Reviews & Comments
Madison, WI
re: Madison is Fun and Livable - 3/27/2007 -
1/11/2010Wow. Those home prices are steep! I thought Ann Arbor was bad.
Madison, WI
re: nice but too cold and liberal - 6/5/2009 -
1/11/2010Oh, I love liberal because liberal places always think ahead and invest in things like museums, libraries and schools! And I love four distinct seasons, sounds like a place I'd love!
Madison, WI
Thinking about Madison -
1/8/2010I'll start off this post with a sigh, because no matter where it is you look, people complain, and people cheer. I guess it just depends on your state of mind and what you value. What I am looking for is a city that has alot to offer; decent housing prices, education, libraries are promoted, there are museums and galleries and frankly, lots to do. I look for a city that offers good public transit and doesn't need to manufacture foot traffic. I read one other post complaining about bikes and foot traffic and I had to laugh because that is what I miss! So see, it also depends on what you value.
I will soon be graduating from college (I'm middle-aged) with my second degree and a new career, I hope. I've been looking online for possible places I'd like to live while pursuing employment in the healthcare field.
I currently live in south central Michigan in a very depressed small city (pop 35K) and realize that I will probably have to move to find employment as quickly as I'd like. I grew up in Ann Arbor and lived in Arlington, TX (way too hot for me, but perhaps perfect for someone else) for 20 years then returned to Jackson, Michigan because I missed the seasons and believe it or not, the winter. Ann Arbor is prohibitively expensive and that is why I moved to Jackson.
I see alot of complaints about the weather in Madison, which doesn't really bug me, but how is the job market for healthcare?
I've looked at Realtor.com for housing prices and they really don't seem too bad for a city this size, has no one looked around and made comparisons with other cities this size?
That's my two cents. I guess you make a list of what you would like, then you go "In Search Of..." and try to divine the places that would best suit you.
Ann Arbor, MI
Born and Raised -
7/26/2009Ann Arbor was a great place to grow up in in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Not sure I'd like to live there now as the balance of middle income/blue collar that made A2 so much more dynamic is now gone. It is a city full of wealth (which is a good thing for Michigan), but alot of what made Ann Arbor so unique is gone and let's face it, not everyone is rich, even very interesting creative people sometimes don't have much money so that spice is no longer there. Many of the odd-ball small shops that used to be interspersed downtown are no longer there because rents are waaaaay too high, it's almost tourist-trappy. Houses are somewhat pricey, but it's the taxes that will kill you. Now, the taxes get you things like great public transit, but the stiff regulations regarding putting a roof on your home or replacing windows is downright ridiculous, to the point a person cannot put on their own roof or replace a window without a written consent by the powers that be.
Okay, with that out of the way I'd like to say for a city it's size, Ann Arbor has tons of stuff to do and see and when all else fails, you can take a walk. The city has the Huron River (which is beautiful, I grew up on it) and so many sidewalks, parks, trees, bike lanes, etc. you can always be doing something.
It's also nice that the UofM campus is at the heart of downtown which helps to keep foot traffic alive and businesses open and people everywhere, this is probably the thing I love most about A2, the sidewalks are always alive.
I still have many friends who live there, I wanted to move back but could not afford even the most hovel-ist of homes. I bought a beautiful old house in Jackson, which is about 25 minutes to the West, and sometimes regret it thinking maybe I should have taken the chance and paid more to live in A2.
jackson is okay, but it's mfg. base is just about gone and the people who remain are bitter and reluctant to accept any kind of improvement, if it doesn't involve jobs.
Arlington, TX
Very Hot, If You Grew Up With Distinct Seasons, Lo -
9/3/2007I moved to TX in 1985 from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I didn't leave Michigan because of the weather. I lived in Texas 20 years as there was always work however, after 10 years, I was ready to go back up north. Finally, I did move back and I'll never move to such a hot place ever again. In fact, I have no plans to ever leave Michigan again, depressed or not.
Jackson, MI
Michigan's Hidden Gem -
9/3/2007Jackson is centrally located at the crossroads of Highway 127 (to Lansing) and Interstate 94 (to Detroit). It's a convenient 25-35 minute drive (depending on how fast you drive!) from the capitol of Lansing, home of Michigan State University (MSU), the city of Ann Arbor, which is home to the University of Michigan, or Toledo, Ohio. It is about a three hour drive from Chicago or a one hour drive from Detroit as well.
Most people don't realize everything Jackson has to offer and unfortunately, we are widely known for our huge state prison (that now sits well outside the city) but conjures up visions of halfway houses and criminals run amok. However, Jackson has so many positive things to offer. For the city's size, we have a surprisingly large number of restaurants, stores, family events, beautiful parks, waterways, and you don't have to drive all over heck to get to all of them. On top of that, the city and surrounding townships are full of beautiful old houses (and new ones too) very reasonably priced.
Jackson County sits atop one of North Americas Largest natural aquifers and is home to the headwaters of the Grand, Michigan's longest river at 260 miles, which is home to some of the most diverse wildlife found in Michigan. In fact, Jackson County is home to the largest number of natural wetlands in southern Michigan and has more than 200 miles of waterway that can be traversed using a canoe or kayak, not to mention an incredible number of lakes to visit.
Because of the central location on major highways, you'd think Jackson would be booming, right?. Well, not exactly. Over the past 20-25 years, Jackson has experienced an alarming decline in all of it's manufacturing businesses (a good 70% of all business in Jackson). Most of these jobs and factories have gone to Asia and Mexico. This greed-driven flight has left Jackson over a barrel and we are having to reinvent ourselves to become something a little different from the past and not end up a city full of skilled yet unemployed blue-collar workers. One thought is that Jackson, in the 1990's was pretty much left out of the economic plans drawn up by then Governor Engler, and his financial planners. Some think this may have been because Jackson does not have a large public university in its midst but it's still surprising as Jackson was such a hub for commerce over the past 100 years.
Jackson currently has a booming healthcare industry. Of course, healthcare is booming everywhere rig