While I might currently reside in West Michigan, I haven’t always lived in the area. I was born in Lima, Ohio. From there, I quickly moved to Southern Michigan where I lived until the age of nine. It was then that my family decided to move to Alabama. After spending just two years in Alabama, I moved back to Southern Michigan where I lived until the age of 15. Before my sophomore year of high school, I moved to Indianapolis to live with my aunt for a year and a half before returning to Michigan. Upon graduation, I was accepted and decided to attend Grand Valley State University. Now that I’m living in the heart of West Michigan, I never want to leave again.
The saying “there’s no place like home” is especially true about West Michigan. While I have lived in a much warmer climate, as well as the Crossroads of America, there’s no place like Michigan.
Each time I left, I missed the lakes, the people, the spaciousness, the four seasons (yes, even winter).
But there are just some things you don’t realize you’ll miss until you’re gone. Such as the Michigan vs Michigan State rivalry (Go Blue), Michigan-made food, summer festivals, traveling to the UP, and you can’t forget singing along to “Just a small-town boy; BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTH DETROIT…”; pretending that everyone in Michigan is from Detroit.
While I’ve never lived outside of Michigan under the age of 21, I can’t imagine living without the countless number of breweries in West Michigan, such as New Holland Brewing, Founders, or Grand Rapids Brewing Co.
For me, the one thing I missed most was the outdoor lifestyle. Of course, there are the Great Lakes in Michigan, but there are also numerous ski resorts, and several hundred bike trails, along with 103 state parks and recreation areas.
As a web and marketing intern with Hello West Michigan, I meet with candidates weekly from all around the country hoping to return to West Michigan for similar reasons as myself.
The point is, wherever your journey might take you in life, once a Michigander, always a Michigander.
