[teachbeach]

MichiganBob's suggestions for apartment complexes are very spot on~the area out by the Lake Lansing Meijers, Kroger, and there are several fast food places and formula restaurants. Easy access to the Eastwood Mall and an almost straight shot to the capitol area using Cedar Street or old 127. Not sure what your budget will permit but that area might be a little more expensive because of the East Lansing address.

[jgooner22]

Thank you, folks. Much appreciated. I would be looking to spend about 800$ with utilities. Do you think it's a conservative budget for East Lansing complexes, or is it enough? Thanks!

[jgooner22]

Also, how is the downtown Lansing area? The places close to Capitol? Thanks!

[teachbeach]

During the day, the downtown area is fine. There is a large community college (Lansing CC) and Cooley Law School, as well as all of the state and many county offices. There has been a revitalization of the downtown area, some areas are a pedestrian mall, there is a large city market, a convention center and a local baseball team/stadium complex. There is an array of ethnic restaurants, a microbrewery, and several boutique type stores for unique gifts. The hospital area (Sparrow) is also decent~as long as you can see the hospital you are probably in an okay area.

That being said, there are areas of Lansing that you probably want to avoid. If you were to get some street names, there would be others that could tell you whether you were in a good area, a "not to worry" area or an area where you would constantly have to be on your guard. Common sense and watching your back, locking your car, not making yourself vulnerable, are good practices in any large city.

Your budget should be adequate for rent~if you were to find someone else, another professional, to room with (2 BR/2BA) you could live in a great place with all amenities for less than $800 per month.

I'm more familar with the East Lansing area, but the Frandor/Sparrow area is mid-point (not walking close, but driving or bus close) from East Lansing to the Capitol.

[jgooner22]

Thanks once again. Can anyone please let me know some resources where to find the apartments? I am trying Craigslist but can't seem to have any luck.

[jgooner22]

Fountain Place Apartments
920 South Washington Avenue Lansing, MI 48910

Does anyone know how this place is? Safe(ish) area or something that should be avoided?

[timeofseasons]

I do not know much about that area, but have driven through there many times and I would describe it as hit and miss. Between Kalamazoo street and St. Josheps there are apartment complexes called Capital Commons, never heard anything bad about it. Have known a few people to live there and enjoyed it. If your trying to stay close within the capital area, there are also apartment complexes between Mt. Hope and Cooper Ave, do not know anything about that specific building but the area is generally safe. There are many other areas within the Lansing metro I can suggest but those that I mention in this paragraph are considered close to downtown.
If you do not mind the company of college students then you can look at the apartments located on Chandlers road.

[jgooner22]

Thanks for your reply, mate. Appreciate it.

[michiganbob]

A good place to start is at the online version of the local newspaper: the Lansing State Journal at lsj.com. At the top you will see a link to Apartments and that will take you to a page where you can enter some basic information to narrow your search.

As to an earlier question about downtown Lansing as a place to live . . . it has come a long way in the past ten years. More places to eat, more things to do, but you are miles from anything close to a grocery store or real shopping. If that is not a problem for you, then my suggestion is always to live as close as you can to your work. It does change considerably at night though, downtown, especially in the winter when there are no longer minor league ball games and other warm weather events going on. Not saying there is nothing to do downtown, but the closer you are to East Lansing, the more you will find to do in the cooler months.

[jgooner22]

Hi guys - So I find out that my office would actually be in West Lansing. I would be working at 6465 Millennium Dr, Lansing Charter Township, MI 48917. Can anyone please tell me some good apartments close to this place? What areas would you recommend if you worked at this place? Also, I found out that CATA doesn't have service there. What other mode of public transport is there that I can avail? Thanks a bunch!