I escaped East Dearborn in the 90s, been living in exile in the weird Pacific North West. At first it was great, no one fucked with me for being white, never had to worry about getting into fights by simply walking to the store and fuck me people here have interests and hobbies and ( until 2006) were interesting. Every time it snows here, all the MI refugees scoff " ha this aint cold! you non driving decaf latte sucking bitch!"  I will admit to some pride in being hardened by all those winters and having grown up with a good work ethic, but I never considered going back for any reason.
I do pray ( along with other refugees) for a good MI winter to descend on this overly sensitive brainwashed culture out here, it needs a good cleaning out.

It was not until recently, when I went back for a visit to great north, Traverse City ( a less confused and more functional version of Seattle) and some other places that I realized that I had been born in the wrong part of the state.  Since making my escape from that bastion of democratic rule and union authority I have always associated MI with the likes of East Dearborn and Westland, where there is nothing to do but live vicariously through sports teams. Where random violence and hostility are major parts of the culture, domestic violence being the only passion and overtime the only measure of success. Living there for 19 years, I loathed the collective belief that the best I could hope for was a job at Fords and if I was a good boy I could get some over time and at the end of the day sit in front of the TV. I hated that peasant mentality that what you have is all you will have and you are not good enough to do anything else.

The northern part of the state is the antithesis of the defeatism I grew up with. Had been born up there I never would have had to leave to have something in life.

I live in a beautiful place, as I right this I am looking out of my living room window watching the sun burn red under the gray sky, behind the Olympic mountains on the other side of the Puget Sound
Tomorrow I am driving 30 minutes east into the Cascades to hike a trail that ends at an alpine lake and I can be back in the city and at the pub by 1800

However

I really miss a good North Michigan Autumn, the smell of all that cold air, the colours, the venison and the quiet independence of the locals, I miss that feeling as a kid when the winds blew harder and colder, washing away the bloody madness of summer. We have loads of incredible beer in the Pacific North West
but I would fight a wild hippo for a pint of Bellaire Brown and to hear people talk about real things.

There is something very special about Northern Michigan, for the life of me and considering moving to "Up North"  MI
East Dearborn can burn in flames

When fall is finished, you have 150 inches of snow to contend with.

I'm in the UP, moved here from north of Grand Rapids.  Liked that area a lot too.

Yer a poet max. Thanks for an inspirational post.

I live Downriver (rustbelt hell) but have a cabin on 35 Acres in Manton near Cadillac and can attest to all the good things you say about Up North.
Fuck everything in the unholy shape formed by Detoilet/Flint/Lansing/AnnArbor. SMOD take them all.

A few pics to share the beauty of my Up North.
One week old fawn tracks with mom


The Winter Rye I leave up till June to help with fawning cover.


Sunset hitting my Red Pine area


Tons of food where there was only dead spruce before.


more detail

I tried living out that way Max. I lived in Utah and Nevada. I don't know if there is something in the water, or all the radioactivity from the nuke testing back in the day, but those people are retarded as fuck all. Actually, NV was rated as having the worst education system in the US, so that kind of sheds a little light on it. There really is no place like home, buddy. For all the faults of the state, the more I travel, see other places, and meet other people, the more I have a hard time trying to live in other places. As always, YMMV...

You guys are still eating Fukushima radiation.

Enjoy.

Oh yeah, Westland sucks even worse now.

I was raised up north and love everything you described about it.  Thing is...there's very few good jobs up there.  I'm in the metro Detroit area now.  

I'll be up there in a couple days for a glorious week of deer hunting though.  

I am currently stationed in Hawaii, but I grew up in northeastern lower Michigan and I miss it daily. Everyone back home goes "You're so lucky to live in paradise!" but I think that the real paradise is northern Michigan. People from other areas of the country don't seem to get why Michiganders love our home so much. It really is a great place that I look forward to coming back to after my contract is up.

Grew up in the brubs and worked the Automotive industry in Dearborn for 8 years.

Now I am living at the 45 parallel....winters are a bit long, but they do make you appreciate summer.

every state I visit...is just a visit, eventually I want to go back.

The 45th parallel is the best.

+1. My summer place is about 10miles south of it.

I grew up in northern MI, live in Ottawa county now.  Love both places.  I don't ever contemplate leaving and think it's one of the best states in the country.

My friend who grew up and lives in metro Detroit hates Michigan and wants to move.  

I guess I wasn't the only one who noticed all dispensaries,coffee shops, and North Face jackets around.

It still is something though, even with the stupid 2 lane merge road things.

I escaped West Dearborn, but Fordson's football field is named after my grandpa in the east end. They should probably name Ali field or something. Only two things I'm missing about Michigan is Lions games and the ethnic food. The only thing they can cook around here is BBQ.

I've spent my entire life in Metro Detroit and I love it. I'm 20 minutes from Lake St. Clair, 20 minutes from downtown Detroit, 20 minutes from the nightlife, and 20 minutes from the country. I can have a little bit of everything and I don't have to deal with any rush hour traffic at all.

We have a great mix of seasons, fantastic craft beer, and lots of outdoors activities for all seasons.

I can't wait to leave. There isn't a single thing about living in Michigan I am going to miss.

Yes it does.

I do miss the variety of good restaurants, Dearborn has good choices.

Roman Village, if you didn't know any better you would think you where driving into a ah shit area....I could make a meal just out of their bead sticks.

Are you close to retirement yet and are you still working LE?

12 to 13 years out and yes.