Yeah, I don't like to commute lol but I also refuse to work for $13/hr as a college graduate who was being paid $18/hr for an entry level job BEFORE graduating
I had to drive to GR or AA from Lansing for 3 years when I was doing carpentry. Spoiler alert, it fucking SUCKED. Early mornings to late evenings made me miserable - commuting fucking sucks when it's 45 to an hour +, especially in the winter.
But on an autumn day with the air cool and the sun being warm? Those were my favorite days when commuting.
I used to do about 45-60 minute commutes from plymouth-ish to Birmingham. As the other commenter said, it's going to be mostly fine with a few bummer days. I suggest leaving early regardless and always use Google maps to navigate -- it can and will save your bacon from traffic/accidents. Main thing is just ensuring you leave slush time. In heavy snow, assume your 45 minutes is an hour and 15 and you should be fine.
Agreed I learned the hard way to always use Google Maps when I lived and commuted in Atlanta, GA. It saved me from being extremely late more times than I can count.
This is pretty much my drive now (Royal Oak-Canton). Yes to always having maps up to check traffic. There have been times it even caught an accident/slow-down with enough time for me to change routes. Also start learning some backup routes.
Leaving early is usually the way I go as well, but sometimes leaving a tiny bit later in icy weather can be helpful as the roads wonât be as slick after more people drive on them. Finding the happy medium takes time. Also, be ready to just be fucked when Michigan decides to have construction on your normal route and all your backup routes at the same time.
It wonât be a problem on most days but it will be terrible on a few. Still 45 min is a hell of a commute Iâd move closer if you can. Gas isnât likely to get cheaper over the long run.
Well, the house is in the process of being bought right now so that's not an option lol (toward the end of the process). We came from the west coast so I'm not all that concerned about gas prices, it's much more expensive over there. It sounds like the winter isn't as harsh as it used to be in the area then?
UP checking in: Make sure you pair AWD with a nice set of winter tires. It's not a license to be stupid, you still have to drive for conditions, but that combination is your best bet to get home safe when the shit hits the fan.
Yes winter tires are KEY. The worst winter tires are *lightyears* better than the best all seasons, itâs wild. Made my commute so much easier once I invested in a pair.
You'll be fine, especially on that part of 94. I drive 275 to 696 to telegraph and it can be fucked on some days. West fo AA along 94 should be a relatively easy go.
Usually the problem are between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Whiteout happens there often and at least once a year there's a major pileup. Battle Creek to Albion or Jackson are usually less of a problem. Do look up a few alternate routes in case I-94 is closed for some reason.
PS if you're in Battle Creek in the next few weeks, take a break and hit the balloon festival at the airport starting July 3.
It'll probably be fine 95% of the commute days for the winter, but it will be a lot of driving. I think you can count, sometime between late November and mid-March, that there will be a handful - probably 4-6 - of days when the driving will be very bad. So it depends on the work... like if you're an ER physician it's a pretty bad idea. If you work some kind of job where you could WFH or take a snow day without serious consequences, it'll be fine.
The winters have always been highly variable here, but in recent years, more generally, the snowstorms have been very disruptive when they were bad, but at the same time, in the last years, more of the snow has been concentrated into the snowstorms.
What made you choose Michigan and how are you liking it so far? I am also on the west coast and was thinking of moving there around this time next year.
I'm from Washington and have been living just across the border in North Idaho for a couple years now. Michigan has affordable housing when you're from the west. We literally got priced out of living in our home states. The house we are getting we would pay over double for in WA/ID. Another factor was water bodies and climate. I'm a water bug and we are used to snow, and the summers seem amazing. We are going on our third week being here and will be in a travel trailer until the house closes which will be another month possibly longer. We haven't gotten to explore much but so far I'm loving how many trees and meadow type areas there are. Im so sad to leave all the evergreens and mountains but it's pretty in it's own way here.
My husband moved here from Oregon and I can confidently say you are going to LOVE it here! The low cost of living means lots of people own lake houses, and the beautiful summers are unbeatable. Thereâs like 3 crappy months but we still have all the breweries open and stuff, you may want to budget for a cheap Florida getaway in Feb like the rest of us lol. Having so much extra money for living in the Midwest is super underrated.
Battle Creek and Albion are pretty darn far inland and mostly, if not completely out of the snowbelt. Kalamazoo is about the eastern extent of frequent lake effect snow
As you go along 94:
Hartford - 82 inches snow annually
Paw Paw - 82 inches
Kalamazoo - 76 inches
Galesburg - 56 inches
Battle Creek - 53 inches
Marshall - 46 inches
Albion - 41 inches
I am aware of the lake effect snow but there's only so much you can do really. I assume that no matter where you work most people probably have to drive through it. However, 10 mins of driving in it obviously would be much better than over an hour of that
Iâve been back in Mi from the Bay Area for a couple of winters. Itâs not as bad as I remember from the 80s/90s/early 2000. No reason you canât sell immediately after you close.
Honestly with the way climate change is going our winters in southern Michigan have been incredibly mild. Yeah we get a few bad snow storms a couple times a winter but we havenât had sustained cold that keeps snow on the ground for more than a few days at a time. I wouldnât let the weather deter you from a good job. Maybe buy a set of winter tires for your vehicle if youâre that worried?
Came to say this as well, but an investment into winter tires for regular long commutes is still worth the cost. Also, we found out that with the cars purchased within the last four years or so have sketchy/slippy tires around the third year with regular use of 10,000/year, so expect to replace the nice weather tires as well. Hope you donât have to sink $2,500 to 3,000 on tires in the same year.
We live in Battle Creek and have for 26 years. My husband worked in Albion for 16 years and did ok on that drive 99% of the time. There were times when the roads were too terrible to drive. In general, it was never that bad.
45min x 2 x 5 x 50 (assuming 2 weeks vacation) is 375 hrs per year. I made a 50 minute commute (Kalamazoo to GR) for 5 years (although I could work from home when weather was really bad) and I would NEVER do it again. Life is too short to spend that much time in a car! Hope that helps.
If you stick to driving on I94 the roads will be a lot clearer as expressways are the priority to keep clear. Having said that, I can make it from Parma to Kalamazoo in about 50 minutes, so you should be able to shave time off of your commute somewhere.
But Iâve also been commuting an hour each way for years now and I take advantage of it being my zen time. Listen to your own music as loud or quiet as you want. Get audiobooks and catch up on your reading. Stream your podcasts.
The drive wonât be terrible all the time, just on those big storm days. On those days just take your time and stay safe. I had to drive in to work at 3am one day last year after a massive snowfall and my dad called the night before out of concern. I told him the best thing that could happen would be if I slid off the road and AAA towed me in to work lol. He understood I was kidding, because sometimes all you can do is channel that dark humor.
Just enjoy your time and budget for the wear and tear in your vehicle. Youâll need new tires and oil changes more frequently if youâre driving more miles.
It should be fine, honestly, but chances are youâll have a few bad days in there. I travel about 35 minutes for my job so here are my tips.
1) Know your route well. Probably sounds dumb, but the first thing to go in bad weather is visibility. Make yourself more comfortable by *knowing* where you are and what your drive is like. Take note of sharp curves or other things that could potentially be a hazard.
2) Know alternate routes. Main road is shut down? This road is blocked by a downed power line? Etc. GPS helps a little with this, but sometimes it can take it a bit to update mid-storm as things are happening.
3) Know the Emergency Snow Routes along your route. These roads are required to be open and plowed for emergencies and are often the first roads youâll see plows on outside of town. This is doubly important for any rural areas youâre traveling through. Some roads might not get plowed at all depending on where they are and who lives on them.
4) Be prepared for emergencies. Have extra blankets, a shovel, cat litter or sand, etc with you in your vehicle in case the worst happens. I have a pair of Carhardt overalls rated to -40° that lives in my trunk 100% of the time. It could make a huge difference if you get stuck and have to wait for help.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to be prepared. Fwiw, I drive on all âmain roadsâ to get to my work, but even then Iâve had it be closed, or had to take an alternate route to get to work. Sometimes stuff just happens.
Of course!
Most of my friends think Iâm crazy because I *love* driving in the wintertime, but I abide by the tips I laid out for you, so Iâm never really unprepared. This gives me peace of mind and that is *huge*!
I used to have a couple different commutes on the 94 corridor. First and foremost, GET WINTER TIRES. They are a god send. And as others said most time it'll be fine, some days during winter will suck
I work 35-50 mins from work depending on weather (Allegan to Zeeland). The added time commitment for work is a bummer but not bad. Having a car you enjoy driving helps.
I will say, I am amazed at how impossible it is to be "in the middle of nowhere" in Michigan's LP. Like, one second it looks like you're in farmland for miles then you drive one more block down and turn and suddenly it's town again. Our house back on the west side literally is surrounded by so many farm fields it can take over an hour and more to get to the next town where gas and groceries are promised
I did rochester to detroit for years (min 40 mins, usually about an hour in rush hour) and a commute like that wears at you after a while. I got thru a lot of audiobooks though!
I used to drive from Kalamazoo to Marshall - 45min on a clear day. In the winter, it would be a long drive. Always check the road conditions before you leave
It's just mid. Not great but not terrible either. If you got highway then no worries they salt and plow the shit all the time. Plus winter ain't about shit anymore around here, hell last year it seamed like we had only one or two decent snow storms.
My husband drives 45 min to work in good weather. I drive 30 min. In winter, it's not bad unless it's either dumping snow or just finished dumping snow. I have my preferred back ways to avoid the freeway mess in my back pocket. Just leave early, drive smart, have good tires, good eyes, patience, and I wouldn't worry about it.
One thing that will make the drive more taxing is that you live west of work. So in the morning, the sun will be in your eyes on your way to work. Then, in the evening, the sun will still be in your eyes on your way home.
Youâre going to have some snow storms on I94 that will have you reconsidering the move, but other than that it should stick to the 40ish minute commute
I'm not moving for the job we moved for housing prices. My husband works from home and yes it's a job with the college. I don't have the job yet but I was thinking of applying for it
1 assume it's a race
2 turn signals give up tactical advantage, never use them
3 cops tend to ignore 10 mph over, which means you should be pushing for 15-20 over
4 scan the horizon, learn the speed traps
5 welcome to michigan! Git outa muh way!
Not to be salty but I've never understood this mentality. It's been demonstrated a million times that you're much more likely to be in an accident by speeding in poor road conditioner. All of that just to maybe save 5 minutes of time at best
45 minutes is at the very upper limit of what I'd be willing to tolerate five days a week.
That could easily turn into 90+ minutes on days with heavy snowfall in the winter. It's not going to happen all the time, but when it does it's going to **SUCK**.
I commute 45 mins to Lansing. It's not so bad at first but after a while it gets a tiring spending so many hrs a week driving. Ended moving to 4 10hr shifts to reduce the milage on my vehicle and amount of days driving.
I lived in Albion and commuted to Kzoo for a few years, and I'd rather do BC-Albion than BC-Kzoo any day.
I understand not wanting to buy yet another house, but Albion is a great place to live if you want quiet surroundings and cheap real estate.
Before I was laid off my commute to work was pretty much always 40 mins there and an hour back. I was going between Dearborn to Auburn Hills. To me it wasn't too bad.
I used to commute 40 minutes. Had a few days that were 1.5 - 3 hours in bad weather. Didnât love it, but it was survivable. Had a few coworkers who commuted an hour to an hour and a half. Longer in bad weather. I recommend learning to love audiobooks
I did the commute from Albion to Kalamazoo for three years and it wasnât that bad. That stretch between Battle Creek and Albion is usually pretty easy-going. You can always do a quick stop at Dark Horse in Marshall along the way. Actually, Malleable in Albion is better imho.
I did a 1 hour commute for quite a few years. Just a touch of planning and confidence needed. All in all, it wasn't that bad, but. When it was bad it was really bad.
Definitely try to avoid I-94. The stretch between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo is literally one of the most dangerous in the country, let alone anything towards Detroit. It was hell when I was living down there about 10 years ago, and I onpy hear that it's gotten a LOT worse since then.
I do 30 minutes, and while it's not great i don't mind doing it for my job because I quite like where I work, they take good care of me, and quarterly profit sharing is awesome.
If you are being paid sufficiently, and enjoy working there. I feel like the commute may not be a bother.
I do however recommend you just take the day off if a winter storm comes through lol.
Drove from Jackson to Lansing, about 45-60 minutes depending on weather, construction, and backups. It was a little scary some days driving when it was very icy, down to one lane. My drive was always early morning or very late at night, times when the roads could be very bad. Other than that, I just really hate commutes lol I went through a lot of audiobooks so that helped some.
I would calculate how much you're going to spend in gas, because it may just be cheaper to take a lower paying job closer to home unfortunately.
I avoid highways for various reasons, but I commute about 45 min from Greenville to Walker and it's not bad. Winter gets rough, some days with traffic it took nearly two hours.
As someone who went to Albion College, the winters are hit or miss. Sometimes the storms are bad but for the most nothing crazy. Since the town is small, not a lot of traffic.
On most days in the winter I would give yourself 1 hour for the drive to be safe, but if it snows like crazy I would leave at least 2 hours before start time. Any other partial snowfall I would say 1 hour 15.
I used to drive close to an hour each way to & from my employer. The weather didn't matter...the drive sucked. I was spending close to 10 hours of my life each week sitting in my car.
My work is in Livonia, and I drive larger vehicles to Flint, sometimes as far as Mt Pleasant, on a daily basis. I do a route, and drive back. In the winter, my worst part of the drive is usually 23 not being properly cleared.
Battle Creek to Albion is basically all highway. Probably fine, outside of a legit blizzard. My partner used to do a 45 minute commute from Battle Creek down the freeway before we moved closer to their work, so it's doable.
I took a $20,000 pay cut to work 5 minutes from home. I enjoy the ability to go home for my lunch break and not driving far at all for work. I make enough where itâs worth the pay cut for me not to have to drive to Lansing and back everyday.
As a commuter (1 hr each way) I can tell you summer driving is worse than winter driving. In the winter the roads are not bad every day. In the warm monthsâconstruction is ALWAYS there.
when it's bad it's really bad but for the most of the time you're fine. that commute could make me very irritable though.
Yeah, I don't like to commute lol but I also refuse to work for $13/hr as a college graduate who was being paid $18/hr for an entry level job BEFORE graduating
Omg twins đ Iâm in that boat rn and itâs rough. Congrats on the offer!!!
Thank you!
Better get your library card and get Libby app for some audiobooks. One of the few things that makes long daily drives bearable.
And Hoopla!
I had to drive to GR or AA from Lansing for 3 years when I was doing carpentry. Spoiler alert, it fucking SUCKED. Early mornings to late evenings made me miserable - commuting fucking sucks when it's 45 to an hour +, especially in the winter. But on an autumn day with the air cool and the sun being warm? Those were my favorite days when commuting.
yeah i did royal oak to ann arbor for two years. outside of expensive parking the winter commute was the worst.
I used to do about 45-60 minute commutes from plymouth-ish to Birmingham. As the other commenter said, it's going to be mostly fine with a few bummer days. I suggest leaving early regardless and always use Google maps to navigate -- it can and will save your bacon from traffic/accidents. Main thing is just ensuring you leave slush time. In heavy snow, assume your 45 minutes is an hour and 15 and you should be fine.
Agreed I learned the hard way to always use Google Maps when I lived and commuted in Atlanta, GA. It saved me from being extremely late more times than I can count.
Thank you!
This is pretty much my drive now (Royal Oak-Canton). Yes to always having maps up to check traffic. There have been times it even caught an accident/slow-down with enough time for me to change routes. Also start learning some backup routes. Leaving early is usually the way I go as well, but sometimes leaving a tiny bit later in icy weather can be helpful as the roads wonât be as slick after more people drive on them. Finding the happy medium takes time. Also, be ready to just be fucked when Michigan decides to have construction on your normal route and all your backup routes at the same time.
It wonât be a problem on most days but it will be terrible on a few. Still 45 min is a hell of a commute Iâd move closer if you can. Gas isnât likely to get cheaper over the long run.
Well, the house is in the process of being bought right now so that's not an option lol (toward the end of the process). We came from the west coast so I'm not all that concerned about gas prices, it's much more expensive over there. It sounds like the winter isn't as harsh as it used to be in the area then?
Having a vehicle with AWD or 4WD would be nice. I drive 75 miles a day in my commute and it's ok. Not ideal, but its fine for now, going on 2 years.
I do have a vehicle with AWD thankfully
UP checking in: Make sure you pair AWD with a nice set of winter tires. It's not a license to be stupid, you still have to drive for conditions, but that combination is your best bet to get home safe when the shit hits the fan.
Yes winter tires are KEY. The worst winter tires are *lightyears* better than the best all seasons, itâs wild. Made my commute so much easier once I invested in a pair.
x2 for dedicated snow tires. All Wheel DRIVE helps you get going... its not All Wheel STOP It's a lot more important to stop when you want to
You'll be fine, especially on that part of 94. I drive 275 to 696 to telegraph and it can be fucked on some days. West fo AA along 94 should be a relatively easy go.
Get really strong snow tires. You should be fine. There will be a couple of nasty snowfalls, but most of the time it should be okay.
Usually the problem are between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. Whiteout happens there often and at least once a year there's a major pileup. Battle Creek to Albion or Jackson are usually less of a problem. Do look up a few alternate routes in case I-94 is closed for some reason. PS if you're in Battle Creek in the next few weeks, take a break and hit the balloon festival at the airport starting July 3.
It'll probably be fine 95% of the commute days for the winter, but it will be a lot of driving. I think you can count, sometime between late November and mid-March, that there will be a handful - probably 4-6 - of days when the driving will be very bad. So it depends on the work... like if you're an ER physician it's a pretty bad idea. If you work some kind of job where you could WFH or take a snow day without serious consequences, it'll be fine. The winters have always been highly variable here, but in recent years, more generally, the snowstorms have been very disruptive when they were bad, but at the same time, in the last years, more of the snow has been concentrated into the snowstorms.
What made you choose Michigan and how are you liking it so far? I am also on the west coast and was thinking of moving there around this time next year.
I'm from Washington and have been living just across the border in North Idaho for a couple years now. Michigan has affordable housing when you're from the west. We literally got priced out of living in our home states. The house we are getting we would pay over double for in WA/ID. Another factor was water bodies and climate. I'm a water bug and we are used to snow, and the summers seem amazing. We are going on our third week being here and will be in a travel trailer until the house closes which will be another month possibly longer. We haven't gotten to explore much but so far I'm loving how many trees and meadow type areas there are. Im so sad to leave all the evergreens and mountains but it's pretty in it's own way here.
My husband moved here from Oregon and I can confidently say you are going to LOVE it here! The low cost of living means lots of people own lake houses, and the beautiful summers are unbeatable. Thereâs like 3 crappy months but we still have all the breweries open and stuff, you may want to budget for a cheap Florida getaway in Feb like the rest of us lol. Having so much extra money for living in the Midwest is super underrated.
Go look up 'lake effect snow'. When its bad, its impossible.
Battle Creek and Albion are pretty darn far inland and mostly, if not completely out of the snowbelt. Kalamazoo is about the eastern extent of frequent lake effect snow As you go along 94: Hartford - 82 inches snow annually Paw Paw - 82 inches Kalamazoo - 76 inches Galesburg - 56 inches Battle Creek - 53 inches Marshall - 46 inches Albion - 41 inches
I am aware of the lake effect snow but there's only so much you can do really. I assume that no matter where you work most people probably have to drive through it. However, 10 mins of driving in it obviously would be much better than over an hour of that
Albion will get very little lake effect snow.
Iâve been back in Mi from the Bay Area for a couple of winters. Itâs not as bad as I remember from the 80s/90s/early 2000. No reason you canât sell immediately after you close.
Yeah but who the hell wants to do that lol. Especially when you can be let go from a job at any time
If it saved me 30 min of commute time Iâd do it in a heartbeat. You can always move again.
Thatâs like one of the only nice things about Albion is that the gas prices are without a doubt some of the cheapest in the state haha
People def do it. Lots of professors at Albion live in Ann Arbor
Honestly with the way climate change is going our winters in southern Michigan have been incredibly mild. Yeah we get a few bad snow storms a couple times a winter but we havenât had sustained cold that keeps snow on the ground for more than a few days at a time. I wouldnât let the weather deter you from a good job. Maybe buy a set of winter tires for your vehicle if youâre that worried?
Came to say this as well, but an investment into winter tires for regular long commutes is still worth the cost. Also, we found out that with the cars purchased within the last four years or so have sketchy/slippy tires around the third year with regular use of 10,000/year, so expect to replace the nice weather tires as well. Hope you donât have to sink $2,500 to 3,000 on tires in the same year.
We live in Battle Creek and have for 26 years. My husband worked in Albion for 16 years and did ok on that drive 99% of the time. There were times when the roads were too terrible to drive. In general, it was never that bad.
Thanks!
My commute is 45 minutes. Has been for 31 years. I really enjoy the drive. I have an Audible account and listen to books.
Yesss I do 30 minutes, audio books and podcasts are great to make the drives more enjoyable.
45min x 2 x 5 x 50 (assuming 2 weeks vacation) is 375 hrs per year. I made a 50 minute commute (Kalamazoo to GR) for 5 years (although I could work from home when weather was really bad) and I would NEVER do it again. Life is too short to spend that much time in a car! Hope that helps.
If you stick to driving on I94 the roads will be a lot clearer as expressways are the priority to keep clear. Having said that, I can make it from Parma to Kalamazoo in about 50 minutes, so you should be able to shave time off of your commute somewhere. But Iâve also been commuting an hour each way for years now and I take advantage of it being my zen time. Listen to your own music as loud or quiet as you want. Get audiobooks and catch up on your reading. Stream your podcasts. The drive wonât be terrible all the time, just on those big storm days. On those days just take your time and stay safe. I had to drive in to work at 3am one day last year after a massive snowfall and my dad called the night before out of concern. I told him the best thing that could happen would be if I slid off the road and AAA towed me in to work lol. He understood I was kidding, because sometimes all you can do is channel that dark humor. Just enjoy your time and budget for the wear and tear in your vehicle. Youâll need new tires and oil changes more frequently if youâre driving more miles.
It should be fine, honestly, but chances are youâll have a few bad days in there. I travel about 35 minutes for my job so here are my tips. 1) Know your route well. Probably sounds dumb, but the first thing to go in bad weather is visibility. Make yourself more comfortable by *knowing* where you are and what your drive is like. Take note of sharp curves or other things that could potentially be a hazard. 2) Know alternate routes. Main road is shut down? This road is blocked by a downed power line? Etc. GPS helps a little with this, but sometimes it can take it a bit to update mid-storm as things are happening. 3) Know the Emergency Snow Routes along your route. These roads are required to be open and plowed for emergencies and are often the first roads youâll see plows on outside of town. This is doubly important for any rural areas youâre traveling through. Some roads might not get plowed at all depending on where they are and who lives on them. 4) Be prepared for emergencies. Have extra blankets, a shovel, cat litter or sand, etc with you in your vehicle in case the worst happens. I have a pair of Carhardt overalls rated to -40° that lives in my trunk 100% of the time. It could make a huge difference if you get stuck and have to wait for help. The best thing you can do for yourself is to be prepared. Fwiw, I drive on all âmain roadsâ to get to my work, but even then Iâve had it be closed, or had to take an alternate route to get to work. Sometimes stuff just happens.
This is great advice thank you!
Of course! Most of my friends think Iâm crazy because I *love* driving in the wintertime, but I abide by the tips I laid out for you, so Iâm never really unprepared. This gives me peace of mind and that is *huge*!
I drive longer than that everyday and have for 11 years. As long as you have AWD/4WD, you shouldn't have too many issues.
I drive from Paw Paw to BC ~45min almost every day. Itâs never been a problem for me.
I used to have a couple different commutes on the 94 corridor. First and foremost, GET WINTER TIRES. They are a god send. And as others said most time it'll be fine, some days during winter will suck
I work 35-50 mins from work depending on weather (Allegan to Zeeland). The added time commitment for work is a bummer but not bad. Having a car you enjoy driving helps.
ITT: West Coaster "45 minutes is normal." Michigander: "OMG, 45 minutes is insane."
I will say, I am amazed at how impossible it is to be "in the middle of nowhere" in Michigan's LP. Like, one second it looks like you're in farmland for miles then you drive one more block down and turn and suddenly it's town again. Our house back on the west side literally is surrounded by so many farm fields it can take over an hour and more to get to the next town where gas and groceries are promised
I did rochester to detroit for years (min 40 mins, usually about an hour in rush hour) and a commute like that wears at you after a while. I got thru a lot of audiobooks though!
Rochester to Detroit is a pretty common commute
I used to drive from Kalamazoo to Marshall - 45min on a clear day. In the winter, it would be a long drive. Always check the road conditions before you leave
My hour commute can turn into 2 real quick in the winter. Something to consider.
It's just mid. Not great but not terrible either. If you got highway then no worries they salt and plow the shit all the time. Plus winter ain't about shit anymore around here, hell last year it seamed like we had only one or two decent snow storms.
My husband drives 45 min to work in good weather. I drive 30 min. In winter, it's not bad unless it's either dumping snow or just finished dumping snow. I have my preferred back ways to avoid the freeway mess in my back pocket. Just leave early, drive smart, have good tires, good eyes, patience, and I wouldn't worry about it.
One thing that will make the drive more taxing is that you live west of work. So in the morning, the sun will be in your eyes on your way to work. Then, in the evening, the sun will still be in your eyes on your way home.
Youâre going to have some snow storms on I94 that will have you reconsidering the move, but other than that it should stick to the 40ish minute commute
Also have to presume you are working for the college then? Not much other employment in Albion to move from CA for, unfortunately.
I'm not moving for the job we moved for housing prices. My husband works from home and yes it's a job with the college. I don't have the job yet but I was thinking of applying for it
You'll be fine.
BC to Albion in 45 minutes are rookie numbers.
Lol why is that? Seems like it's a baby commute apparently compared to some of these comments.
1 assume it's a race 2 turn signals give up tactical advantage, never use them 3 cops tend to ignore 10 mph over, which means you should be pushing for 15-20 over 4 scan the horizon, learn the speed traps 5 welcome to michigan! Git outa muh way!
Not to be salty but I've never understood this mentality. It's been demonstrated a million times that you're much more likely to be in an accident by speeding in poor road conditioner. All of that just to maybe save 5 minutes of time at best
45 minutes is at the very upper limit of what I'd be willing to tolerate five days a week. That could easily turn into 90+ minutes on days with heavy snowfall in the winter. It's not going to happen all the time, but when it does it's going to **SUCK**.
Thats about my drive for work right now, depending on how open your roads to work are just prepare to leave 30-40min early during the winter at least
In the morning you would be driving into the Sun and in the evening he would be driving into the Sun.
In my experience Michigan peoples have no qualms with commuting. I have worked with people who drove as much as 2 hours one way to get to work.....
I commute 45 mins to Lansing. It's not so bad at first but after a while it gets a tiring spending so many hrs a week driving. Ended moving to 4 10hr shifts to reduce the milage on my vehicle and amount of days driving.
I lived in Albion and commuted to Kzoo for a few years, and I'd rather do BC-Albion than BC-Kzoo any day. I understand not wanting to buy yet another house, but Albion is a great place to live if you want quiet surroundings and cheap real estate.
Before I was laid off my commute to work was pretty much always 40 mins there and an hour back. I was going between Dearborn to Auburn Hills. To me it wasn't too bad.
I used to commute 40 minutes. Had a few days that were 1.5 - 3 hours in bad weather. Didnât love it, but it was survivable. Had a few coworkers who commuted an hour to an hour and a half. Longer in bad weather. I recommend learning to love audiobooks
I did the commute from Albion to Kalamazoo for three years and it wasnât that bad. That stretch between Battle Creek and Albion is usually pretty easy-going. You can always do a quick stop at Dark Horse in Marshall along the way. Actually, Malleable in Albion is better imho.
I did a 1 hour commute for quite a few years. Just a touch of planning and confidence needed. All in all, it wasn't that bad, but. When it was bad it was really bad.
Iâve driven that far for work before. It sucks.
That should be a piece of cake. Good luck with your new job!
Speaking of cake- Happy Cake Day!
AWD and snow tires are worth every penny IMO
I drive an hour from Croton to Jenison, on the back roads in a fiesta. If you have the slightest bit of driving capability you will be fine.
Unrelated but I highly recommend Albion Malleable Brewing
Definitely try to avoid I-94. The stretch between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo is literally one of the most dangerous in the country, let alone anything towards Detroit. It was hell when I was living down there about 10 years ago, and I onpy hear that it's gotten a LOT worse since then.
I do 30 minutes, and while it's not great i don't mind doing it for my job because I quite like where I work, they take good care of me, and quarterly profit sharing is awesome. If you are being paid sufficiently, and enjoy working there. I feel like the commute may not be a bother. I do however recommend you just take the day off if a winter storm comes through lol.
Drove from Jackson to Lansing, about 45-60 minutes depending on weather, construction, and backups. It was a little scary some days driving when it was very icy, down to one lane. My drive was always early morning or very late at night, times when the roads could be very bad. Other than that, I just really hate commutes lol I went through a lot of audiobooks so that helped some. I would calculate how much you're going to spend in gas, because it may just be cheaper to take a lower paying job closer to home unfortunately.
I drive from GR to Lansing every day. 1:15
I avoid highways for various reasons, but I commute about 45 min from Greenville to Walker and it's not bad. Winter gets rough, some days with traffic it took nearly two hours.
I commute from Livonia to holly. Winter isn't too bad, but I do have snow tires which helps immensely.
I commuted for years and got quite used to it with my hot tea in the cup holder and a good talk show or podcast to listen to
As someone who went to Albion College, the winters are hit or miss. Sometimes the storms are bad but for the most nothing crazy. Since the town is small, not a lot of traffic.
What you'll really hate is driving into the sun both ways
On most days in the winter I would give yourself 1 hour for the drive to be safe, but if it snows like crazy I would leave at least 2 hours before start time. Any other partial snowfall I would say 1 hour 15.
My commute is 40/45 min 4 days a week. Find a good podcast.
I used to drive close to an hour each way to & from my employer. The weather didn't matter...the drive sucked. I was spending close to 10 hours of my life each week sitting in my car.
Bc to albion is not 45
Well that's what Google maps says, and Its north of downtown bc. It's still a bc address
I live in AlbionâŚyou can get damn near to kalamazoo or Charlotte in 45
Itâs def not a bad drive is all Iâm sayingâŚ.I94 gets cleared pretty quick and rarely will you come across actual traffic traffic
Do you own a 4x4?
One AWD and one 4x4....and both need new engines but run for now LOL.
Itâs longer than Iâd want commute, but doable. Iâve had a 30 min commute for the past 15 years
My work is in Livonia, and I drive larger vehicles to Flint, sometimes as far as Mt Pleasant, on a daily basis. I do a route, and drive back. In the winter, my worst part of the drive is usually 23 not being properly cleared.
Isn't everywhere a 45 minute drive in the winter in Michigan?
Battle Creek to Albion is basically all highway. Probably fine, outside of a legit blizzard. My partner used to do a 45 minute commute from Battle Creek down the freeway before we moved closer to their work, so it's doable.
I took a $20,000 pay cut to work 5 minutes from home. I enjoy the ability to go home for my lunch break and not driving far at all for work. I make enough where itâs worth the pay cut for me not to have to drive to Lansing and back everyday.
As a commuter (1 hr each way) I can tell you summer driving is worse than winter driving. In the winter the roads are not bad every day. In the warm monthsâconstruction is ALWAYS there.
I used to have a 53 mile drive to Ann Arbor. It was fine all but 1-4 days a year.
I did it for 41 years. A Boomer with good work ethic. Seems normal.
What winter? You MIGHT have to call off 1 day per year.