By Maeghen Carter
staff writer

I moved to Midland in sixth grade. In the six years I’ve lived here, the one thing I’ve heard more than anything is how much people hate Midland. I don’t think a day goes by where I don’t hear “this place is so boring” or “I can’t wait to leave.” But here’s the deal, you don’t realize how good you have it.

I have gone to seven different schools and lived in seven different cities across the country. I’ve been from San Antonio, Texas, to Flint, Michigan and everywhere in between. Midland, with a record of six years, has been the best place I’ve ever lived and I love it here. It honestly makes me angry to hear how much people hate this place.

Before I moved here, I lived in North Branch, Michigan. Never heard of it? That’s because only the three thousand people that live there have heard of it. Imagine two Dow Highs spread out across miles of farm land. I am not exaggerating when I say that the only things in that town were the sketchiest party store to ever exist, and a buffalo farm where people came to kill them for fun. The nearest Wal-Mart was twenty minutes away. The closest Meijer was over an hour away. No joke, we played with buckets in the dirt road for fun.

When I found out I was moving from good ol’ North Branch to Midland, of course I was upset. I couldn’t imagine any place being any better than where I had spent the last five years of my life, which was the longest record then. I changed my mind within a month. First of all, we have a mall. Before living here, going to a mall was something I only did twice a year or so on vacation. Second of all, there are more than two restaurants in town. And most importantly, there’s this thing called a Tridge? Holy crap, I couldn’t believe it.

Of course over the years, I have felt like I was going to implode with boredom from this town. After all, there are only so many times where you can go visit the two good stores the mall has, get coffee from one of the four good coffee places, or see a movie. But I guarantee it will always be more exciting than driving past the buffalos for fun.

Midland has so many great opportunities for people of all ages, it’s ridiculous. There’s the Tennis Center, the Soccer Club, The Community Center, the ice arena, the nature center and the Center for the Arts. You could come into this town with any passion and find a place to thrive. Plus, despite everyone’s constant complaints, we have an amazing education system. The honors we receive are incredible and I’m honestly thankful for how much Dow has helped me grow as a student.

Does Midland have its boring days? Heck yeah. But please next time you’re about to complain, think about how lucky you are not to live in North Branch.