This Michigan Town is Attracting Gen Z
One Michigan town is attracting the youngest adults in America, meaning those in Generation Z. Really, Gen Z is all the talk right now, which is interesting, because for at least a decade, it seemed everyone was buzzing about the Millennials. Technically, those in Gen Z are born from the mid-to-late 1990s to the early 2010s. They tend to be the children of older Millennials or Generation X. So, which Michigan town is attracting Gen Z?
The new study is from Thisoldhouse.com. In it, they talk about moving trends among Americans. Roughly 8.2 million people moved states in 2022, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data. That’s about 4% higher than in 2021. It appears moving to different states is becoming a trend, too, when you look at the last decade of data. “Interestingly, the cities Americans are moving to and from vary greatly between generations,” they state. “For example, while Seattle was a top choice for millennials, it wasn’t even in the top 10 cities where Generation Zers moved in 2022.”
Before we get to Michigan, let’s look at the city in America that’s attracting the most Gen Z residents. It’s Washington, D.C. Another interesting trend is that Gen Z is moving more to big cities, while other generations are moving out of big cities. “Gen Z flocked to D.C. and Chicago in droves, while thousands of millennials, Generation X, and baby boomers chose to leave those cities in 2022,” the article states. “Millennials are on the move because they’re in favor of more midsize, tech-hub cities.”
The Michigan town that’s attracting Gen Z is Ann Arbor. It’s No. 16 on the list of cities that are bringing in the most people from that generation. In 2002, the net migration there was 4,722. It was 2,108 in 2021. So, if your new neighbor looks extra young, now you know why. Find the full study here. What do you think? Reach out to me here.
How to Tell If You're in the 'Xennial Generation'
You remember the Challenger tragedy..but barely
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and tragedy took place in January 1986. If you’re a Xennial, you might have very faint memories of this happening, but you were very young. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 3 and 9 when this happened, whereas, Millennials would be 2 or younger or not born yet. Consequently, Gen X would be older than 9 so have much more distinct memories of the event.
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION – NOVEMBER 11: (FILE PHOTO) Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)
You remember the fall of the Berlin Wall..but barely
If you were a child during the fall of the Berlin Wall, then you might be a Xennial. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12. So, you were perhaps too young to understand or really comprehend what was going on, but you knew it was going on.
BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 09: A young woman peers through concrete slats among flowers left by other visitors at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse on the 26th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. On November 9, 1989, East German border guards opened barriers at the Berlin Wall and allowed thousands of East Germans to cross into West Berlin, symbolically heralding the end of the division of Europe and the conclusion of the Cold War. Today politicians across Europe, even in Germany, are debating erecting border barriers of their own in order to stem the influx of migrants. According to the latest estimates Germany could receive up to 1.5 million migrants seeking asylum by the end of the year. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
You remember a time with no cell phone..but you've had one most of your life
The first cell phones came out Xennials were in their 20s or even late teens. So, Xennials remember a time with rotary phones and phone booths. But, most of their lives, they’ve had cell phones.
Getty Images / Ivan-balvan
You aren't an optimist or a pessimist
In general, Gen X is regarded as being a fairly pessimistic generation, while Millennials are optimistic. But, Xennials have both traits. At the very least, they have both their pessimistic and optimistic moments, but don’t sway one way or another.
Getty Images / kitzcorner
You weren't born into an era with computers or Facebook, but you had them early on
Xennials got computers as young as in their elementary and middle school years. But, these computers were very primitive, and this was long before Facebook or, ha, MySpace. So, Xennials tend to be pretty tech-savvy, having grown up with tech, but they come from a different perspective, since their first experiences with technology were nothing like the tech of today.
Getty Images / solarseven
