Can't wait to move to Michigan

Blackcat99 · Jan 31, 2005

:chuckle Thanks for telling me about Florida. I have a friend who keeps telling me how great Florida is but you sound like you know the "real Florida."

She tells me it doesn't get too hot in Florida but other people telling me it gets way too hot. She lives in Gainesville. Can you give me any information on Gainesville? She insists I would love to work and live in Gainesville. Michigan sounds great. I hope you will find a wonderful place in Michigan with good neighbors. I live in Washington state but am hoping to go back to Wyoming in the future.

Lasoniamacaroni · Feb 2, 2005

whereabouts are you moving to in this snowy state???

TLC RN · Feb 3, 2005

Just remember in Michigan on the Michigan U-turns you follow the inside-inside, outside-outside rule!

Also, beware of potholes. Our road conditions in the southeastern MI area suck!

Lastly, with construction lately going from the suburbs to the city has been crazy. I drove from the burbs to the city for the last three years and you would be lucky to go a week without having some kind of construction slowing you down. And they love to close highways down for constuction on the weekends.

Besides that...be prepared for the cold:) I ran outside today in a balmy 35 degrees. :wink2:

LowPaidNurse0000 · Feb 23, 2005

I cannot wait to move up north to Michigan!!!
This may come as a surprise, but I live in "beautiful, sunny Florida." I've lived here almost thirty years.
Now I know the following may seem offensive to some, but this is coming from an almost native who has even raised her children in the sunshine state. Take it from someone who's grown up and raised her kids here...
Florida SUCKS!
Forget what you've heard about retirees and this being an "old persons" state. FL is now peopled with everyone who hates the cold-- and that's a considerable amount of people.
We have people from all over the world here now, and most of them are *not* retirees. They bring with them their driving skills (Oh--My--GAWD) and their reluctance and /or dislike for the neighborly hospitality I grew up with. (when FL was still small-time)
They bring with them the attitude that nothing in FL can ever compare to their way of living "Up North."
They bring with them the notion that people from the south are all "Slower" and that Floridians are so backwards and in needing of northern help that we don't know what the hell a "pop" is. (You may find one or two, but dont count on laughing too much)
The thing that those people looking to move to FL need to know is that nowadays about 95% of the people they will encounter in this state are from other states, and when I grew up here-- making forts in the woods that held palmetto brush and palms but now hold high-rises and apartment complexes, most people were natives. But now, don't expect small-town values for your kids. And don't expect any form of southern hopsitality from your probable New York City/LA intoverted neighbors.
This state (FL) has changed so much, and has developed so much, that I cannot wait to return to the state in which I was born.
I know that the whole "fast-paced" life exists everywhere these days, but I suspect that in MIchigan, I'll deal with people who have a certain way of life in which I can quickly adapt to-- not a mismash of people who all bring their own way of life and expect everyone else to adapt to, or else ostrasize them.
I guess this post is kind of my swan-sing to Florida--- the once beautiful place where I grew up, because despite what anyone tells you, living here sucks. Fl is now a "Great place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there" state.
The traffic here alone makes one nuts. I would much rather drive 15 miles in the snow and ice than drive 15 minutes of stop and go inner city traffic with a "Q-tip" (Come visit, you'll know whar I mean) leading the way any day. Plus, during season a drive that normally takes 5 mins is increased to 15. NO LIE! I live it. The roads are simply not equipped.
Screw it all. I'll vacation in Fl, but at least in MI, I know my neighbors (for the most part) have common sense, compassion, and still know their neighb ors.
Where I am now, I could be screaming in pain and nobody would respond. That's how neighborly people here in FL are.
But man, FL used to be so nice.

Thank You! I agree Florida Does Suck!! I moved here from Michigan 4 years ago and I am sooooo ready to move back! But my husband likes it, he hates snow, so we are moving to North Carolina this coming fall, he's not crazy about that but I have to leave here, you are right people here are so not friendly! We have lived in this neighborhood now for 4 years and we don"t know but one neighbor! I absoulutley hate it! Lots of different cultures down here, nobody is from florida! Plus the pay sucks compared to michigan! You have to pay for the sunshine....and you are right about the season traffic, I was into home health for a while and I had to quit because of the traffic siutation! It would take me all day to see 5 people!! Yep, florida is a nice place to vacation, but not to live!

KrisRNwannabe · Feb 23, 2005

I have lived in michigan my whole life (27 years). In case you didn't know most of the crazy florida drivers migrate back to michigan in the summer. some never leave. my husband nearly got hit 4 times in the drive thru by the same little old man who was addicted to reverse. beware of the winters. most people in michigan drive the same on snowy roads as they do on drive pavement. all the roads south of bridge suck. even though we go through road construction every year from march until november. my theory they just make the roads crappy so these guys will have something to do every year. this is the state of commuters. very few people live near where they work. so southeast michigan is a trip to drive in. if people live in flint and have to be to detroit(2 hours away) by 9 am they will leave at 8 and just drive like nut cases to make it. some not all!! oh and the 2 hours away thing. get used to that. we do not measure distances in mile only minutes or hours. you will never here some say oh that is 50 miles away. you will that is about an hour. also the state is spilt down the middle. the east side of the state doesn't like the west side and well some people on the west side tend to think they their own state. I used to live on that side but hated it. got sick of hearing "ooh you finally moved to the best side of the state!!" where are you moving to?? like i said, even though there are weird things here, i wouldn't live anywhere else.

Kris

KrisRNwannabe · Feb 23, 2005

oh also, don't think we are not a melting pot here too. we have tons of diversity. and from what i have noticed, we don't like to intermix that much. i don't know hardly any of neighbors. and most of them don't know me and we live in a condo! not trying to discourage you but in reading your post, most of the things you don't like about florida, also exist here.

kris

CarolineRn · Mar 2, 2005

whereabouts are you moving to in this snowy state???

Well, we just got back this week from a trip up there, and it looks like Ann Arbor (outskirts) is the area we'll be going to.

We drove all OVER the state. Went as far north as Tahqumenon Falls (breathtaking in the winter!) and back downriver.

We have a lot of family around Detroit, and after seeing just how long of a drive it is to Alpena and the UP (areas we were considering) we decided on Ann Arbor-- I applied at U of M, and St Joseph's Mercy. I know the area is crowded, and yeah-- I expericenced some of you potholes and even learned about making a "michigan left," and I STILL would rather live up there than down here! We've contacted a realtor, and hopefully we'll be moving in the next six weeks! I really liked Saline, and Dexter, so we're looking there for now.

PS, I *LOVE* the snow, and can't wait to spend my first autumn up there! To finally see the leaves change again--WOW! Can you tell I am excited?

LowPaidNurse0000 · Mar 3, 2005

Good for you! :rotfl: We are moving back to michigan as well!

We were going to move to North Carolina, but we decided to move back to michigan again...plus my family is there.. along with my friends, but we will not be moving untill this coming fall.

We are going to move around the Lansing area not to far from Ann Arbor

I can't wait myself, I am looking forward to getting away from here to!

KrisRNwannabe · Mar 3, 2005

Caroline,

Do you have family in Alpena? My husbands family is from Rogers City (20 minutes from alpena), my family is 50 minutes south (straight down 23) in Oscoda. If my hubby didn't have such a good job at Oakland County (9% raise per year, can't beat that) we would move to alpena. i love it up there. That is why i could never live in detroit or even ann arbor. that is why we commute!!! let us know when you find a job.

Kris

CarolineRn · Mar 4, 2005

hey everyone! Well, so far St Joes AND U if M has called me back! I'm really excited-- I hope it doesnt take too long for my RN endorsment to go through. Both hospitals want me to come up and and look around their units. I'll know more next week once my husband's financial ducks are all in a row.

And there are other depts at the "U" that are looking over my resume, according to the Nurse recruiter I spoke with. At this point, the unit in the U that wants me is willing to give me that hours that I want too. An impossibilty here in FL. Here, those with senority get their choice of shifts first. And I guess there's not as much of a shortage in FL as in MI, because I know of people here who have a hard time finding a job (can you believe it!?) All I did was forward a resume online to the MI hospitals I wanted to work for, and they contacted me before the end of the week! (before the end of the hour in the case of St Joe's!)

I really think Michigan is going to be a great fit for my family-- the schools are better, the pay is better, and the people are better!

Thanks to all of you who have responded, and best of luck to everyone else who is going to be relocating. Maybe some of us will get to work together!

CarolineRn · Mar 4, 2005

Kris, my husband's grandfather (90 years old) has lived there his whole life, and my husband used to spend all his summers up in Alpena. We were just there last week, drove up US 23 along Lake Huron-- OMG, it was soooooo beautiful! I fell in love with E. Tawas-- and all points north. We didn't go across to Rogers' City, but I would venture a guess that it's probably beautiful also. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of driving up that way in the Fall, I'm sure to fall in love with the area all over again. On our trip back, we stopped in gaylord-- long story-- but that place was so nice, DH and I found ourselves sitting at a Elias' Bros Big boy, sipping steaming hot soup from a cup, looking out over a beautiful snowy afternoon, and all I could think was "I wanna LIVE here!" It must be so nice to have a change of seasons like that. I know FL seems ideal to many people, and I guess I can kind of understand why some people would be attracted to the idea of living here, but I'm not one of them anymore. I'm starting a savings for a couple of snowmobiles too--For that day in the not too distant future when we are free to move way upstate! My hair will look like $hit, but at least I'll be having fun!!!