Rockford? (Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Lowell: property taxes, income, work)

[2to4seasons]

what's Rockford like? specifically schools, downtown, restaurants, people, layout, recreation?

thanks!

[suydam]

Rockford is great.

Depending on how you define it, Rockford is a small town with a nice little downtown and some old housing stock with a little river running through it....or a sprawling suburban school district with 1,000s of homes built in the last 10 years.

The high school is huge, the school district is huge and they have great results out of their kids academically and athletically.

The downtown is small and my favorite of the little downtowns in the GR-Metro.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by suydam

Rockford is great.

Depending on how you define it, Rockford is a small town with a nice little downtown and some old housing stock with a little river running through it....or a sprawling suburban school district with 1,000s of homes built in the last 10 years.

The high school is huge, the school district is huge and they have great results out of their kids academically and athletically.

The downtown is small and my favorite of the little downtowns in the GR-Metro.

I've heard the downside to the high-school's size is that your kids basically have to be on their way to the Minors or Majors to even play sports, especially the biggies like football, basketball, baseball, etc.. Many many kids try out and don't make the teams (so I hear). They really need a second high school, but now that growth has slowed down somewhat in the Rockford area, that reality might be further down the road.

Another negative I've heard is that unless you work in Rockford or Plainfield Twp, getting to the rest of the metro area for work is a pain. Northland Drive is packed with cars, especially at the Grand River crossing, and 10 Mile Rd from downtown Rockford to 131 is only a two-lane road, and backs up for miles to get on the highway.

But other than that, what suydam mentioned is pretty spot on. The White Pine Trail is one of the best rail trails in the State in my opinion.

[2to4seasons]

thanks guys, that helps. we've made it to GR and are starting to look at places where we can get a bit of land. That's good info about Rockford. might not be for me. What can you tell me about Lowell, if you have the time. I'm assuming it's not a big bustling suburb like rockford, and perhaps the high school doesn't have the issues with overcrowding? are the schools decent? it's crazy looking into the district lines. the geographical area that places like lowell are pulling from is enormous. plus, you can have a house in 'ada twp' and be part of lowell schools, or caledonia, etc. crazy.

[jeeg]

My family lives in Rockford. It used to be a nice area 20 yrs ago but I have a problem with congestion. The posters above are pretty much right on with everything else except you couldn't pay me to send my kids to school there ( little sis just graduated from there two years ago).
Wife and I lived just north of Lowell for a few years before moving up here 2 yrs ago. IF I was ever to move back to the greater G.R. area (don't see that ever happening), it would be the Lowell area.

[GRRAZO]

Rockford is a nice area, more of the "woods" feel, although I dont make it up there very much, most of the comments seem to be pretty true. But about the schools....The high school is one of the biggest in the area if not the state, but the sports teams are huge they allow a lot of people on the team and have like 3 jv football teams? so even if your kid is not very good, there is still a chance to play


Lowell is a nice little town, a little more on the "farm" feel but also has been growing, high school is also nice but smaller, there are also some run down areas

I prefer Lowelle to Rockford, it may also be a little more "bang for your buck", both are hardly diverse if thats a factor, both have a very strong sense of community identidy tying to the schools especially their sports programs, both have a couple recent state football championships

[magellan]

Originally Posted by 2to4seasons

thanks guys, that helps. we've made it to GR and are starting to look at places where we can get a bit of land. That's good info about Rockford. might not be for me. What can you tell me about Lowell, if you have the time. I'm assuming it's not a big bustling suburb like rockford, and perhaps the high school doesn't have the issues with overcrowding? are the schools decent? it's crazy looking into the district lines. the geographical area that places like lowell are pulling from is enormous. plus, you can have a house in 'ada twp' and be part of lowell schools, or caledonia, etc. crazy.

I think Lowell is pretty nice. It was pretty far out there a few years ago, but now that they have added their own Meijer store and a movie theater, it's a lot better, especially for people with kids. I've heard the schools are pretty good. It has some beautiful rolling wooded countryside, like much of the area East of Grand Rapids along the two rivers.

Downtown Lowell has even added a few cool new eating spots and a couple of locally owned pubs for the occasional night on the town without driving all the way to 28th St or the East Beltline. If you can find land in Lowell that attends Forest Hills Schools, you'll get a much bigger bang for your buck (if you have kids).

[HighlandsGal]

Reds on the River is Rockford is a great place to eat or grab a glass of wine......

[Cattzcan]

Our family has lived in the city of Rockford for nearly 25 years and I also agree about the congestion. Trying to exit onto 10 Mile can be a nightmare for a good portion of the day. We have put all three of our kids through the school system and even though they are over crowded the school system is able to balance it very well. All three have been on the honor roll throughout their high school time. If the school system is what your looking for then I suggest living outside the city limits. The city government and the city manager are too connected so if you would ever have a problem with anything like taxes or city issues they will do nothing to help if its not what the city manager wants. Also, the property taxes are extremely high within the city limits and the city services aren't what they used to be. It would be a much smarter, in today's Michigan economy, to live outside the city and pay less in taxes. You would get a better value in your home for resale and your tax dollars will go further.

[burgler09]

I would not want to live in Lowell to be honest. I'm 20 years old and moving to Miami, but when I do decide to come back I'll probably want to start my family in the Forest Hills or Rockford area. I would probably choose Forest Hills over rockford due to Rockford being such a huge school. I think as far as student population go, you will have the best in the Forest Hills region. It kind of depends on your income too, there is a lot of money in both Forest Hills and Rockford but it would be a bit harder to find a decent place to live in Forest Hills with a more average income.