That goes both ways, thought. I grew up in Michigan. Most of my family, and my partner's family are still there. I travel there regularly and stay in contact with a number of friends who are there, and each passing year I my resolution to never go back is stronger and stronger. The entire state is deeply broken politically, and I would never want to raise a child in that environment. Even as a white man, it's remarkable to go back, sit around in a bar or just in public, and to see the blatant racism, homophobia, and hatred around. Let's not even get into the dysfunctional state government - and the gerrymandered voters who enable it.

All of my smartest and most competent friends from high school - in every field - moved out of state. So did all of my friends of any kind of minority group who could afford it. I don't see any reason that's going to change.

I'm curious, where in Michigan are you going where you see all this racism, homophobia, and hatred?

Any small-medium mostly white suburb or rural town - which is to say the entire state.

There are small pockets of comparative tolerance, usually centered around universities.

Take any smaller town, even outside the larger cities like Lansing and Grand Rapids: Charlotte, Eaton Rapids, DeWitt, Wyoming, and more. It gets worse as you go further north. I've been to potlucks in Traverse City (of friends of friends, not relatives, thankfully) with racial slurs being thrown around left and right. Let's not even talk about the Upper Peninsula.

Isn't this an issue with most states though? Big metropolitan areas tend to lean liberal, rural areas tend to lean conservative, and every state has a similar distribution?

I've always contemplated moving out of MI to the west coast, but I've heard it's just the same sort of dynamic. So I just stick to metro Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, etc

The Midwest is far more proud of it. Yes, it you go to Eastern Washington/Oregon or Northern California, voters are more conservative, but I've done road trips in the last couple years through all that territory and I can sit in a brewery or go to a hotel without having it all thrown in my face. In suburban Michigan the locals are proud of their bigotry in a manner I just don't encounter in blue states.

No one in Washington was overtly plotting to kidnap the governor. The Eastern counties hate Inside but they're not as maniacal.

Indeed, that culture was an undercurrent in Michigan even when I was growing up.

I have family in Wisconsin and live in Michigan. You guys have sunnier weather but a bit colder winter. I love both states. CA is low on my list but I might be down for Texas.

I got a call from that Fruit company a few years back, which seemed really compelling, but the economic quality of life change to move to CA was alarming.

> Sometimes we hire older people.

As an "older person", ugh thanks for the charity?

My apologies, I was trying to be sarcastic, but it fell flat. I'm an older person too, and I like the possibility of having a career of reasonable duration. This is as opposed to the impression I've formed of work in the tech hubs being a young man's game. Which could also be mistaken.

Thanks for calling me out.

Lol no problem, its probably what I expected. :)