[carolinablue1]

I may be relocating to Albion from a medium size city in North Carolina. Besides being worried about the change of climate, I haven't read much good about the Albion area on this site, so the move is beginning to feel like a bad idea. Can any longtime residents offer a perspective on the place? (Culture, education, crime/safety, etc.) Can any transplants describe their experience in (or near) Albion and how it lived up to their expectations?

Input greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[needing more]

I live about 20 miles from Albion. I wouldnt recommend that city.
Crime is a problem there. Last summer there was a serial rapist in the city targeting the girls on campus. Drugs are an issue too. Its kinda in the middle of no-where too.. Jackson is 30 miles away but still not much going for you in that city. Marshall is small, not much happening there either.
There is the college there and have heard its a very good school... but that also comes with its own issues too.
Why Albion? There are so many other better cities in Michigan.

[carolinablue1]

Moving for a job with the college and don't want to have a big commute. I've read better things about Chelsea and Marshall, but Marshall looks similar to Albion, and Chelsea is quite a ways away. Can you give me details on Albion? How bad is the crime? What types? Did they catch the rapist? Has this been an recurring type of problem there? Also, are there any restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, health food stores of note in area? Thanks for input!

[JadelynRiddle]

Ok, I moved into Albion last summer. I was told the same things about the city, especially my neighbourhood. I am living in the "bad" part of town. I find that assessment extreamly funny. There are drug problems in town- mostly small time weed dealers and a few meth producers, but, like in ANY city I have ever been in (including the very upscale Okemos), this is not something that is out in the open and bothersome. There were a few meth raids this summer, but nothing major. These people have never bothered me. One guy, shortly after we moved in, offered something to one of my friends...one time, in a year of residency. We also live in a former crack house, so that probably has a significant something to do with it. The serial rapist issue- it was one person. He was moving across the state, targetting the small college campus'. He moved east after he left Albion. I don't know if they ever caught him, but my friend, who was going to the college at the time, said that if you weren't stupid at night, you were safe- in other words, if you didn't go out, get wasted, and then try to walk home yourself, and if you were scared about anything, you went place with a friend, you were alright. People always say this is a terrible place to live, and yes, it has problems, but it also has a very unique culture and atmosphere. It is lively. It is struggling. It is trying to survive, just like any other city in Michigan. No, there's not much here, but if you want big-city atmosphere, you have to be in Battle Creek, Lansing, Detroit, or Grand Rapids, and even they are small compared to Chicago, etc. If you are moving here, look at the neighbourhoods- the west side of town is poor and has the problems that come with high unemployment. The college side of town is wealthy. There is a racial divide in town because of the socioeconomic distribution. It isn't anything insurmountable- we are white and moved into a primarily non-white neighbourhood. Being ****-poor, we were accepted pretty quicky. The college side of town is much more suburban. It's all about where you look and what you expect. I recommend this city to anyone looking to dive right in and get hands dirty when it comes to participating in city government, fixing up (if you live where we do) your neighbourhood, and working hard to change things for the better.

[beachmouse]

I went to Albion College, and married a professor's kid from there. (Inlaws still live just outside of town) From a culture standpoint, the college has a fair number of events open to the public. Crime is pretty average for a small town of its size and demographics. K-12 system was pretty rough when husband went through it, and reportedly hasn't improved much since then. Unless a kid gets tracked into the gifted and talented program, it's underwhelming.

Marshall's actually a pretty significant upgrade from Albion, even though it's a similar size and vintage. It's a more affluent area that didn't get the massive industrial crash and loss of industrial jobs that Albion had starting in the late 80s/early 80s, and it's the right commuting distance to live for people who work in Battle Creek but want more of a small town experience.

If you do want something bigger, husband spent the first year of grad school driving from Albion to East Lansing for grad school, and didn't find the Albion-Lansing commute to be too bad except for the occasional winter snowstorm.

[Giesela]

I was born in Albion in 1956, left after high school, spent another couple of years there in my early 30s before moving on again. My Mother still lives there and my nephew just moved back.
Albion pre-1970s was a pretty prosperous blue-collar ethnic multi-racial town with a rich white college on one side.
Since the 70s oil-embargo and the beginning of the decline in midwestern manufacturing (mostly NOT auto related) Albion has lost TONS of ground and is a very different place from when I grew up.
However I don't think its what I would call dangerous, crime ridden etc. Its more just run down, many of the stores have closed. Crime is probably mostly stuff missing from your garage.
Its really quite a pretty town with the Kalamazoo river running right through it. Nice green park. Ice skating pond. The small campus is nice. I wouldn't be afraid to live there by any means.

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for...if you have kids the school system is bad but I think you can choose to put them in Marshall if you want. If you are young and like a lot of events and activites you'll probably be bored (if you like big city clubbing you'll go out of your mind). If your a little older and like quieter things, say especially during the work week you'll be all right. You will end up driving to Battle Creek (20 miles west), Lansing (50 miles north) or Ann Arbor (50 miles east) for good shopping and things to do on weekends.
Depending on the job you are taking I'm assuming that a lot of your socializing will be with other college employees. I would ask - where do they all live? One art prof my nephew knows lives in the country on a small acreage outside a tiny town called Concord, she's outdoorsy and has dogs. There is Duck Lake if you want the Lake/Golf course experience (pricey out there and not much comes up for sale). And then consider what you want to do with your non-work time. Stay at home or visit with co-workers after work and relax? Live in Albion and drive for weekend adventure. If you need a lot more activity and don't mind commuting, try Ann Arbor (my favorite town by far - but be forwarned its quite expensive).
As far as I know neither Lansing nor Battle Creek or Kalamazoo have a hip urban loft area to live in. So otherwise your basically just commuting a long distance to live in a suburb where you don't know people to go out with anyway.
I will say this - if you have any racial phobias Albion is not a good place. There is a fairly large black and Hispanic population. If that bothers or scares you, go to Marshall. Roughly the same size as Albion, all white, has a small hospital, numerous cutsey antiquey stores, a couple of good restaurants.
All directly around the campus are lots of nice old Victorians to be had for dirt cheap, its a quiet and I think pretty safe place to live, very convenient to work.

[Giesela]

After rereading your post I should add,
there is one bar/restaurant - Cascarelli's that serves good food, owned by a long time local (his father started the place long time ago) and Lopez's Taco House - also owned by a local. Other than that some fast food. No coffee shop that I'm aware of or health food store. One main grocery store essentially. Meijer's - sort of a Midwest super Wal-Mart (actually Wal-Mart stole the idea from them as there were Meijers grocery/everything super stores long before Wal-Mart had them) is on the near side of Jackson. Marshall's has Schuler's which is a nice restaurant with a more casual bar/food area. Plus they used to have a nice small foodie italian restaurant but I'm not sure its still there.
There is no bar scene other than the local blue-collar bars. Not unless you go to Lansing or Ann Arbor.
It really is a small town surrounded by small and smaller towns, about 50 miles equi-distant from Kalamazoo (west), Lansing (north), Ann Arbor (east)

[deslok]

Racially ignorant is a fairly accurate way to describe that area.
The area is fairly run down and my instinct tells me you will be trying awfully hard to fit into a town that is not worth trying to fit into. Honestly, there isn't a lot of culture period. (meaning if you ask someone with caucasion skin what nationality they are, most likely they will say white) Marshall is a bit safer and appeals to those whom like small towns. Other then that, I dunno what to tell you. That is a rouch stretch of Michigan where rarely you will find someone move to from other states.

[JadelynRiddle]

Originally Posted by Giesela

After rereading your post I should add,
there is one bar/restaurant - Cascarelli's that serves good food, owned by a long time local (his father started the place long time ago) and Lopez's Taco House - also owned by a local. Other than that some fast food. No coffee shop that I'm aware of or health food store. One main grocery store essentially. Meijer's - sort of a Midwest super Wal-Mart (actually Wal-Mart stole the idea from them as there were Meijers grocery/everything super stores long before Wal-Mart had them) is on the near side of Jackson. Marshall's has Schuler's which is a nice restaurant with a more casual bar/food area. Plus they used to have a nice small foodie italian restaurant but I'm not sure its still there.
There is no bar scene other than the local blue-collar bars. Not unless you go to Lansing or Ann Arbor.
It really is a small town surrounded by small and smaller towns, about 50 miles equi-distant from Kalamazoo (west), Lansing (north), Ann Arbor (east)

I love Cascarelli's, the Albion Garden is excellent, and I have also heard some very good things about the Punjabi Indian Restaurant, La Casa Mexicana, and the Little Red Lunch Box (though I haven't been there), as well as Lopez's.

We do have a coffee shop in the back of the bookstore right downtown. I haven't had their coffee yet, but I love the store and the atmosphere is very relaxed.

We have a Spartan Store, but most of us shop at the Dollar General (we have two of them) because it is cheaper and they have a pretty good selection of dry goods.

There are some fun festivals through the year- we have the Festival of the Forks, and the Corn Harvest Festival, as well as the events sponsored by the college, such as Jazz at Cascarelli's every Friday night during the academic year and the events the library sponsors.

I moved here from the East Lansing/Lansing area, from a wealthy suburb where no one left their houses, the lawns were perfectly manicured, and the houses were upscale. I would rather be here in Albion any day, where I see my neighbours, people work in their own lawns and mow their own grass, and things are a little more run down. Albion's got character, charm, and grit. The school district is pretty rough, from what a teacher friend of mine has said, but I am still going to send my kids there, if they can cope with it. Mar Lee is just up the road, a small country k-8 that many students from here end up at, as well as Homer, Marshall, and Olivet. There is some tension in the community between the people who keep their kids here and those who homeschool out- a town of 9,000 people with a school district of only 1,400 is something I never thought I'd see, but here it is.

Anyway, I love my new hometown- wouldn't be anywhere else. I've seen and been in places like Marshall, and it's just not me. My brother, he lives in the ghetto in Chicago and he, too, likes being in a poor neighbourhood better than where we grew up, problems and all.

I guess it comes down to what it is you want out of your town.

[Giesela]

I'm glad you like it Jadelyn, I like it too. You described it pretty perfectly with the character, charm and grit. I think most of us who grew up when I did had pretty great childhoods and are sad to see the place struggle. But then where isn't struggling these days, especially in Michigan? Desloks opinion, while somewhat technically correct, is a bit unfair and describes a huge percentage of small towns all across America.
Being that the OP would be working at the college I actually doubt they will be all that involved in the town per se. The college and town can be sort of separate.
If the OP is born and bred in the south and has lots of family there, well family is really big these days. I'm sure the adjustment would be hard in most new towns in the north. A pretty small town not near much else will be harder, regardless of what people think of the town itself.