Moving to Michigan..... Wheres the best place? (Detroit, Grand Rapids: housing, rent)

[magellan]

Originally Posted by crannsi

We may be moving to Michigan sometime in the next 6-12 months, we have thought about holland, but would like to here about some other places. Here's what we need; safe area, low crime
homes under 180,000
good schools
family friendly areas
Anything we could find out about Holland and other areas would be great!

Were you thinking about Holland because you would be working there? Holland is not bad, and the downtown is very quaint and bustling, but with a small town feel to it. And Holland State Park and Tunnel Park have beautiful Lake Michigan beaches. But the area, both Holland and Zeeland, is notoriously religiously conservative. It is basically all white people and a small but growing group of hispanics.

Under $180K for new construction in West Michigan will limit you to Allendale, Caledonia, Cedar Springs, Dorr, Sparta, Jamestown Twp and maybe Lowell.

[Sociologist]

I grew up in the Jackson area, moved away to finish my graduate work and after I returned couldn't believe the amount officials have let the city go (that goes for most of west Michigan.) With the closing of Phizer in KZoo and A2 alot of people are reconsidering what will happen to the rest of the large scale employers. My brother worked in construction for five years, after being laid off most of the winter and told his company was no longer in existence, he had to start over again, with much of the population in Michigan. The trickle down affect is effecting more than people realize and the true amount of people unemployed (many do not claim unemployment so their numbers don't show up in the publicized information). My family is moving out of the stat as soon as I am able to save for a complete move. A lot of educators at U of M stress the "black hole" theory that is occurring. Wages relate to your cost of living, but also they correlate to every thing else. When you realize you cannot afford to get out of your situation, your in the black hole. You can afford where your living, but not to better your life. Its just all poopy about Michigan

[jaggers]

Originally Posted by Ashada

Thanks I was looking GR and also kalamazoo,coldwater,hillsdale ALL input Iwould appreciate ...Barbara

Hillsdale is a nice county to live in. Im not a big fan of coldwater. There are more jobs in the coldwater but the people are not as freindly. If I did anything I would buy a house in Hillsdale county and maybe comute to coldwater. Houses are cheaper and the land is much prettier. Branch county is flat and open for the most part. where hillsdale county is wooded and hilly some places very hilly. If you do move here I would recomend a 4x4 if you plan on commuting or live in the rural areas. No diffrant than any other place in MI. Actually we are the farthest south so we get the least amount of snow.

[lisathill]

Words of advice from a Local... Michigan is WONDERFUL! It truly is a beautiful state and people are very friendly. Especially in the U.P. (I guess I am a bit biased because I live in Marquette, Michigan)

Something to keep in mind... We currently are NECK in NECK for the WORST ECONOMY with Mississippi!!!!! No doubt about it, our beautiful state is in trouble. We have too many bills and not enough money to pay for everything.

Currently, there are threats that the government will be shut down until a budget can be agreed upon. This is very scary for those of us who work for the government. (My husband is an administrator at Marquette Prison)

I would advise anyone to move here! It really is a GREAT state... But make sure that you don't put the cart before the horse....

Consider employment opportunities. HAVE a job lined up before you move. Be willing to be patient. A friend of mine is a nurse and moving up from Wisconsin and she still has not found a job - 7 months of looking!!!

Next, RESEARCH the school systems before you move. I love Marquette and would not consider living anywhere else... In fact, my mother is a kindergarten school teacher for the Marquette School System. BUT, my husband and I are VERY worried about the school situation in the U.P.

Some areas of the UP have cut the school week to 4 days to conserve money. The kindergarten classrooms currently have 28+ children and 1 teacher!!!! NOT GOOD!!! My husband and I will be sending our children to the PRIVATE school - Father Marquette. Classes are 18 children each and tuition is income based.

Good Luck and happy job / house hunting!!!

[sickofmichigan]

Galesburg............. good schools, no crime, LOTS of land and houses for sale.

[us2indaup]

Originally Posted by klwrdh02

Yes, you always get good housing deals where nuclear power plants are located!!!

Then people should take advantage of the inexpensive housing, because living in proximity to a nuclear power plant is perfectly safe! I have a family member working in the nuclear power industry and I have learned enough that I would feel perfectly comfortable moving next door to a plant. Don't let the hype scare you away from living in a nice area.

[JennH]

Check out Perry & Webberville area super schools and people along with housing prices in the city or homes with acreage.

[Chelle D]

Originally Posted by lisathill

Consider employment opportunities. HAVE a job lined up before you move. Be willing to be patient. A friend of mine is a nurse and moving up from Wisconsin and she still has not found a job - 7 months of looking!!!

wow, a nurse with no job! Here in Grand Rapids, nurses are grabbed faster than they can put "RN" on a resume! There is a shortage of nurses here, but it's a long haul from the UP. I hope she finds something soon.

[frmrresident]

If you are moving to Michigan, stay away from Flint. Is is the armpit of Michigan. High crime rates, poverty, business/auto plants leaving the area, and no good schools. I grew up in Flushing and it's a beautiful city. I now live in GR and it's nice here, but very conservative. Great for raising a family, but not for being single.

[cardwellave]

Michigan has lots of nice small towns. The thumb is nice, as well as mid-Michigan. Owosso is a nice town. PErsonally anything much smaller than Port Huron would be too small for me.