Advice / Comments Moving out of state

Setting the scene: I am currently living in (expensive) Southern California making a decent salary (~$45,000/yr) and I am 23 years old, still living with my parents saving to buy a home. My original plan was to save enough for a down payment to buy a house or condo in SoCal.

I have several friends (pretty much family) moving to Michigan in the coming years. One of them is retiring in 4 years, 2 of them already moved, and 4 more are moving in the next few years. I started researching the cost of living in Michigan and it is considerably cheaper than Southern California. I never wanted to move out of state because I didn't know anyone but this is the perfect opportunity to move out of state and try something new.

I am about 75% certain this is something that I want to try. I want give myself a 1 year trial period to live there to see all the seasons and how the winter is before I decide if I want to stay or leave. However I am hesitant to leave my permanent salaried position so that I can explore another state. I have been told the job market is very good in Michigan and that my friends know plenty of people who can help find a job.

Anyone have any similar experience or advice?

tl;dr: I live with my parents in SoCal with a stable job and I want to move to Michigan with friends. Is this a good idea.

Well, you'd have a winning football team.

The cost of living would be considerably lower, especially the cost of housing. You'd quite possibly earn less, too, and for the same reason, but the net gain would likely be positive. The cost of housing would be vastly cheaper, but the cost of some other things might not be all that much cheaper.

The big question for somebody who has lived their entire life in southern California would be the winter. Michigan doesn't have a cold winter like Seattle, it has a cold winter like the frikin' arctic. The fall would be beautiful, the summer would be hot and humid, the spring would allow you to donate blood in repeated small amounts (at least in northern Michigan), but the winter...well, that would make up your mind. There's a lot of good stuff that can be done in those winters, so it's not all bad, you would just have to decide whether you want to do that.

That is one reason I want to live there for at least a year so that I can experience the range of seasons and not base my decision on the perfect fall weather and then hate the winter. I am going there in two weeks to visit the friends who are already up there and we are going to visit several cities. We are also going house hunting for my other friends who will be moving sooner than I (if I decide to do so).

If I was able to have the same salary there as I have now, then I would be considered wealthy there and would be very well off. I don't know if that even a possibility, but even if I make less, I will still be in the positive, and would show more for it (a house with property vs a small condo in So Cal).

I think I am at the right age to be able to explore and try out other things. I think this is the right combination of events that will allow it to happen and for me to be comfortable (having friends).

As far as the winter goes, It will be something new for me. I have stayed in a cabin during the winter a few times up in northern California, but that does not compare to living in Michigan during the winter. I can easily keep myself busy at home during the winters with my various projects and what not that I have going on.

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I think I am at the right age to be able to explore and try out other things.

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This is the single strongest argument you've given yet. Sometime you've just got to take a punt at these things and when you're young is by far the best time because, if it all goes wrong, you've got plenty of time to go back to square one and recover. I say do it.

Agreed. I know it will be hard to tell my parents that I want to do this. My parents are supportive and I know that if I make a mistake I will always have a place to live (or at least sleep) if I have to move back to California.

I am not sure how my parents (specifically my dad) will take the idea. I'm sure that he won't want me to but it is not his choice to make at this point.

Just remember, during the winter you MUSt pee on the seat before sitting, or else you might freeze to it....even if you are indoors.

I will just make yellow and brown snow?

Ignore the comment about the football team, I thought you said Wisconsin. You can probably buy the football team in Michigan, and if not, you can at least buy the city they play in.

I don't follow football. Or any sport for that matter. But if it will make me rich, i will buy it.

Move to San Diego! Ok - maybe not cold enough!

In the 80's and 90's I spent a lot of time working (driving) all over the central states - Flint and Lansing in Michigan - all around Chi-town - St. Louis - all over the corn fields of Ohio. Michigan is cold, cold cold - they do not plow most streets - you simply drive on the packed ice and dirt. Lake effect snow storms.

Lately it seems that once you hit PA and start going west it's all just a bunch of limited access highways going past farmland turned to massive Mc-Mansion burial grounds on the way to the same chain-restaurant-steak/Italian (with bloomin' onions!) and a mega-mall.

Get a hold of a big head hunter company in your area and see how much they could farm you out in various cities - get a feel for some other economies. You are young and now is a great time to see if a freelancing experience works for you. Plus it gives you instant income wherever you want to test the waters. I'm sure there are 911-call-in like centers all over the mid-states looking for help of all sorts (that is what you do - right?). I took this same head-hunter advice from an old boss (arse-ole lizard boss - but honest at least) - doubled my hourly rate in an instant and opened so many doors.

Good luck!

I have been to San Diego! That's even more expensive than Orange Count (depending on the area).

Midland is known for having the Dow Chemical Company's headquarters located on the edge of town. The saying is that everyone in Midland works at Dow! One of the friends that is moving out there has a cousin who is the HR manager and could help connect me with a job.

I am currently a 911 dispatcher. My salary is decent for California, but in any other state it would be considerably less. I am finishing up my 1st bachelor's degree in Information System Security, and I think that I will want to pursue that career path if I make it out to Michigan. Actually I will pursue it within the next few years regardless of where I am....

I am looking forward to this adventure. I hope things work out in my favor and its something that I actually do and not just talk about. Thanks for the advice sz!

Oh - I thought you did IT at call centers. What is your IT experience? You should still check out head hunters - I've gotten fresh out of college kids to work for me using that path.

Midland's in the middle of nothing - if I was moving to Michigan it would have to be close enough to get to Chicago easily. I think the only reason I put up with what's getting to be colder and colder winters in CT is my proximity to NYC.

I have a... mixed position. My job title is not officially IT analyst, but I am one of the 1st people that gets contacted for comm center issues. I do have IT experience working here but its not as an IT classification.

The area and climate is one reason that I want to live there for a year to expose myself to what Michigan has in store. If I do not like it, then I can move back to California and be warm and without water.

What exactly is head hunters? Google takes me to a website, I assume that is what you are referring to?

Maybe these guys - they are big in the north east - not sure nationally how they stand.

http://www.roberthalf.com/technology

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Originally Posted by szlamany

Maybe these guys - they are big in the north east - not sure nationally how they stand.

http://www.roberthalf.com/technology

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I've been working on and off with RHT since '06 and I can highly recommend them. If you can write solid .NET and/or SQL code they have several contract jobs here in Cleveland (about 90 minutes from the Michigan border - 2-1/2 hrs to Detroit) starting around $30/hr depending on what you know. They have offices in MI as well but I don't know what they pay there. Cost of living is similar.

Lots of good advice in this thread - especially the stuff about winter. If you're going to move to a cold climate do it before the cold weather sets in so you get used to it slowly.

And get some good snow tires for your car.

It's nearly Winter, couldn't you go for a visit to Michigan first? surely then at least you wont move and go hell this is cold and immediately leave !!

Other than that as you said now is the time to this kind of stuff, i live now back near where i grew up but i have lived in a few different places and feel all the richer for it!

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I am currently a 911 dispatcher.

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That's a good thing. You can get a job just about anywhere.

When I was your age, I moved from Dallas to Houston then to San Antonio and then Austin before moving back to Dallas. Three of these cities on in the top ten population wise which is both good and bad...

I was working in Retail inside malls which were like cities within cities... Making friends to do things with is key to survival. New co-workers will be part of that....

"Home is what you make it."

One of the downsides to moving around is the loss of the friend that can come over on a moments notice to fix your car etc....

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Well, you'd have a winning football team.

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You obviously forgot about the OSU Buckeyes. Move to Michigan and you will find out who we are.

Do you know how to make Michigan cookies?
Put them in a big bowl and beat them for three hours.

I'm in Ohio and come about mid February you will be looking for the thaw to get the flock out of there...just like the birds.

Sometimes their first snow of the year stays on the ground until spring. On the plus side, if you like ice fishing, that's the place to be :D

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I want to live there for a year to expose myself

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I wouldn't recommend that. You'll get arrested.

I say move to Hollywood. Everyone makes it in Hollywood.

Also get a junker car for the winter... save the good car for the warm months. The salt on the roads will eat away at the body.

-tg

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Originally Posted by techgnome

Also get a junker car for the winter... save the good car for the warm months. The salt on the roads will eat away at the body.

-tg

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That's only if you don't wash it.

Yes, winters are harsh; some people like a real winter, though, so dealing with it isn't a problem. You won't need snow tires or any such thing, unless you live in an out of the way place (unlikely). FWD/AWD is better than RWD.

Cost of living is cheap, but there is a reason for that. it's not exactly the 'gem of America'.Just like everywhere else, though, there are good parts and bad parts. Hunting up north is popular. Indeed, there are some nice looking parts if that's your thing. You just have to drive to get there in summer (11am to 4pm on August 21st).

But every state has something to offer. Visiting is different from living there. Sometimes it's one or two little things that really make a place for an individual. So try it for a couple of years.

Have you ever lived in the upper northeast during a harsh winter? I'm asking because you said "dealing with it isn't a problem". Unless you meant just for the people that like it.

Schools close.
Pipes freeze.
Batteries die.
Constant windshield scraping.
Trapped at places when roads become impassable.
You have to watch the weather to make plans.
Idiots that can't drive in the snow.
Overloaded roofs collapse.
Black ice.
Slipping and falling on icy patches.
You get just plain cold to the bones sometimes, especially as you get older.

I just got started with those and I could really go on. Yes there are exceptions to some of that like people with garages but there are a litany of things that go with living up north in the winter that are "a problem".

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Originally Posted by FunkyDexter

I wouldn't recommend that. You'll get arrested.

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Not an issue in a Michigan winter.

I would emphasize something that Homer mentioned: Get there before the winter. Cold is a relative phenomenon. At the moment, 70 degrees feels chilly here, but by February, 70 degrees will feel warm. If you cool down with the winter, the coldest cold isn't all that bad. If you go straight into it, it feels pretty brutal.

Fall/Winter/Spring in Nebraska was like this -- it dips into the 60's the jackets come out... in the 50's the coats come out... in the dead of winter it ranges from the teens to the 40's.... everyone is bundled up... but then in March, it hits 50... suddenly people are out in t-shirts and shorts... at 60 people start wondering when the pools are going to open back up...


-tg

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Originally Posted by szlamany

Maybe these guys - they are big in the north east - not sure nationally how they stand.

http://www.roberthalf.com/technology

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Originally Posted by homer13j

I've been working on and off with RHT since '06 and I can highly recommend them. If you can write solid .NET and/or SQL code they have several contract jobs here in Cleveland (about 90 minutes from the Michigan border - 2-1/2 hrs to Detroit) starting around $30/hr depending on what you know. They have offices in MI as well but I don't know what they pay there. Cost of living is similar.

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I saw that company while Googling. I will research them a bit more. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by homer13j

And get some good snow tires for your car.

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I have considered that. I currently have "all season" tired which work fine in California... and our wide range of seasons...

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Originally Posted by NeedSomeAnswers

It's nearly Winter, couldn't you go for a visit to Michigan first? surely then at least you wont move and go hell this is cold and immediately leave !!

Other than that as you said now is the time to this kind of stuff, i live now back near where i grew up but i have lived in a few different places and feel all the richer for it!

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I am going to visit in two weeks. I will be up there for a week. I also want to go back to visit during the Winter at some point to see how it is.

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Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

That's a good thing. You can get a job just about anywhere.

One of the downsides to moving around is the loss of the friend that can come over on a moments notice to fix your car etc....

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Yeah I could probably land another dispatching job there, but I would prefer moving into an IT job. IT pays considerably more than dispatching. I am a shy person around people that I don't know, so meeting new friends will be hard for me. I will be at an advantage because I will have friends there, so it will make it easier for me.

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Originally Posted by FunkyDexter

I wouldn't recommend that. You'll get arrested.

I say move to Hollywood. Everyone makes it in Hollywood.

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Hollywood is dirty. And I haven't been caught yet...

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Originally Posted by SJWhiteley

Yes, winters are harsh; some people like a real winter, though, so dealing with it isn't a problem. You won't need snow tires or any such thing, unless you live in an out of the way place (unlikely). FWD/AWD is better than RWD.

Cost of living is cheap, but there is a reason for that. it's not exactly the 'gem of America'.Just like everywhere else, though, there are good parts and bad parts. Hunting up north is popular. Indeed, there are some nice looking parts if that's your thing. You just have to drive to get there in summer (11am to 4pm on August 21st).

But every state has something to offer. Visiting is different from living there. Sometimes it's one or two little things that really make a place for an individual. So try it for a couple of years.

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Hunting isn't for me, although maybe it is something I may pick up. I know someone up there that hunts, so maybe it will be a new thing for me. My plan would be to get there during the summer to allow plenty of time for me to get settled before having to deal with the winter.

Can't decide if this is a good or bad reason to move to Michigan. From LAST Night:

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THREE RIVERS, Mich. — Lottery officials say the winning ticket to a $310.5 million Powerball jackpot was sold in southwestern Michigan.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/win...eYY?li=AAa0dzB

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Originally Posted by Steve R Jones

Can't decide if this is a good or bad reason to move to Michigan. From LAST Night:

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I guess that person is an exception to the saying "Lotteries are for people who are bad at math". :)

I just got an email from this recruiter - look at these job openings. And I'm sure there are other recruiters at this link...

http://www.cybercoders.com/recruiter...rs/#activeJobs

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:cry:

Sorry, the companies we represent currently do not have an opening for a "programming" near Louisiana

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The point was to move away from your current location - come north young man!

Michigan is good for photographers. Just sayin'

I can picture that.

Do you know what a buckeye is?

That's a common name for a bitter, toxic nut. And here's a hint: it wasn't named for anything found on the head end of a deer either. You lift the deer's tail to see one.

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Originally Posted by dilettante

Do you know what a buckeye is?

That's a common name for a bitter, toxic nut. And here's a hint: it wasn't named for anything found on the head end of a deer either. You lift the deer's tail to see one.

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Enjoy :eek:

http://www.alumni-osu.org/sacvalleyb...okesqanda.html

A Wolverine had a bandage on each ear. What happened? "I was ironing, and the phone rang!" "What about the other ear?" "Had to call the doctor!"

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Originally Posted by dilettante

Do you know what a buckeye is?

That's a common name for a bitter, toxic nut. And here's a hint: it wasn't named for anything found on the head end of a deer either. You lift the deer's tail to see one.

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Buckeye Bottle Opener

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Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker

Buckeye Bottle Opener

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Let's call this Michigan fan a Waa-bulance

I hate moving itself. The physical moving is too exhausting much more the adjusting.

I just got back from visiting Michigan and I fell in love. It really is a nice state, the people are so much nicer than here in southern California; it's really noticeable. I will have to do a lot of thinking to decide if moving is the right choice, but I think it might be.

Im cross posting now.. But I saw you were looking to buy land in LA. In Michigan, land is going for about $2k/acre.

Until my visit to Michigan, owning property or land was never an option. In Southern California, there is no land that you buy, its either a house, condo or apartment. If you do buy land I am sure its outrageously expensive. Yet in Michigan there was 40 acres of land for $115,000!

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Originally Posted by dclamp

I will have to do a lot of drinking to decide if moving is the right choice, but I think it might be.

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The folks up there can help you with THAT, too.

Land prices can be highly variable depending on terrain, whether in a built-up area, and distance from highly-paid jobs and civil amenities. Cyprus swamp in the more remote parts of the U.P. can go pretty darned cheap as long as the pulp logging cartel will let you in there at all.

Then you have those no-fly zones encompassing several thousands of acres that contain enclaves for groups of super-wealthy famillies. Roads that look like a normal public road with a some odd low-key signage about Private Property can find you suddenly cuffed sitting in the back of a black Suburban behind cage wire driven by a pair of burly gentlemen wearing dark glasses and Forest Service Green uniforms and Smokey hats or ballcaps.

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Originally Posted by dclamp

... Yet in Michigan there was 40 acres of land for $115,000!

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Key word 'Michigan'.

Under the Radar Michigan has quite a few episodes for online viewing if you live in a backwater that doesn't carry the program.

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Originally Posted by dilettante

Under the Radar Michigan has quite a few episodes for online viewing if you live in a backwater that doesn't carry the program.

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Thanks for the link. I will watch a few episodes. I will also be sure to stay out of private property, I don't want to get myself in trouble. I would also do the same to anyone who stumbled onto my land without permission :afrog: