[cubby77]

i am moving to western michigan may/june. i am self-employed single male. looking for an outdoorsy area that is good for singles, low crime, and a fun downtown area.

[wagonproject]

Can you give us a little more info? A certain area of west Michigan your moving too?

[michigan83]

I think Rockford would be a good bet, if you're looking for a smaller town. I'm guessing on that because you said "outdoorsy area".

If you want a place that is TRULY good for singles, downtown Grand Rapids is the only place worth mentioning. Most of the people in the smaller communities are married. But downtown GR is not "outdoorsy". Rockford has a great downtown for a smaller community, so I think it's probably the best compromise I can think of.

[cubby77]

i don't know the area too well, i like the grand rapids area but want to be on the outside... was looking at muskegon, grand haven, and holland

[allbusiness]

Cubby, did you watch the video on Holland? View Holland on Video! - Home

[deslok]

Cubby, where are you moving from exactly?

[magellan]

Originally Posted by cubby77

i am moving to western michigan may/june. i am self-employed single male. looking for an outdoorsy area that is good for singles, low crime, and a fun downtown area.

"Singles" and "outdoorsy" don't usually go together. Singles tend to congregate in large urban metro areas. Unless you mean those old nasty divorced women in small towns hanging out in dumpy bars chain-smoking menthols.

Actually, Grand Haven in the Summer probably attracts its fair share of college women from GVSU.

[beachmouse]

With a little creativity, outdoorsy and downtown GR can work. You can fish in the river downtown. Go a little west of downtown, and you hook into Kent Trails at John Ball Park. Go a little north on Monroe, and Riverside Park is a good size for walking and such and is home to a number of crew teams. Go a further little north to where the X Mile roads start, or east towards about Ada and you have good cycling roads and a number of small lakes with parks on them. East Grand Rapids is close by and has some good green space and Reeds Lake.

[mackinac81]

Originally posted by michigan83
I think Rockford would be a good bet, if you're looking for a smaller town. I'm guessing on that because you said "outdoorsy area".

If you want a place that is TRULY good for singles, downtown Grand Rapids is the only place worth mentioning. Most of the people in the smaller communities are married. But downtown GR is not "outdoorsy". Rockford has a great downtown for a smaller community, so I think it's probably the best compromise I can think of.

You beat me to it! I'd second Rockford. It's not TOO far from DT Grand Rapids, and the town is nice itself. May I also recommend Kalamazoo? I wouldn't say it's outdoorsy, but for a city its size it has a lot of culture and a nice city feel...kind of like Grand Rapids *condensed*

[Wayland Woman]

Kalamazoo is a college town and would be great for singles. Plus it's got a lot of state land within 1/2 hour drive for hiking, etc. and lots of lakes in the area. Lake Michigan isn't far either. I live in the Rockford area and it's really nice but I think it's more family orientated than for singles. Grand Haven is a very busy tourist town in the summers and thus a lot of fun for people of all ages. It depends on where you'll actually be working. With Michigan driving to inland towns from the big lake area every day in the winter for work can get really hairy.