Wyoming, Mi (Jenison, Grandville: budget, income, work)

[CyberX]

I'm interested in hearing everybody's opinions on the city of Wyoming. I'm not seeking info on any particular topic, but i'd like to hear anything you have to say about anything that has to do with the city, i.e. schools, transportation, government, business, appearance, etc.

[allbusiness]

If I were in a "focus group", the first things that came to mind: GR's oldest suburb. Lots of small, post-WWII homes. No defined city-center or downtown (Sorry, Rogers Plaza doesn't do it for me) Lamar Park is nice. Hard working people live there - a working class community. A changing community. Much more diversity. Government budget problems. Police and fire either uunderfunded or overspent. Struggling leadership issues. Negative media coverage lately. They charge you for traffic accidents now. That's about it.....

[Ten]

That's about it.....

Possesses a certain flat, grey, gridlike bleakness too, possibly by mating the elements of your astute observation to GR and W. MI, where statistically, it's colder and more sunless than most places.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by allbusiness

If I were in a "focus group", the first things that came to mind: GR's oldest suburb. Lots of small, post-WWII homes. No defined city-center or downtown (Sorry, Rogers Plaza doesn't do it for me) Lamar Park is nice. Hard working people live there - a working class community. A changing community. Much more diversity. Government budget problems. Police and fire either uunderfunded or overspent. Struggling leadership issues. Negative media coverage lately. They charge you for traffic accidents now. That's about it.....

Wyoming is a much larger area than that. It stretches all the way South to the new South Beltline, with many newer neighborhoods and the new Metro Health Village. Yes, it's a suburb, but it has a lot of parks and a pretty comprehensive sidewalk and trail system. Part of Wyoming is also in the Grandville School District.

[CyberX]

Thanks for the input; that's good information to know. Does anybody else have any opinions on the city? What would you say are the biggest couple of negatives about the city? (Lack of "downtown" atmosphere, budget problems, etc.) How about positives? And, I'm finding that Wyoming is indeed composed of an extremely diverse group of people. Is this diversity a positive or a negative?

[Br1234]

Originally Posted by CyberX

And, I'm finding that Wyoming is indeed composed of an extremely diverse group of people. Is this diversity a positive or a negative?

Does having an uncle who is also your dad contribute to a towns "diversity"?


I'm kidding so don't anyone get their panties in a bunch here.


I really mean it, I'm kidding.

[suydam]

2 Negatives: No town center. Seems to be withering on the vine to me.

2 Positives: Diverse housing stock from tiny bungalows to larger homes within Grandville's school district. Large land area, diverse housing stock, wide variety of income levels means Wyoming is a community that can fix its own problems. Unlike, say, EGR which is essentially a bedroom community, Wyoming is large enough that most residents can live and work there. I think that's a positive for the long-term stability of the city.

[CyberX]

What about education in Wyoming? How do the schools compare to others in the area? Are they any good or is it better to ship the kids to Grandville?

[suydam]

I know people who send their kids to Wyoming schools. I also know people whose kids graduated from Park High School in Wyoming and are now in college doing just fine.

You may wish to research the schools in the area and form your own opinion.
http://www.schoolmatters.com/

[joedekock]

Originally Posted by CyberX

What about education in Wyoming? How do the schools compare to others in the area? Are they any good or is it better to ship the kids to Grandville?

A close friend of mine lives in Wyoming and sends his kids to Grandville schools through the school of choice option. So his wife drives them to school daily.

They decided on Grandville because my friends wife does daycare, and the mothers whose kids she watched in the past talked badly about their experiences with Wyoming's teachers, facilities and education.

My friend is also looking to move his family from Wyoming to Jenison. He has lived his entire life in Wyoming, and says it is vastly different from the town he grew up in. It is much more diverse now, but we all know that diversity usually means more low income families and crime. (I am not saying the two are related). He told me his in-laws, (who also live in Wyoming), have lived in the same house for 30 years, and the last ten have not seen their homes value rise one penny. This is due to the area being taken over by lower income family's. This is also starting to happen to my friend's home, so they decided to get out now.

If he did not have a children, he said he would stay. He loves how close it is to downtown G.R., as well as Grandville, and all the major North-South, and East-West freeway's.