U.S census data came out and said that nearly 260,000 people left the state of North Carolina for several justifiable reasons in just one year, which ranks ninth most of any state. Be sure to stick around to hear what those reasons are and why Michigan is apart of this discussion.
Although North Carolina ranks the #17th state in overall rankings according to U.S news and world report, there are still people leaving in droves for reasons that may shock you. Now that doesn’t mean there’s more people leaving than coming in, but let’s just say, a lot of them are calling Michigan home. I have had several clients and inquiries of people wanting to move to Michigan from North Carolina, and I figured I'd put together all the reasons they want out of North Carolian, and want to welcome themselves to Michigan.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Cost of Living
One of the biggest reasons people are leaving North Carolina outside of work opportunities and family is affordability and the cost of living. According to recent data provided by Zillow, North Carolinians are paying an average of $329,225 for a home, whereas in the mitten state, it’s nearly $100,000 less coming in at $239,770. So it’s safe to say you can stretch your dollar quite a bit further in Michigan compared to North Carolina, and in a world where everything is so overly expensive, this price difference makes a difference. The caveat I'll throw in here is, Michigan property taxes are higher, North Carolina’s income tax is a little higher, so there are some cost trade offs to consider, and that’s where it’s crucial to understand these points moving from state to state and how it affects your bottom line. As far as the cost of living in general, the resource mylifeelsewhere retrieves data from the CIA factbook, as well as user contributed data to have the most updated comparisons living in one area over the next, and it shows Michigan is 2.9% cheaper overall to live in compared to North Carolina, and that factors in restaurants, groceries, transportation, housing, childcare, entertainment and sports, as well as clothing. I don’t know about you, but a 2.9% increase in savings sounds nice.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Bugs & Animals
The next reason people are leaving North Carolina for places like Michigan, and that’s the bugs and animals. After talking more with people from North Carolina, I had no idea how big of a problem this was. Granted, in Michigan we have our seasons for bad mosquitoes, but they’re out there making it sound like I’d be carried away by fire ants, and choked out by a copperhead snake on a Tuesday afternoon, no thank you, respectfully. I’ve seen 3 or 4 snakes in Michigan over the duration of my life, and I'm good for not seeing anymore, especially when there’s an area or two in North Carolina that has the highest population of snakes, I'd just be tip-toeing those streets out there. All jokes aside, everywhere has bugs of course, but for this to me one of the most common complaints about the area says something.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Culture
The next reason people are flocking to Michigan from North Carolina, and that’s for the culture. I’ve heard over the years helping clients move out of North Carolina and talking to several people who live there that there’s this changing culture that a lot of people are not agreeing with and can’t accept, so much so, they are changing states over it. And I get it, culture changes happen especially as new generations replace old ones in a community, it’s bound to happen and is out of anyone’s control, but with that being said, Michigan is on their radar for this reason. Of course it depends on where you go, but as far as Metro Detroit, there’s just something about Motown, and the automotive industry that has shaped the area for generations to come. We lean on our history over here and it’s paved the way for the culture we have today, and I believe that point alone can be heavily respected by residents of other states, because there’s truly nothing like it and words can’t very much describe it.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Seasonality & Weather
The next reason people are moving to Michigan from North Carolina and that’s the seasonality and weather. If you’re someone who wants to make the most of the 4 seasons, I’ve heard North Carolina is not the right state for you, and of course that depends on where you are geographically. People have told me summers are scorching, averaging temperatures in the 90’s. There's not a clear separation in seasons, because the only thing that changes is the temperature gauge. Imagine experiencing 30 degree weather, without the snow, unless you are in the western side of the state in the hills. In Michigan, we have the 50 shades of orange during the fall, the blooming flowers, budding trees and rainfall in the spring to set the stage for a green year, the perfect 80 degree days in the summer on Michigan beaches that aren’t too overly hot, but not cold, and of course the scenery that our winter season brings, that makes the holiday season magical from start to finish. Of course this reason is pure preference, some people can’t stand the cold and want constant warmth, others can’t stand the heat and like the changing seasons.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Allergies & Pollen
Piggy backing off weather, coming in at the next reason why people are moving to Michigan from North Carolina and that’s for allergies and pollen. Of course, In Michigan with seasons changing, there’s that short lived body shock from temperature changes, but what I’ve heard about allergies in North Carolina, seemed like something worth noting, because every Realtor and client that I have talked to over there have said the pollen is ridiculous and people are regulating themselves daily with allergy medicine, but once they left there, they threw that stuff in the trash. They said it extended well beyond the spring season, and also leaves their cars covered in it. If some of you out there are from North Carolina, how bad is the pollen there? Comment your experiences below.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Natural Disasters
To piggyback off that piggy back further, we have the next reason and that’s natural disasters. In North Carolina, you’re facing hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, and heat waves that could be potentially life threatening, and that aspect alone has had North Carolina residents set their sights on Michigan. Granted, North Carolina faces roughly one hurricane every 4 years, it’s still a reason people are leaving. Especially for the people living along the coast, I can understand that being a stressor every single time the news comes out with a potential development that will cause a lot of inland damage. In Michigan, we are completely surrounded by water, but won’t have a hurricane. So if you’re someone that enjoys that coastal life, Michigan is a place where you won’t be thinking “what if” when the next storm comes around.
Moving From North Carolina To Michigan: Job Opportunities
Another reason that people are moving to Michigan from North Carolina is for job opportunities, I’d have to say this is one of the biggest reasons my clients are doing so, the rest of the points helped justify the move though. Does this mean North Carolina doesn’t have job opportunities? Probably, I’m kidding. It just means that this particular individual or family had an opportunity in their particular industry of choice here in Michigan.
For those of you that have stuck around this long, what are your thoughts on Michigan versus North Carolina? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
Cheers,
Andrew
Andrew McManamon is a Michigan REALTOR® with Signature Sotheby’s International Realty and provides real estate services to Buyers, Sellers and Investors throughout SE Michigan including Livingston County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, Genesee County & beyond. Andrew has become one of the pillars of Michigan real estate. Prior to his real estate career Andrew was responsible for managing a senior living facility in Brighton, Michigan as a dining supervisor and an activities assistant. Andrew’s passion to help people is unlike any other, and he continues to strive to be best resource he can be. Andrew graduated from Cleary University in Howell, Michigan with a double major and currently resides in Brighton, Michigan.
Check Out the EXCLUSIVE "Living In Michigan" Apparel HERE
Subscribe to the Living in Michigan Newsletter HERE
댓글