[fruitnut]

Ok, we are about to make a life changing decision here and I would appreciate some clear insight on life in the Kalamazoo area. We have an opportunity to move through my husbands company to relocate there. This has been on the table for a while now and now we have to give an answer. We are a bit hesitant because of the size of the city (its a bit on the small side to our liking) but we LOVE the state of Michigan, it's natural beauty, its four seasons and the great lakes. We are very open minded people who have lived in St. Louis for several years and now live in Europe and we are ready to come back home to the US.
We are active people who love tennis, horses, biking, canoeing, camping and hiking to name a few. We are not church goers but have an open mind to all philosophies of religion but please dont try to "save" us. Good schools are important as we have two kids. We love the arts including theatre, art museums and music as well as festivals and sports. We love big city amenities but don't necessarily want to live in them. We LOVE being close to nature but don't want to live in the country far from everything. it's hard to imagine not to live within a half hour distance to a major airport, world class museums, zoos, major sports leagues and theatre but I'd like to think we can live anywhere. We currently live in a country where it's very different from the US so we have lived without big US city amenities for a good few years now but these are the things we have really missed. it's nice to have those things but we've learned to live without them.......but we still miss them......am I making sense here?

A few more questions......

Does Kalamazoo and the surrounding area have a lot going on in the areas I just mentioned?

Are the people generally more active and healthy than the national average?

Is there a high teen pregnancy/teen drug rate in the area?

Are there any trader joes, whole foods or a grocery store that is equivilant to those two chains?

Are there lots of healthy alternative places to eat out?

We like the Kalamazoo area better but the schools seem better in portage. I don't want to send my kids to school where safety is an issue but portage seems so sterile! Help!

[detwahDJ]

So many points in your post to cover. I can address some.
Kalamazoo is basically a "scaled down" version of a big city with the same types of amenities, but just fewer of them. It seems politically more liberal than Grand Rapids, yet G.R. is larger, therefore with more of what a big city offers.
There is plenty of art everywhere. You are close to Lake Michigan's parks and beaches.
Major shopping and big box stores is on South Westnedge south of I-94 which is Portage.
There are always festivals of some sort. A biggie is the annual Kalamazoo Blues Festival.
Kalamazoo Michigan Calendar of Events | Kalamazoo Festivals - Discover Kalamazoo
2013 Festival Lineup | Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association

Very nice places for hiking and outdoor exploring:
Trail Map
Fort Custer Recreation Area Detail
Yankee Springs Recreation Area Detail

I can post more later. Point is, with your wide variety of interests you can always find something to do.

[belleislerunner]

Google the Kalamazoo Promise - free college education for your kids - Kalamazoo Promise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I can't imagine a good reason, seeing as you already have the job covered, why you wouldn't choose Kalamazoo itself.

[fakkelsey]

K-zoo is a nice smaller city with some nearby major attractions like the Binder Park Zoo, Gilmore car museum, and the K-zoo air zoo. However, if you want all day museums and zoos, you must drive to Chicago or Detroit which is 2 1/2 hours away either place. West Michigan is known for it's world class beaches which is just a 45 minute drive away. Nearby Lansing and Grand Rapids offer some note worthy attractions as well like the Fredrick Meijer Gardens and the GR public museum as well is the Michigan Historical center and Oldsmobile car museum. The area is generally gentle rolling hills with the up most around 600 feet. (a rarity) 200-400 feet are more common. Lakes abound in great beauty and intensity around the area. Public busing is limited to the city with the exception of Greyhound. Cost of living is reasonable and as long is a scaled down version of most amenities the bigger cities offer are acceptable you might be quite content. Downtown is fairly lively with a nice movie theater and some clubs/shops/eateries.

[HarryBTL]

Originally Posted by fakkelsey

K-zoo is a nice smaller city with some nearby major attractions like the Binder Park Zoo, Gilmore car museum, and the K-zoo air zoo. However, if you want all day museums and zoos, you must drive to Chicago or Detroit which is 2 1/2 hours away either place. West Michigan is known for it's world class beaches which is just a 45 minute drive away. Nearby Lansing and Grand Rapids offer some note worthy attractions as well like the Fredrick Meijer Gardens and the GR public museum as well is the Michigan Historical center and Oldsmobile car museum. The area is generally gentle rolling hills with the up most around 600 feet. (a rarity) 200-400 feet are more common. Lakes abound in great beauty and intensity around the area. Public busing is limited to the city with the exception of Greyhound. Cost of living is reasonable and as long is a scaled down version of most amenities the bigger cities offer are acceptable you might be quite content. Downtown is fairly lively with a nice movie theater and some clubs/shops/eateries.

Considering location ( Battle Creek ) i was very surprised at all they had at Binder Park zoo. Oh and ofcourse they also have the Firekeepers casino here as well which draws some nice artist/musicians. From what i hear they alo plan to build a water park there was well at the Casino. The BC/Kalamazoo areas have tons to offer especially given their size which is one of the things i love about living here in BC. Plenty of other stuff as well including the new high speed rail that will be arriving soon. I like our location because we are pretty much within 2.5hrs of either Detroit and Chicago and even closer to Lansing and Grand Rapids.

[MS313]

Kalamazoo has a decent number of things to do. Kalamazoo is small, yes, but it's the 2nd largest city in West MI which I think makes it feel a bit larger than it really is. It is about 45 minutes from GR and Lake Michigan (South Haven), about an hour? from Lansing, and 2 1/2 hours from Detroit and Chicago (give or take, depending on where your going and what time in those cities). Very close to Indiana as well. You are no more than 15-20 minutes away from rural areas (using surface streets).

I would say if you wanted a mid sized city look at Grand Rapids but KPS has the Kalamazoo Promise which I think is a GOLDEN opportunity to better your childs future without the hassle of the completely ridiculous college tuition cost.

Kalamazoo has alot of Meijer's and Hardings.

Unfortunately, the teen pregnancy and drug rate is VERY high in Kalamazoo. The drug rate is actually higher in Portage schools I believe. I think the STD rate is too. It's almost like they banned condoms in Kalamazoo. But that's because there are alot of nasty sluts around there. If your little girl (if you have one) doesn't become one of them, then you don't have much to worry about.

There are quite a few events in the summer (mostly at Arcadia Park) to go to if your bored.

[HarryBTL]

Originally Posted by MarvinStrong313

Kalamazoo has a decent number of things to do. Kalamazoo is small, yes, but it's the 2nd largest city in West MI which I think makes it feel a bit larger than it really is. It is about 45 minutes from GR and Lake Michigan (South Haven), about an hour? from Lansing, and 2 1/2 hours from Detroit and Chicago (give or take, depending on where your going and what time in those cities). Very close to Indiana as well. You are no more than 15-20 minutes away from rural areas (using surface streets).

I would say if you wanted a mid sized city look at Grand Rapids but KPS has the Kalamazoo Promise which I think is a GOLDEN opportunity to better your childs future without the hassle of the completely ridiculous college tuition cost.

Kalamazoo has alot of Meijer's and Hardings.

Unfortunately, the teen pregnancy and drug rate is VERY high in Kalamazoo. The drug rate is actually higher in Portage schools I believe. I think the STD rate is too. It's almost like they banned condoms in Kalamazoo. But that's because there are alot of nasty sluts around there. If your little girl (if you have one) doesn't become one of them, then you don't have much to worry about.

There are quite a few events in the summer (mostly at Arcadia Park) to go to if your bored.

That promise almost got me to move there but ala the same sort of thing is now being done here as well via the Battle Creek public schools. I believe Detroit is also doing it now as well. IN BC and Detroits case it is being done via the business community. It is a awesome thing to have if you have kids.

Don't forget Gull Lake is pretty close to there as well. Decent hospitals as well in Kalamazoo.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by HarryBTL

That promise almost got me to move there but ala the same sort of thing is now being done here as well via the Battle Creek public schools. I believe Detroit is also doing it now as well. IN BC and Detroits case it is being done via the business community. It is a awesome thing to have if you have kids.

Don't forget Gull Lake is pretty close to there as well. Decent hospitals as well in Kalamazoo.

Really??? wow. I didn't know that. DPS despite it's problems it is a VERY LARGE school system. Last I checked they had more DPS kids then the entire population of Kalamazoo. That's quite a large number to support a four year college tuition. Even if all of them aren't graduating. Is it guaranteed like the Kalamazoo promise???

[HarryBTL]

Originally Posted by MarvinStrong313

Really??? wow. I didn't know that. DPS despite it's problems it is a VERY LARGE school system. Last I checked they had more DPS kids then the entire population of Kalamazoo. That's quite a large number to support a four year college tuition. Even if all of them aren't graduating. Is it guaranteed like the Kalamazoo promise???

I believe so. It was something Snyder and the business leaders there worked out.

Started with this..
Snyder and Roberts offer 'Detroit Promise,' say DPS budget will be balanced in five years | MLive.com

[belleislerunner]

Here's the link for the Detroit Public Schools Promise (modeled after the Kzoo one). Still it's pretty impressive! Detroit College Promise

Who is eligible for The Detroit College Promise Scholarships?
The eligibility criteria are listed on the Scholarship Acceptance form (click here) and below. Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, these scholarships are available to all students who (a) register by December 1 of their 9th grade year, (b) live in Detroit during grades 9-12 and (c) are enrolled in a traditional Detroit Public School high school during grades 9-12. We recommend that all K-8 DPS students register now. The eligibility criteria are:

Class of 2009: offered only to seniors at Cody High School who registered by 12/1/2008.
Class of 2010: offered only to seniors at Cass Tech, Central, Cody, Douglass, Pershing and Trombly High Schools who registered by 1/15/2010.
Casses of 2011-14: offered to all DPS students in grades 9-12 who registered by 12/3/2010.
Classes of 2015 and later: offered to all DPS students who registered by December 1 of grade 9.