Leaving Michigan, 109,000 more people left Michigan 2008 than moved in, The state loses a family every 12 minutes

[justmeagain]

Oppps........I meant to say we live about 24 miles east of Traverse City

[momof2inohio]

Ok.........Most people know where were Traverse City, MI is...........about 24 miles east.

I love Traverse City! My dad has a cabin in Bellaire and we go to Traverse alot when we are in Michigan. Very pretty area. We were just there 2 weekends ago.

[CW&M Mom]

We considered it 2 1/2 years ago...but it just didn't sit well with us then...thank goodness. At least here unemployed...everything is cheap so we can survive.

((HUGS))

[kval07]

I've had my fair share of job woes in MI as well. When I came back from Iraq, I got a job at Lasalle Bank as a phone rep. Bank of America bought them out. If I hadn't gotten myself canned in June 08, I would have been laid off with everyone else in my call center, in October of 08 anyway. (Getting fired was the best thing for me though.) Then I got a job at a contract company for GM and worked under a company under EDS at a local GM parts plant. No insurance or paid holidays for six months. Then when I hit six months my hours got cut in half.

I thank my lucky stars that I didn't burn my bridges at the insurance company before I left for Iraq. I now work full time and have no worries about being laid off. My insurance company is very well placed in the market with no issues like AIG and such. Now, I just have to make sure I watch my potty mouth on the phone.

[taylordvd]

Oppps........I meant to say we live about 24 miles east of Traverse City

That's where I was thinking you lived. My family used to go skiing at Crystal Mountain.

[ironeagle48162]

I was born and raised on the western side of the state, around the Holland area. When I was 10, we moved to Monroe in the southeastern portion. DH and I moved to AZ about 5-1/2 years ago and I definitely don't regret it. (OT, but I saw Monroe on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" last night and that was surreal to see on TV restaurants I've eaten in, the river I used to run along, streets I've drove down, and a hospital I spent a lot of time in with various family members!)

The main reason we moved was the economy. I had been laid off 3 times in 3 years. And this was 5-1/2 years ago, mind you, and from what I've heard things are even worse now. Even though we now reside in the only state in the nation without a balanced budget, and the housing/construction woes have hit AZ hard, we are still better off here. We both have full time jobs and we have a home. Sure, we are struggling a bit right now like everyone else since our hours, pay, and health insurance have been cut, but we save a little every month and we would be OK for awhile if one of us lost our jobs tomorrow. I am looking to leave where I currently work since my employer contracts with the state and there's no telling what might happen due to the budget. I am getting a lot of calls for interviews, and there are plenty of jobs to apply for. DH talked his surrogate Dad and his wife into moving out here a couple of years ago, too.

Here's what I miss about MI:
1. THE PEOPLE. People are so rude out here. They drive into their garages and shut the doors. If you try to talk to your neighbors, they look at you like you're an alien or something. I thought it was just me for awhile (I am a little stuck up, I admit), but DH's surrogate Dad says the people stink out here too, and he had friends up the ying-yang back in MI. We have been talking about leaving AZ just because of the people.
2. Apple picking in the fall and making homemade pies and applesauce all day.
3. It stays lighter later there. We could go for a walk after dinner at 6, 7 o'clock since it was light until about 9 in the spring/summer. It gets dark early here and I won't go out after dark.
4. Lighter metro area traffic. It gets really congested out here in the Valley.
5. Less illegal immigrants.
6. Cheaper sales tax. Ours is 8.7%. Plus every city's sales tax is different out here which is just too confusing for me. I liked the 6% so I could count out exact change while I waited in line at the store. I'm not Rain Man, I can't figure out 8.7% without a calculator.

What I don't miss:
1. The potholes. We only have one Grand Canyon in this state, LOL.
2. Snow, sleet, ice, hail, tornado scares, cold, clouds... I like it warm with over 300 days of sunshine per year. This one counts a lot for me.
3. There are things I like much better here-there's tons of stuff to do, lots of history, hiking, mountains, desert, etc.
4. Daylight savings time. It's nice not to have to change the clocks twice a year.

I left my family behind. Some days I miss them and some days I don't!

All in all, I'm glad we got out of MI while we could and I don't regret leaving. I don't think we've found our perfect fit in AZ, but I'd rather live here than there. I wouldn't move back even if their economy was better.

[shashabell]

I live in MI. South of Detroit. It was a booming state back in the day. Everyone and their brother was employed by one of the car companies or a company that was related in someway or another to the manufacturing of cars. Now there are just empty building. It's sad to think that this was once the place that people actually moved to and now they are moving out. Heck, last year there were 5 or 6 empty houses on my street of 18 houses.