Jackson, MI Reviews

Economy is bad... - 11/19/2010
and it's going to get worse before it gets better...if you move ANYWHERE in Michigan, your best bet is probably Ann Read More

Housing - 7/1/2010
There are lots of nice houses to chose from in jackson county. Urban, suburban, small town, or rural. (and many great lake homes too!)Read More

Lots of fun in a small town - 7/1/2010
For a small town, Jackson has a lot of things to do and places to visit: Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Michigan International Speedway, Hot Air Jubilee, Armory arts Village, Eve on the Ave, the Cascades, Cruise in, Nixon skate park, Rose festival, Shakespeare festival, Race Week, Blues festival, Fall Festival, historic Michigan Theater...and much more.

Or a drive of 45 minutes will get you to Ann Arbor or Lansing/East Lansing.
An hour drive gets you to Auburn Hills, Detroit, Toledo or Kalamazoo.
 Read More

The Dead City - 5/15/2010
Jackson was (and I repeat, was) a manufacturing community built upon the successes of the big three. At one time, it had a handful of suppliers that employed thousands of people in the area. Now, Jackson is filled with blight and decay, and most everybody remaining in Jackson is in denial on the truth of what is happening. The retirees are the only people who own homes in Jackson, as most working adults make slave wages in a town that only supplies retail jobs. Consumers, the state prison, and Allegiance health are the only employers that would pay a wage capable of paying a mortgage, but don't hold your breath, these jobs are filled from within and are highly prized as most people know POVERTY is rampant in Jackson, and if you do not work at one of these employers, you most likely are very poor.

The city government (as noted by others) does not care about its residents, it is ran by a group of individuals who have ancient conservative views, and care not about the Read More

Weather in Jackson, Michigan - 1/4/2010
We've lived in Jackson for over 4 decades, and have enjoyed the 4 seasons each year. There aren't many places we know of where you can go from shorts to a rain coat to winter coat in just one day. We have always enjoyed the variety of weather, but as we are getting a bit older, we find ourselves prefering the Spring Read More

The cycling is great in Jackson County - 12/22/2009
Jackson, MI, while provincial in many respects, offers many excellent opportunities to cyclists. The local cycling community is comprised of many wonderful and friendly people, and the Cascades Cycling Club offers a wide variety of rides that will appeal to everyone from beginners to mountain bikers to serious road race enthusiasts. Jackson County does an outstanding job in the maintenance of its many rural secondary roads, offering an exceptional variety of rides and routes. The area also offers a great many trees, which provide welcome shade on long hot summer rides. Ella Sharp Park has an amazing network of mountain bike trails, and many other excellent trails are within easy driving distance of Jackson. The area also offers an outstanding bike store, On Two Wheels. I have traveled a great deal over the years, and believe this store is as good as or better than any I have encountered, especially in the context of a relatively small community. Thanks to all who have Read More

The crossroads of Michigan - 12/13/2009
I moved to Jackson from the Detroit area 5 years ago.
For a small town, Jackson has a lot of cultural and entertainment options.

Or if you drive 30 to 60 minutes you can be in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, East Lansing, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Novi or Read More

My Jackson experience - 9/1/2009
I moved to Jackson 5 years ago because my employer transfered me to it's Jackson location. I had never been to Jackson before and did not know anything about Jackson, except that there was a big old prison in the area.
The only other "urban centers" I had been to in Michigan were Detroit, Pontiac, and Lansing. I expected the city of Jackson to resemble these cities.

I was plesantly supprised. There are some vacant buildings, but most parts of the city are reasonably nice. There are some beautiful, grand older homes just west of downtown, and nice middle class neighborhoods in the western porions of the city. Downtown Jackson has a few tall buildings and offers a variety of stores and restaurants.
Ella Sharp park is a big beuatiful county park stradles the line between the city and Summit Township. There is a man-made watterfall which is lighted by colorful lights at night, a walking trail, an outdoor concert area, picknic areas, ball fields, tennis Read More

Jackson is one big PoT Hole - 8/21/2009
Well I moved to Jackson Michigan almost 2 years ago. I was happy to be moving to a much bigger town or city... Till I went for a ride on the streets of jackson . Wow is all I can say my poor car. The streets are so bad and full of huge pot holes,crack, and bumps if I had kids, I would be very scared to drive them anywhere for fear of them getting hurt from all of the bad roads in the city of Jackson. I take pride in my car and driving here is not to good for my baby. The Auto places must have a deal with the city of Jackson to get more customers???

I also feel the garbage on the sidewalks is sexy and makes the town look more and more homey ...Dont you ? What happend to the police and that 500$ fine for littering Why people litter.
1. People are too lazy to dispose of trash properly
2. People are more likely to throw litter on top of litter than drop litter in neat surroundings
3. Don't Care
4. Others will pick it up
5. Not aware Read More

The city that failed its people: a dive into thrid - 8/13/2009
Jackson is a true model of failed leadership in all aspects, and is beginning to resemble a third world town. Sadly, as reality has shifted our national economy away from labor intensive work towards intellectual enterprise, Jackson's leaders have beaten the drum of insanity and chose to stay in the past. Although the saddest thing (and I'm not a resident, I do business here), is the blatant denial of current conditions...which are nothing short of shocking to see in any city in the US. As noted by the previous post (James) it is absolutely shocking to drive into downtown from I-94 and witness what should not be seen: rotting homes, garbaged piled in front lawns, and pre-teens as mothers and fathers. In short, it is struggle, pure and painful struggle, a cycle of poverty that has blasted out of control in the last decade. These people are trapped, with constant job loss, and only poverty wage jobs to choose from. Also as the previous poster noted, Forbes listed Jackson as dead last in Read More