[alucard214]

Bit of info My mom who is 67 and me are wanting to get out of California to high cost of living to many Hispanic people and the crime rate. We don't intend to look for work but favor the house prices in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo to retire in. Wonder how are property taxes and cost of living compared to Los Angeles? and over all how friendly are people to new comers if were social people. My mom was born in Pontiac so she knows about the Weather and general look of the area and wants to return to the same state she was born in. Thank you

[michigan83]

I can't speak to property taxes, but Kalamazoo is a great area and one of the most underrated parts of the state. Battle Creek is a little more "rough around the edges" but you can certainly find nice neighborhoods there too if you look around. The housing prices are probably slightly lower around Battle Creek. I think people will generally be welcoming to newcomers. Kalamazoo might be a little more open to outsiders, only because the economy is stronger there and it is probably more common for outsiders to move in. For some reason I would expect Battle Creek to be a little more closed to outsiders, with lots of people who grew up there and never left, but I don't know that for sure.

[snoopygirlmi]

Kalamazoo is a university town, so it's much more transient than Battle Creek.

It's a lot cheaper to live in Michigan than it is LA. Kalamazoo is also inexpensive compared to SE Michigan. (Metro Detroit area).