On a higher note though I agree that it sounds like you would love Michigan. Don't believe all the doom and gloom, Michigan and it's residents are pretty resilient and we'll make it through this just fine. Also taxes are not bad everywhere, at least property taxes. It all depends on where you live and beyond that I have no issues with taxes. But then again I don't smoke ( poor bastards) and I honestly never paid any attention to the so called overcast all the time talk until I visited Arizona. They make it sound like it's so crappy here it's stomach turning.
Be sure and come pay us a visit. Downtown is fun, take in a Tiger game, visit one of the casino's. Windsor is right across the river and always nice to visit. Then head north, west, east and be sure and cross the bridge. Michigan is better than most think...... hopefully not too many people figure it out.
I've been doing a lot of research on Michigan recently and I've got to say I'm really drawn to the state. It seems like a beautiful place with so much potential. It must be heaven for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, swimming, etc. The climate also seems ideal. I actually don't mind "gloomy" weather. Not everyone enjoys constant sunshine and warm temperatures.
Detroit has such a rich history and I can only imagine what a great place it must have been during it's glory days. Despite the city's downfall, it still seems to have a lot to offer, at least as far as entertainment goes (sports, music, etc.) But I'm not naive. I do understand that the city is in a dire situation and is dangerous.
My question is, what does Michigan's future look like? I guess to answer my own question, it looks pretty bleak at the moment. Terrible economy with high unemployment, high taxes, poor governing, etc. But is there any hope? Will Michigan turn around? I see places like Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina booming, but quite honestly, they don't appeal to me. I hate the weather and they seem less "real" (not sure if that makes sense) than many of the states, cities, and towns in the rust belt. Places like Michigan or Ohio seem much more authentic and unique.
I'll be graduating college in a few years with a B.S. in Accounting. Although the process to become a CPA will take a bit longer, is there even a remote chance of landing a job like that in Michigan? Or should I not even bother looking? Believe it or not, not every young adult like myself is looking to live where all the action is. I prefer leading a much quieter sort of lifestyle in a suburban or rural area.
Your thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
There is no way to sugar coat the fact that jobs are really really hard to find here. Most people here support themselves on jobs that in other parts of the nation would be considered very basic, or kids jobs. Go in any walmart and you will see 30 and 40 year olds working there to support themselves. Hard to be the ladder climbing career man here, so if that is what your looking for you may be dissapointed. There is one thing people who slam michigan always fail to mention, the advanatage that low cost of living gives us. Housing is very very cheap here, houses can be had (liveable safe houses) for 40k and up. Even suburban Detroit which tends to be the most expensive part of the state houses can be had for 100k in places. In the troubled urban areas some houses sell for 5k. You watch those real estate shows depicting the young couple buying thier first house in Boston or LA for 500k, and they get 1000 sq feet, that is when we realize that things are not that bad here. If you live in New England and make 100k a year it will be harder to pay your bills with a 400k mortgage than if you lived in Michigan making 35k a year with a 40k mortgage. If you look at it that way our economy looks alot better. You do not need to be super career man to own a home here. If you like the slow pace of life, then that is another sign you will like it here. Do you like winter?? Do you like the outdoors??? These are things to ask yourself.
I like your desire to move here, but I have to admit I was a bit baffled and you lost a bit of credit with me when you said Arizona was booming. Last I read Arizona is in pretty bad shape. I have two brothers there and neither of them describe it as booming. In fact one is moving partially because things are getting so bad there.
Perhaps "booming" was the wrong choice of a word. Everything came to a screeching halt once the economic crisis began. But it seems as though a lot of people want to move someplace "warm and sunny", like Arizona or Florida.
There is no way to sugar coat the fact that jobs are really really hard to find here. Most people here support themselves on jobs that in other parts of the nation would be considered very basic, or kids jobs. Go in any walmart and you will see 30 and 40 year olds working there to support themselves. Hard to be the ladder climbing career man here, so if that is what your looking for you may be dissapointed. There is one thing people who slam michigan always fail to mention, the advanatage that low cost of living gives us. Housing is very very cheap here, houses can be had (liveable safe houses) for 40k and up. Even suburban Detroit which tends to be the most expensive part of the state houses can be had for 100k in places. In the troubled urban areas some houses sell for 5k. You watch those real estate shows depicting the young couple buying thier first house in Boston or LA for 500k, and they get 1000 sq feet, that is when we realize that things are not that bad here. If you live in New England and make 100k a year it will be harder to pay your bills with a 400k mortgage than if you lived in Michigan making 35k a year with a 40k mortgage. If you look at it that way our economy looks alot better. You do not need to be super career man to own a home here. If you like the slow pace of life, then that is another sign you will like it here. Do you like winter?? Do you like the outdoors??? These are things to ask yourself.
Everything is relative, as you point out in your examples. I live in New Jersey. While one will probably have a higher salary here than in Michigan, the cost of living and taxes are higher. Although you can get a great deal for a home now, they were much more expensive before the market collapsed. Rent is probably higher here as well.
I'm not looking to keep up with the Jones' or make $500,000 a year. Just enough that will allow me to live a comfortable life in a nice home.
Everything is relative, as you point out in your examples. I live in New Jersey. While one will probably have a higher salary here than in Michigan, the cost of living and taxes are higher. Although you can get a great deal for a home now, they were much more expensive before the market collapsed. Rent is probably higher here as well.
I'm not looking to keep up with the Jones' or make $500,000 a year. Just enough that will allow me to live a comfortable life in a nice home.
All we ever hear is negative about our state, but everyone overlooks the one huge advantage we have in our housing cost. If you land a decent job here, you will have a far nicer house than you likely could pay for in New Jersey. A city you should look at for a really good quality of life would be Grand Rapids. Its big enough to have a better job market, and it is a nice area with nice suburbs. Lake Michigan is only a short drive from there as well. I really think Grand Rapids is one of the nicest mid sized citys in the whole midwest. If you do move out here, Michigan will feel like another planet compared to New Jersey.
Michigan's economy has always ebbed and flowed. Only God knows the future, but based on Michigan's history one can say with reasonable certainty that things will improve.
If eventually you should move to some rural part of the state, remember to bring with you plenty of bug repellant.
All we ever hear is negative about our state, but everyone overlooks the one huge advantage we have in our housing cost. If you land a decent job here, you will have a far nicer house than you likely could pay for in New Jersey. A city you should look at for a really good quality of life would be Grand Rapids. Its big enough to have a better job market, and it is a nice area with nice suburbs. Lake Michigan is only a short drive from there as well. I really think Grand Rapids is one of the nicest mid sized citys in the whole midwest. If you do move out here, Michigan will feel like another planet compared to New Jersey.
Yes there certainly can be advantages to living in Michigan compared to New Jersey. I hear Michigan has a lot of nice suburbs, especially in the Detroit metropolitan area. I'll look into Grand Rapids. My concern about Detroit though is, if the city continues to spiral downward, what could the effect be on the suburbs?
What are places like Sault Ste. Marie and Marquette like? Sorry for so many questions!
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