From someone who has lived in 9 other states, I have to say if you have a choice live somewhere else. Ive lived in Michigan for the last 7 miserable years, and have been missing the sun of Florida and Colorado, the manners of Louisianna and Texas, the skiing of Colorado and Calgary, and the beautiful mountains of Colorado and Arizona. Yes, there are lakes here, but if you dont mind swimming in 50 - 70 degree water in Auguust than hey you've never have been to the Atlantic in December or even August isn't that hot. People here are very cliquey as most have not ever lived anywhere else and it takes a good long time to make your mark. More transient people live in the other states I've lived so they are more ready to make new friends, and invite you into their groups and circles. Once other thing about Michigan people is they are very busy Maybe I am just missing the days when I would call a friend and say, want to hit the beach? And sure enough, they would be ready in 15 minutes. Here in Michigan, its like this, Want to get together and go shopping? Response: Let me check my calendar. No today I have to bring the kids to soccer, tomorrow basketball, next day Brownies,,, on and on it goes. So, if your planning on moving I recommend finding a nice small church, and you'll find one on every corner, with lots of REformed Christian churches out there, and try to share your thoughts with just a few people, as Michiganders do not like hearing about how cloudy their state is or how many fat people live here. Most of all don't call em Yankees even tho thats what they are. Hey I have a Yankee child born here now. Thats what she is... I'm a Texan, confederate and I don't get freaked out about it.

Detroit sucks.

The winters plain suck, having lived here for 12 years.. There is little diversity and you need to have a car to get anywhere in the Detroit area. I'm glad to have moved to California.

This state is just plain bad. Here is a review from a Michiganian who has lived in Michigan since 1994. First of all winter takes up about a solid third of the year (maybe good for you skiers). Last April we had a major ice storm which knocked out our power for about 3 days. Michigan is the 3rd cloudiest state (so I hear) and the weather can be pretty ugly. But aside from all that you are close to Canada(which is a great country), the fall is spectacular, you get many lakes for recreation, hunting season, and the U.P. is fantastic.

The Upper peninsula is beautiful, a little out-of-the-way, but worth it to visit. Avoid any city larger than 50,000 people, with Ann Arbor being the exception, they are all depressing blighted wastelands, unless you like seeing liquor stores and old closed down factorys.

There is no where else on earth like Michigan. I've been to many ocean beaches - including Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, Carmel, California, etc...Michigan tops them all. You never know what color the great lakes will be - I've seen them turquoise blue to aqua green to deep blue to clear. Miles and miles of sanddunes, heck, if you want a day of sun you can pick your own dune...beautiful huge pine trees, unrivaled camping, hunting and fishing...nothing else like it in the world. The farther north you go, the more beautiful it is. Michigan is truly a magical world.

Amazing! I went there on vacation with some friends from college, and had a blast. We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Grand Haven. The women are hot and the beer is cold. Also, there are some of the best beaches I have ever seen. Infact, other than spring break during college and my first trip to Las Vegas that was the best vacation I have ever had.

The prettiest, nicest state in the Midwest. If it weren't for the tornadoes, I wouldn't mind living there. Detroit needs a lot of urban renewal, though; unfortunately it's one of the most blighted cities I've ever seen.

Michigan sucks. Even most Michigan people agree it sucks.

Just north of me here in Toledo, it really does have it all. If you like to hunt (like me), this is the best state to do that, as well as snowmobiling and other such activities. I root for all of the Detroit teams also. The city of Toledo does support a lot of teams from Detroit, but that is for another topic!

This is one really great state in the union! Full of lakes – large and small, gorgeous countryside and lots of historical things to see. Mackinac Island is a terrific place to travel back in time – no cars just horses, sand, sea, surf, great old buildings and, of course, the famous grand hotel. If you want to see what I mean, rent the wonderful romantic film “Somewhere in Time” with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. I have lots of good vacation memories from that run the entire length of Michigan that include doodling around in boats, swimming, riding bikes, playing on the dunes and spending time with my great aunt and uncle in a cute little town called Three Rivers. I highly recommend it!

Oh, YES! A solid, scenic Great Lakes state with water, water, everywhere. (Don't know if I'd want to drink it these days.) The UP is rustic, scenic, and very beautiful. Perfect breeding grounds for militia folk. Marquette is a nice little burg with very down-to-earth folk. Owosso and central Michigan are nice little farming communities with the solid family and religious values so pre-eminent in the Upper Midwest. Good stuff. Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Kalamazoo, Detroit...urban centers that have been losing population for a long time. Kind of like Buffalo, where I live. All told, a nice state.

I moved to Michigan and lived there for 5 years. I must say the people there are great. I learned to slow down and enjoy life while I lived there. I now live in NY again and still miss the tranquil life I had there.

Michigan has everything a vacationer could want. There's plenty of thousands of miles of sandy beach for sunbathing, swimming (with no salt or chlorine!), and of course sand volleyball in the summer; a lake (Great or otherwise) pretty much wherever you turn (Michigan is the "land of more than 10,000 lakes) for fishing or boating; an abundance of waterfalls in the Upper Peninsula to hike to; one of the largest if not the largest fireworks display in North America on the Detroit riverfront; big city stuff in Detroit such as professional sports, art museums, high quality theatre, world-renowned orchestra; Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum; science center; great shopping (mostly in the 'burbs), etc.; many great golf courses (such as The Bear designed by Jack Nicklaus) Of course one must not forget things to do in the other seasons, because Michigan is truly a four season state. In fall, Michigan has some glorious color tours along its many stretches of remote 2-lane highways through hilly terrain often offering panoramic views of a Great Lake. In winter, there's always plenty of snow (the NW tip gets more snow than any place E of the Rockies) which means Michigan is a great destination for Xcountry skiing, downhill (Mt. Bohemia just opened up and is touted as the best in the midwest), ice fishing, snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing, polar bear swimming :), and snow statue building. In other words, Michigan is a great place to visit. But don't take my word for it; discover Michigan for yourself!

I was born and raised in Michigan, and I lived there for 24 years until I moved to Texas. I must say that Michigan really does have it all: everything from warm, sandy beaches to cold wind-whipped (short) mountains. The state is ideally situated so that in a 12-month span one can experience the fulness of all four seasons: summers are warm (sometimes down-right HOT!); autumn's colors are amazing; winter time finds everything blanketed in snow; and spring time is breathtaking, with the first faint hints of green on the trees and all the Cherry Blossoms! You're never more than an hour's drive to a lake, whether small or GREAT; and if the water doesn't suit you, there's plenty of hiking & biking to be done (check out the Huron National Forest & the Au Sable River which runs it's length... great hiking/camping/canoeing!) Michigan's ethnic diversity also deserves note... From the vibrant African-American community strongly represented in Detroit and its suburbs, to the Dutch- and German-descended communities on the west side of the state, diversity has always been one of the state's strengths about which Michiganians could bost. The Great Lakes, with all of their tributaries and their access to the Atlantic Ocean, have made Michigan the cross-roads for the entire American & Canadian heartland: if it leaves Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan by boat, the odds are better than even that it will pass through Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River on its way to the sea! Michigan is noted for its institutions of higher learning too, most prominently Michigan State University in East Lansing, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Regional colleges abound... Central Michigan University, Western Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and Wayne State University to name just a few. Heavy industry walks right along side of agriculture to keep the state economically diverse as well. Great places to visit if you're considering a vacation to Michigan: Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn; Holland (for its annual Tulip Festival); Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore; Bronner's (a 24-7-365 Christmas store in Frankenmuth); Mackinaw Bridge; and Sault Ste. Marie. I keep a bumper sticker of the Michigan flag on my car... helps me not to forget where I'm from and how great a place it is!

Michigan doesn't get nearly the amount of publicity it deserves. There are lakes for swimming, boating and fishing. There are hills (not quite mountains!) for skiing. You can watch the sun rise over Lake Huron and watch it set over Lake Michigan. I'm so proud to be a native Michiganian.