Heritage Hill and kids? (renting, crime, big house)

[greatbeans]

We're looking to move to GR soon and will probably be renting for a while before buying. We have lots of kids and need a fairly big house but love older, well-maintained homes. Heritage Hill has a lot of appeal for us, but how kid-friendly is it? Are there any other families in the neighborhood or is it mostly young singles? Are there any parks? Lots of crime (that is, will I feel safe with my kids playing in a fenced-in backyard)? Are there any other places for kids to go that are near the HH area? Schools are not an issue for us as we will be homeschooling.

Specifically, we're looking at a couple of homes on Morris, rather near the Meyer May house.

[magellan]

That's a beautiful area, especially when the leaves fill in. I think you'll find quite a few families with young kids. I see a quite a few strollers in that area in the summer. especially around Wealthy St Bakery.

[suydam]

Your kids will be safe in the back yard. I know others raising kids in the area. You'll find fewer kids than some suburban areas, but as city neighborhoods go, it's my favorite by far.

You can do a crime check through he grand rapids police department (just Google it). I don't recall what I saw last time I looked (several years ago when we were home-hunting) but if memory serves, the majority of crimes of the "you left your garage open and someone stole your bike" variety.