Jake Steinerman, a New York native, moved to Michigan several years ago to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Now, he can’t imagine living anywhere else and plans to further discover what the Mitten State has to offer by visiting five cities in five weekends later this summer. He’s looking to Pure Michigan fans to help determine the path of this adventure, and today tells us what he thinks makes our state so great.

A few years ago, if you would have told me I was going to be a graduate of the University of Michigan and subsequently live in the state, I would have given you the same response I gave my dad when he recommended I look into applying to UofM: “Michigan? Why Michigan? What a random place to think of.”

Growing up in Woodmere, New York, I was a naive teen living in a bubble community, in the shadow of New York City – I had no exposure to any kind of college sports, or anything resembling a Big 10-style college atmosphere; that culture doesn’t exist on Long Island. To me, I found it extremely odd that football was a big deal in Michigan. Football and Michigan? That’s not at all what I thought of when I thought of the mitten state; then again I didn’t know much of anything about Michigan growing up.

Well, it has been five years since my dad suggested I look into going to Michigan, and I could not be happier with how my four years there have gone. Now a proud Wolverine graduate with a degree in Social Computing Informatics, I have decided to remain in Michigan – in Midland to be more specific – to work in Information Systems at the Dow Chemical Company.

I’m excited for my new life here in the “City of Modern Explorers,” and if my four years in Ann Arbor – my favorite city in the country and one that will forever be my home – are any indication, I’m just starting to discover the magic of Pure Michigan.

Now I should point out, my moving out here is not a case of “big city boy experiences life in small town America for the first time.” Growing up, and still today, my family frequents northern Vermont. That has given me plenty of exposure to the beauty that rural America holds, and a true appreciation for the outdoors. Some of my favorite things to do are kayaking down the river on a warm summer day, biking along the lake with boats passing by, apple picking in the fall, and snowboarding in the winter. There is something truly special about Michigan though that makes it stand apart from other places that I’ve lived in and visited. I look forward to discovering just what that is, starting this summer.

Be sure to follow me along as I explore all that the Mitten has to offer, and find out what makes Michigan “Pure MIchigan” on Twitter using #JakesPureMichigan.

Jake Steinerman is looking to fans of Pure Michigan to help determine the path of his “five cities in five weekends” adventure. What cities should he discover in Pure Michigan?

Tagged as: #jakespuremichigan, Ann Arbor, jake steinerman, Michigan, new yorker in michigan, Pure Michigan, University of Michigan

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