[cannuck]

Hi, Wow after reading some of the posts for MI it sounds pretty depressing and the last place someone would want to move to!
We however are considering a move to Grand Rapids or Lansing. My husband and I are both health professionals.
For anyone who has lived there or does currently - where are the good schools located, safe places to live? Does anyone work at a hospital they could recommend? Any help on someone who lives there would be great!
I have lived all over this country and I am from Canada. There are down sides to every place and upsides. It seems the cost of living is expensive every where. I will say the cheapest place I lived was Texas. If you can stand the heat - it is one of the low cost of living states.

Thanks:

[politikally]

Hello,

I don't know too much about GR, as for Lansing the biggest health care provider in town is Sparrow Hospital (Google it I'm sure you'll find it.) That'd probably be your best bet. They own pretty much all of the health care facilities there. Outside of that MSU (Michigan State University) has a health care center, where an experienced health care pro might be able to get a job.

Anyway I will echo what you have read about the economy - it's not great at all, and almost every industry crashing out there. The one bright spot is actually the health care profession Which is good news for you. They snap nurses up and pay them a ton of money! There's even waiting lists to get into health care programs.

As for the schools, I would avoid Lansing proper. East Lansing is decent, but I would say the best schools and the best area for residents is either Okemos or Haslett. Both have great schools and the neighborhoods are great.

Good Luck in Michigan!

[Rohan]

Originally Posted by cannuck

Hi, Wow after reading some of the posts for MI it sounds pretty depressing and the last place someone would want to move to!
We however are considering a move to Grand Rapids or Lansing. My husband and I are both health professionals.
For anyone who has lived there or does currently - where are the good schools located, safe places to live? Does anyone work at a hospital they could recommend? Any help on someone who lives there would be great!
I have lived all over this country and I am from Canada. There are down sides to every place and upsides. It seems the cost of living is expensive every where. I will say the cheapest place I lived was Texas. If you can stand the heat - it is one of the low cost of living states.

Thanks:

Health Professionals are about the only people with Job Security in Michigan. I would recommend William Beaumont in Royal Oak. They have the highest pay, best reputation, best benefits, and overall one of the top employers in the state. Figure they pay 15-20% more than anywhere else with health professionals. Just so happens, Royal Oak Michigan is probably one of the top places to live in the tri-country area as well!

Sadly, I wish I had gone into a healthcare related field. I probably would be working right now.

[njvree]

Cannuck -

I currently live in Ann Arbor, but spent the first 18 years of my life living in Jenison, a suburb of Grand Rapids.
There's definitely positives and negatives of livinging in the Grand Rapids area.

Postives: IMO, Grand Rapids/westMichigan is beautiful, much more so than the rest of the state (including Lansing). Prime area if your interested in outdoor activities. Downtown is revitalized and keeps growing. Lots to do for families. Depending exactly where in GR metro area, you are 20 min to 40 minutes away from either Lake Michigan beaches. Numerous quaint shoreline communites nearby. People are generally friendly, tend to care about the community. Economy seems better than the rest of the state, although, health are prospects are good no matter what.

Negatives: IMO, Somewhat overwhelming religiosity/conservativeness, less so downtown, extreme in western suburbs. It's 2.5-3 hours from major cities of Chicago and Detroit, giving GR somewhat isolated, insular character. Lacks progressive-minded people.

The issue of schools in GR -
Suburban schools are generally better than GR schools. However, the school-of-choice policy allows you to attend schools not in the school distict you live in.

If I were to start over and attend any school system in the GR area, I'd attend either East Grand Rapids schools, Forest Hills Central/Northern. Grandville wouldn't be a bad choice either. GRPS has City HS, which is for gifted students.

The west suburbs of GR, namely those in Ottawa county, are extremely conservative. While conservative areas aren't shouldn't be a deal breaker (maybe you even want that), the type of conservatism, IMO, hurts the community and is what gives the GR a bad name. This is probably because the presence of Dutch Christian Reformed Church attendees in the area. That being said, I'd avoid these school systems, as they tend to cross lines between church and state.

My opinions on Lansing may be bias, however, i've been there numerous times, and nothing has ever made me want to live there. I do know that the Okemos school system is exceptional.

Health Profession Jobs - My mother used to work at St. Mary's. I think she generally liked working there. I believe that MSU is, eventually, moving their Med school to GR. Haven't heard very much about this recently though.

Hope this helps.

[I_Brennus]

Sparrow is a great hospital in Lansing. If you move to the Lansing area you might consider living in Mason or Leslie (my preference would be Leslie), for a safer and smaller town atmosphere. Grand Rapids is probably a better choice and the western part of the state is very beautiful. I've lived in Michigan all of my life and loved it but I am so sick of the stupid liberal voters of Michigan. They can go to hell... As for me, I'm going to Wyoming.

[Wabbit]

Cannuck,
If you are in the medical field, please don't let the gloom and doomers
from the East side of the state deter you.
Grand Rapids has the fastest growing medical corridor in the country.
Presently all of these projects are in various stages of construction
downtown.


1) RDV/Christman Medical Office/Research Complex - 12 Stories/3 Buildings - 700,000 sq ft - $200 Million
2) Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion - 6 Stories - 200,000 sq ft - $78 Million
3) Helen Devos Children's Hospital - 14 Stories - $200 Million
4) Van Andel Institute Phase II - Medical Research - 280,000 sq ft $150
Million
5) Women's Health Center of West Michigan/Midtowne Village - 7 Stories
- 92,000 sq ft - $25 Million
6) St Mary's Hospital Neuroscience Center - $45 Million - Adjacent parking
structure
7) Hope Lodge - American Cancer Society - $6.8 Million lodging facility in
St. Mary's area
8) Michigan State University Medical School 2009-2010

You can see pictures of all these places here.
http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/in...howtopic=19783

njvree's comments I think are very fair, though its conservative tilt is not
nearly as evident as it used to be. The growing artistic presence in G.R (Kendall School of Design) as well as the growth of Grand Valley State University have made an impact.
Great public schools in East Grand Rapids, Forrest Hills. For more modest incomes Grandvilles Schools are comparable.
I've been a lot of places and
You won't find a more family friendly city of this size.
It is cold in the winter but as a Canadian you can handle that.
The summers with the Big lake so close are awesome.

[cannuck]

THanks so much for all of this great information!!! It is VERY much appreciated! I appreciate the time taken to provide me with this! Cannuck

[jessicastokes]

I have lived in Grand Rapids for almost 10 years. It is a great place to raise a family! It has a very nice and safe downtown area, with several good school districts (East Grand Rapids, Rockford and Forest Hills). I studied education in college and did my student teaching in Forest Hills Public Schools. It is a great school district that works hard to give kids the best possible education. I also nannyed a lot through college, and 3 of the families I nannyed for were doctors at Spectrum Hospital. They really enjoyed their work and working at that hospital. I recently had a baby and delievered at St. Mary's. I really enjoyed the hospital staff there too. I don't know anything about pay scales and job opportunities. If you can stand COLD and cloudy winters, grand rapids would be a great place for you to relocate! Good Luck

[crappinatbernies]

Grand Rapids is nice, in parts. It IS conservative as hell. Alos, there are some pretty shady areas.

Metro's aside, any small town is safe and nice and cozy. If you like the small town atmosphere.

Personally, I'm moving back to East Lansing, from Chicago. The cost of living is cheap. The atmosphere is beautiful (Tree City USA).

Plus, Michigan State University brings so, so much to the city. There is always something to do and always a diversity of culture. MSU, is simply beautiful. Over 99 miles of sidewalks to meander though the lush green campus.

Gr does have the beach nearby.

Schools. 6 in one hand, half dozen in the other. Public schools are all the same. Bureaucracies and budgets. I've had kids in the "GREAT" schools and the not so great. They're all the same.