[z.m.a.n.]

Hi,
I got a job at MSU and I and my wife are looking for a good place to live around MSU .. and seriously thinking to buy a house. I know that such questions have been asked before but with the current economic situation I'd like to know that areas are less affected by it.
I learned that East Lansing is probably the best choice but houses there are also more expensive so we don't mind living a little bit further from MSU. I heard names like Haslett, Okemos, Holt, are there really good enough you could recommend?
We don't care about schools but we would like to live in a safe area - not much affected by the current economy (houses foreclosure, etc)

I will appreciate any help.

Thanks,
Zman

[zthatzmanz28]

I have heard that Okemos is nice. I have never been to Lansing for any extended period of time..I know others here have been so there should be some suggestions??

[Smooth23]

Holt is a good choice. Okemos is a little too busy for my tastes.

[michmoldman]

Perry is a nice little town. About 20-25 min. from MSU
I love East Lansing...that would be my first choice.

[beachmouse]

Okemos is pretty much traditional suburbia- reasonably safe, lots of nice newer houses and some serious shopping areas along with an easy commute to MSU, but not much in the way of character, IMO.

Since I'm not a person who likes to feel like I'm spending half my life in my car, I'd go with something smaller in East Lansing or in Okemos. The upside of East Lansing is that if you get outside the student ghetto, it's a pretty desirable area where homes are going to hold their value better than in areas where there's still a lot of developable land to be had down the road.

[magellan]

There are some nice areas of Haslett. Holt has a good school system, but it sounds like that doesn't matter that much. You could also check Williamston, if you don't mind a small town with a really nice downtown, within an easy commute.

[specficer]

Okemos or Northern East Lansing are your best bets. Everything else is in the middle of nowhere.

[jjg39069]

In addition to everything above I'd also check out Bath.

[alliteration]

You would think that Bath would be nice, but I find it to be a really small, dumpy little town. If you're looking in Clinton county, just look in Dewitt/Dewitt Twp. There are some really beautiful homes and some really great scenery in that area. I happen to think that pretty much all of Shiwassee County is kinda low rent and not all that nice. Laingsburg, Perry, and Owosso are all pretty rural and not all that nice, not to mention a pretty long commute, especially from Owosso. If you want close proximity and still want to have a country feel, look just south of Okemos/Holt. Alaiedon and Delhi Twps both have some really nice rural areas but are only minutes from the city. Delhi Twp taxes are a bit high, though.

Haslett boasts some excellent schools, but the really only nice parts of Haslett are around the lake and the subdivisions that make up pretty much the whole zip code. The actual "town" of Haslett is really nothing at all, just a few run down houses along Haslett Rd, but there are some nice homes just south of there, off Cornell and Marsh. The same can be said for Okemos, though. Both have pretty high traffic and both lack an actual downtown area, they are really just shopping and subdivisions for the most part.

If I had my choice and I wanted to live in the city and had the money, I would look in East Lansing's Glencairn neighborhood. Absolutely beautiful older homes, super quiet, with tall trees and nicely landscaped yards. Taxes are high in EL, but a lot of the residents expect that, and like that, because the city provides a lot of services.

[timeofseasons]

Well basically any suburb of Lansing is nice to stay, speaking of your not looking at school systems right now. You also can find nice areas within Lansing.