[coltoncity]

Would anyone be able to give me opinions on Holland MI? How is it for things to do, safety,kids? I would like to be somwhere on the coast of the lakes if I were to move to that region. I just do not know where. Is there a big difference in weather at the southern portion of the lakes as opposed to the northern parts?

Thanks for any help!

Shannon

[emkode]

Last Tuesday we finally broke out of the teens and twenties and actually headed into the forties. One of the most amazing things to me is to have that first balmy (okay, it was only 40, but after a month and a half of twenty, it FELT balmy! lol) that signals winter will not last forever and warmer weather is around the corner. And Tuesday was a great day for skiing.
My husband is from Omaha and really struggles with our long, cold winters. I love them. I cannot wait to get out in the snow and play. The kids and I sled, ski, and hike. We are in Grand Rapids and find we have plenty of activities around to keep us occupied and my husband has a great job in---horror! ----manufacturing that is stable as of this particular moment.

That said, I have witnessed the effects of the economy on family members and the housing market. Houses in my area are actually selling at a pretty decent rate (within a 6 month time frame, near or above appraised values), but I know some areas of town are moving very slowly. My brother was one of the casualties of the decline in manufacturing, and he wasn't able to replace the union job he lost making $27/hour with nothing more than a G.E.D. Well, he WAS able to replace it, but he didn't want to take a job making $12-15/hour, so they left for Colorado a year ago. They have had a terrible time trying to make it financially out there. An income of $90,000/year is not enough to support them in the area just north of Aspen where they both found jobs. The cost of living is exhorbinate. But it is beautiful. Double your budget for groceries if you are headed out that way. Oh, and they had their first snowfall in August. I called and laughed at him.

Wherever you plan to move, do your homework. I tried to tell my brother that they weren't making enough money to live out there comfortably, but he ignored me. The home prices out there are unreal. Based on the general formula of having housing costs being no more than 25-35% of your take home pay, I estimated they would need to make $120,000-140,000 to live the lifestyle they wanted. Unfortunately, I was right.

The point is, there are good and bad things about all areas of the country. I like where I am because we have a decent and stable income to afford the lifestyle we prefer. I am able to enjoy all the outdoor activities I like, while still having access to museums, the gardens, plays, and the symphony. We have a comfortable neighborhood, good friends, and really decent schools. And I am close enough to multiple colleges and universities to further my education for the jobs of the future (I'm working on a degree in computers and technology). And, in the time frame we are looking at being empty nesters, the new research hospital will be completed as well as several other medical complexes planned for downtown Grand Rapids and I should be able to sell my home to someone moving into the area to work in the health care field. And then maybe my poor, abused husband will finally get his move south to warmer weather(although I was thinking maybe the Rockies in NM!lol).

[emkode]

Sorry, Shannon, the reply above was posted in the wrong area. But most of what I say applies for Holland, as well. Grand Haven and Spring Lake are very popular. I guess it depends on your lifestyle and what phase of life you are in. Do you have kids and a husband, are you single, married w/o kids? The kids thing in particular, because schools very so much. Are you very religious? Holland tends towards a high population of CRC's. It really depends on what you are looking for in a community.

[Jennster31]

I've lived here (Holland, MI) for over 30 years. We are actually moving to Florida. The jobs here are dwindling. Every time we turn around there are more and more factories/businesses closing their doors. Mine is
Housing right now is great if you want to buy, but to sell it's horrible. It's at least 20% below the value. My husband and I have to sell our house and we will defidently have to take a huge loss. I personally wouldn't move here. Plus it's cold and snowy 7 months out of the year. It's snowed before Halloween last year and it was snowing up until last week - about 6 inches. it was crazy. I would keep driving.....

[sportsman]

Originally Posted by coltoncity

Would anyone be able to give me opinions on Holland MI? How is it for things to do, safety,kids? I would like to be somwhere on the coast of the lakes if I were to move to that region. I just do not know where. Is there a big difference in weather at the southern portion of the lakes as opposed to the northern parts?

Thanks for any help!

Shannon

I have lived in Holland since 2000- I love it here- we have lived in GR, Kalamazoo, and Newaygo- this is the first city that I have felt safe having my kids play in the front yard- it is a very safe city. You will never run out of things to do- the beach, downtown has great shops, there are some good county parks, sledding hills, schools are good but I would take a good look at the charter schools as well, as they are excelling in the area (Holland Public went to grade based schools, and they bus the kids around alot) If you tire of the things to do on the lakeshore, it is a quick ride 30-40 minutes to Grandville/ Grand Rapids, where there is tons to do! North or south of Holland there are some cities with issues, but this has been a great move for us! By the way, its also kept very clean, as the Tulip Time Festival is such a huge nationwide draw, the city must keep up on the cleanliness, and the Tulip planting.