There's an off chance I'll be moving there the next year or so because of family, probably between Muskegon and Indiana.

What's the job market like for nurses? Or the housing market or cost of living in general?

How hard is it to find a place to hunt or shoott?

Any quirks in gun laws like a duty to retreat, no CCW in grocery stores on the full moon, waiting periods, or stuff like that? ETA: my HD rifle is an SBR and will probably be wearing a can when I move. Any state-level issues there?

Do I need to get my car inspected or tested for emissions?

In general, what takes immigrants from other states by surprise?

I'll do my best...

No state inspections for your car.
NFA is good to go.
CCW is good just no federal buildings, schools, hospitals, stadiums (im missing something).
Hunting, not sure as I do not hunt.
Cost of living is ok not outrageous but like everywhere housing costs are going up.
Their is a pistol registration.

Gets humid as F**K during the summer but maybe i'm just a bitch.
Party Store = Liquor Store
Its Called Pop not soda
And if you become a Mich Resident you will have to drive North and buy fudge. Don't know why but its mandatory.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Hometown/Michigan-important-documents/39-424544/

Lots of info here, pay attention to the last post by ATEI Doug, about not registering handguns if you have a MI CPL and a CPL from another state

What's the job market like for nurses?

Was pretty good pre-covid, but a lot of Nurses got canned during the initial closures and not nearly as many got hired back.  A lot of hospital networks used it as an excuse to cut staffing and reduce costs and are now forcing nurses to work lots of OT.  Mercy is the network in Muskegon area and it's not the greatest.

Or the housing market or cost of living in general?

Housing market is stupid right now in Michigan.  If you want land you're going to pay out the ass for it (same answer as for below).

How hard is it to find a place to hunt or shoott?

Lots of shooting clubs and a number of indoor ranges in the SW Michigan Area.  No super long areas.  Hunting is great in Michigan, and there's a lot of different public land opportunities.  It's expensive though and our DNR seems to change the licensing requirements damn near yearly.

Any quirks in gun laws like a duty to retreat, no CCW in grocery stores on the full moon, waiting periods, or stuff like that? ETA: my HD rifle is an SBR and will probably be wearing a can when I move. Any state-level issues there?

Castle doctrine, lots of no go zones for CCW (Banks, Theatres, Zoo's, Library, Schools, fed buildings).  NFA stuff is good to go.  Lots of local level bullshit ensues though, not so bad any more with NFA changes though.  

Do I need to get my car inspected or tested for emissions?

Nope

In general, what takes immigrants from other states by surprise?

Shit road conditions are the biggest one I hear from out of staters.  Cost of fuel (gas, propane, heat oil, etc) seems to surprise a lot of people as well.  Lack of decent internet service in just about every municipal area, but a few blocks out of most towns you can get fiber or other options.

Ann Arbor has a world class teaching hospital. Most nurses have 120% employment whether they want it or not at the hospitals. Retired nurses are being lured back with over $30 an hour packages with no benefits as contractors.

The Nursing gig will be Kalamazoo, Holland, Grand Rapids, Muskegon.
Most commute from here, as our regional smaller Hospitals have downsized, under Bronson ownership.

Hunting is good. Lots of big bodied Deer, Waterfowl varies with the weather and flight.
Small Game is excellent. Plenty of Varmints to bust year round.

Fishing is excellent. LOTS of lakes, Rivers, Creeks plus the Big pond.
Everything from Bass and Panfish,Pike, Walleye, Creek trout, to the big lake run Steelhead, Lake Trout,King and Coho Salmon.
Even if you just want to pleasure boat, Jet Ski, or sail, it's hard to beat.

Hiking and Biking trails everywhere, and the terrain varies from giant sand dunes to Marsh, to open Farm land, and old growth Hardwood forrests.

If you are a Beer or Wine fan, look up the west Mich. Beer and wine trail.GOOD brewery's everywhere(Bells, Founders, New Holland) Hard cider Mills (  and some of the country's best winery's, are all over the place.

One Caveat. Winters start in November many years, Lake effect is complete Bitch, and the slop piles up like crazy on and near the shore.

What area in specific are you looking at?

Didn’t warn him about all the tourists from Chicago.

Any quirks in gun laws like a duty to retreat, no CCW in grocery stores on the full moon, waiting periods, or stuff like that? ETA: my HD rifle is an SBR and will probably be wearing a can when I move. Any state-level issues there?

Castle doctrine, lots of no go zones for CCW (Banks, Theatres, Zoo's, Library, Schools, fed buildings).  NFA stuff is good to go.  Lots of local level bullshit ensues though, not so bad any more with NFA changes though.  

A CPL is one of the exemptions for conceal carrying in a bank

https://patch.com/michigan/brighton/carrying-firearms-into-banks-illegal-with-exceptions

Library is NOT listed as being prohibited for conceal carry with CPL. Your giving out bad info
Prohibited Premises

And no carrying in bars, defined as any place that gets 51% or more of their income from alcohol sales.

He's gonna have to learn to hate them as Vermin on his own...

lately, they have "Working Remotely" from their summer cottages and condos, and really pissing the locals off.

He'll learn.

I don't know why they drive all the way up here. I see lots of Ill annoyed plates around here.

Specific area: I'm trying to stay within an hour or two of South Haven. If I'm reading the map right, Kalamazoo should be right about the edge of that.

And is this the wrong place to admit that I'm originally from Chicagadishu? I can promise that, as long as we're not talking about pizza or hot dogs, you'll never hear me say they did something better there.

Also, now that I'm thinking about it, is there one part of the state where more people have just decided "screw the governor, we're re-opening?"

ETA:

How are Michigan's rifle hunting regs? Shotgun slugs, straight-wall cartridges,  or any other strangeness?

The law says primary source of income. If the place itemizes it could be any number less than 51%.

This is starting to make my head hurt. If a place sells enough to be off- limits, do they post signs or something?

Good point.

You know a bar when you see 1.

Don't forget about dealing with lake effect snow.

The only way to know for sure is to ask to see their Tax Returns, I'm sure they won't mind......(much of MI's CPL legislation sux  )

Take note also - Banks nor financial institutions are no longer prohibited for CPL.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/



When I read above & noted "bank" it sent a chill down my spin because I know a guy...

Wife?  Kids?

Are you going to need to look for decent schools?  If so, obviously stay out of the downtown areas.  If you are looking for some acreage and still want good schools, bend over, it's coming in hard and fast.

If you have no kids and want acreage, anywhere between kzoo and muskegon will be fine.  The closer you get to the lakeshore and GR, the more you'll pay.

LOL!
I grew up in SH, and moved back, and then built on one of our fields to the south.

Kazoo is a college town, and going to shit. That's why Mattawan/PawPaw/Gobles has all the Phizer yuppies.

Yes....FIB's ain't loved here. More of them are staying year 'round and working from home, instead of sparing us their bullshit for 7 months. Most bring their idiotic Marxist bullshit with them when they stay, but I suspect that wont be an issue with you.;) You'll learn to hate them quickly if you own property, or like to fish inland lakes, or drive into S.H. in summer, or ...well, you'll get it.

Take a look at Rural Hartford, Bangor, Covert as well. Prices in S.H. are going up like crazy, and it's the same over around Paw Paw as the urban refugees are fleeing Kazoo.

There is LOTS of Blueberry ground on the market right now, many with houses and Barns.

Hunting regs are pretty straight forward. .35cal and up straight walled for rifle, or shotgun during Deer season.
Varmints and other game, there are no restrictions. Not too many places to get a shot past 150yds anyhow, except on Chucks and 'Yotes.
No weirdness and chickenshit like Illinois.

LOTS of Deer, Turkey, and small game, and plenty of Public land to hunt, if you don't own your own.

One thing to consider... Winter can be a bitch. This corner gets absolutely slammed with the lake effect slop.
If you're looking to commute 30min. in summer, it can be 4 hours in winter. Plows get behind on the primary roads, and it may be 2-3 days before they hit the secondary's.
I-94 can be suicide between Kazoo and S.H. and the FIB's stack themselves up regularly doing stupid shit in zero visibility on lake effect slop.

If you're going to commute to S.H., you want to be a LOT closer than the zoo.

this^

I live near the same town where the kid let off a firework in class hurting 6 Monday.

Anyway, I see Ill Annoyed plates here all the time. I'm just out of the snow bank, but I would only drive 20 miles or less. My road gets plowed quick for the buses, cops, Emergency services.

Last year I worked 4 miles from home. 6 minutes in good weather, 10 -15 with heavier snow. It usually snows every day in the winter also, so you make get tired of it.

Everywhere else, gets plowed when they get around to it. Then the deer will stand at the bottom of a hill, in the dark, with snow covered road, trying to wipe you out. I think it's a game to them.

LOL!!!

Bambi gets winter cray too ya know!

There's wailing and gnashing, because Albermarle just announced that it sold.
There is going to be a sudden jolt to the Real estate market, with a crapload of mid sized new houses going up for sale, and then a sharp rebound as they get snapped up as short term rentals and investment property. Gobles, 2Paws and, Mattawan SEV's are going to go nuts!

I've only driven in the dark once in the last 11 months.

That was for more beer

Should have said I am out of the snow BELT

Lived north of GR for a decade, a decade back.

Wife has family we visit regularly in the area between Battle Creek and Grand Rapids.




As noted above:


30 miles can make a BIG difference in how much time you spend behind a snowblower in the winter.

Also as noted above, deer hunting has a restricted zone in southern michigan - shotgun, pistol cartridge rifle, muzzleloader.  Please read up on the specifics.