UK citizen interested in Michigan

Hi folks,

My wife & I were recently considering future options, in terms of our five, ten, fifteen year plans, and we started to wonder whether we might ever want to emigrate the the US. For myself, I did some research mainly based on the type of natural environment of the various states of the US, and based on the weather patterns & seasonal variations we might come across.

Largely, I wanted to find somewhere that we could ultimately experience a true white Christmas with our kids (and future grandkids). I also looked for a place with lots of semi-rural areas with a wide range of scenic beauty. Of course, we looked at house prices, and the connectivity of people & places. I decided that for me, Michigan seemed to offer the most varied & beautiful natural scenery, along with the obvious benefit of cold winters involving heavy snowfall.

Would anyone who perhaps lives in Michigan, or who has experience of the state, mind telling me a bit more about what it's like to live there? We wouldn't be raising children there, as our boys will be in University/ College by the time we would like to start thinking about moving out there. However, as mentioned, we do want to make it a place in which we can give our sons (& eventually grandchildren) a real sense of a 'traditional' white Christmas, which is a very, very, very rare thing here in the UK these days. We also love the fact that it appears we could purchase a larger house/ better appointed house than we could here in the UK.

Many thanks for any info anyone can provide.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

NW Montana, Kalispell or the Flathead area. Very pretty, great seasons.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

ive heard great things about n michigan but have never been there. check out Schweitzer Idaho,, thats where im going when I can retire.

Michigan huh? Yes white Christmas and possibly white thanksgiving white halloween and a good chance of a white Easter too.

I moved from the north east to get away from the cold. Here we don't even need coats some Christmases.

It's eighty and humid right now. In south east Virginia.

originally posted by: LetsGoViking
a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

NW Montana, Kalispell or the Flathead area. Very pretty, great seasons.

I agree. Michigan is not bad if you stay away from the urban areas, but it is still a bit "busy." Montana is much more rural with the same benefits you seek. I'm surprised you are not considering Canada. Not only is it a lot easier to find snow, but Canada is set up much more in the British fashion than the us. Plus the latitude in midwest Canada is much more like England/Scotland, so you days and nights would be roughly the same.

originally posted by: Sillyolme

I moved from the north east to get away from the cold. Here we don't even need coats some Christmases. It's eighty and humid right now. In south east Virginia.

Was that the kind of climate he was asking for?

I am in south central Michigan. Fired my furnace this morning. Was chilly inside. We certainly get the 4 seasons here, Not always in the right order though.

It can be freezing with snow one day and sunny and 50 the next, snow the following day.

I think the reason our roads are so bad is we probably have a dozen freeze/thaw cycles before and after it actually stays frozen.

It's kind of funny when you see a large weather front dump on Chicago, dry up as it crosses the lake and then reform and dump on NY.

I don't know all about home prices, I bought my small house with 4.5 acres in the rural country for 29,000. Needs a lot of work though.
It is very scenic. If you want way out rural the upper peninsula is ideal. Not a lot of places to work though.

As far as summer go it is beautiful. We get some 90+ days with high humidity, but mostly nice warm days with cool breezes. Doesn't last long enough though. Fall gets very colorful with chilly nights, perfect for bon fires. Early spring tends to bring out the mud and all the debris from under the snow and is sort of ugly for a short time before everything starts to turn green again.

Well, If you do come to michigan you are guaranteed a butt load of snow.. On christmas day? Not always.

I have been here all 30 years and 10 months of my life so let's see... Oct, Nov and Dec are usually cold, but not terrible. Sometimes it snows on halloween. Usually just rains. Same with thanksgiving. Things get a bit snowier north of saginaw.
January and February can be so goddamn cold you will wish you would die. Add that to multiple 6 inch + snow falls and you're in for a good time. I suggest 4 wheel drive vehicles. Snow mobiles sure are fun too.. There is a "little Bavaria Town" north of flint called Frankenmuth witch is pretty much the Christmas capital of the world. A must for the kiddies and Christmas enthusiasts... Plus lots of beer and chicken dinners..weird huh?

Nice thing about here is if you are into outdoor sports/activities, you can be involved in ALL of them. We get the best and worst of every season. Today is the first day of Bow Hunting season and is basically a Holiday. All summer you can hike, fish. camp, kayak, bike..you name it. Winter has snowmobiling, hunting, ice fishing, skiing.. And you're realy never more than 3 or 4 hours from beautiful parks and outdoor places to do these things. Upper peninsula, and west coast are as beautiful as anywhere in the country.. Mountains, beaches, rivers, lakes, forests.. I was lucky enough to spend summers "up north" either in the UP or on dads 30 ft sail boat, roaming lake huron up into Canada and the North Channel.

What else? BEER! Right now Michigan is on the forfront of the American Craft beer scene. Which means the industry is booming in everything from Breweries to Hopfarms.

One of my favorite things is that you can live in the "country" with acreage and distant neighbors surrounded by woods... and be in a small town or City withing 10 minutes.. Ann Arbor is surrounded by beautiful country, with easy access in and out of the city.

I would avoid Flint, but the neighboring country "Oakland County" i considered one of the walthiest counties is the country, home to celebrities such as Kid Rock, Eminem, Bob Seger, Kristen Bell and Tim Allen.

LOL they should be paying me for this.

Anyway i suggest michigan very much. If you have more specific questions and not just the travel brochure i just typed you, just ask

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

I would suggest the upper peninsula of Michigan. You can take the bridge to Michigan and you would have a short drive to either lake Superior or Michigan. It is pretty cool up in them there neck of the woods. A dog will never have a problem finding a tree to pee on. Lots of lakes to fish. Good luck on your ventures.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment


I'm willing to ship you Michigan free of charge it you will accept it. It is our long-over do contribution to your crowded little island. Maybe you can make a genuine continent with the addition? It has little use to us today except to hold some water back from the big lake.

Luckily, I can offer you two for one or your choice as Michigan just happens to be in two, separate big chunks--probably even many Americans didn't even know that.

You must pay for shipping, however.

Ahem..

We'll be staying right here, thanks.

a reply to: Aliensun

I'd check to make sure you are near a good hospital and have the correct insurance as it can be very expensive to get old in the US, somethings are good in the US but do you expect to return and place the NHS under more strain should you have a very expensive condition?

You should move to Wisconsin instead

Detroit Michigan, open up a fish an chips shop. Lots of homes to choose from, very inexpensive.

Michigan is beautiful. Not sure about the Michigan lake effect but the one coming off of Ontario makes winters, erm, interesting? Ever seen 2 feet of snow in a day?

32 Perks Of Living In Michigan Despite The Economy

I've never seen a white Easter or Halloween.
A few white Thanksgivings.....very few.
Christmas? Maybe half are white.
That is SE Michigan.

The western and northern parts get more snow than the SE section.
The Upper Peninsula....you can get a lot of snow.

Michigan does have seasons.
I also think there is less severe weather in the SE part of the state...and the Upper Peninsula.

I would have to say for retirement Michigan is OK....but for younger folks, I don't think the economy is all that great.


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a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

Ann Arbor.....As far as beauty, rural and suburban, historic town, universities, museums, shows, concerts, woodland, Huron River, forest surrounding, 30+ miles out of Detroit, University of Michigan Medical Center, public transportation-reliable, many year round cultural events....Ann Arbor Michigan.

Just one of many beautiful towns here in lower and more in Upper Peninsula Michigan.

Visit: Pure Michigan.com.....(all Michigan cities)...and on Youtube-Under the Radar-200+Cities video what to do's in Michigan

Michigan has a variety of natural environments, and lots of snow in the winter. The southern half of the lower peninsula is mostly farm land and the northern half mostly forest, with the upper peninsula mainly forest. Most of the population is in the southern lower peninsula which is mostly flat land. the thumb area is mostly farming and flat lands. The northern western lower peninsula gets hilly and the shores of lake Michigan have a lot of sand dune habitat.

The shore line of the northern lower and northern upper peninsula is rockier as is some of the tip of the thumb area. The upper peninsula has something more like mountains there, esp. the north western region. Lots of water falls up there too. There are some caves, but not many. There are some tallgrass prairie habitat, but you have to know where to find it.

The Great Lakes and numerous inland lakes and rivers make Michigan a big boating state. The woods, trails, rivers and large areas of national forest make it a sportsman's state so get use to hunting, fishing, and outdoor sports. Most everyone in the rural areas are into hunting and have guns or bows and crossbows. Whitetail deer are big hunting in the fall, so is small game, wild fowl and even raccoon, bear and elk hunting.

Snow mobiles and skiing in winter, as well as ice fishing. There are numerous freshwater fish species including trout and salmon. There are more fir trees to the north, but mostly a mix of trees where ever you go. Not much in the way of poisonous animals, but some dangerous ones like wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, moose and black bears.

ETA: Micro breweries and home beer brewing is big on the west side more than the east of the lower peninsula, and wineries are to the north west as well as fruit production.

Give some thought to Colorado. Breathtaking year round.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

I spent the first 36 years of my life in Michigan. Here is my honest opinion. It's cold. Wintery, bitter cold for 7 months of the year. Depending on where you are in Michigan (Western, Northern) when it snows, it snows a lot. Often. You have to move snow several times a day to keep your walkways and driveways cleared. You will have to drive distances to work in the snow and ice, for months. It's hazardous and nerve-wracking. The people in Michigan are sort of rude and harsh. I think it comes from surviving in such a difficult environment coupled with the despair of terrible economic conditions. Historically, Michigan was fueled by the automotive industry, which has nearly completely failed in the past few years. Food is more expensive in Michigan than other places, as well as other items, due to the fact that semi-truck drivers are reluctant to travel through such conditions and require extra pay to do so. Again, it's cold. And windy. And icy. Prepare to learn how to walk like a penguin to get from your workplace to your car after you get out of work. And then remove all the snow from your car, sit inside your cold car, and wait for the heat to melt the ice from your windshield before you can drive away. Snow is beautiful but the reality of living in it is harsh and unforgiving.

Edited to add:
I would highly recommend staying in Michigan for a couple weeks in January before you commit.

a reply to: FlyInTheOintment

Hi there, Michigan resident my whole life and I can tell you that you will find most everything you want here. I will mention however the last few years have been absent of a white Christmas in my area. The spots further north however have all the white stuff you could ask for.

Keep in mind that Michigan has an upper and lower peninsula. The lower being the obvious portion everyone is familiar with. The upper however is much more rustic. Lots of history up there and is my favorite destination each year in search of something new and exciting to explore.

Any questions, feel free to ask!