[Giesela]

I grew up in Albion which is just due west of Jackson. I'm not sure why you are focused on one particular direction (SW). I would start by just looking going to some real estate websites and looking for 5 acres in your price range and distance and see what comes up. Then investigate from there. Marshall is a real cute town. Homer is a tiny town or village between Albion and Marshall. Albion has a lot of good points, like the river, park, college but it is racially diverse and some people don't like that. It doesn't have much money. Personally if you have the money I'd look east, Ann Arbor is going to be where you want to shop and go out. But anywhere near there is going to be much more pricey.

[us2indaup]

I grew up near and went to school in Springport, and I think it's a happy meduim - close enough to Lansing, Jackson, and Battle Creek for shopping, but rural and farm-oriented. Also, keep in mind that 8 miles north of Springport is Eaton Rapids, which has just about everything you could ask for in a town. I will always consider Eaton Rapids my hometown. Theres also Leslie, my husband's home town. Avoid the city of Jackson at all costs, however, and I'd avoid Albion too, as it's very run-down.
Good luck!

[CJS]

I live approx 10 miles north of Jackson. On the north side, I would reccommend Leslie, if you're looking for a small, quaint town. The people are friendly, and the housing costs are very reasonable. To the south and west of Jackson, I would reccommend the Concord/Parma/Spring Arbor area. These are all small towns, within a very reasonable commute to Jackson. If you're looking for affordable housing, with property, check out these areas.

[rachmass]

I've lived in Ann Arbor almost my entire life (that and Chelsea). It is too far a drive to Jackson on a daily commute and the taxes are outrageous (they are actually even worse in Chelsea). We have friends who live in Somerset, which is a tiny little lake berg about 15 miles south of Jackson in Hillsdale County. You might want to check that area out as well as the lakes are very pretty and the housing is decent and it seems to be very low crime. Brooklyn is a decent city, as is Marshall (actually really nice, but a hike to Jackson). Grass Lake is a good option as well, but a bit of a drive. It all depends where your husband will be working and how much of a drive he can handle (and you too).

No good grocery stores anywhere near Jackson in my opinion. For any topnotch one you will have to drive into Ann Arbor....

[M TYPE X]

Originally Posted by rachmass

I've lived in Ann Arbor almost my entire life (that and Chelsea). It is too far a drive to Jackson on a daily commute and the taxes are outrageous (they are actually even worse in Chelsea). We have friends who live in Somerset, which is a tiny little lake berg about 15 miles south of Jackson in Hillsdale County. You might want to check that area out as well as the lakes are very pretty and the housing is decent and it seems to be very low crime. Brooklyn is a decent city, as is Marshall (actually really nice, but a hike to Jackson). Grass Lake is a good option as well, but a bit of a drive. It all depends where your husband will be working and how much of a drive he can handle (and you too).

No good grocery stores anywhere near Jackson in my opinion. For any topnotch one you will have to drive into Ann Arbor....

I used to think that driving between, say, Ann Arbor and Jackson was a "long drive." Then I moved to Illinois ...

[MittenDweller82]

Having lived in the area for most of my life I must say that the city government has its head in the sand and refuses to change the mode of living for its residents. Certainly there is a strong feeling of resentment towards young professionals in the area, just visit Kroger or Meijers and you will find middle aged people at the register grinding their teeth at you. Is it their fault? No, many manufacturing jobs dried and gone, where are they to go? Well they take the job most teens and college kids need. Its no surprise the average household income (that is all people residing at that address) is less that 40K, that bucks to around 13K per person....retail pay and people are trying to pay mortgages with that. Not seemingly it would happen that Jackson has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state, (even higher than some det suburbs), and the highest unemployment rate next to Flint. Go down town, they'll tell you their trying to build a "cool" city, as people leave in droves. Thousands of 40-60K houses for sale that you can see on every block, people desperate to leave. I know to many real life tragedies to say that the city counsel and government of Jackson care about that dying city. A liquor store at every turn, a bar within every 100 feet, and thats about all there is to do.

[kejasa]

I've lived in Brooklyn for the last 7 years and absolutely love it. It is truly a beautiful place. Traffic is not horrible all summer long, as another poster stated. There are 3-4 weekends a year when traffic gets bad. We just stay in on those early mornings and evenings...you can still go out all afternoon because everyone is at the track. Plus, Brooklyn is one of the few places in Michigan where you can still get lake front or access property at an affordable price.

The downside to Brooklyn is that it is far from any decent places to shop. Ann Arbor is an hour away. We go there every other weekend to find stores like Whole Foods. You'll never find a store like that in Jackson. Jackson is a repulsive city...I've worked there for seven years and never want to hear the word "Jackson" after I leave. The downtown is riddled with crime and it is known for the strange people. I have nicknamed Jackson "Land of the weird, home of the strange." Stay away from Jackson if you can....but Brooklyn is lovely.

[jcres]

I lived in Jackson from 1953 to 1969 to graduation from Jackson High in 1965. I get back to southern MI twice a year and it is obvious that Jackson is in decline (which is an understatement). However, these posts paint a picture that truly breaks my heart. Surely there is something good that can be said about the City of Jackson Michigan.

[nic073]

I currently live in Jackson and work in Spring Arbor. I totally agree with jcres... some of these posts paint a very ugly picture of Jackson. Wow. You make it sound like Radiator Springs from Disney's Cars movie!!

While Jackson doesn't have a ton of things to do (for a good day of shopping head out of town to Ann Arbor/Detroit area... for kids places... kids museums and zoos are 30-45 minutes away, but Jackson is pretty central to lots of things... you just have to drive), its not this horrible, crime ridden place with crazy people littering the streets.

Someone also mentioned to stay north. I'll disagree. I grew up and graduated from Northwest High School (north of "town") and I wouldn't move back to that area. Not that the area is bad... lots of rural homes, etc... but like someone else said- apartments overwhelm that area and the school district is hurting. I currently live in Summit Township and love this area. Its south of "downtown". I think the main area to stay away from is areas east of 4th street, north of High St, south of Ganson and around Francis Street etc.

There are lots of little "towns" around Jackson... Parma, Spring Arbor, Hanover, Vandercook Lake, Cement City, Brooklyn, Chelsea (which would be my vote!!), Grass Lake, Leslie etc. All of those are decent towns that have a small town feel and are not far from the teensy bit of shopping we have here in Jackson (yes, we DO have grocery stores... we have 2 Meijers, a few Polly's and WalMart. You won't have to go out of town to do weekly grocery shopping as others made it seem).

[Ishten]

I grew up in Jackson and, like most people, didn't know what it was until I left. When I return it still feels like home. However, I could not raise my family where I grew up - Steward St., Mechanic, etc.

I would feel comfortable in the surrounding communities of Chelsea, Leslie, Mason, Hillsdale, Jonesville, Grass Lake, Brooklyn and Concord. My advice would be to drive through the city of Jackson on a loop through the surrounding small towns. That said, it will be very difficult to beat Ann Arbor. Good Luck.