I’m actually mystified as to why the “investors” haven’t piled back into Michigan already. Maybe they are trying to wring out the last of the auto unions before they move back in.
I say this because Michigan intrinsically has a lot going for it.
–It is surrounded by fresh water as another poster said.
–In the south of the “mitten” especially it has lots of prime farmland, and it gets enough rain/snow to water same with little to no supplemental irrigation.
–There are a several very good universities and an additional number of decent universities and small liberal arts colleges. In addition, Kalamazoo has the “Kalamazoo Promise” in which every kid who graduates from a Kalamazoo high school gets a free-ride college scholarship. So, potential to have a highly-educated workforce. (If they didn’t all have to leave the state in search of jobs.)
— The southern tier of Michigan also has I-94 running through it, connecting Chicago to Detroit and directly on to parts beyond in both directions; Detroit connects directly to Windsor, Ontario (Canada), and the harbors and ports feed directly into the St. Lawrence Seaway (e.g. shipping access). In short, goods can be transported in and out fairly easily.
— The landscape is flat meaning Michigan has the same real estate advantage as other flat states (read: Texas)– housing and other real estate is CHEAP.
Long term, if Michigan were its own country, it would be the most able to be self-sufficient of many regions of the U.S. Yeah, the winter weather can be a bummer, and the summer riddled with mosquitos… but the spring and fall are absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t move on account of the weather, anyway, I moved to a good employer (e.g. “Top 100 Places to Work” kind of good) here in Sandy. Put a good employer back in Michigan and I’ll move back there in a heartbeat.
