[xoBunnieboo]

Me and my boyfriend are looking to move to either battle creek, Marshall or somewhere between the two, this is because i have to commute to Lansing and he has to commute to Kalamazoo so we want a middleground.

He has a good job and I have been saving up so we can rent someplace nice. We have a fairly large dog ( labrador retriever) so we need someplace that is OK with pets.

we can easily afford renting up to somewhere in the 800's. and we want more then 1 bdroom.

We are still considering living with a married couple we know ( we currently live with them in kalamazoo in a small 2bdroom apartment ) and if we do decide to live with them we can afford in the 1000+ but we would want seperate leases.

does anyone have any suggestions?? any websites we need to check out?? We can live in a house/townhome/condo/apartment whatever!

[Softballfan]

Marshall would be much more middle ground than B.C. but your choices will be much less.

Marshall is on I-69, a straight shot to Lansing.

B.C is much larger with many more housing options.

[jeanniepep]

I just moved out of Marshall a few yrs ago - I will warn you that if you're hoping to make lots of friends there, it ain't gonna happen. Most residents are older and have lived there for many generations, so they look at anybody new as kind of an intruder on their territory. You won't notice this until you move in, because they are quite friendly to visitors. Be prepared to spend a lot of time taking care of your yard too; the locals don't look kindly on an untended garden.

That said, it does have good points. It is VERY safe, especially north of "downtown" - you can literally leave your car running with the door open and the worst thing that will happen is someone might turn it off so you don't run out of gas. The boardwalk south of town is really pretty, in fact it's a very pretty neighborhood in general. You'll think you walked into Norman Rockwell painting! And they have (IMHO) the best microbrewery in Michigan, possibly on Earth: Dark Horse. If you're into that sort of thing! And they also have a wonderful veterinary office for your dog, Marshall Animal Care. I have several dogs and cats and I miss those vets desperately.

Battle Creek has a bit more going on than Marshall, and you're closer to shopping w/ all the big stores on Beckley Road. Also Horrocks!! There are some shadier parts of Battle Creek so you'll want to check out the neighborhoods thoroughly to make sure you feel comfortable before moving in.

Not sure about the rental options in Battle Creek, but if you're thinking Marshall pick up a copy of the free local paper. I'm spacing out on the name of it but you can find one in pretty much any store in town. The local landlords will advertise their rentals there. Don't even bother with the apartment complexes, especially Walden Pond. The evil manager may be gone by now, but still the place has bad mojo.

[KMSFLA]

Originally Posted by jeanniepep

... but if you're thinking Marshall pick up a copy of the free local paper. I'm spacing out on the name of it but you can find one in pretty much any store in town...

I believe you're thinking about the Ad-Visor free paper.


KMSFLA
(former Marshall resident (and wish I could go back))

[jeanniepep]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of! All I could remember was the Chronicle (aka Comical) but they didn't have as strong a classified section.

[deslok]

Agreed on the Marshall thing. It is a very gossip driven city. I would never want to live there but it is safe. If you have the money try getting some land out in the middle of nowhere in Marshall and you will avoid ever meeting any neighbors. Otherwise, be prepared.