Religous Question (Ionia, Lowell, Portland: house, landscaping, living in) - Grand Rapids metro area - Michigan (MI) - City-Data Forum

Zamiel · 07-20-2008, 12:45 AM

Hi all,

We are probably relocating around the GR area, possibly Saranac, Ionia or Lowell. Small town in other words. We're coming from a large area and have never been in a small town. We are quite spiritual, but very private about our beliefs. Are we going to be ridiculed if we are unwilling to attend any of the local churches? It would be uncomfortable to be outcasts in a new town.

Thanks!
Zamiel

Rapunzll · 07-20-2008, 07:26 AM

Ridiculed? In GR? Nah.

magellan · 07-20-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

Ridiculed? In GR? Nah.

Agreed. People around here just don't seem to ridicule one another. I don't know about Ionia or Saranac, but Lowell seems like any other suburban area in this country. We have friends there, and they talk about their kids, they talk about sports, they talk about relatives who are sick or in trouble, they talk about the economy and jobs, they talk about golf, they talk about the weather and their landscaping and shrubs and Japanese Beatles and moles and the recent storms and trees and their kids some more and a million other things other than religion. Nobody really seems to talk about religion unless you want to talk about it. I think for one thing, there are so many differing opinions even within the same denominations, that it's just not fun to talk about. Plus, there's really no way for anyone to know if you go to the local churches or not. It's not like everyone there is one religion like Mormon.

That's my experience at least.

FYI: Personally, I wouldn't want to live in Ionia or Saranac. They are just a little too far from civilization.

Zamiel · 07-20-2008, 11:03 PM

That all makes perfect sense and is what I was hoping. I did a search and there were so many churches around that I kind of felt nobody would be able to tell what we did or didn't do. I'm with you on Saranac and Ionia being too small. With the job I am coming for I may have no choice. I mean hey, GR is only 30 mins away how bad could it be?

magellan · 07-21-2008, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zamiel

That all makes perfect sense and is what I was hoping. I did a search and there were so many churches around that I kind of felt nobody would be able to tell what we did or didn't do. I'm with you on Saranac and Ionia being too small. With the job I am coming for I may have no choice. I mean hey, GR is only 30 mins away how bad could it be?

Well if you were 30 minutes away from a big city like Chicago or Boston, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. But GR is just a mid-sized city, so 30 minutes away will feel pretty "rural". Some people like that, but if you're used to living in a metropolitan area, it might be a culture shock.

allbusiness · 07-21-2008, 09:08 AM

No one's gonna bother you. Friendly neighbors may ask you if you'd like to come to check out their church with them, so just tell them you're all set with your own thing and they'll not ask again.

mich2fla · 07-21-2008, 10:11 AM

I'd prefer to live in the GR area instead of living in Ionia/Saranac. Please check it out before moving here.

Maybe Portland is an option, it could be closer.

Zamiel · 07-21-2008, 10:29 PM

This is all great info, thanks. I'm actually coming out next week to look things over and get a feel for the various areas.

GMonkey · 07-30-2008, 02:41 PM

Lowell is nice. Definitely check it out!

Zamiel · 07-31-2008, 02:12 AM

Thanks GMonkey. I did like Lowell quite a bit. I liked a lot of the small communities I explored. Everything is so close together and traffic is so nonexistent that I settled on Saranac. I truly love the place. My wife and I have pretty much always lived in big cities and this is the true anti-thesis of that. We already found a house and depending on escrow we will be there within 4-6 weeks.