I Like it Here! (Traverse City, Ludington: house, rent, vacation)

[Cato the Elder]

Yep, the vast majority of people attending college aren't the Kennedy kids nor those in poverty - but your average Joe or Jane who has to take out loans.

Guys, ignore the silver-spoon-spelling-is-optional troll. It's the same one guy spewing his virtriol all over the forum as usual

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

Guys, ignore the silver-spoon-spelling-is-optional troll. It's the same one guy spewing his virtriol all over the forum as usual

Heeeee'sssss Back! Missed the great posts and insightful comments for a bit.

Agreed with the whole going back to school and training for a different career if you can swing the loans and not be overwhelmed when you have to start paying them back. My wife is a nurse, she is working and going back to school with the end point being a NP license. All kinds of nursing jobs out there right now, all over the State.

What people don't take into consideration is that the "silver spoon" that some are born with, others had to work hard and buy it for them. That is what we are trying to do for our boys, not a totally free ride, but enough of a head start that they can go to college and not jump right into the work force like both of us had to do. Every bit of our further education has been fought and scraped for with LOTS of overtime on the other partners side so one or the other can take classes. Are my boys going to have a silver spoon? Yes, a small one, but they will by God, and we will have worked very hard to put it there for them. As it sounds like others on the forum are willing to do as well.

[Yac]

Instead of talking about a troll, report him or her and it will be dealt with. Believe me, this is the best way to deal with them.
Yac.

[seabeesmith]

glad to hear some like michigan! my husband and i are moving to grand rapids in may 08. he has never been to MI and i've been about 2 miles in (a town called sturgis, i think), so i can't really claim to have been there either. we're living in norfolk, virginia, right now, and we've enjoyed it. we're looking forward to real winters, though! before virginia, we lived near corpus christi, texas, and hated it. it's way too hot there, and no one is active--many places don't even have sidewalks, and if you see someone out for a walk, you assume their car broke down. how does michigan compare as far as outdoor activities? are people in general active, or will the cops ask what you're running from if you decide to go for a jog (seriously happened to a friend in texas.)
my other question is about traffic... how bad is rush hour? can we live outside of town and work downtown and have a commute of no more than 30 minutes?
i appreciate any input!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by seabeesmith

glad to hear some like michigan! my husband and i are moving to grand rapids in may 08. he has never been to MI and i've been about 2 miles in (a town called sturgis, i think), so i can't really claim to have been there either. we're living in norfolk, virginia, right now, and we've enjoyed it. we're looking forward to real winters, though! before virginia, we lived near corpus christi, texas, and hated it. it's way too hot there, and no one is active--many places don't even have sidewalks, and if you see someone out for a walk, you assume their car broke down. how does michigan compare as far as outdoor activities? are people in general active, or will the cops ask what you're running from if you decide to go for a jog (seriously happened to a friend in texas.)
my other question is about traffic... how bad is rush hour? can we live outside of town and work downtown and have a commute of no more than 30 minutes?
i appreciate any input!

If you live in the cities of Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville, Kentwood or East Grand Rapids, there are very much sidewalks pretty much everywhere. And East Grand Rapids has a trail system that circles Reeds Lake that is just fantastic. There are always throngs of people walking in East Grand Rapids (ask suydam, he can attest to it).

Where we live in Grand Rapids Township, they have a lot of new bike paths that travel alongside the major roads, and they are in process of building quite a few miles of additional trails that link to county parks in the area in our township and in Ada Township next door. I see people running and biking in our area all the time, and I run myself.

If you're a runner, there are quite a few 5K, 10K and 25K runs in GR, including the Reeds Lake Run, the Irish Jig, the Fifth Third Riverbank Run, Mitchell's Run, and several others.

Plainfield Township has the White Pine Trail that goes from downtown GR all the way to Rockford and on to Cadillac, Michigan (something like 100 miles or so). It's the longest "rail trail" in the State (used to be an old railroad bed).

If you go to the South side of Grand Rapids to the Southern Wyoming/Byron Center area, you'll find a few rail trails as part of the Kent Trails system.

In addition, if you work downtown there is always a steady stream of runners and power walkers out a lot (mainly at lunch).

Downtown is no more than 15 - 20 minutes from pretty much any of the suburban areas. It's the largest employment area in Kent County, and it's booming right now, so parking is scarce and at a premium (not like Chicago, but getting tighter). If you take a job downtown, see if they can help with parking expenses, or live near the bus lines.

I've lived in several other cities, and Grand Rapids' rush hour is at a strange time. It happens early, like 7:00 in the morning and at 3:30 - 4:00 in the afternoon.

accessKent | Kent County Parks
The White Pine Trail
MLive.com: Everything Michigan
(first entry)
City of East Grand Rapids : Parks-Trails-School Facilities

The LaSalle Bank Reeds Lake Run
MITCHELL'S RUN THRU ROCKFORD 2007
http://www.spectrum-health.org/cs/Sa...&ssbinary=true

Oh, and golf is HUGE around here. I don't know any guys my age that don't golf, and that's every race, creed, blue collar, white collar, you name it.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by seabeesmith

glad to hear some like michigan! my husband and i are moving to grand rapids in may 08. he has never been to MI and i've been about 2 miles in (a town called sturgis, i think), so i can't really claim to have been there either. we're living in norfolk, virginia, right now, and we've enjoyed it. we're looking forward to real winters, though! before virginia, we lived near corpus christi, texas, and hated it. it's way too hot there, and no one is active--many places don't even have sidewalks, and if you see someone out for a walk, you assume their car broke down. how does michigan compare as far as outdoor activities? are people in general active, or will the cops ask what you're running from if you decide to go for a jog (seriously happened to a friend in texas.)
my other question is about traffic... how bad is rush hour? can we live outside of town and work downtown and have a commute of no more than 30 minutes?
i appreciate any input!

When family from out of town visits they have actually asked (more than once) "what are all these people doing outside!?". Yes, EGR is a walking/running/cycling community.

Ada, Cascade and from the sound of it GR Township, also have nice bike trails alongside major roads.

Commute is a breeze. If you live within 15 miles of town, your commute will be less than 30 minutes.

I always call rush "hour" in GR "rush half-hour." I agree with magellan...it's at seemingly odd times... in my estimation, something like 7:15-7:45 in the morning and around 4ish in the afternoon.

It's a nice place to live. Have a great move and welcome to West Michigan.

[seabeesmith]

thanks so much for the links and info! now i'm REALLY excited to move!

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by seabeesmith

glad to hear some like michigan! my husband and i are moving to grand rapids in may 08. he has never been to MI and i've been about 2 miles in (a town called sturgis, i think), so i can't really claim to have been there either. we're living in norfolk, virginia, right now, and we've enjoyed it. we're looking forward to real winters, though! before virginia, we lived near corpus christi, texas, and hated it. it's way too hot there, and no one is active--many places don't even have sidewalks, and if you see someone out for a walk, you assume their car broke down. how does michigan compare as far as outdoor activities? are people in general active, or will the cops ask what you're running from if you decide to go for a jog (seriously happened to a friend in texas.)
my other question is about traffic... how bad is rush hour? can we live outside of town and work downtown and have a commute of no more than 30 minutes?
i appreciate any input!

Michigan is very outdoorsy -- it's paradise for hikers, boaters, water-skiers, you name it.

[scottmi]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Something I've noticed lately. The most vocal people who hate the State and think it is going down the dumper, generally live in the SE corner. The ones who have a brighter outlook are everyplace else. That should tell us something. The SE is having a harder time than the other 90% of the State. Why somebody who isn't happy with their situation refuses to look outside their own little sphere at the areas that have positive posts/reports about them, I don't understand. Just maybe their perception of the condition of the entire State is colored by the area they are in and they would have to admit that the SE corner isn't where you want to be right now. Instead they try to drag everybody else down into their own misery, I guess the old saying "Misery loves company" really is true. I happen to like the area I was born and raised in (Mason County), I think it is actually a fine place to live and raise kids. If you are unhappy with where you are now, look around different areas of the State, you just may find someplace better than where you are now. I don't judge the entire State by the West side, or the UP, or the Mid-State area, or the SW corner, or even the SE corner. It is a vast State, and by judging the entirety of it by a narrow view of one area you are doing a disservice to yourself and others. I LIKE IT HERE ALSO!

I wouldn't say 90% of the state (not counting the SE corner) thinks the economy is crappy. In fact, the SE corner is what gets most of this state's funding and attention while the other 90% generally suffers (especially places north of GR/Lansing).

[mkfarnam]

I was born and raised in Michigan(lower mid west). Because of a death in the family, in "69" at the age of 15 I was on my own. I jumped a frieght train to Mexifornia. I lived there until 6/07 when I moved to OK.
What I'm getting at is, and I'm not saying anything against anyone, but if you think you have it bad in Michigan, move to So,Ca, or, for that matter, any state out west or down south that,s over crowded with Illegal Immigration. Live there for 1 year.
I guarantee that you'll be back and jobs will have nothing to do with the decision to move back. Then you will know how good you had it.
I know, some of you don't believe me, and I understand that. Those who argue about it are the one that don't know the true reality of what illegal Immigration is like.
You can go to Illegal Immigration - Americans for Legal Immigration PAC and learn the difference and find out what is realy going on in different states.