Union City / Coldwater Area? (Kalamazoo, Battle Creek: real estate, houses, rent)

[TonyGoog]

Hello, I'm jumping on here to see if I can get any "inside information" from people familiar with the Union City / Coldwater area.

I live in Indiana (formerly from Paw Paw, MI) and am 24. I'm a newly-wed and am considering buying a house in Union City due to the fact that the price of houses is incredibly low (even more-so than in Indiana..). I have a good job in Angola, IN and am willing to make the hour or so drive to work. I'm just wondering if anyone has any comments about the area, if I'm about to make a huge mistake etc.

I understand Union City is a tiny town just outside of Coldwater. I've been in Coldwater but really don't know much about the area. We're finding some great starter houses for very very reasonable prices. I'm just wondering if the area is one that I really don't want to be in or that there is something I'm missing?

I think the location is ideal with the 30 min drive to Kalamazoo and being near to my work. Any tips for this first-time buyer?

[amanda_2112]

I was born and raised in CW and most of my family is from UC.
UC: It's very very small. There are some racial feelings there. Most people from UC have issue with other races. Mostly b/c they have never had to truly deal with other races. It's an uber small town so everyone knows everyone. You can get no cell phone signal in that town. It's odd. The town itself is pretty. And the real estate market is very nice. Lots of nice people there just beware of the rabble.

Coldwater: Bigger, more diversity (Arabs, Mexicans, I think one black family, and asians and whites) People are pretty nice here. Downtown is fun and we have many festivals during the year like Applefest, strawberry fest, and winterfest.Tibbets Opera House which is so pretty inside. They do plays all year round and summer have "Popcorn Theater". We have a drive-in theater which is awesome. It's open during the summer. Lovely historic homes. Heritage Park which has a lot of recreational things to do.

Looking for a country home or a in town home? If you are looking for a more country area try Kinderhook. It's just So. of Coldwater and makes your commute much easier to Angola. If you like in town then look more off of Marshall St. both east and west. Pearl St and the st.s off shooting it are great neighborhoods. I grew up around that area.

We are first timers as well. Prioritize what is important to you and then check out the houses in your price range. I recommend a garage. Winters can be very heavy here. Right now we have a lot of snow. Most houses in the area have what is known as a Michigan Basement. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a hole in the ground underneath your house. Some have concrete floors and some have just dirt.

Happy hunting and welcome to the area. Have questions or concerns, feel free to message me.

[TonyGoog]

Thanks for the information!

I have a question that stems from your comment about cell phones not working.. do you know what internet/cable providers cover the area? Is there Mediacom, Comcast or Verizon? Is high-speed internet supported?

We'll be checking out the house today after I get off work, hopefully everything is perfect and meets our expectations .

[amanda_2112]

Verizon practically has a monopoly out here. They do have high speed internet in town. UC's downtown is a dead zone for cell phones. I think with Centennial we can get a bar down there.

Best of luck and welcome to the area. Let me know if you have anymore questions.

[Softballfan]

Tony--are you still looking for info??

[TonyGoog]

Softballfan:

We're currently still looking for houses in the Coldwater area. We've seen several houses already, but haven't found that right one yet. We're working with a really good realtor, but any information you may have is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Garrett67]

Tony,

I live in UC (Town) and DSL is provided by Verizon. I have never had a problem with it, service is reliable.

As for Cellular service, we have Alltel and right now I have 5 bars.

Its a nice little town, no trouble around here, little traffic/congestion. The only downfall is the 20 mile distance to either Walmart in Battle Creek or Coldwater. Kalamazoo is about a 40 minute drive since the first have isn't a major highway.

I hope that helps you a little bit.

[Jasmin71]

My Hubbys Uncle & Aunt lives on Coldwater Lake, and we go visit there often ( hubby is from Colon) so we like it down there ....

My cell ( Nextel) I do get signal .

[barb46usa]

Are you still looking for a place to buy??? 20 or so miles to Angola - Have a 2 bedroom mobile home with 2 car garage, fenced yard, on small lot on small lake... Needs some work, being sold in "as is" condition... CASH ONLY - no contracts... But can offer a GREAT DEAL!! (Charter Cable available in area.) Please contact me if you are still interested!