Which State would you rather live in: Michigan or Florida

[Alben Barkley]

I think Sam Houston's warning to the secessionists pretty much sums up this thread:

After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives, you may win Southern independence if God be not against you, but I doubt it. I tell you that, while I believe with you in the doctrine of states rights, the North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery, impulsive people as you are, for they live in colder climates. But when they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum and perseverance of a mighty avalanche; and what I fear is, they will overwhelm the South.

It's why the North won then and always has won, really. I say this as someone raised more culturally Southern than Northern. (And is DEFINITELY a "fiery, impulsive" person.) It's simply undeniable.

The people of the North are constantly underestimated by arrogant Southerners putting down "Yankees." To this very day. This is no less true of Florida vs. Michigan than any other Southern vs. Northern state match-up. But I find at the end of the day, the North almost always wins out in almost every way.

This doesn't mean I don't love the South because I do. Much more than the North on the whole, in fact. I just think it's rather foolish to deny all the advantages the North has over it. Michigan is simply a greater state than Florida, and certainly has been for most of each state's history.

[Sol]

Florida (normal)

It's always amusing to watch the Red Atlas' contrived reactions to this hugely successful, dynamic and diverse state.  They hate it so much only because of how it has consistently shifted away from their party for over 20 years now, exposing their "demographics is destiny" hubris. 

This is definitely part of it but I don't think it's all of it. A lot of Atlas posters have always been very performative about how much they hate places with warm weather. I think that this is because they don't go outside.

I assume this is because I am a fat but cold weather for me is much more comfortable than hot weather.

One of the more difficult parts for me of living in the North Carolina Piedmont has been the way in which the unpleasantness of summer heat upsets usual rhythms--I don't want to go outside in the Summer because the heat and humidity is so unpleasant, so I have to save hikes or excursions for Spring or Fall. Florida just seems like it would have more of that.

[Ferguson97]

Florida (normal)

It's always amusing to watch the Red Atlas' contrived reactions to this hugely successful, dynamic and diverse state.  They hate it so much only because of how it has consistently shifted away from their party for over 20 years now, exposing their "demographics is destiny" hubris. 

This is definitely part of it but I don't think it's all of it. A lot of Atlas posters have always been very performative about how much they hate places with warm weather. I think that this is because they don't go outside.

This might come as a surprise to you, but many people actually do prefer the cold weather over warm/hot weather, and enjoy going outside.

[they don't love you like i love you]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

[Sol]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

In fairness Michigan has some of the snowiest places on the planet. Grand Rapids has 26 inches more of snow on average than Minneapolis, and 12 more snowy days. Lake effect snow is very powerful.

[John Dule]

It's amazing that Florida defenders still cling to the idea that people hate their state because they're "introverts" or because they just hate red states. I've lived in warm, cold, dry, and wet climates in my life-- and warm/wet is objectively the worst combination. Insects multiply exponentially. It's impossible to fall asleep without air conditioning. Taking a hot shower steams up half the house for hours. Walking or biking to work makes you sweaty and gross for the entire day (god forbid you wear a suit). Cockroaches are a constant fact of life. You run up your electrical bill by constantly running the AC and fans. Weeds, vines, and mold all thrive. It becomes difficult to think clearly. Physical labor is punishing. You are constantly changing clothes and bedsheets. Entering air-conditioned buildings while caked in sweat and wearing only a t-shirt and shorts gives you chills. The incessant sound of cicadas penetrates every waking moment. I need not mention the storms.

On top of these climate problems, we then add the fact that Florida is a patchwork quilt of cultural wastebins, each one tackier than the last. Would you like to spend your days sweating with some fat Midwesterners in the Villages? Or would you rather go down to Cape Coral, where your elderly neighbors will waste what little potable water your community has on their dumbass lawns? Perhaps you'd prefer Orlando, a city so peppered with sinkholes it looks like Swiss cheese, where you can stand in line with ugly, loud sunburnt six-year-olds before getting on disease-infested amusement park rides run by companies that reboot film franchises every five months. Honestly, some of the most tolerable places in Florida are the backwoods "redneck" areas-- at least airboats and gator grills have a character to them, and weren't the work of egomaniacal con artist real estate developers.

The average Floridian:

1. Cannot walk from his house to a store in under ten minutes.
2. Is hundreds of miles from the nearest hiking location.
3. Was swindled into buying his home, sight-unseen, by a man in a white suit and a Panama hat.
4. Is the type of person who buys a time share and calls it an "investment."
5. Spends thousands of dollars a year on upkeep for a small, stupid boat named for his second wife that he uses once every four months.
6. Has not laid eyes on a sidewalk in at least a decade.
7. At any given moment, has at least seven mosquito bites on various parts of his body.
8. Spends most of his day trying to navigate the byzantine labyrinth of featureless cul-de-sacs, canals, and gated communities that comprise his """town."""
9. Believes that golf is a sport.
10. Watches reality television even when he is not in a hotel room.
11. Is a proud, dues-paying member of a homeowner's association.
12. Believes that he lives "close to the beach" because he can reach the ocean with thirty minutes of driving (provided there's no traffic).
13. Spent his life savings on a home that will be destroyed by 2040 and no company will ever insure.
14. Thinks that Taco Bell is authentic Mexican cuisine.
15. Owns at least three plastic flamingoes.
16. Has either a natural lawn or an AstroTurf lawn. It is difficult to say which is worse.
17. Still believes that owning a Cadillac is a status symbol.
18. Knows exactly one sex position.
19. Has worn a Mickey Mouse hat at least once in his life.
20. Is fat, stupid, lazy, and will be dead within the next ten years. Good riddance!

[Agonized-Statism]

Only lived in Florida so I can't really say. I've always written the Rust Belt off for having no jobs, but that's probably just Sun Belter bias and I could go for cheaper cost of living right about now. As long as there's a nice, affordable suburb I'd be happy. In Florida I was on a ranch and golf course that had tract housing on it right next to a pond with an alligator, which I still don't know what to make of tbh.

[jamestroll]

If somebody likes hot weather or cold weather or whatever… let them f****** like it. There is no use  arguing about it. I tend to prefer warm and humid climates. That made Virginia very appealing to me in the summer Just like Saint Louis.

I have been to both Michigan and Florida. I really loved the upper peninsula but I do not say much attractive about the rest of the state. But I could see myself living in Michigan. On the other hand , Florida does have excellent water sports, a lot of wildlife, and I did like Miami a lot. However, Florida is a bit too flat and not seen it enough for me overall. The weather in Florida would be a huge plus.

I'd choose Florida, but barely. I could live in either state.

[Devout Centrist]

Spend the summers in Michigan and the winters in Florida

[Donerail]

words words words

It's really funny how mad liberals like you get when people do not agree with your feelings. Filing this topic away as one that can trigger you to post a wall of text in future threads. Will be watching!

[they don't love you like i love you]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

In fairness Michigan has some of the snowiest places on the planet. Grand Rapids has 26 inches more of snow on average than Minneapolis, and 12 more snowy days. Lake effect snow is very powerful.

Then they must be even more prepared to clear it than Minneapolis is. Even after a huge snowfall it all gets cleared in like two days anyway. There's no reason for anyone who isn't a municipal employee or private property owner to spend all day shoveling. Actually even they don't, they just use a snowblower for most of it. Shoveling is just for things like clearing your driveway if you have one or digging your car out on the street.

[John Dule]

words words words

It's really funny how mad liberals like you get when people do not agree with your feelings. Filing this topic away as one that can trigger you to post a wall of text in future threads. Will be watching!

The alligators will feast on your bones

[SnowLabrador]

Michigan, no questions asked!

[Del Tachi]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

In fairness Michigan has some of the snowiest places on the planet. Grand Rapids has 26 inches more of snow on average than Minneapolis, and 12 more snowy days. Lake effect snow is very powerful.

Then they must be even more prepared to clear it than Minneapolis is. Even after a huge snowfall it all gets cleared in like two days anyway. There's no reason for anyone who isn't a municipal employee or private property owner to spend all day shoveling. Actually even they don't, they just use a snowblower for most of it. Shoveling is just for things like clearing your driveway if you have one or digging your car out on the street.

Yes, and who wants to do that?

[they don't love you like i love you]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

In fairness Michigan has some of the snowiest places on the planet. Grand Rapids has 26 inches more of snow on average than Minneapolis, and 12 more snowy days. Lake effect snow is very powerful.

Then they must be even more prepared to clear it than Minneapolis is. Even after a huge snowfall it all gets cleared in like two days anyway. There's no reason for anyone who isn't a municipal employee or private property owner to spend all day shoveling. Actually even they don't, they just use a snowblower for most of it. Shoveling is just for things like clearing your driveway if you have one or digging your car out on the street.

Yes, and who wants to do that?

No one but having to dig my car out like four days a year is a lot preferable to living in f[inks]ing Florida.

[KaiserDave]

They also have actual seasons

Yes, and one is them is called "spend all day shoveling snow."

What.

I've never spent a whole day shoveling snow in an even snowier climate. In fact I never really shovel at all except when it's necessary to get my car out.

In fairness Michigan has some of the snowiest places on the planet. Grand Rapids has 26 inches more of snow on average than Minneapolis, and 12 more snowy days. Lake effect snow is very powerful.

Then they must be even more prepared to clear it than Minneapolis is. Even after a huge snowfall it all gets cleared in like two days anyway. There's no reason for anyone who isn't a municipal employee or private property owner to spend all day shoveling. Actually even they don't, they just use a snowblower for most of it. Shoveling is just for things like clearing your driveway if you have one or digging your car out on the street.

Yes, and who wants to do that?

Honest people of character

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

It's amazing that Florida defenders still cling to the idea that people hate their state because they're "introverts" or because they just hate red states. I've lived in warm, cold, dry, and wet climates in my life-- and warm/wet is objectively the worst combination. Insects multiply exponentially. It's impossible to fall asleep without air conditioning. Taking a hot shower steams up half the house for hours. Walking or biking to work makes you sweaty and gross for the entire day (god forbid you wear a suit). Cockroaches are a constant fact of life. You run up your electrical bill by constantly running the AC and fans. Weeds, vines, and mold all thrive. It becomes difficult to think clearly. Physical labor is punishing. You are constantly changing clothes and bedsheets. Entering air-conditioned buildings while caked in sweat and wearing only a t-shirt and shorts gives you chills. The incessant sound of cicadas penetrates every waking moment. I need not mention the storms.

On top of these climate problems, we then add the fact that Florida is a patchwork quilt of cultural wastebins, each one tackier than the last. Would you like to spend your days sweating with some fat Midwesterners in the Villages? Or would you rather go down to Cape Coral, where your elderly neighbors will waste what little potable water your community has on their dumbass lawns? Perhaps you'd prefer Orlando, a city so peppered with sinkholes it looks like Swiss cheese, where you can stand in line with ugly, loud sunburnt six-year-olds before getting on disease-infested amusement park rides run by companies that reboot film franchises every five months. Honestly, some of the most tolerable places in Florida are the backwoods "redneck" areas-- at least airboats and gator grills have a character to them, and weren't the work of egomaniacal con artist real estate developers.

The average Floridian:

1. Cannot walk from his house to a store in under ten minutes.
2. Is hundreds of miles from the nearest hiking location.
3. Was swindled into buying his home, sight-unseen, by a man in a white suit and a Panama hat.
4. Is the type of person who buys a time share and calls it an "investment."
5. Spends thousands of dollars a year on upkeep for a small, stupid boat named for his second wife that he uses once every four months.
6. Has not laid eyes on a sidewalk in at least a decade.
7. At any given moment, has at least seven mosquito bites on various parts of his body.
8. Spends most of his day trying to navigate the byzantine labyrinth of featureless cul-de-sacs, canals, and gated communities that comprise his """town."""
9. Believes that golf is a sport.
10. Watches reality television even when he is not in a hotel room.
11. Is a proud, dues-paying member of a homeowner's association.
12. Believes that he lives "close to the beach" because he can reach the ocean with thirty minutes of driving (provided there's no traffic).
13. Spent his life savings on a home that will be destroyed by 2040 and no company will ever insure.
14. Thinks that Taco Bell is authentic Mexican cuisine.
15. Owns at least three plastic flamingoes.
16. Has either a natural lawn or an AstroTurf lawn. It is difficult to say which is worse.
17. Still believes that owning a Cadillac is a status symbol.
18. Knows exactly one sex position.
19. Has worn a Mickey Mouse hat at least once in his life.
20. Is fat, stupid, lazy, and will be dead within the next ten years. Good riddance!

Could not have put it better myself. Never thought I’d die standing side by side with an elf.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It's amazing that Florida defenders still cling to the idea that people hate their state because they're "introverts" or because they just hate red states. I've lived in warm, cold, dry, and wet climates in my life-- and warm/wet is objectively the worst combination. Insects multiply exponentially. It's impossible to fall asleep without air conditioning. Taking a hot shower steams up half the house for hours. Walking or biking to work makes you sweaty and gross for the entire day (god forbid you wear a suit). Cockroaches are a constant fact of life. You run up your electrical bill by constantly running the AC and fans. Weeds, vines, and mold all thrive. It becomes difficult to think clearly. Physical labor is punishing. You are constantly changing clothes and bedsheets. Entering air-conditioned buildings while caked in sweat and wearing only a t-shirt and shorts gives you chills. The incessant sound of cicadas penetrates every waking moment. I need not mention the storms.

On top of these climate problems, we then add the fact that Florida is a patchwork quilt of cultural wastebins, each one tackier than the last. Would you like to spend your days sweating with some fat Midwesterners in the Villages? Or would you rather go down to Cape Coral, where your elderly neighbors will waste what little potable water your community has on their dumbass lawns? Perhaps you'd prefer Orlando, a city so peppered with sinkholes it looks like Swiss cheese, where you can stand in line with ugly, loud sunburnt six-year-olds before getting on disease-infested amusement park rides run by companies that reboot film franchises every five months. Honestly, some of the most tolerable places in Florida are the backwoods "redneck" areas-- at least airboats and gator grills have a character to them, and weren't the work of egomaniacal con artist real estate developers.

The average Floridian:

1. Cannot walk from his house to a store in under ten minutes.
2. Is hundreds of miles from the nearest hiking location.
3. Was swindled into buying his home, sight-unseen, by a man in a white suit and a Panama hat.
4. Is the type of person who buys a time share and calls it an "investment."
5. Spends thousands of dollars a year on upkeep for a small, stupid boat named for his second wife that he uses once every four months.
6. Has not laid eyes on a sidewalk in at least a decade.
7. At any given moment, has at least seven mosquito bites on various parts of his body.
8. Spends most of his day trying to navigate the byzantine labyrinth of featureless cul-de-sacs, canals, and gated communities that comprise his """town."""
9. Believes that golf is a sport.
10. Watches reality television even when he is not in a hotel room.
11. Is a proud, dues-paying member of a homeowner's association.
12. Believes that he lives "close to the beach" because he can reach the ocean with thirty minutes of driving (provided there's no traffic).
13. Spent his life savings on a home that will be destroyed by 2040 and no company will ever insure.
14. Thinks that Taco Bell is authentic Mexican cuisine.
15. Owns at least three plastic flamingoes.
16. Has either a natural lawn or an AstroTurf lawn. It is difficult to say which is worse.
17. Still believes that owning a Cadillac is a status symbol.
18. Knows exactly one sex position.
19. Has worn a Mickey Mouse hat at least once in his life.
20. Is fat, stupid, lazy, and will be dead within the next ten years. Good riddance!

I would make this my signature if it wasn't so long. So instead I may very well put this on my tombstone. I don't even want to be buried, but I will now just so I can have this etched on my grave-site. My kin will have to eat the cost of it when planning for my memorial, but I don't care. I'm going to visit my estate lawyer tomorrow.

[Del Tachi]

snip

I just want to remind you that you live in a state that is so unanimously agreed by everyone to be the worst state in the country that it has its own Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_God_for_Mississippi

Despite your snide remarks, I can assure you that the only reason I dislike Florida is NOT its politics and certainly not the "demographics are destiny" BS; I live in and love Kentucky for God's sake! I have actually spent a lot of time in both states (indeed possibly more in those two states combined than any other combination of states that doesn't include Kentucky) but genuinely just admire the qualities I mention more in Michigan and am unpersuaded by a single one of your so-called counter-arguments. (Such as not caring at all how many snowbirds move from Michigan to Florida.)

And yeah I exaggerate some of my Florida hate for comedic effect. I wouldn't have spent as much time as I have there otherwise! I'd still in all seriousness take it over, say, Ohio, and certainly Mississippi! (Which is like ONLY the worst parts of Florida.) But as a place to actually live, it just strikes me as somewhat soulless and empty (partly for the reasons Torie described), and I'd just get too f--king sick of the goddamn heat too fast. Even Arizona, which I've compared to Florida in other threads, has places in the Northern part of the state with more varied climates where you can escape the heat. Florida is just pure swamp ass.

The "so-called counterarguments" that Florida has one of the most diverse populations and best public university systems in the country, among others.  Sorry these facts don't care for your feelings LOL

If you don't like Florida, that's fine (even though you apparently do, since you've spent much time there LOL) but the contrived overreactions you and other posters have to it is 100% pure cringe.  You're so blinded by your performative hate of the state, its people and politics that you made a silly post of nothing but overplayed stereotypes and then got smacked down for it (JD's post is the same, btw)

P.S.  Cute of you to try to shift the topic of this thread onto Mississippi, LOL.  Do people from the Magnolia State not get to have opinions on other places?  Kentucky is typically a bottom five state when it comes to measures of development, health and wealth too, so does that mean you don't get to have opinions on the ~45 states (including Florida!) that consistently outperform y'all?  lmao

Like you, I have lived many places.  I was born and grew up in MS, but have also lived for multiple years in DC, GA and LA.  Lived a whole summer in CA (Marin County), too.  I've got family and friends in AL, TN, NC, GA, VA, FL, ME, NY and UT that I regularly visit.  Plenty of comparison points to know that the bad parts of FL (i.e., bland exurbia) are replicated pretty universally across any new growth areas while the best parts of FL (i.e., the best beaches in the country and friggin' Miami) stand out as America's creme de la creme.     

[DaleCooper]

I've been to Florida a couple times and you couldn't pay me to return. Almost everything about it is the exact opposite of what I would want in a state to live in.

[Del Tachi]

I've been to Florida a couple times and you couldn't pay me to return. Almost everything about it is the exact opposite of what I would want in a state to live in.

Wow.  The WHOLE Florida!?

Now where did you actually go, bozo?

[John Dule]

Lived a whole summer in CA (Marin County), too. 

Hard to believe given that newcomers are required to remove their shoes before entering the county.

[jamestroll]

I will probably visit Detroit area at some point. I have only been to the UP.

But here are some pictures I took from the Upper Peninsula.

 




 

[they don't love you like i love you]

Surprised no one has mentioned that weed is legal in Michigan and Florida has some of the most draconian weed laws in the country.

[Ferguson97]

It’s kinda funny to see conservatives absolutely meltdown over the fact that not everyone wants to live   in a far-right swamp. Like they’re perfectly willing to accept that not everyone wants to live in California or New York or whatever, but if we suggest that we’d prefer to live somewhere other than the white trash capital of America, we must be coping or lying.