Quote from illinimatt81:
Agreed. Harbor Country is great, as is Grand Haven, Traverse City and Mackinac. These areas only exist because of Chicago money that travels there in the summer.
Rest of the state is pretty useless.
Petoskey, Charlevoix, Grand Rapids, Portage, Holland - all very, very nice areas.
The best things about Michigan? Very clean air and some of the best fresh water in the world (once you get out of the zone of contamination of the industrial area that spreads out in an approximate 60 mile radius of Detroit - you would be hard pressed to find cleaner air or water in anywhere with the exception of the arctic or certain mountainous areas of northern Europe or Switzerland), very fertile farmland, and aside from Detroit and the suburbs, very low crime rates and a well armed populace.
The worst? Definitely unions and property taxes. I was never anti-union until I got out of college, traveled around the country and the world, and saw what a competitive disadvantage it was for Michigan to be saddled with union inefficiencies in a globalized economy with nominal barriers to trade, commerce and other exchanges.
I'd rather live in Michigan than almost any other area of the country I've see. You can shove Florida up your asses. Crime, taxes, bugs, humidity, slime from everywhere migrating there. Texas? What is there besides Austin and San Antonio, which I have to admit are two very cool cities. But the water and taxes suck, and it's too damn hot and humid in most other parts.
New York & New Jersey? Ha!
I'll admit an unmitigated affinity for La Jolla & San Diego. The weather is too optimum not to love it, as the views and landscape are. But damn the cost of living, traffic and foo foo ness.
Ahhh, I forgot about Colorado. Some of the beautiful and clean areas I've ever seen, and I'd have to say Colorado has stolen my heart. Amazing lakes, topography, clean air and water - yes, Colorado is a definite possibility.