Moving to Greenville? Seriously? (Detroit, Grand Rapids: rent, house, job market)

[daddythreepointoh]

Yipes! As anyone familiar with Michigan can attest to, and also if familiar with Greenville, the economy isn't doing fabulous right now. Currently, I live in the Detroit Metro area, but am think about moving to Greenville to be close to family---parents, sister, neices and nephews all live there. Love the town, but...

Anybody have any inside tips on what to do to dig up jobs and housing around here? I'm familiar with Craig's list and the like, but...

I guess what I'm fishing for here is for someone to swoop down out of cyberspace who just so happens to have some insider scoops on the area. Any help or info would be great.

P.S. So far it looks like I'll have to commute to GR ...any clue as to how long it will take me to get to, say, downtown/north GR?

[jeeg]

My hometown!! Where my wife and I were married! Where my oldest was born! So many memories.....

Sorry about that. I don't have any job tips but will say myself and most everyone I knew commuted to Grand Rapids for work. The commute was usually 45 - 60 minutes depending on what part of the Grand Rapids metro area you were working and where you were coming from.
Considering that the home prices have likely bottomed out there, now is a great time to move there and buy a house (providing you can find a job in G.R. or somewhere closer).

Good luck!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by daddythreepointoh

Yipes! As anyone familiar with Michigan can attest to, and also if familiar with Greenville, the economy isn't doing fabulous right now. Currently, I live in the Detroit Metro area, but am think about moving to Greenville to be close to family---parents, sister, neices and nephews all live there. Love the town, but...

Anybody have any inside tips on what to do to dig up jobs and housing around here? I'm familiar with Craig's list and the like, but...

I guess what I'm fishing for here is for someone to swoop down out of cyberspace who just so happens to have some insider scoops on the area. Any help or info would be great.

P.S. So far it looks like I'll have to commute to GR ...any clue as to how long it will take me to get to, say, downtown/north GR?

If you stick with the townships West of Greenville, the commute won't be so bad. That area has the highest unemployment rates in the metro area though, especially with Frigidaire and Federal Mogul closing, so you're probably going to have to drive to GR.

[topshop]

Originally Posted by daddythreepointoh

Yipes! As anyone familiar with Michigan can attest to, and also if familiar with Greenville, the economy isn't doing fabulous right now. Currently, I live in the Detroit Metro area, but am think about moving to Greenville to be close to family---parents, sister, neices and nephews all live there. Love the town, but...

Anybody have any inside tips on what to do to dig up jobs and housing around here? I'm familiar with Craig's list and the like, but...

I guess what I'm fishing for here is for someone to swoop down out of cyberspace who just so happens to have some insider scoops on the area. Any help or info would be great.

P.S. So far it looks like I'll have to commute to GR ...any clue as to how long it will take me to get to, say, downtown/north GR?

I live about 15 minutes SW of Greenville.

If you are reasonably self motivated, then your best bet would be to be self employed in some way considering the job market. Creative and hard working people can often earn more than working for others. Offer your talents and market them.

As far as housing goes, you could either rent or buy a fixer house to fix up and resell for additional income.

Figure on 45 minutes or so for the comute to GR, more in the winter on one of the deadliest roads in the state...another good reason to see how you can earn a living in or near Greenville.

[daddythreepointoh]

Thanks you guys, truly appreciated! You know, I have thought about being self-employed here...

But more than likely I'll be commuting to GR. Thanks for the general info...looks like I'll be heading over to Manpower!