If you could live anywhere, where would you be?
I would be right where I am, in West Michigan. Recently Thrillist ranked all the states and I was happy to see Michigan listed as the best state to live in. I'm sure that many of you in other states would disagree with this list, because we all usually love where we live. That's a good thing because we can't all stay in the same place!
If you want to see where your state landed on the list, click here. (and don't be offended if they got your state wrong!)
Here's a few reasons why I love Michigan:
1. The Great Lakes! We have 3,200 miles of lakeshore; more than any other state except Alaska. Those lakes are freshwater, with no sharks!
2. Lighthouses! I love lighthouses and we have lots of them; 115 in all which is more than any other state. (The lighthouse pictured above is in Ludington, which we visited on Memorial Day)
3. Seasons... I love the changing seasons, each with it's own particular beauty, and while I freely admit that I'm not a fan of winter, it can be beautiful and it makes me appreciate warm weather even more. :)
4. Rural areas... I like country living, farms, dirt roads, tractors, open fields and we have a lot of it.
5. Cities... I wouldn't want to live in one, but it's nice to be able to take a 20 minute drive and be in Grand Rapids - home of ArtPrize and the "medical mile" which is some of the highest rated healthcare in the United States.
6. So much beauty! We have beaches, inland lakes, waterfalls, national forests and sand dunes.
7. Family... most of our family is in this area. Our son Andy is in Tennessee, but the rest of our family including our kids, siblings, nieces and nephews and parents are all here. I think that's one of the best reasons to enjoy living here!
I've had the pleasure of visiting MI a few times and it is lovely. I hope you have a very nice day.
ReplyDeleteI think that we all have strong feelings about the place that we live don't we. I have never been to Michigan, but I am glad that you like living there so much!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoyed Michigan when we visited Bud's relatives there in Grand Haven. It's a pretty state! [cold in the winter tho!!!---I'm a wuss]
ReplyDeleteLove your photo of the lighthouse.
So surprised to see Michigan here! I grew up on the thumb (Lexington), but can't argue with Western Michigan's beauty one bit. God's country!
ReplyDelete:-)
Yes I think we all love out little corners of the world Mari. I love the South. I lived in the midwest for a while and I enjoyed it but my heart longed for home. We both grew up in Georgia but we love north Alabama and after 30 plus years here, it is home.
ReplyDeleteI'm not offended that Florida is last and am happy to disagree. You are right that we all can't live in the same place so it's good to be spread out over 50 states that all have their beauty and their ugliness. If I could have your beautiful yard here in Lakeland I would take it, for sure! You and Bob have created a lovely home and having your family all so close is the best!
ReplyDeleteNY is ranked 15, and I am surprised at the high ranking, home ownership is indeed very expensive, lol. AND we're not the city, which ought to be their own state, lolol. I also have no idea what a Monteral bagel is. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post, Mari. smiles.
PA is #12, nice. I do like living here, my family is here and that means the world to me. If I were to move, I'd head south to be rid of the cold winters. Winter is getting increasingly hard for me....might have to consider being a "snow bird" and head to FL for a few months each winter ;-)
ReplyDeleteHA! West Virginia is 36th! And I do not at all care for the description that was given...but I love living in WV. I was born here, and enjoy how diverse the state is...mountains, lakes galore, rivers, rural, the list goes on. :)
ReplyDeleteThose are all great reasons to live in your favorite state! I've never been to Michigan, but all those lighthouses and beaches sound inviting.
ReplyDeleteMichigan is certainly a beautiful place. I love driving through there during the fall....oh, it's so lovely!
ReplyDeleteI think I would LOVE to live in Hawaii {{smiles}} I have always enjoyed the water and warmer weather.
It was a delight to pop in for a visit. I hope you are enjoying your summer! Hugs!
I have never been to Michigan but I hear that it is a beautiful place. There are so many beautiful places in each state to visit and to see. I loved looking at Pikes Peak. I love the Kentucky blue grass and horse farms. I love southern charm of Georgia and the Carolinas, Believe it or not, I even liked New Orleans. I have been to many of the states so don't really have a preference. There are nice places in states and there are not so nice places in states. I have found that the best place to live is where God has called you to live. It seems that way to me because I love where I now live in Ohio and who wants to live in Ohio? Hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where I'd rather live than here unless maybe in Australia. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot going for you in Michigan, I enjoyed the list. I love lighthouses also. :)
xoxo
It's a blessing to have family close-by. I like Michigan too, and you have Kid Rock running for your senate!
ReplyDeleteWell, that list is obviously supposed to be humorous. I am glad PA made it to 12, but none of the things they mention are the things I love. We have incredible beauty here and very seldom do we have natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Also, I would never put Florida at the bottom of the list.
ReplyDeleteYou do have a lot of beautiful things in Michigan for sure!
Wow that's a lot of lighthouses!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of winter ether but I do like the seasons too, but I'd gladly live in AZ from say November through to March!
Wow, wow, wow ... I'm glad you live where you love and vice versa, and I'm not saying I couldn't be happy living in maybe some parts of Michigan (although I doubt it), but I thank God it's just not ever going to happen. I agree with the list that Florida is dead last; I despise that state. But South Carolina coming in at 38th? That's just wrong. It's a delightful place to live. For them to say, "there's Charleston, but then there's everything else" shows their ignorance. There's not much all that great about Charleston, a fairly nice city that runs on sweat due to the awful weather most of the year. That person who made up that list must be a yankee, haaaahahaha. Poor sod. xoxo
ReplyDelete