alger heights, grand rapids (Woodland: house, rent, work)

[slestak]

Looking at a house in Alger Heights. Anyone got an opinion? Family of 5, homeschool. Moving from Baltimore. Really would like a place that is safe, compared to Baltimore .

[suydam]

Alger Heights is a nice affordable neighborhood of historic (1920s-1940s) homes within the city of G.R.

I know lots of young families living there.

Come out on a saturday and see if you like it. Especially because you're homeschooling it might be a great option (the local schools get mixed reviews, though I have no personal experience with them).

If you're in town, make sure to check out Real Food Cafe...it's a breakfast joint in Alger Heights. It's one of my favorites.

[magellan]

Nice area. We have friends who live in that area, and it seems to be full of first time homebuyer families with young children.

Some beautiful homes and neighborhoods too. They even have their own website:

Alger Heights - Community Website

There is a rough area North of there though, so you may want to check with the GR Police to find out what neighborhoods have the most and least crime.

[Br1234]

I wouldn't live there. High crime areas are just down the road. Not sure how much you can spend on a house but I would look on the far northeast or far northwest sides of town. There are wide ranges in home prices in these areas and the neighborhoods are better. I'm partial to the northwest side myself.

[Softballfan]

Alger Heights seems like a nice quiet neighborhood where people like to walk their dogs. Too bad about homeschool because their is a beautiful middle school in Alger. One bad thing is the side streets are narrow, and they allow street parking. Very tight at times.

Its close to Woodland Mall. Very close to shopping mecca's 28th street and E. Beltline.

[lana1978]

We are parents of a 2 year old and have lived in Alger Heights for 5 years. We chose this area because it was up and coming, had lots of young families with kids and it is a walkable community. We have neighbors young and old. Our next door neighbor has lived there for over 30 years. Our street is well taken care of and people care about their yards.

There is a local library, hardware store, a few neighborhood restaurants and an ice cream shop.

We feel it is a safe area to raise a family, or we wouldn't be living here.

[allbusiness]

My impression is that this is a very nice area, with pockets of trouble not too far away. I believe the neighbors have a solid neighborhood-watch system in place and keep an eye out for each other. It is a bastion of people who are not willing to let their neighborhood go to hell and are working to maintain it as the beautiful historic area that it is.

[suydam]

Lots of young families. Lots of dog-walkers.
It's a nice neighborhood.

It is (as was mentioned above) close to high-crime areas... but close to and "part of" are different things. I'd say overall, you'd be safe with kids there... heck, most people living there seem to have kids or planning on them.

One thing, as a home-schooler, is that people also have a tendancy to move out of the area when their kids are school aged (not all of them... but it's common). Overall though, it's a nice place to live with a family if you're looking for something within the city. There is an actual business district and a library within walking distance (and a great pediatrician's office too). That walkability is something you won't find in other great neighborhoods.

That said, if you're after a city neighborhood you should also check out Ottawa Hills and Michigan Oaks. They're 2 of my favorites too (along with Alger Heights).

I'll second the motion that you hit up Real Food Cafe for breakfast... it rocks.