[WheredoIlive?]

I am applying to housing, disabled housing, and I want to move to a friendly small town. I was happy in Hillsdale MI for many years, but they have been economically devestated and everything is closing down and even the availability of medical care is being threatened. So alas I can't go back.

I want to know what are some safe friendly small towns in Michigan maybe like Hillsdale but maybe doing a bit more better...

I need disabled housing [would apply] or cheaper rent around 400 a month. Would like town with Dial A Ride, and big enough to have at least a small hospital. A place that is known for being friendly. Working class-blue collar-rural flavor towns perferred, and under 50,000 in population. Please no tourists. The less yuppies the better. I perfer Southern Michigan {East to West is ok} no suburbs of large cities please.

I am planning to move and looking into options.

[Coldjensens]

Small Freindly towns - Yup. You pretty well described most of Michigan. You pretty much need to get about 30 miles away from Detroit. However outside of the other scattered large cities, small friendly towns pretty much fill the entire state.

[flyingwriter]

Three Rivers is a small, friendly, blue collar town in Michigan, located in the southwest corner of the state about 14 miles from the Indiana border. The closest large cities are Kalamazoo, MI and Elkhart, IN, both 25 miles away. However, 3R is not a suburb of either. The population's about 8,000, including the surrounding rural areas. There's plenty of cheap housing for sale and rent here, especially downtown. River Country Apartments has some disabled housing. There's a pretty good hospital. No tourists except the ones driving down 131 on their way to Shipshewana. No yuppies. I may be biased, but I love it here. You would too.

[supermom0204]

Cadillac gets a lot of snow, but is a friendly small town. We do get some tourists here, but mostly the camping/ fishing/ hunting type, not quite the "yuppie" variety. Small hospital, public transportation, and affordable housing.

[Rapunzll]

I have worked on a Federal Govt. survey in many parts of the state, and Big Rapids gets my vote for the friendliest town in the state, and no, I don't and never have lived there!

[WheredoIlive?]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

Three Rivers is a small, friendly, blue collar town in Michigan, located in the southwest corner of the state about 14 miles from the Indiana border. The closest large cities are Kalamazoo, MI and Elkhart, IN, both 25 miles away. However, 3R is not a suburb of either. The population's about 8,000, including the surrounding rural areas. There's plenty of cheap housing for sale and rent here, especially downtown. River Country Apartments has some disabled housing. There's a pretty good hospital. No tourists except the ones driving down 131 on their way to Shipshewana. No yuppies. I may be biased, but I love it here. You would too.

It sounds nice, actually about the size I am looking for too. I will call up for disabled apt too. Ok, I lived in HIllsdale until 2006 and the economy there is so bad, restaurants and doctors are leaving and streets are full of empty houses. I would go back "home" except I need medical care, how are those things doing? Are things stable there economically? Are the people friendly? How about churches? Do they have Bible churches {born again Christians} there? I have heard of Three Rivers though I have never been there. Will look it up on internet. I used to live in Kalamazoo years ago so heard some stuff about Three Rivers.

[WheredoIlive?]

Originally Posted by Rapunzll

I have worked on a Federal Govt. survey in many parts of the state, and Big Rapids gets my vote for the friendliest town in the state, and no, I don't and never have lived there!

Big Rapids is kind of too north for me, but I remember Big Rapids, it seemed to be a nice place, but I was there back in 1990 so it was a LONG time ago.

[flyingwriter]

Originally Posted by WheredoIlive?

It sounds nice, actually about the size I am looking for too. I will call up for disabled apt too. Ok, I lived in HIllsdale until 2006 and the economy there is so bad, restaurants and doctors are leaving and streets are full of empty houses. I would go back "home" except I need medical care, how are those things doing? Are things stable there economically? Are the people friendly? How about churches? Do they have Bible churches {born again Christians} there? I have heard of Three Rivers though I have never been there. Will look it up on internet. I used to live in Kalamazoo years ago so heard some stuff about Three Rivers.

The economy here isn't great, but it's not "very bad" either. Right now it's "stable." We're doing fine. There are a couple of new restaurants and stores opening up downtown. Most people here are really friendly. There's a lot of churches here. I go to Riverside Church, which is a non-denominational Christian church that believes the Bible. There's also Three Rivers Bible Church, which is a LOT more conservative. it's really an awesome town, not too big but not too small. Everything you need is here, and if you want to go to the city, then Kalamazoo or Elkhart (I prefer Elkhart) are nearby.

[WheredoIlive?]

Originally Posted by kazoopilot

The economy here isn't great, but it's not "very bad" either. Right now it's "stable." We're doing fine. There are a couple of new restaurants and stores opening up downtown. Most people here are really friendly. There's a lot of churches here. I go to Riverside Church, which is a non-denominational Christian church that believes the Bible. There's also Three Rivers Bible Church, which is a LOT more conservative. it's really an awesome town, not too big but not too small. Everything you need is here, and if you want to go to the city, then Kalamazoo or Elkhart (I prefer Elkhart) are nearby.

Glad to hear things are stable there. It sounds pretty nice, just the fact they are having things opening up is good. In Hillsdale everything was closing, I may do a thread on HIllsdale, to talk about things there. Sounds like there would be a good church there that I would like. Thanks for bringing this up to me. I am definitely going to be looking into it as possiblity and I know there is a disabled place I will be applying to there to be on their list.

[GlassPipe]

Charlotte (shar-lot) just SW of Lansing has a good hospital, very friendly and small but with all the convient things.