Looking for high school info and neighborhood info for move to GR (Detroit: homes)

[mglantz]

My husband is likely to take a job in Grand Rapids over the next few weeks, and we will be moving to that area from about an hour north of Detroit (ROMEO).

We are looking for info on :
places with great high schools for our 15 year old
reasonably priced homes in smaller, neighborhoods (not necessarily the "cookie cutter sub" , and any other info/tips about relocating to the area that might come in handy.

Thanks,
Marie

[suydam]

Where in GR will the job be located? It's not Detroit (in terms of size) but metro-GR is still large enough to warrant living near your job.

[michigan83]

If you're looking for something similar to Romeo, I would check out the outlying towns. Caledonia, Rockford, Hudsonville, and Byron Center would be good places to start. All of these communities have great schools. They are a nice mix of suburban and rural. The cool thing about Grand Rapids is that it is really easy to commute into the city, especially compared to somewhere like Detroit.

If you are looking for something more suburban and less rural (also more expensive), check out Forest Hills or East Grand Rapids. They are two of the better school districts in the state. Forest Hills has more of the cookie-cutter subdivisions (very nice though), while East Grand Rapids has more older homes with character, closer neighbors, and a defined downtown area, which is super nice and walkable. Forest Hills gets a little more rural on the eastern side of the district.

Another one to check out is Lowell. It is more rural than any of the above (still only a 20=25 minute commute though), but it's another great community with good schools.

I hope I didn't give too many choices, but you really can't go wrong with a lot of the Grand Rapids area.

[mglantz]

His job is located just outside Kentwood. My son is 15, will be a sophmore, and we are hoping to get him into a good high school that has some "non traditional" programs. He is hoping to be a paramedic, and his current high school has a program for that. We are not religious by any means, so would like an area that has an open mind....

Thank you for any and all advice!!! It really helps.

[suydam]

Check out East Grand Rapids... search this board for multiple comparisons of various suburbs (just search "forest hills" or "east grand rapids"). I think that's what you're after though, I'd start in EGR.

[sweetiipie49525]

If you look into going to an area outside Grand Rapids, as in Rockford, Cedar Springs, Lowell, just remember that Michigan winters can be rough, and travel might be longer than you want to travel daily. It is nice to live in the surrounding areas like that if you like your privacy, or if you want to live in a more country like setting. If not, if you are looking for more inner city, then I agree that Forrest Hills is a good school system.