There are A LOT of reasons why people are moving into the great state of Michigan. It’s a great place to live, work and play, but for some people, Michigan may not be the best option for them. In this video, I’m going to give you 5 reasons why people are moving out of Michigan. If you're thinking about moving to Michigan, you may want to take these reasons to heart and make sure MI is the right place for you to call home. Every state has its pros and cons of course, and Michigan is no exception.
This blog is a direct transcript from the video below. This comes in 3 versions: You are able to watch the video, read the blog for your convenience or listen to the audio experience (which is linked under the video below).
The first and among the biggest reasons people are leaving Michigan is for retirement, which accounts for nearly 30 to 35% of the outbound population according to several moving surveys, and this goes fairly hand in hand with the weather as well. It’s safe to say that the majority of Michigan residents who are nearing retirement or in retirement, are snowbirds. Meaning they run away to one of the southern states during Michigan’s winter months because let’s be honest, cold weather can be hard on your body, especially as you get older. Michigan is a relatively tax-friendly destination for retirees and in case that piques your interest, I’ll link a video I made a little while back about reasons to retire in Michigan in the description below.
With that in mind, it’s 110% the weather. As a retiree who doesn’t need to do a gosh darn thing, why would you want to layer up in a coat or hide in your house for 3-4 months out of the year when you could have your feet up, drinking 1-13 Margaritas, while your skin gets golden brown? It seems like a no brainer, so of course it’s a valid point, but for the individuals who aren’t retiring, their mindset is the same, just with a few less margaritas because they’re probably still working.
Transitioning over to number two on the list, is tourists. This isn’t a pressing push factor by any means, but I have to say it’s been causing some forehead veins to say the least. I know what you’re thinking, how could there ever be a tourist problem in Michigan? Well firstly, to answer that, you should come here and look around before you ask that, and secondly, this is more geared toward the beaches over anything else. Obviously the big appeal to Michigan is the amazing great lakes, and since living anywhere in the Midwest limits your ability to visit beaches, it goes without question, that those folks are making the adventure to the mitten state. Of course, there’s an abundance of state parks, recreational areas and too many inland lakes with sandy beaches to count on a hundred hands, but when you have the ability to visit one of the world's largest surface freshwater ecosystems, you take that opportunity without thinking twice. Of course tourism is what makes a economy go round, but I think there’s a gray line to that, especially when there's been reports of increasing levels of waste and litter across the great lakes beaches, and endless complaints about how crowded the beaches have been over the years. Again, not the biggest push factor, but it’s one that I'm sure tugs on few angry strings, especially if you live close by.
Switching gears to number 3, jobs. This point is included in any list of reasons people leave an area, no matter what state it was in, because that’s simply how it goes in the workforce. In a world where goods and services are inflating, money tends to be a very hot commodity, so it’s in human nature to go where the opportunity is, no matter if that’s a city, state or country over. Depending on your industry, the opportunity that comes your way could be across the country or just across a single state line. Many sources on this topic pertaining to Michigan say people are leaving this automotive-centric state because the industry is declining and everything is falling apart. Well, I’m here to tell you that is nowhere near the truth. I have helped people from all over the country who are coming to Michigan for the automotive industry alone.
There’s opportunity here. My fiancé, and 2 of my brothers work within the big three automotive companies: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (which is formerly known as Chrysler) and have told me they are all restructuring their companies. This is all public information, With automotive emission regulations needing to be nearly cut in half by 2030 and all automotive companies needing to get rid of all their gas vehicles to make electric only, these companies of course had to do some layoffs for the old gas engines workers, while opportunity arose for electrical vehicle specialists and self driving technology. These companies adapted to regulations and had to make changes, but to say there’s extraordinary opportunity out there is an understatement.
Like I said, people leave here because they have an opportunity in an industry of their choosing, so if that’s what gave them the push factor out of the state of Michigan, by all means go chase that opportunity.
Heading over to number 4 on this list, and that's family. Just like any other state, people get homesick and want to go back to their family, maybe they took an opportunity here when they were young and got a little stability and decided it was a good time to go back to their home state or maybe there was a split family issue. Whatever the case may be, moving from state to state due to family is one of the biggest, if not the biggest reason people are moving out of state. I’ve gotten numerous texts, calls and emails from people all over the the United states who had no other reason to move out here besides the fact that they had a parent, brother or sister here they wanted to move closer to. I would have to say that’s the biggest reason I haven’t left Michigan, is because my whole entire family is here, and life wouldn’t be too fun without them around. It’s not a job opportunity, it’s not money, it’s just about family. But on the other hand, I don’t mind the Michigan weather.
Last but not least, number 5, the changing culture. I’ve been in the state of Michigan since the day I was born, and I can honestly say there has been a lot of changes in the culture throughout my lifetime. Whether it’s for political reasons, out of staters diluting the culture a little bit, or whatever the case may be, it’s just different. Plain and simple. One of the bigger complaints about Michigan is it’s a relatively average state for close minded individuals.
I’ve mentioned this quite a few times on this channel, and I think with that being said there’s an increase in rudeness and lack of respect. Cities that were considered small towns are getting more crowded, and i know it might be funny of me to say especially for some of you out of staters who deal with the busy metro areas, but it’s true, a lot of these areas that were once small towns and two lane streets, are now becoming 4 lane roads with roundabouts being put in all over the place to release some of the pressure that the increasing traffic is causing. I’d have to say that’s where the majority of this changing culture conversation is geared toward simply because of the increasing population in a lot of the areas that had no intention of expansion. Again, as I have mentioned in my other videos, it comes down to who you surround yourself with and that goes without saying no matter what state you’re in or coming from. Your motivation and mindset is only as good as your sphere of influence.
Ironically enough, aside from people who reach out to me from California, a lot of the people I help actually used to live in Michigan and moved away for whatever reason and have been looking for their way back. Most times it’s due to family, but other times it has to do with Michigan’s low cost of living. They find themselves venturing out of the state, just to realize homes are more expensive, groceries are more expensive and the place is just all around expensive.
For those of you that left Michigan, why’d you leave? Comment your thoughts below!
If you have any questions about moving to or living in Michigan, please don’t hesitate to reach out, as I would love to be your go-to resource.
MENTIONED LINKS 🔗 →Retiring In Michigan: https://youtu.be/qQ8Tj_OWX0w
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 rising stars of Michigan real estate agents. 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 White Lake, Michigan.