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Post by tripper on May 9, 2016 7:09:26 GMT -5
I know Michigan. Any particular questions?
I see that Mt. Pleasant, Flint, Detroit and Grand Rapids are certed cities. In terms of quality of life, Grand Rapids would be on the top of my list although there are also very nice suburbs in easy commuting distance to Detroit.
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Post by marathon on May 9, 2016 7:49:31 GMT -5
I lived about knuckle-high on the pinkie finger in Michigan for awhile (anyone who has been through MI or lived there can tell you where they lived by using their left has as a map.) The spring and summer were beautiful. Mackinac Island is awesome and the hotel there is were they filmed Somewhere in Time. Winter was rough as we got a lot of lake effect snow. Lots of snowmobiling and cross country skiing. The people were quite friendly. And then there is deer camp, which is basically an excuse to drink a lot of bud light in a tree house.
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Post by tripper on May 9, 2016 9:04:33 GMT -5
It's absolutely true about using your left hand to show where something is in Michigan. I feel for the other 49 states without such a handy (ha!) reference.
Of the cities with ODAR offices, only Grand Rapids is going to see lake effect snow. The other cities will have snowy winters, but not with massive amounts coming at once. Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams. It boasts the longest freshwater shoreline in the world. It also ranks first in boat registrations. A person is never more than six miles from a natural water source. There may be no more beautiful place than northern Michigan in the summer. The people are known for their friendliness and politeness.
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Post by gary on May 9, 2016 9:50:52 GMT -5
I lived about knuckle-high on the pinkie finger in Michigan for awhile (anyone who has been through MI or lived there can tell you where they lived by using their left has as a map.) The spring and summer were beautiful. Mackinac Island is awesome and the hotel there is were they filmed Somewhere in Time. Winter was rough as we got a lot of lake effect snow. Lots of snowmobiling and cross country skiing. The people were quite friendly. And then there is deer camp, which is basically an excuse to drink a lot of bud light in a tree house. OK. I'll post it for you:
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Post by moopigsdad on May 9, 2016 10:04:26 GMT -5
Michigan is state of the day. Go!!! There is no real bad ODAR location in Michigan. We are a typical Northern state with snow and cold in the Winter, however, we have sunshine, warmth and swimming in the Summer. It is the Great Lakes state. Some offices are big city and some smaller city. I would take any of the locations in Michigan. You can find entertainment, culture, fun things to do and decent housing within a relatively short distance to any of the offices. The people from Michigan are friendly. You would be lucky to acquire any location in Michigan, unless all you like is warm weather then Michigan isn't for you year-round. Personally, I like the change in seasons.
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Post by willsdad on May 9, 2016 11:38:11 GMT -5
I've gotten to know Western Michigan through my in-laws. I can confirm how friendly and welcoming Michiganders are - and I'm from the South! There's a really nice beach at St. Joseph with quaint shops and restaurants. Lake Michigan is beautiful and refreshingly cool in the summer.
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Post by marathon on May 9, 2016 11:42:50 GMT -5
I lived about knuckle-high on the pinkie finger in Michigan for awhile (anyone who has been through MI or lived there can tell you where they lived by using their left has as a map.) The spring and summer were beautiful. Mackinac Island is awesome and the hotel there is were they filmed Somewhere in Time. Winter was rough as we got a lot of lake effect snow. Lots of snowmobiling and cross country skiing. The people were quite friendly. And then there is deer camp, which is basically an excuse to drink a lot of bud light in a tree house. OK. I'll post it for you: OMG, I'm dying!! Scarily accurate. Lol!
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Post by christina on May 9, 2016 12:09:34 GMT -5
Thanks everyone!!
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Post by gary on May 9, 2016 12:12:30 GMT -5
OK. I'll post it for you: OMG, I'm dying!! Scarily accurate. Lol! I was under the impression it was a documentary.
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Post by Gaidin on May 9, 2016 12:27:58 GMT -5
I have heard fantastic things about the staff and judges in MT. P. What I hear is that the turnover has to do with how small the town is and how far it is from where the vast majority of folks call home.
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Post by gary on May 9, 2016 12:29:45 GMT -5
I have heard fantastic things about the staff and judges in MT. P. What I hear is that the turnover has to do with how small the town is and how far it is from where the vast majority of folks call home. The United States?
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Post by gary on May 9, 2016 12:31:17 GMT -5
I have also heard great things about Mt P's staff. From all reports, it is an excellent place to learn how to be a SSA ALJ.
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Post by tripper on May 9, 2016 12:40:16 GMT -5
I have heard fantastic things about the staff and judges in MT. P. What I hear is that the turnover has to do with how small the town is and how far it is from where the vast majority of folks call home. Yeah, there's nothing so much wrong with Mt. Pleasant as there is nothing much going on there. It's really smack dab in the center of the lower peninsular and most of the places you want to be in Michigan are on the coasts or farther north. Mt.P. is about 2-2.5 hours away from everywhere you might want to be, from the big city to beaches and sand dunes to decent skiing.
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Post by rusty on May 9, 2016 15:21:59 GMT -5
Jackson has its problems as a city, but the ODAR office is one of the best in the country. If you have ever been in a bad ODAR office there is a lot to say for good one.The suburbs (all locations are about 20 minutes or less from the office) have great schools and a generally nice atmosphere. Many office staff still live in the city...it, like any city, has good areas and bad. The cost of living is incredibly low. There is a resort area with yacht club and water activities. Jackson also has some of the best restaurants of anywhere in the south...as well as museums and it is a short drive to the beach, New Orleans etc... Many judges that came to Jackson prior to the 90 day transfer rule liked it very much and wound up staying. That will probably happen again with the 15 month rule in place. That said, don't knock it until you try it Good information that infrequent visitors like me have missed. I digress, but, while I am at it, thanks for answering all my questions about everything over the past several years.
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Post by christina on May 9, 2016 17:25:42 GMT -5
Louisiana comments?
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Post by hapi2balj on May 9, 2016 21:23:52 GMT -5
It's absolutely true about using your left hand to show where something is in Michigan. I feel for the other 49 states without such a handy (ha!) reference. Make that 48. The map of West Virginia, with its two distinctive panhandles and remaining "palm-shaped" body, can easily be approximated with one hand. Caveat: this should not be attempted in the presence of small children, unless you move the northern panhandle slightly East by using the index finger instead of another digit. Remember this is my beloved home state so don't take that as a cut on W.Va. - just an observation on geographical accuracy! :-)
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Post by christina on May 10, 2016 6:56:29 GMT -5
Michigan sounds awesome other than the cold and snow business.
Louisiana anyone??
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Post by sealaw90 on May 10, 2016 8:11:56 GMT -5
Michigan sounds awesome other than the cold and snow business. Louisiana anyone?? Can't help you there. I've only been to NOLA, love it every time I'm there, but that's the tourist in me talking. Anyone ever live or spend time in Shreveport or Alexandria?
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Post by enduring on May 10, 2016 12:59:08 GMT -5
Mt. Pleasant is a fantastic small town with Central Michigan as a key part of the community. A great place to be if you like small towns and friendly people. I have been to Grand Rapids and Lansing. Both are good choices and I would have gladly accepted an offer at either location. I cannot speak to the other offices but the state as a whole is friendly, enjoys the seasons, offers a variety of activities, has good schools, and a reasonable cost of living.
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Post by bayou on May 10, 2016 13:06:45 GMT -5
Born and raised in Louisiana; have lived in or near Alexandria, Covington, Metairie, and New Orleans. I have limited familiarity with S'port.
The weather is pretty much the same across the state with mild variation. Temperature wise, it is the typical deep south, hot and humid for 8 months of the year. Just to be clear, hot and humid means something different than those that were saying Charleston and Savannah are hot/humid. This week the highs will in the upper 80s and during the summer, they will consistently be 95-100. Shreveport gets a few inches of snow most years by which I mean one or two snow events with 1-3 inches. Alexandria gets snow about once a decade and NOLA gets snow about once every 3 decades. Everywhere has a standard 20-30% chance of rain every day but NOLA tends to get more quick thunderstorms during the afternoons due to the proximity of the Gulf.
Alexandria - Centrally located in the State, it is one of those "metro" areas that pop up because it is the "big town" for a larger rural area. It has the typical chain restaurants and some shopping. It definitely trends more toward rural than metro and quite frankly, it feels like this city has stagnated, with little growth over the last 10 years. Plenty of outdoor opportunities, virtually no cultural type stuff, no traffic issues at all.
Shreveport - not super familiar with Shreveport. Larger than Alexandria and seems to be growing.
Central and North Louisiana have different cultures than South Louisiana. Both Alexandria and Shreveport are above the line for Cajuns, so don't expect that culture in either of those cities. Especially don't picture miniature New Orleans for either of those.
I figure most are somewhat familiar with New Orleans, so I won't spill a lot of pixels on it.
Anybody having specific questions can post them and I'll try to answer.
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