I grew up in MI. I doubt the 15k would go very far. You should instead move to Michigan for the beautiful lakes and rivers, and the low cost of living (which

I grew up in MI. I doubt the 15k would go very far. You should instead move to Michigan for the beautiful lakes and rivers, and the low cost of living (which is often much higher on the aforementioned lakes - especially the tourist towns in western MI). As with any place, the most desirable locations, i.e. Ann Arbor, are more expensive. It's also a place where most of the investment, whether corporate, private, or civic is in suburban areas, so at least for people of means, suburban life is very comfortable. A few cities have made comebacks (Detroit to an extent, Grand Rapids) but it's still marginal compared to the wealth of the suburbs. Rural and post-industrial areas can be very bleak. But for anyone imagining it as an escape: it is as complex a place as any other place in the US today.