Staying the Summer in Midland - input, please

[Brent85]

That's just a myth that crime is covered up. It's on the police radios, and appears in the newspaper within the next few days. The fact is Midland doesn't have a problem with violent crime. Yes there's petty theft, but there's no place that's Mayberry lol. I think she'll feel perfectly safe.

[wanderer74]

Originally Posted by Brent85

That's just a myth that crime is covered up. It's on the police radios, and appears in the newspaper within the next few days. The fact is Midland doesn't have a problem with violent crime. Yes there's petty theft, but there's no place that's Mayberry lol. I think she'll feel perfectly safe.

I agree that she will likely feel perfectly safe, as I do in Midland. Honestly I have friends who live in the supposedly bad Grove Park area and I even feel safe there after dark - but then again I grew up in Saginaw. Even though the crime rate was statistically higher in Saginaw, I didn't even feel unsafe there. A lot of the hype about dangerous areas is just that - hype - and if you keep your wits about you and take sensible precautions like locking your doors and having renters insurance, you're usually in little danger anywhere.

However I have to absolutely disagree about whether or not crime is covered up in Midland. I KNOW for sure that it happens because I know people who work at the hospital and on the police force in Midland. I have also witnessed things, like a high speed chase on 10 heading from Midland toward Bay City, involving multiple Midland PD cars and guns pointed at the suspects once apprehended, that I looked in the paper every day for a week afterward for more details about and there was nothing. I called a friend on the force later and found out what it was and it was a car that had been stolen from the area around the mall while the driver left the keys in the car with the engine running while they ran into a store. Obviously in that case the driver should've known not to leave their car unattended while running, but the real point of the story was that the incident happened and it did NOT ever make the news.

[Iggs]

OOOOH China Palace. I grew up in Midland and even after living in the Chicago area for over 15 years it's still my favorite for Chinese. The farmers market was always fantastic for fresh fruits and veggies. I am so glad to hear it is still around. Midland was a really good place to grow up. You should like the town. It always offered a lot for a smallish town. Enjoy!

[mnmjack]

I loved growing up in the Midland area. Though I have since lived in Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri and now divide my time between Illinois and West Virginia, I still would like to come back. Most of my extended family still live there, but I rarely get a chance to return. Much of the city has changed since I was there (late 1970's) but the overall city is still nice, safe, and well thought-out. Believe it or now, I can compare the states of West Virginia and Michigan: pretty country, open air (generally) and relatively friendly people. Yep, I would go back to MI (and Midland in particular) if I wasn't committed to WV and IL! Thanks for allowing me to revisit my past!

[TiredNomad82]

Originally Posted by EssAndDee

-housing: we do get placement but I'd like to have some idea/input on where we end up. We have a dog which may or may not be a problem, but what neighborhoods generally are considered safe/desirable? No kids, if that matters. We don't need to live right in town.

My husband lived grew up in Midland and his parents are still there, so we are in town a lot. As far as I've seen there aren't any bad areas. The downtown is really to small and not much to worry about. Most of the shops and restaurants are just on one street!

-food/drinks: is it all chain restaurants out there, or are there some notable local places?

Pi's Chinese is popular with my husband's family and it is usually busy. For lunch and breakfast I like Omlette's & More which is downtown. Also downtown is Molly's Bistro (which I still need to try). D'Alessandro's has pretty good Italian.

-grocery: any farmer's markets or roadside stands?

There's a nice farmer's market downtown on Wednesdays and Saturday's but it closes at noon. I think there is an apple orchard if you drive out past the mall and fairgrounds, they might have some things.

-must-sees, must-dos: I've already heard about the baseball park, so we're excited to check that out. And then the gardens, right? But is there anything else?

Yep, Dow Gardens. There is also a Midland Center for the Arts that gets quite a variety of performances. There is also an art museum in the same building.

If you have a dog there is a nice dog park with both a big dog and small dog side. It's past the skate park.

The fairgrounds have antique festivals occasionally. Also there is an event called "River Days" that happens in the middle of summer (July?).

[brycesmom]

my husband is from coleman and we love it there. you might want to check out mt.pleasant, i personally think it is much more fun that midland