Michigan Death Watch?: I'm thinking of starting a regular Michigan Death Watch posting. The latest from the Detroit News indicates Michigan population dropped by 30,500 people last year. Unreal. That's an entire good-sized town. For perspective, nationwide the population rose 1%, and the only other state with a drop in population was Rhode Island which was down 3800. Traditional backwaters like Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana are gaining. Even West Virginia posted a gain.

If you are long-term bottom fishing in real estate, you could do worse than start picking up land here for a song. I suggest just inland from Lake Michigan, maybe up around Ludington, or on the far outskirts of Traverse City. If you're really adventurous you could try the Alpena area, or the U.P. Just be sure you're looking long term. It'll be a while before anything gets turned around here.