[caper656]

Hey guys..i am a mechanial engineer and have been working out of college for exactly one year...

a very good job offer has become avaliable in Battle creek and would be pretty much a lifetime offer...they also have a less paying position in Los Angles but im more interest in the job at battle creek

I curious to know about the city of Battle Creek...ive been reading about how most of the city is very rural...(ex cornfields just outside of the city).

I have no children and am somewhat of a club,fancy resturants and such goer...something you would see in New York city...can anyone give a comparable popular city? I enjoy faster paced cities or a place where there is a definitive nightlife...i also love motorcycles and motorcycle racing (not sure whats around MI)

However, i will be moving from Tulsa, OK...a very indescribable city. has just alittle bit of everything

Also...i will be flying in next week to look around the city, is there anything i should look at?

thanks!

[Blue Grass Fever]

I personally couldn't tell you about Battle Creek but on the flip-side if your need for fancy restaruants and clubs persists, there is always Chicago! (about 1.5 to 2 hour drive on I-94)

Most of Michigan is semi-rural to rural with no real burgeoning cities! (IMO anyways)

[caper656]

so i am going to be miserable? is it an "older" age town...

would it be similar to lets say...montana?

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by caper656

so i am going to be miserable? is it an "older" age town...

would it be similar to lets say...montana?

Montana?! Not a chance! (but i wished it was though-that's for another thread!)

There are metro areas in Michigan-Lansing-heard of Michigan State University?-Ann Arbor-heard of University of Michigan?I believe Ann Arbor is the "hidden-jewel" for nightlife and fancy restaurants! Therse places are about an hour to two hour drive from Battle Creek.

Like i said before, i'm not familiar with Battle Creek! Look for the demographics on the city/area.

[caper656]

right..and i understand chicago, detriot, kalamazoo...but battle creek sounds like a labor town...mainly due to kellogs ceral...not sure if its correct though

by the way...salary would be around 60-65,000

are there malls?walmart? things to do? or is everything basically in another city?

[manoswath]

I've only been through there a few times, on the way to a relative’s lake house. But yea, with only about 50,000 people the night life scene may be hard to find. You’d have to drive to Chi-town or Ann Arbor, there may be some goings on in Kalamazoo or Jackson too. But with your choices you’ll be livin’ large in MI compared to LA. But with no night life. Do you fish? Motorcycles! There is Grattan and Gingerman. And 131 drag way. And miles and miles of nice backroads through the corn and soybean fields. Seriously. And you will have the Big Lake with the many wonderful beaches to cruise for hotties in the summer. Just don’t go to Saugatuck for that.
Check the city website and virtualtourist.com for some local info. You ok with snow? That **** global warming is giving us an extended fall.

[caper656]

ahh race tracks!! hrmm soo no mall...no walmart...holly crap..i wont have to field my own veggies will i?? =)

thanks for the info...anyone live there now and have opinions?

also, are there some places to check out while im there? im flying into kalamazoo then driving to battle creek...i figure ill spend a day out in kala since thats the closest actual city

[dianeeileen]

Yes they have stores just not New York Quality but Wally world k mart etc they have um not far. It is an older labor town but like others have said it is not far from Chicago or Ann Arbor. It does have some clubs great out door activities and the chance to develop new hobbies, sail boating, fishing, hikeing, dirt bikes are big as are atvs and snow mobles cross country sking, ice fishing, resturants are mom and pop and chain but you can find great food in saugatuck, jackson, ann arbor chicago and traverse city. Really it is not LA or anything like that but it is a blue collar proud great place and nice people. They have a lot of antiques near by and amish not to far, and lots of veggie stands that grow natural without chemicals if that grabs you. If you like nature you'll be ok. Diane

[Pyewacket]

I was born and raised in Battle Creek and moved away in the 80s. The economy sucked then, as now. Night life and shopping are much better now than when I moved away (there was NOTHING then), but you will still likely find yourself heading for Ann Arbor or Chicago for some real fun. It might be a great place to go, save your money for a few years, and continue to develop your career. At that point (depending on where your life takes you--marriage? kids? home ownersip? etc...), and depending on whether the economy EVER picks up, you may tire of it and wish to locate somewhere more vibrant.

As you have gathered, BC grew up with the fortunes of the cereal barons--Kellogg, Post, and others, and the local economy still depends on sales of Cocoa Puffs and Sugar Frosted Flakes.

A lot of BC-area companies that were tied to the auto industry went belly up in the last 20 years or so (such as Clark Equipment), but there are a few peripheral corporations that are still hanging on. One of my best friends has had a great career at Eaton's, for instance, and she has done very well for herself.

There is a highly rated community college (Kellogg Community College), which you might be interested in visiting while there. You might be able to connect with people there who could steer you toward the local music/art communities, if that interests you. If you're outdoorsy at all, there's a wealth of lakes, many with public access, so swimming, fishing, skiing, etc., are fun options. Check out Gull Lake or Goguac Lake.. There's camping out at the former AF base, Ft Custer, with the recreation area centered around some small man-made lakes on that property. Sadly (from this native girl's perspective, but not from an economic standpoint), much of the former fort has now become a vast industrial park, with numerous manufacturing companies located in the areas we used to roam & explore as teens.

Since so much family & many friends have remained in BC, I go back at least once a year, and have really seen a lot of change there over the years. We actually plan to move back to Michigan in the next few years, but I don't really want to live in BC. Call me a snob, but it really does seem to have a factory-rat, high-school education mentality to it. And an alarming increase in crime. (If you decide to go there, I can give you some pointers about where to live..)

If I were moving back to MI this year, I'd be looking into AA, Kalamazoo/Portage, or possibly Niles, which is just a skip away from Chicago. But we have the advantage that we would not need jobs (ours are portable). With one kid still in school, that would be a driving factor... Other than that, we'd probably go where we could leverage the best real estate deal, since home prices (by & large) are lower than where we currently live.

[mich2fla]

You should check out Kalamazoo since Western Michigan University is nearby. I would stay in the K-zoo area and make the short commute to Battle Creek.

If you want good schools, check out Portage. If you want your kids college education paid for (in state schools only), then buy a house in the Kalamazoo Public Schools boundary. I don't know much details, someone from the K-zoo area can chime in.

On weekends, come to downtown GR and do the nightclub thing at the BOB and others.

It's not a bad area to live, K-zoo is pretty close to Chicago, Detroit, and GR.