[danailer]

Hi there,
Some great School Systems are Forest Hills, East Grand Rapids, Caledonia, Grandville, Hudsonville, and Jenison. For resources on resources for children with special needs, a good company to contact is Ken-O-Sha.
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Here are more some things I enjoy doing that I hope will help:
Lake Michigan: Grand Haven, Holland - About 45 minute drive

Wine Tasting - Several within one hour

Frederick Meijer Gardens, Botanical Garden - 15 minutes

Golf - Many to choose from only minutes away

Gerald R. Ford Museum - Downtown GR, 20 minutes away

Grand Rapids Children's Museum - Downtown GR, 20 minutes away

[darstar]

Grand Rapids , is a "big town -little town" being Michigan's second city should make it a thriving metropolis with all sorts of high end malls , and store choices. Not so , and , not sure why. So different from the east side of the state around Detroit.
GR was founded by the Dutch. They still run the city , in many ways. Lots of Dutch names, and , conservative ways. Soooooooo different than anywhere on the west coast.
Whats strange , is , the crime problem is alive and well in GR , and , there a lot of older sections, run down , need clean-up , etc . Not the Dutch way. For a real fix of the cluture go south a few miles , Zeeland , Holland area. Thats where a lot of the old country Dutch still survive. Gr is fast becoming Latin in many old neighborhoods. Grand Rapids is a big city , but , thinks itself as a small town in many ways, that , can be bad , or good , depending on your prospective........one things for sure , housing prices are in free fall , all over the state , with many for closers., and , its only going to get worse. Its a good time to buy a home here , but , I would stay away from the larger cities , they will suffer the fall in a more dramatic way, not a good one. Look for the small communities that are an hour away, like Suburban Kalamazoo , or , if you can afford it , Gull lake area. Then there is South Haven , Sagatuck , and other small resort towns on the big lake, they can be charming. being on the water , be iot a small puddle , or a large body of water , is always the best investment, and , the most enjoyable retirement- social lifestyle. The summers will be cooler on the lakes as well., even 20 degrees at times.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by geenah03

just out of curiosity, can you elaborate on EGR and how they are really not open to new people moving in? is this a personal opinion or an experience? just wondering... would like to avoid "unfriendly" places if we can. just looking for a normal surrounding with friendly neighbors whom we can become friends with (hopefully).

I'll field this: It's hogwash.

We moved here (EGR) from outside the area. Within 6 months we had a whole host of new friends, with similarly-aged children.

It's a close-knit, community..but there's plenty of room for new people. In fact, to be honest, it's turning over right now as people who moved here 30+ years ago move out.

New families are moving in to most houses that go up for sale (though there are plenty of other people living here...retired, families with older children, etc.).

[geenah03]

I've heard that the cities/towns of Holland and Zeeland are not too friendly to outsiders and minorities... is there any truth to this? In the coming months, we'd like to visit a couple of towns to get a feel for where we would want to live. Can you give me any info.? Thanks!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by geenah03

I've heard that the cities/towns of Holland and Zeeland are not too friendly to outsiders and minorities... is there any truth to this? In the coming months, we'd like to visit a couple of towns to get a feel for where we would want to live. Can you give me any info.? Thanks!

Depends a lot on how conservative you are. Not very liberal. I have heard that Holland area has more money in the banks than any other place in Michigan. That would make the wealthiest county in the state. The Dutchman are very conservative with their money. Some may have the first dime they started with , in , their wooden shoe......The Dutch reform Church is also the focal point of many neighborhoods.........may , or , may not be your cup of tea..

[readytojet!]

I've lived in the GR area for 16 years now, and having visited SoCal this past summer, it is clear that the cultures are completely different. The cost of living is much much lower here as well.

From the previous posts, it is true that family is big here. West Michigan is a very conservative area, with churches on every corner. The economy isn't that great and the job market is even worse, but if you and your husband already have jobs, that isn't a concern, however down-sizing might be.

Grand Rapids is a beautiful area and Michigan in general is beautifully landscaped state. I believe someone said there is more here because of the SoCal traffic. That is debatable, everyone I know complains about the lack of things to do. There are things to do, but because of the long winters, you might have to look harder.

Having never lived outside of California, you might be culture-shocked by West Michigan. Summers are great for outdoor activities, and Lake Michigan (20-30 mins away) is spectacular during the summer, but you can only swim in it 1-2 months out of the year because it is usually so cold. The best advice I can give is visit during the winter, that way you know exactly what to expect. Winters are long, drury and very gray. not much sun at all...

[readytojet!]

Originally Posted by darstar

For a real fix of the cluture go south a few miles , Zeeland , Holland area. Thats where a lot of the old country Dutch still survive. Gr is fast becoming Latin in many old neighborhoods. Grand Rapids is a big city , but , thinks itself as a small town in many ways, that , can be bad , or good , depending on your prospective........one things for sure , housing prices are in free fall , all over the state , with many for closers., and , its only going to get worse. Its a good time to buy a home here , but , I would stay away from the larger cities , they will suffer the fall in a more dramatic way, not a good one. Look for the small communities that are an hour away, like Suburban Kalamazoo , or , if you can afford it , Gull lake area. Then there is South Haven , Sagatuck , and other small resort towns on the big lake, they can be charming. being on the water , be iot a small puddle , or a large body of water , is always the best investment, and , the most enjoyable retirement- social lifestyle. The summers will be cooler on the lakes as well., even 20 degrees at times.

I would assume that you will be working close to GR and would be trying to avoid long commutes as you had in California. Living an hour away would not be conducive to this at all. these areas are great for visiting during the summer, or even a summer home (many people have them) but living that far away would get old very fast.
What kind of social environment are you looking for? For a "big city, small town" Grand Rapids has plenty to offer.

[Biano]

I have lived in GR my whole life (21 years) and it will be quite the change for Cali! Gr is like everyone said extremly conservative in most areas and centered around the CRC. However it is a very family oriented city and the education I had growing up was fantastic. I attended Grand Rapids Christian High for my high school and it was a great school to go to! I know for a fact that the resouces for children with disabilites is really great too! I don't know what the price range is as far as housing goes but Ada is a very pretty place to live, also Cascade, and I lived in Grandville for a while and really liked that. Most of the cities culture is downtown or in another area called eastown, there are a lot of galleries, museums, shops, boutiques and quant little restaurants there, my boyfriend grew up in downtown gr and loved it, heritage hill is the ultiment in culture as it is downtown. The good areas are a bit more pricey, but as everyone has mentioned the housing market is down so it should be fine. Be careful searching downtown there are really great areas and then bad areas. The best areas are near the streets of College and Cherry near Morris. If you are looking at a house range that is lower but still in a great area - I highly reccomend alger heights- on the streets of raymond,almont, brooklyn,nevada,walsh and blane near nevada, it has a cute little Library of its own Alger Heights Library, a cute ice cream shop, and the Real Food Cafe which is possibly the greatest breakfast restaurant ever! My aunt and uncle live there and love it, such a charming area with tree lined streets! If I was statying in GR I would move in a heartbeat to Alger Heights, and it is a young neighborhood with loads of friendly people! (Plus it is within walking distance of Grand Rapids Christian High) Hope that helps! I would come to GR and see what you think -otherwise it is all just opininions. Oh yeah and East GR is nice but the people I nanny for do complain of how unfrienly the neighbors were when moving from Chicago. Near Boston and Plymouth side of EGR is more friendly.

[geenah03]

thanks... I will definitely write down the towns you mentioned and make sure to visit them when we come out there... my biggest concern, other than the people, are the schools. again, thanks a whole bunch!

[readytojet!]

I second Biano whole-heartedly. If you are looking for culture and diversity, the best areas in GR for that is the Heritage Hill and Alger Heights areas. If you want suburbia, then Grandville, Hudsonville, Jension is alright, but you won't get any diversity there because most look, dress and act the same and don't welcome culture as easily. East Grand Rapids is beautiful with stunning homes and nice scenery but the housing costs are a little pricey.