The Vibe: You Can Count How Great Michigan Is On Both Hands
Michigan is a very distinctive land, marked by two very different ways of life and highlighted by a variety of regions and communities, each one unique in its own right. And as a state that is shaped like two mittens, any Michigander can tell where you’re from and what you’re like, generally speaking, just by pointing to your town on your Michigan map of a hand.
The Upper Peninsula is a breathtakingly beautiful but frigid near-tundra that isn’t for the meek. The folks in the UP are known for their love for nature and innate ability to rough it in even the harshest conditions. They proudly go by the name “yoopers,” a title which has to be earned in their eyes. Likewise, the Lower Peninsula is marked by “flatlanders” and is known better for its bigger metros and city-life, universities, and pr-sports teams.
Yoopers refer to the LP locals as “trolls,” since they live south of the Mackinac Bridge (pronounced “Mack-in-aw”.) This is where you’ll find the tourist destinations, culture, arts, a ton of amenities, and lifestyles to accommodate everyone. Urban professionals can live it up in Midtown while the crunchy granola types enjoy the Ann Arbor way of life.
Put both of your hands together and you’ll discover that Michigan really has the best of both worlds.
Local Flavor: Michigan Life Is Best Spent On The Lake … Just Pick One
Minnesota might be known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But that’s because with an astonishing 11,000 inland lakes, everyone in Michigan knows that this is the Land of The Greatest Lakes of All—especially since the state borders four of the actual Great Lakes. That’s what makes it the largest freshwater coast in the country with over 3,288 miles of shoreline.
While you shouldn’t ever expect the warm waters of Florida or the Gulf Coast, prepare to spend a lot of time at an on the water where life tends to revolve around in Michigan, especially in the summer months. Whether you’re standing at the top of a sand dune taking in the clear blue view, or on your best friend’s parents’ boat for the best graduation party ever, the many lakes of Michigan are everything that memories here are made of.
Cuisine: Michigan Has A Menu For All Ethnicities And Cultures
As perhaps one of the most surprisingly culturally diverse states in the country, especially when it comes to food, Michigan is a full-course meal of deliciousness. There are plenty of foods and drinks that are unique (or at least partly) to the local communities such as
Detroit-famous coney dogs topped with Michigan sauce, ernor’s Ginger Ale, Faygo soda, and Better Made chips.
Kellogg’s got its start here in Michigan, which is why everyone here knows that breakfast is for cereal. And then there’s Superman ice cream, a red, blue, and yellow concoction of flavored ice cream, layered in the almost-true to Superman colors and is a staple food for any kid’s ice cream cool down.
Culturally, the state is brimming with ethnic neighborhoods and popular restaurants covering everything from Asian to Arabic, Mexican, and Polish fare. And Polish food is so popular, the state has an entire holiday dedicated to their love of paczkis.
Nightlife: The Lights Stay On When The Sun Goes Down
Although you won’t find many after-parties going on in the UP, there is plenty of nightlife in Michigan to keep the fun going around the LP.
From the nightclubs in Detroit and
Dearborn to awesome lounges and bars in
Plymouth and
Howell, there’s something to entertain everyone including the laid-back feel of traditional jazz clubs to the modern sophistication of trendy restaurants and cocktail bars. Even art and theater lovers can have a blast filling their night with the things that feed their soul by catching a concert or a burlesque show in
Grand Rapids or going for an art walk in
Ann Arbor.
Weather: Michiganders Must Love Winter
Maybe the reason why the lakes in Michigan are such a popular summertime destination is because everyone needs to relish in the sunshine and warmer weather as much as possible before weather sets in again. There is no getting around the fact that winters in Michigan are cold, snowy, and long.
Mid and Southern Michigan regions average January highs that hover in the thirties, while Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are lucky to break the twenties. And prepare to get pummeled by snow no matter where you live, although some places take a slightly less beating. Dearborn averages a mere 31 inches of fluffy white stuff while
Gaylord gets an average of 141 inches and Houghton sees an unbelievable 207 inches annually.
If you’re not built for Michigan winters, then you’re probably not built for Michigan. But, if you’re built like a true Michigander, then you’ll know that even though winter can wear thin on almost anyone, there are still plenty of great things about the cold weather and a ton of fun to be had including, but not limited to, tubing, sledding, ice fishing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowboarding, cross country, skiing hunting and even ice climbing for the extreme lovers.
Safety & Crime: Fear The Wildlife, Not The Streets
For the safest areas of the state, Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are definitely the easiest places to look. However, you’ll find great neighborhoods no matter where you look, you just have to know where.
Even places like Detroit which have an overall crime rating of an F on AreaVibes have safe neighborhoods. Places like Sherwood Forest in Detroit boast a crime rate that is 60 percent safer than the city’s average. And cities like
East Grand Rapids,
Rockford, Forest Hills,
Northville, and
Richland all boast crime ratings of an A or above. That’s why Michigan is a perfect state for raising families without worrying.
Commute: Michigan Saves You Time… Usually
USA Today reports that Michigan’s average commute time is around 25 minutes each way. But Michigan traffic can shave a little time off of your daily drive into work with an average commute of 23.7 minutes. Of course, that number gets even better or worse depending on where you live. Detroit’s average commute can soar as high as 34 minutes according to Zip Atlas, but places like Kalamazoo enjoy a 19 minute daily commute time.
And if you were hoping that you could get around traffic altogether by using public transportation or a bicycle as your vehicle of choice, think again. Michigan is a car-dependent state. And with all of that cold weather, any desires of not using a car are quickly distinguished the first time you feel the temperatures drop below zero.
Cost of Living: Michigan Keeps More Money In Your Pocket
It’s no secret that Michigan’s economy has taken quite a hit in recent years. And while the state continues to recover, the cost of living remains at an all-time low.
Against an index of 100, Michigan’s overall cost of living index at an 88, just 12 points cheaper than the national average. And, surprisingly enough, the housing market is the cheapest of all, with an astonishingly cheap index of 69 with a median home value of $117,000. And if you ever do find your budget getting a little too tight, you can always cash in those recyclables. Michigan offers a 10 cent deposit for every bottle or can that you turn in, which is double the price as most other states.
Michigan Is Built Detroit Tough
Michigan’s economy was built on manufacturing and the automobile industry. But the same thing that made the economy boom in the 1950s is what also caused the economy to crumble when it fell apart. Nowhere has felt the effects of the collapse quite as hard as Detroit has—a fact that anyone with a television is well aware of. But, what they don’t tell you on the TV is that Detroit isn’t at all the war zone that they like to portray it to be and the economy of both Detroit and Michigan hasn’t rolled over. It’s getting stronger every day and is in it for the long-haul.
Although most areas of Michigan generally don’t relate to the metro of Detroit and their city-ways, they also don’t take kindly to the negative shots taken against it. That’s because what reflects poorly on Detroit, reflects poorly on them. And although the economy has seen better days, they’re bouncing back because they’re built tough and will never go down without a fight. Must be all those cold winters that makes them so tough.
Football Is A Michigan Religion
For some people, Sundays are for church. For Michiganders, Sundays are game days. Whether you’re into college football or the NFL, football will be your lifeline and what helps you get through those long winters along with giving you something to bond over with all your new Michigan friends.
The NFL fans have the Lions to cheer for on game day. And college football fans have to choose their loyalties in the Michigan—Michigan State rivalry which has turned many perfectly good Thanksgiving dinner conversations sour when a family dares to be divided. Regardless of which team you choose, you’ll be mandated to hate
Ohio State, a team which stands as a Big Ten rival to both sides.
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