[aksim]

Hi everyone,

I currently live in Virginia but I got accepted to a law school over in MI. The school is in Lansing area and I am looking for a very safe and close-to-everywhere apartment . Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and if you have any information about rental rates for 2-bedroom apartments, that would be perfect.

Thanks everyone!

and also would you prefer Lansing or Grand Rapids area, and why?

[michiganbob]

Originally Posted by aksim

Hi everyone,

I currently live in Virginia but I got accepted to a law school over in MI. The school is in Lansing area and I am looking for a very safe and close-to-everywhere apartment . Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and if you have any information about rental rates for 2-bedroom apartments, that would be perfect.

Thanks everyone!

and also would you prefer Lansing or Grand Rapids area, and why?

It might help to have a little more information about you: Married? Kids? Car? And how much are you willing to spend?

Also, Lansing has two law schools: Thomas Cooley and MSU. Cooley is in downtown Lansing and your choices for a place to live are more limited than in East Lansing where MSU is located.

"Safe" and "Close-to-Everywhere" are are also relative terms. Overall, Lansing is a pretty safe place, unless you are coming from a rural area of VA and then it might seem a little grittier. If you are from NOVA and are used to DC, then Lansing might seem kind of tame. Bottom line: for the most part, the more you pay the safer it will be.

Assuming you are single and have some transportation, there are many, many safe options for you within driving distance, but you will need to pay for parking downtown. If you live downtown though, you will need to drive for most of your grocery and shopping needs and pretty much everything closes after 7 pm. If you are going to MSU it might be possible to live close to campus (off Michigan Avenue/Grand River somewhere) and you would be close to BOTH shopping and school.

I think we can help you with a little more info, please.

[michiganbob]

Originally Posted by aksim

and also would you prefer Lansing or Grand Rapids area, and why?

I assume you can attend Cooley in either city now, so if that's the case, I think a lot of people would prefer GR, as Lansing is more dependant on the auto industry and State goverment is downsizing as well.

GR is probably more conservative and--last I heard--had a better economy and is closer to Lake Michigan.

Lansing is probably more diverse, but is slowly shrinking as people move out of state, but has some things around MSU that you might find interesting (depending on your age.)

Otherwise, there are similar bars, restaurants and malls in both places.

[flyingwriter]

I would definitely choose Grand Rapids over Lansing. There seems to be a lot more to do in the GR area, it's generally safer, and it's close to the lakeshore.

[aksim]

Thank you kazoopilot and michiganbob.

I will attend Thomas M Cooley with my fiance and we haven't decided on the campus location yet. We are paying $1600 for a two-bedroom condo in Virginia and it is in a gated community within a good neighborhood. We are at the age of 24 and 25 and we both have cars so transportation is not our main concern. At this point we are looking for a place that is close to the campus and nice neighborhood.

So what do you think about the campus options: Grand Rapids or Lansing? And do you have any idea about the renting prices?

[cbmsu01]

The Grand Rapids area is about twice as large as the Lansing area. Grand Rapids is closer to Lake Michigan and beaches, while Lansing is more centrally located. Lansing has the reputation of being a bit more blue collar than Grand Rapids, but there's a lot of non-blue collar stuff there as well, and the area is probably a little more "college town-ish." The Lansing area is more liberal than the Grand Rapids area from what I understand. Both areas are decent, and some ways have a small town feel to them.

[mofromcheboygankalamazoo]

Originally Posted by aksim

Thank you kazoopilot and michiganbob.

I will attend Thomas M Cooley with my fiance and we haven't decided on the campus location yet. We are paying $1600 for a two-bedroom condo in Virginia and it is in a gated community within a good neighborhood. We are at the age of 24 and 25 and we both have cars so transportation is not our main concern. At this point we are looking for a place that is close to the campus and nice neighborhood.

So what do you think about the campus options: Grand Rapids or Lansing? And do you have any idea about the renting prices?

YAY for Cooley, my father attended and graduated from Cooley in '74 (or was it '75?!) with his juris doctor-he attended in Lansing as that was the only campus then...it is an excellent law school...the campus in GR was brand new as I was leaving the area in '04/'05 grand rapids is very fun, lansing would be closer to detroit/middle of the state, whereas Grand Rapids you would be closer to Chicago and the West side/great beaches and my favorite-kalamazoo
good luck!

[michiganbob]

Originally Posted by aksim

We are paying $1600 for a two-bedroom condo in Virginia and it is in a gated community within a good neighborhood. We are at the age of 24 and 25 and we both have cars so transportation is not our main concern. At this point we are looking for a place that is close to the campus and nice neighborhood.

So what do you think about the campus options: Grand Rapids or Lansing? And do you have any idea about the renting prices?

Not too many gated communities in Lansing, that I am aware of. Certainly none for condos which only really took off here in the past few years ans haven't sold very well.

However, you are probably looking at less than $1000 a month for a nice place within driving distance (15 minutes). Check CraigsList for private options, and I think Rentals.com will give you apartments, etc. I would stay away from Southern parts of Lansing (may be harder to drive to Cooley which is located downtown) and would stay closer to one of the highways: 496, 127. Cooley is just north of I-496 in downtown. West of town there are nice apartments off of Canal St. near St. Joe. There are also many houses for rent in some nice areas as people here have lost jobs and had to move out to find work in other states. Bad for them, maybe good for you.

The GR campus is new and I have not been there. Choice might depend on classes that are offered in either location. (More choices in Lansing as the larger, older campus?)

Basically, there are so many choices, it might help for you to do a little research, find a couple of options and then get back to us and ask specifically about those.

[aksim]

Thank you all for your responses! I think I will need to plan a trip in April to see both campuses and decide on the spot. I will definitely bug you guys again, once I decide on the area and ask bunch of questions

Again, thank you very much guys!