Mrs. Furious ... Recipes, Rants & Reality: Michiganders...

Friday, November 13, 2009

Michiganders...

What is wrong with Jackson?
Cause we could buy a house there in cash.
And I kind of want to.

20 comments:

Golden To Silver Val said...: Other than the prison....probably not much of anything is wrong if you like snow. But then, you ARE a native and know all about the dreaded white stuff. Our unemployment rate is extremely high now too....but I guess its that way most everywhere. Sweet chile...is Michigan calling you home?; November 13, 2009 at 5:53 PM
inkelywinkely said...: I am not from ANYWHERE near there as you know, but after looking it up, it appears the fact that it is crowded could have something to do with it.

There are 36,316 people there in only 11.1 square miles....which is a whole lot of people in a real little bit of space....3274.9 people per square mile..

Median income isn't very high at all, so it is obviously a area that may have high crime, as I hear the two go hand in hand...

It doesn't seem that bad in comparison with other surrounding areas, though, from what I have looked up, so I don't get it..LOL

Oh, well. I tried..this is what I got..It's my guess.; November 13, 2009 at 5:57 PM
Mrs Furious said...: Val,
The probability of our return is quickly approaching 100%

inkelywinkely,
LOL! That much less people than Ann Arbor. We're used to a fair amount of people I guess.; November 13, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Michelle said...: I know what's wrong! I AM NOT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There you have it.

Am I not important?!??!?

Michelle :); November 13, 2009 at 7:24 PM
marissakay0128 said...: I live in in Genesee County and you definetly could...

Seriously $200k houses for like $90k. Craziness I tell you :); November 13, 2009 at 10:30 PM
Noah said...: Jackson is bad news. Massive unemployment, poor schools, not much to do in terms of entertainment. Granted, it is a mere 30-40 minute drive to East Lansing from Jackson. But really, among other factors, the schools are not great. Not as bad a Detroit Public Schools, but for the money and access to higher-quality schools, there are plenty of other areas to look at.

And from my Jackson-area friends...they say it's just depressing there.

There are some lovely houses in Lansing's 48912 zip code (east side) that are still moving for mid-100s. Schools are winning awards. "Schools of choice" offerings are East Lansing, Haslett, Okemos and DeWitt (some of the best in the country, especially DeWitt). Lansing is really growing and there is an increasingly fun recreational scene for families and parents who find sitters.

Plus, the Smitty family is nearby.; November 13, 2009 at 11:56 PM
Mr Furious said...: I hear there's a lot of home brewing in the Lansing area...; November 14, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Julie said...: Isn't it annoying that you can't find nice, affordable(SUPER CHEAP) homes WITH good schools.; November 14, 2009 at 9:22 AM
P/F said...: I don't know anything about Jackson, but I took a class with a woman who was originally from there and said that it was really sketchy (not in a cool sketchy way - more the meth and high unemployment way). But I don't know first hand. So, grain of salt.

Tom and I have talked about East Lansing (like A2 lite*). Probably much friendlier, but still smart(er) and more progressive than the norm. They also have a good UU Church in Lansing.

There's Potter Park Zoo and Lugnuts games are really cheap. Also, only a couple of hours from *Up North.* and a much calmer drive there on 127.

This MI economy is really in the crapper, and experts say that it's only going to get worse in the next few years. So, recession-proof income is key.

Every time I go home to Pgh, I start looking at houses and hubs and I get really excited about moving back, and start formulating plans to make it happen. Then we don't do it. If you really want to get back to MI, you should find a way to do it - because you don't want to wish you had.; November 14, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Mrs Furious said...: P/F,
We're formulating our plan. For us it just seems like an awesome opportunity to buy back in to a great town and school system for 1/3 of the price. I don't know where we could go that we could guarantee our quality of life for that price. Now work is an issue... but... I've got some plans. Plus, honestly, I could go back to work and Mr F could stay home and I could float a mortgage with even my social work income if needed. We just really want to have the option of good public schools. I would not be surprised if we had out there before next fall.

Smitty,
Yeah I had a feeling the schools were going to be bad. But the houses?! Gorgeous and under 40K.
If we do come back we need to be within commuting distance to Detroit so that maybe Mr F could get a job. Although Lansing is definitely cheaper... and without jobs that could be a significant factor ;); November 14, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Mrs Furious said...: marissa,
I know it! It is killing me to see how cheap everything is. We are in such a fluky area here where housing costs have not dropped and it just boggles our minds when we see nice houses for less than 100K. Crazy town.

julie,
totally annoying... although it's also bad to be in a place with expensive housing and bad schools ;); November 14, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Heather said...: It is inexpensive for a reason... I looked at quite a few amazing historic houses in the downtown area for my mom and concluded there was a reason it seemed to good to be true. There are some real cute houses in downtown Chelsea for sale... Let me know if you want more info.; November 14, 2009 at 11:05 AM
Mrs Furious said...: Splaneyo,
Oh I have been obsessively looking at them! I think the fact that none of them have sold in the last 4 months is going to play in my favor ;) I'm having a little bit of trouble convincing Mr F... he's not too excited about adding on another 20 min to a potential commute. But I was just telling him that we could get a compromised house in AA (aesthetically) or we could get a perfect house in Chelsea. I'm just done with everything that is going on here. I want to pick a place with good schools and just settle and make it work. We're pretty much down to either Old West Side or Chelsea.; November 14, 2009 at 11:14 AM
P/F said...: Dexter schools are really good too.; November 14, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Mr Furious said...: Dexter's too small. There are only a handful of houses for sale, and none meeting our criteria...

...at least with a cursory online search.; November 14, 2009 at 2:33 PM
angie said...: old west side is the only choice i approve of. we will find houses on the same block and it will be like old times.; November 14, 2009 at 5:38 PM
inkelywinkely said...: Guess what? Something gave! LOL. The search is over. Byron found a vehicle. A perfect compromise. The search is over.

He found his 4x4, and a vehicle I wouldn't want to crawl into the floorboard driving. haha...He found a Mitsubishi Montero. I am so excited that it is over.

He looked under the next biggest city on Craigslist. Ends up, in bigger cities, they have WAY too many vehicles, so if you want yours sold, it has to be a GREAT deal. We spent MUCH less than we anticipated and the rest is all free and clear money we had sitting aside. THAT is better than anything. We had plenty to cover all our expenses, but have this much extra around the holidays is going to be great, so great, that he says he *may* even look for me a small car, and sell his truck. YAY!

I just HAD to tell you.; November 14, 2009 at 6:20 PM
Deb said...: $40,000?! Crikey. My property taxes are... well, nevermind. I don't want to depress anyone. Suffice to say they are a significant fraction of the price of a home in Lansing. I wonder what it would cost to BUY a public school of your very own and run it the way you want? :); November 14, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Mrs Furious said...: Deb,
Not Lansing... Jackson. That's a significant difference ;); November 14, 2009 at 10:29 PM
Leenie said...: Living in OH, all we hear about it the badness that is happening in MI right now, but there are some great deals, and if you live in MI long enough, kid and baby could go to 2 top universities (I'm a Boilermaker, but I can pay respect when respect is due) for instate tuition...

PS. I love your blog.; November 17, 2009 at 12:39 PM