Moving up north: MI or WI?

I have lived in the sunbelt all of my life. As I conduct my job search, there are a lot of positions listed in the north/Midwest. For example, I just got a response from an employer in Grand Junction, MI.

Can anyone tell me about Grand Junction? Initial looks indicate that it is a very small town, with not a lot nearby. What is the culture of west Michigan like? Is there much to do? Tell me about the landscape.

This is all quite new to me, so it will be a change for certain.

Where in Wisconsin? All other things being equal, I personally would choose Wisconsin--mostly due to personal preference and I know it much better. I do trust the economy of WI more than Mich., but they are on a rebound.

Middle of nowhere. Conservative republican. Hope you LOVE snow.

The place I applied (but haven't heard back from yet) is a suburb just north of Milwaukee. I have been trough Milwaukee briefly, so I would have no problem with that area.

I did 3 years in Columbus, OH after living in Arkansas all my life. Much less extreme climate change than you'll experience and this very much sums those 3 Winters up for me:

Greater Milwaukee is an excellent place, if you can stomach the winter months. Road America, The Milwaukee mile w/ infield course, and Blackhawk Farms are all within an hour...and there is a very active autocross community as well. As for motorcycles, its of course is very Harley-centric...but there are tons of rides/events every week in those circles.

Mitchell wrote: The place I applied (but haven't heard back from yet) is a suburb just north of Milwaukee. I have been trough Milwaukee briefly, so I would have no problem with that area.

Given the choice, now I'm definitely choosing Milwaukee. Grand Junction, MI is 45 minutes from any kind of city. Milwaukee is a small "big city".

Also, as far as snow, you're going to get a LOT more in MI due to the Lake Effect.

I live in Appleton, WI and work in Green Bay if you have any questions about this area.

I went from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. This winter was horrible to say the least. I do enjoy being able to go outside during the summer months in PA.

If you move North, that will bring the total number of people who have moved from the South to the North to two (2). When I tell locals that I'm from NC, they usually ask why in the hell would I move North?

I'm wondering why the hell you would even consider doing something like that. All I do is dream about the day I can leave...

bravenrace wrote: I'm wondering why the hell you would even consider doing something like that. All I do is dream about the day I can leave...

QFT.

I grew up in the Green Bay area (22 years) and then moved down to Milwaukee 2 years ago. I have visited many other places around the country and enjoy them, but always miss WI and want to come back. Milwaukee is a pretty good location for activity. Relatively central to the bigger cities. About 2 hours from Green Bay, 1.5 hours from Madison, 1 hour to Road America, about 1.5 hours to Blackhawk farms, 2 hours from Chicago, etc. Good automotive community in the Milwaukee area, lots of outdoors things to do. Yes you do have to battle the seasons, and yes the cold and snow gets old even to the seasoned. On the plus side of winter is ice racing. Check out the Central WI SCC and the Fox Valley SCC. They host lots of races in NE WI and Central WI along with lots of Auto-X events.

Grand Junction is about 5 miles from Gingerman. Lake Michigan is close by. It is a pretty part of the state. Kalamazoo is not to far away for some bigger city action.

I'd also vote WI over isolated MI. As mentioned, Road America, Blackhawk Farms, Autobahn Country Club are all nearby. The Kettle Moraine area just Northwest of Milwaukee is beautiful and filled with great roads. Tons of fantastic fishing / hunting / camping throughout WI. Six Flags Great America is a fun amusement park, and within an hour or so. If you want the big city--- Chicago is only a couple of hours away at most.

Yes, the Winters suck up North, and the roads are in ridiculously bad shape. However, I've travelled extensively throughout the U.S. and the nicest, most down to earth people in the entire country are in the Midwest--- especially Wisconsin. If you are in a rural area, there will very likely be no crime, no locked doors, and people who make eye contact and say hello when you meet them. They help one another out, look out for each other, and are just generally great- honest folks.

Someday I plan on spending my Summers in Wisconsin for that very reason. Good, honest people, in a beautiful environment make a place much more appealing.

Grand Junction is only 3 miles east of Gingerman Raceway.
www.gingermanraceway.com

The west Michigan shoreline is absolutely beautiful. My parents have a summer home in South Haven which is only 10 miles to the west. Beautiful town, touristy, but not as overrun with people, good food, reasonably priced property. Just north is the beach town of Saugatuk, artsy place, Film festival, gay population, depending what you're into. Michigan and Milwaukee have great beer scenes, with Bells/Founders/Shorts/Perrin all residing in West Michigan.

I'm a west Michigan resident and absolutely love it here, though I live just NE of Grand Rapids. We are out to the lake often, or up north around Traverse City any given weekend.

The economies in Michigan are very opposite depending on which side of the state or Metropolis you're near. The eastside / Detroit / Flint still has much higher unemployment and blight (though recovering). Grand Rapids has much lower unemployment, a thriving downtown, and a Medical/Technology boom underway. Eastside is democrats/liberal, westside is heavily conservative.

Basically I'd just consider that if whatever job in Grand Junction doesn't work out, you may be looking towards Grand Rapids / Holland area for future employment.

The west Michigan shoreline running all the way north houses some of the best beaches/dunes in the land and makes for great weekend getaways in the summer.

Further up north the Sleeping Bear dunes (and surrounding area) are beautiful as well. http://www.sleepingbeardunes.com/

A plus for Michigan is we basically have no rules when it comes to cars. You can buy a car for $50.00 and if it rolls, your good.

I dunno if I'd want to live in Grand Junction. Most of the larger cities on the west side of the state are great these days from a cultural standpoint (Grand Rapids is a beer and art paradise, Kalamazoo is on the rebound, etc) but if you plan to live in grand junction itself? That place is small. The west half of the state is the conservative half to begin with, so if you're conspicuously liberal/weird, you'll likely hate the small towns out there.

I'm a michigan boy, but outside greater Ann Arbor/Ypsi, Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Traverse City...I'd take Milwaukee. Milwaukee is pretty damn nice.

Gingerman is great, though! Evening test n' tunes are my drug of choice (just about the cheapest track time you'll find and it's a very safe & low-key facility).

The winter makes you want to die while it's happening, but it'll make you feel superior to those in warmer climates. There's a reason northern invaders are historically so feared.

I grew up in west Michigan and still spend summers in the Upper Peninsula. West Michigan is still a very conservative very republican area. There are poskets of more progressive thinking in the Grand Rapids area, but my gay brother will tell you that it's not the best part of the world if you're different. The economy in west Michigan is pretty good right now though a lot of my friends who have stayed run into a lower pay ceiling than other parts of the country. As they say, there's only so far you can rise.
I'd move back if there were the opportunities that there are in Texas (oil) but there aren't, so we just visit.
Lake Michigan is going to be cold this summer, just a heads up.

I'm a life long West Michigan resident. The good: Pretty easy to own your own home here and you get a lot for your money. Lake Michigan and most of the communities along it are great. Grand Rapids has a lot of the amenities of a large city without being a large city. If you need more, Chicago and Detroit are about 2 to 2 1/2 hours away. Cost of living is relatively low. Lots of green space pretty much everywhere. As previously mentioned, there's Gingerman.

As for the politics of the area, honestly, who cares? Unless you plan to sunbath in the nude at a public park, who cares what general politics of the area are? (As an aside, I don't think West Michigan is as conservative as most people think it is)

As for the negatives: There's winter, carpet bombed roads. (Seriously, they're terrible, pretty much throughout the state) Winter. An economy only partially recovered and, although gaining steam, still behind most of the rest of the nation. The state is also potentially burdened with the cost of "bailing out" Detroit. Winter. Its kind of a lame state as far as a "car culture" goes, since anything nice spends at least five months of the year under a cover in the garage. Winter. The Detroit Lions. Winter. Rust. Winter. The Detroit Lions. You get the picture. . .

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Why up north? Because I am looking to move from my current industry to its supplier, and I may have to search all over to get my foot in the door.

Packers versus the Lions? Is that a question?

Currently in a state with the Jags, Bucs, and Dolphins... Usually their wins added up would amount to an okay season.

Which state has a hockey team?

I'm moving to Milwaukee to be in a small city close to home (Chicago) with better cost of living, outdoor fun, etc. Seems like a nice place to be! We'll see how it goes this summer.

mazdeuce wrote: I grew up in west Michigan and still spend summers in the Upper Peninsula. West Michigan is still a very conservative very republican area. There are poskets of more progressive thinking in the Grand Rapids area, but my gay brother will tell you that it's not the best part of the world if you're different. The economy in west Michigan is pretty good right now though a lot of my friends who have stayed run into a lower pay ceiling than other parts of the country. As they say, there's only so far you can rise. I'd move back if there were the opportunities that there are in Texas (oil) but there aren't, so we just visit. Lake Michigan is going to be cold this summer, just a heads up.

Deuce has it summed up nicely. I have gay friends who live in Grand Rapids, the city itself is OK for them, but once you're out of down town the people are far more conservative.

It's a beautiful area though. And you not only have Gingerman right there, but also Grattoan park an hour and a half away and Blackhawk is doable in a day. Chicago is easily accessible by car or train (Hint drive and park in Chesterton In and catch the commute train in). Leelanau county (the most beautiful place in the world) is 3 hours north. You have two great Rally America events in the state, Waterford hills on the East side. 2 hours up the road you have Silver lake sand dunes which is a 3,000 acres off road paradise. A great TSD program, plenty of autocross. The car culture in Michigan is just awesome. Michigan has everything in the way of outdoor activities and sports.