We all need a fresh start in life occasionally. Maybe we just got out of a bad relationship, or maybe we want to quit our job and start over in a new town. There are as many reasons for wanting to get out and start over as there are places to go start over. One place that often gets overlooked, though, is the great state of Michigan. It has a lot to offer, but people either don’t think of it or assume things about the state that haven’t been true in a while, if they were ever true at all.
Michigan’s economy
There’s a certain image of Michigan that is persistent and refuses to go away. People think of Michigan and think of the mean streets of Detroit. They think that Detroit is a dying city, and so Michigan must also be a dying state, at least since all the factory jobs left. Here’s the thing, though: Michigan has actually recorded several years in a row of economic growth. That’s right; the economy of the Wolverine State is growing. In late 2017, University of Michigan economists told the press that they expect the state’s growth to continue, albeit at a slower pace than in other years. That’s very good news for workers as well as employers.
There are also a lot of very smart people working to revitalize Detroit and return it to its former glory. But you don’t have to live in Detroit if you don’t want to. With a population of almost 700,000, it’s still the biggest city in the state, but there are other cities worth looking at as well. Ann Arbor is a great college town, and Lansing is the capital city of Michigan. If you’re a small business owner looking to move to Michigan, the Lansing-based Michigan Chamber of Commerce would probably love to talk to you about all the state has to offer.
Housing in Michigan
If you want to contribute to the restoration of a historical American city, Detroit is a great place to look at real estate. The city life isn’t for everyone, though. You can stay within the metro area without residing in city limits. Birmingham, Michigan, is a growing town of about 20,000 located north of Detroit. It’s about a thirty-minute drive into the city, depending on traffic. The relatively easy commute means a lot of people are looking for homes in the Birmingham area right now. You could be one of those people, and with a little work, you could go from a prospective homebuyer to a homeowner. The suburbs of Detroit have plenty of other communities to choose from as well, including places like Auburn Hills, Pontiac, and Rochester.
What else is there to know about Michigan? The weather is a big factor. Detroit gets over 40 inches of snowfall per winter on average, and some winters have more than doubled that number. You have to be comfortable walking and driving in the snow, so get out those snow boots and snow tires. If you’re prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder, Michigan may not be the place for you. That being said, it’s a state full of great people, and if you like cuddling up by the fire as the snow falls outside, you’ll have plenty of chances to do that. If you have an especially hardy constitution, you can even move to the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula and hang out with the Yoopers.
