Michigan is a state in the Midwest. It borders the Great Lakes and is divided into the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula.

With a population of around 10 million, it's one of the most populous states in the country. Lansing is Michigan's capital while Detroit is its largest city with 750,000 residents.

With hundreds of miles of beaches, Michigan is a popular tourist destination in the summer.

In winter, Michigan is often battered by snowstorms and its proximity to the Great Lakes results in unpredictable weather.

While Michigan was hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis, its economy has diversified and shown signs of strengthening in the last few years.

What's life like in Michigan?

Michigan offers residents plenty of variety, from rural to urban, blue-collar to white, and liberal to conservative. Being surrounded by the Great Lakes gives residents plenty of easy access to stunning areas of natural beauty and there are plenty of state parks and beaches within a short drive.

Michigan is renowned for its universities and research facilities with three of the leading universities in the country. While the automotive industry pretty much made Michigan what it is today, the crash in 2008 had a huge impact on Michigan's economy and it's still recovering today.

Work in Michigan

Michigan employs around 4 million people and has around 220,000 employer establishments. The automotive industry, while smaller than pre-2008, still plays a large role in the state's economy, employing hundreds of thousands of people.

Michigan ranks as one of the states with the most high-tech jobs in the country, with over half a million high tech workers. Education also plays a big role in Michigan's economy as there are numerous leading research institutions based in the state. 

Major Attractions of Michigan

Here are some of the top attractions that make Michigan a great place to live and work:

• Mackinac Island: An island and resort located in Lake Huron, well known for numerous cultural events, as well as a ban on motor vehicles.
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: A 42-mile rocky shoreline on Lake Superior that gets its name from the brightly-colored sandstone cliffs northeast of Munising.
• Isle Royale National Park: Made up of hundreds of islands, this national park was declared a UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve in 1980.
• The Henry Ford Museum: A large indoor and outdoor museum in Detroit, dedicated to the history of the automobile.
• Detroit Institute of the Arts: Located in Detroit, it holds one of the largest and most significant collections of art in the country.

Pros and Cons of Living in Michigan

Pros:

• A good variety of housing – Michigan has everything from downtown apartments to small-town houses to rural homesteads and offers residents one of the best variety of homes in the country.
• Strong state pride – Because of Michigan's blue-collar industrial background, residents are proud and unlike anyone else in the country.
• Low cost of living – It's around 15% cheaper to live in Michigan than is it on average in the rest of the country, making it popular with young professionals and families.

Cons:

• Unpredictable weather – Because Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes, its weather is, at best, temperamental. Michigan also tends to get a few huge snowstorms every winter.
• Automotive industry in decline – The automobile manufacturing industry was hit hard in 2008 and Michigan was the worst-hit state in the country.
• Lots of tourists in the summer – The beaches in Michigan get packed with tourists in the summer months.