Grand Rapids Area -- Diversity? (Detroit, Flint: environment, jobs, housing)

[Jonae]

My husband and I moved from central Illinois up here to Michigan a month ago. His mom needed help and we needed an in between place to live until we found jobs. We are in Midland, but want to get to Grand Rapids. Does anyone know if there are great jobs for Business Majors. Plus, what does everyone else do for the in between money before pay checks come in. How do you transition easily?

[colorado_sunshine]

Originally Posted by nytexans

My husband and I are moving from Texas to Grand Rapids as well. I grew up there, but I think it will still take some years to get used to the winters again... I wonder about the commutes. Do you know where you'll be working? We were considering Rockford, but a lot of the jobs are in Holland and south of GR (beyond the burbs south). Let me know if anyone has any big advice about where NOT to live to commute to various areas.

Folks, not to put a damper on your excitement, but I would seriously consider your move to Michigan CAREFULLY. There are no decent jobs and most of the state is crumbling quickly. GR is one of the highest crime areas in the country. We loved Michigan and loved Rockford where we left after 40 years, but with ZERO jobs and no future, everyone is leaving. It was the hardest thing we ever did. The grass may be literally green in Michigan and I know Texas is having its trouble too, but to go to Michigan is the biggest mistake you could ever make. Someone needs to re-org the state and start over then consider a move there. You have sooooo many more better options!!

Good luck and proceed with caution.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by nytexans

My husband and I are moving from Texas to Grand Rapids as well. I grew up there, but I think it will still take some years to get used to the winters again... I wonder about the commutes. Do you know where you'll be working? We were considering Rockford, but a lot of the jobs are in Holland and south of GR (beyond the burbs south). Let me know if anyone has any big advice about where NOT to live to commute to various areas.

It really depends on where you'll be working. From Rockford to Southern Kent County could be a good 40 - 45 minute commute. But there are a lot of employers in Northern Kent County, Cascade, Kentwood, and a lot downtown (Downtown has the largest collection of office space in the metro by far). If you need specifics about a certain area, shoot me a PM.

We live in NE Grand Rapids and I can be downtown in about 15 minutes.

Ha, just caught the last post. Grand Rapids does not have the highest crime rates in the country. Not even close.

http://www.morganquitno.com/met05r.pdf
(Grand Rapids ranked 288th, 1.6 murders/100,000 people)

http://www.morganquitno.com/met05a.pdf
(Grand Rapids 150th for violent crime, below national average)

These are as of Sept. 06.

[colorado_sunshine]

Originally Posted by magellan

It really depends on where you'll be working. From Rockford to Southern Kent County could be a good 40 - 45 minute commute. But there are a lot of employers in Northern Kent County, Cascade, Kentwood, and a lot downtown (Downtown has the largest collection of office space in the metro by far). If you need specifics about a certain area, shoot me a PM.

We live in NE Grand Rapids and I can be downtown in about 15 minutes.

Ha, just caught the last post. Grand Rapids does not have the highest crime rates in the country. Not even close.

http://www.morganquitno.com/met05r.pdf
(Grand Rapids ranked 288th, 1.6 murders/100,000 people)

http://www.morganquitno.com/met05a.pdf
(Grand Rapids 150th for violent crime, below national average)

These are as of Sept. 06.

Yeah, that data is 2 years old. The crime rate has sky rocketed this past year. It's been all over the news nationally. Flint, Detroit, and GR, three of the highest in the nation. When we found out that there was a child molester living at the end of our street in Rockford and men flashing themselves to kids at a local school, we got out.

I want people to know the truth. No reason at all to bring innocent families into a mess.

[scottmi]

^^^ Now I'm sure Grand Rapids isn't THAT bad. There are obviously places you avoid in any city with populations close to and above 100,000 and when different races and income levels mix, you're of course gonna have drug and violence issues.

Grand Rapids, crime-wise, is FINE. Just don't go into bad areas and you'll be okay. I wouldn't recommend you letting your kids play down the street with any neighbor no matter where they lived nowadays but that crap happens everywhere as well and you can never tell when or where or why.

I do agree on not coming tp Grand Rapids or Michigan for that matter. The state is going through an awful recession right now and I'd be surprised if it was *slightly* better a decade from now.

ONLY MOVE HERE if you have an EXCELLENT, DEPENDABLE job and at least 2 or 3 backup plans. If you're married, the option of BOTH people working full-time will greatly increase your chances of making it through this potentially decades-long situation.

And keep in mind, while the cost of living is quite low in Michigan, there is STILL a cost for living. Make sure you can earn it.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by colorado_sunshine

Yeah, that data is 2 years old. The crime rate has sky rocketed this past year. It's been all over the news nationally. Flint, Detroit, and GR, three of the highest in the nation. When we found out that there was a child molester living at the end of our street in Rockford and men flashing themselves to kids at a local school, we got out.

I want people to know the truth. No reason at all to bring innocent families into a mess.

Please provide any links to articles or stories to back up your claim that Grand Rapids has one of the highest crime rates in the country.

The "murder" rate in a four block area of the city of Grand Rapids has skyrocketed from gang activity, but not the violent crime rate for the entire metro area. It's still below the national average for both murders per capita and violent crime. As far as child molesters, I'm sorry to inform you they are everywhere.

I also just read that the drug trafficking trade has skyrocketed 50% in the last two years in the Denver area. Are you letting people know the truth about that reality as well? In addition, I have relatives who live in Littleton, CO within a stone's throw of Columbine High School. I think there were more kids killed in that one day than all the murders combined in Grand Rapids so far this year. Plus, wasn't there just ANOTHER school shooting in Colorado not a few weeks or months ago? Why are kids gunning down their classmates? And wasn't there recently a crazed gunman who walked into the Colorado State Capitol recently, and came within steps of the governor's office? Crime is everywhere, and it's no worse here than it is in the rest of the country.

If you didn't like Rockford and Grand Rapids anymore, that's fine. Just don't spread false information please.

Thanks

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by magellan

Please provide any links to articles or stories to back up your claim that Grand Rapids has one of the highest crime rates in the country.

The "murder" rate in a four block area of the city of Grand Rapids has skyrocketed from gang activity, but not the violent crime rate for the entire metro area. It's still below the national average for both murders per capita and violent crime. As far as child molesters, I'm sorry to inform you they are everywhere.

I also just read that the drug trafficking trade has skyrocketed 50% in the last two years in the Denver area. Are you letting people know the truth about that reality as well? In addition, I have relatives who live in Littleton, CO within a stone's throw of Columbine High School. I think there were more kids killed in that one day than all the murders combined in Grand Rapids so far this year. Plus, wasn't there just ANOTHER school shooting in Colorado not a few weeks or months ago? Why are kids gunning down their classmates? And wasn't there recently a crazed gunman who walked into the Colorado State Capitol recently, and came within steps of the governor's office? Crime is everywhere, and it's no worse here than it is in the rest of the country.

If you didn't like Rockford and Grand Rapids anymore, that's fine. Just don't spread false information please.

Thanks

I have never, ever heard GR lumped in with Flint and Detroit in regards to crime, other than the post above. I would love to see those statistics as well.

[amy05hope]

Originally Posted by omagis

Well i have lived in a much Smaller city just south west of Grand Rapids, Holland Michigan is a great place to raise a family and live, every one here is open minded becides a very few people, we have strong family values and have good schools well the north side does any ways, were about 26-30mins out side Grand Rapids and 40mins out side of Muskegen. our population is much smaller then GR or Muskegen numbering around 40,000 people our "white" population is the largest but Hispanic makes up right around 10% of hollands population so unlike GR and Muskegen we arent 90+% "white" the school i went to was West Ottawa High school around 2,500 students in high school at least when i went there in 2002, not sure about the % of population on other races but i went to school with many different people who were all accepted, the crime rate is very low.

Perhaps the overall population is what you stated, however I taught for a year at Holland Public and this was the breakdown of diversity in the high school: (according to schoolsnoop.com)

American Indian = 3%
Asian = 4%
Black = 5%
Hispanic = 31%
White = 57%

I'm sure the Christian/charter schools are much more white... but Holland is much more diverse these days then when my dad was growing up there in the Dutch 50's.

[deslok]

I would say neither GR nor Holland are pictures of diversity.There is a difference between diversity and acceptance. I am not disputing the percentage breakdown, but if I were hispanic or anything other then dutch ( I am italian) , I'd look elsewhere for living.

[conovercourt]

GR is one of the highest crime areas in the country.




I live equidistant from Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Memphis. I'd try my luck in Grand Rapids any day!