Thinking of moving to Rochester HIlls/Grand Rapids Michigan (Detroit: real estate, foreclosure)

[skylar1]

Hi,We live in Highland Park, Il (suburb along lake michigan outside chicago)
My husband works from home and we would like to move to a comparable town. We are interested in the quality of schools, activities for children like parks, pools, park districts, etc., it is important for us to be near educated people, well versed. We are moving to save money( our community is very expensive, very high taxes,very "keep up with the joneses") But, we would like to have a newer house in a very nice subdivision with educated, zippy, friendly people with kids. Seems like a lot to ask, could someone please tell us if we could find that in Rochester Hills or maybe Grand Rapids and what the difference would be between the two cities. THANK YOU!!

[enigmaingr]

Rochester Hills/Grand Rapids may both contain what you are looking for. The thing is, Rochester Hills is more akin to your current situation. That is, a suburban area outside of a large city. Grand Rapids, on the other hand, is the urban center for West Michigan.

The best way that I can answer your question is that you can find areas like Rochester Hills in the Grand Rapids area. Some areas you might consider are Heritage Hill/East Hills in the city, East Grand Rapids, and Forest Hills. It all depends on what you consider "keeping up with the Joneses". I would describe some of these areas as such but your mileage may vary. You may, or may not, get the same vibe in Rochester Hills.

Not to be too biased but the long-term outlook of the Grand Rapids area is much better than for Rochester Hills (Detroit Metro). Grand Rapids is experiencing growth, particularly in the health science industry, versus the decline or stagnation found on the east side of the state.

Another area you may want to consider is Ann Arbor. It would certain meet your perameters and is much less affected by the auto industry/Detroit troubles than Rochester Hills would be. Plus, Ann Arbor has a cosmopolitan zeal to it that few areas in the Midwest have.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by enigmaingr

Rochester Hills/Grand Rapids may both contain what you are looking for. The thing is, Rochester Hills is more akin to your current situation. That is, a suburban area outside of a large city. Grand Rapids, on the other hand, is the urban center for West Michigan.

The best way that I can answer your question is that you can find areas like Rochester Hills in the Grand Rapids area. Some areas you might consider are Heritage Hill/East Hills in the city, East Grand Rapids, and Forest Hills. It all depends on what you consider "keeping up with the Joneses". I would describe some of these areas as such but your mileage may vary. You may, or may not, get the same vibe in Rochester Hills.

Not to be too biased but the long-term outlook of the Grand Rapids area is much better than for Rochester Hills (Detroit Metro). Grand Rapids is experiencing growth, particularly in the health science industry, versus the decline or stagnation found on the east side of the state.

Another area you may want to consider is Ann Arbor. It would certain meet your perameters and is much less affected by the auto industry/Detroit troubles than Rochester Hills would be. Plus, Ann Arbor has a cosmopolitan zeal to it that few areas in the Midwest have.

I would agree. Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids are probably your best bets, although you might find housing prices in AA to be a lot like your current location. But it's probably one of the most "educated" areas in Michigan. Rochester Hills is "just another bland burb" in Oakland County, with endless rows of Pulte Homes, IMO. No real sense of community. And you'll constantly have to tell friends and family that "Rochester Hills is NOT DETROIT". People here in Grand Rapids seem proud to say they're from Grand Rapids, even if they're not. Even businesses in Wyoming, Kentwood and Walker have Grand Rapids as their addresses, even though legally they're in those respective cities.

And you can still pick up Chicago radio here if you have an affinity for Chicago sports.

Obviously you might think I'm biased, but I'm not a Grand Rapids native. I've lived pretty much all over Lower Michigan.

[Cowa]

Hi - we live in Rochester Hills currently and I can support what most of the others said. Ann Arbor is really nice but the housing prices are not as good as you can find them here at the moment. There is a huge # of houses in Oakland county that are in foreclosure -if you look out with a good real estate agent you can find fantastic deals. new houses with lots of space and luxury. The city of Rochester is walkable and there are very nice shops. The roads should be improved though and shops are currently going out of business due to the bad economy in greater area Detroit.
The job market is pretty bad though in this area, if you are looking out for a job, mostly automotive suppliers with international background- don't settle over here right now. Then go for Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids or out of state.
Teresa

[hjklay]

Glad to find this conversation today, my husband and I along with our 3 children are 98% sure we are moving from Rochester Hills to GR. We have heard not so good things about the schools in GR so have started to look outside the city. (I contacted the National Hertiage Charter schools we are like 15-40 on a waiting list so that is not happening this year)
We have narrowed our search to the Kentwood area. What do you all think of Kentwood?

[ladolcevitabella]

Grand Rapids and Rochester are polar opposites.

I grew up in the Forest Hills area of Grand Rapids.. Cascade/Ada. If I were to truly speak my opinion I'd say it's full of rich snobs that'll chase you around with bibles and damn your soul to hell if you so much as utter a profanity. But that would be entirely unfair and crude of me

I have lived in Rochester for 3 years, and I love it! It's a wonderful place for families. Safe, and it's a melting pot of sorts. The people here are far more open minded, and I'd say as a general rule in Rochester/Hills the people are highly educated..

Grand Rapids is extremely conservative and dominated by republicans. What fond memories I do have of GR include summers in Grand Haven.. (not even GR!) and the wonderful art and music summer festivals that are held downtown. Grand Rapids has a lot of old charm and old money. I have family all over the map.. Jenison, Hudsonville, Grandvillve, Cascade, Ada.. the list goes on. Depending on your political and religious background I would customize your burb. Depends on what clique you want to join lol

Rochester is a melting pot. There's a nice variety here so it's not such a narrow spectrum. The city is safe, the community is lovely.. always a festival or gathering. I would suggest Rochester over GR any day for a young family. GR is a bit pretentious.

[ladolcevitabella]

The best school district in the Grand Rapids area is Forest Hills: http://www.fhps.us

[Cato the Elder]

I know Highland Park quite well. For something similar but cheaper, you don't want Rochester Hills, but Rochester. It has a downtown like HP and is fairly affluent, but significantly cheaper. In GR, I would focus on East Grand Rapids. It's not nearly as large as HP, but it does have a downtown area. It is a bit more homogenous than Rochester but it might suit you fine.

[hjklay]

Looking for opinions of Kentwood specifically, can anyone help?