[lulu77]

just a word about Marshall - it's a very pretty little town, but if you are not from there, you will have a hard time "breaking in" there or making friends. They are friendly on the outside, but they are rarely welcoming to newcomers and it can be a very lonely place to be.
I would suggest the other towns mentioned if you want to be warmly welcomed. Alot of people commute from Kzoo to BC, especially alot of Kellogg people. (I can think of a ton of Kellogg employees who live in Portage, seems the place to be).
Battle Creek definately has it's challenges. I live there now, and to be honest, I plan on moving before I have children. I do not want to raise my family in this town. it's kinda sad, but it's true. I am a local business owner and BC has been good to me, I plan to keep my business here... but it is not my first choice for kids. If you do choose to live in BC, shoot for Lakeview or Harper Creek schools, I would advise against BC Central.
You asked why the crime rate is higher than the national average - I think the fact that the city is smack dab in between Chicago and Detroit is a big part. (major drug run).
The mindset here also seems to be that people don't WANT anything better for this town. It kinda moves...backwards or in reverse. (I'm not from here, but have been here for 12 yrs.) You will find huge cultural differences between Kzoo and BC. I've always thought maybe being a college town has helped Kzoo be a little more liberal and progressive.
Just my thoughts.... good luck.

[M TYPE X]

People in Marshall and Mason don't like progress? News @ 11? Can Ohio annex them?

[JessicaGM08]

I grew up in Battle Creek and went to Pennfield Schools. There is Battle Creek Central which sometimes gets a bad rep. but is a pretty good school for the most part. There are also Lakeview, Harper Creek, and private schools around. It really depends on the neighborhood. there are certianly parts of Battle Creek I wouldn't recommend going out alone at night... but a lot of very safe places. I keep my door unlocked at night!

A lot of Battle Creek is pretty rural/ suburban so good to raise a family. I would look at all the areas on the outskirts also though for places to live.

I'm probably forgetting something so if you have questions let me know and I'll be honest. I can also ask my mom who grew up here and stayed here to raise me!

[pjmiami]

I will second, or third, or maybe its forth, the recommendation that you look at Kalamazoo and Portage to live instead of Battle Creek. While you will find the midwestern culture quite different from the West Coast culture, you might also welcome some of these differences, especially if you are raising a family. You'll find W. Michigan family friendly and the city of Kalamazoo fairly liberal in comparison to other smaller towns and cities, although like the rest of Michigan, it has its fair share of conservatives. But, I lived in Kazoo for 20 plus years and its a pretty tolerant place, nobody seems to have a big axe to grind politically so for the most part its live and let live. The presence of K College and WMU definitely provides youth, vitality and energy that I think impacts the city in positive ways--just don't live near the student ghetto or you'll get a bit too much of that energy in the form of the typical college drunken party. Otherwise, there are interesting and intelligent people there and WMU's grad programs and research outlets provide a decent influx of diversity that isn't present in other places. You will also find a surprising number of arts and cultural opportunities there: the Civic Theatre, the New Vic, the State Theatre for cool concerts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival which is astonishing in and of itself:

The Gilmore | Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Regarding cost of living, property taxes, etc., coming from California you will be dancing in the streets when you find out how much cheaper it is to live there. Kalamazoo has a couple of excellent city neighborhoods where I raised my kids: friendly, community oriented, diverse and absolutely the best Halloween trick-or-treating experiences a kid could dream of--I mean classic!

Feel free to PM me if you'd like specific neighborhood information--can you tell I miss living there?!

[pjmiami]

I just noticed that you expressed an interest in living outside the city with some land: if that's the case, I'd look at the Richland area in the Gull Lake school district. It can be pricey out there if you're by the lake but the schools are very good and I think its affordable if you're not by the lake. Its also a beautiful area. Check out the WK Kellogg Bird Sanctuary--kids can feed the geese, etc. Its nice

[Hughe Jass]

Ive lived in battle creek for a few years. Crime is not an issue if you live in the nice parts of town. I dont know how much longer it will be this way though. its getting worse everyday.

[deslok]

It really depends on what you are looking for, do not let anyone sell you on one thing or another. These places are very black and white, they are what they are. To one person Battle Creek might be a great place to raise kids, and to another they might find it is very limiting to children, lacks culture, lacks competition and diversity. Others might think it is great due to those very same limitations. To me, any area can be nice if you don't have a neighbor close by ( the country), and own an affordable home ( any of the places mentioned have this available) Question is, do you want to live in the middle of nowhere and drive 15 minutes to civilzation?
Angel is correct, people are very nosy in this part of the State. It almost feels like if you don't open up, people are like " what the heck, why won't you tell me your family history" I get that vibe in Wisconsin when I am there too, so maybe it's a midwest thing. Crime impacts all of Battle Creek, not from a sense of gunshots in the suburbs, but from the fact that the city is VERY spread out geographically. If there was not so much crime, there would not be so much distance from one part of the city to the next. Battle Creek really is about 4 different cities ( lakeview, pennfield, Harper creek, battle creek central downtown) rolled into one. There are no real "nice" areas, just certain parts of Lakeview, Harper creek, and to a lesser extent Pennfield that have safe, clean neighborhoods, but nothing really of note beyond that. Kalamazoo is not much better then Battle Creek, the people that say that are mostly those that have never lived outside of Michigan or are homesick. It is from my friends that visited me while there "a bigger version of Battle Creek, dressed up with a few more bars and a larger college presence". Try GR or Saint Joesph Michigan. At least in St Joe, you might be sheltered, but you'll be on the lake. =)

[pjmiami]

"Kalamazoo is not much better then Battle Creek, the people that say that are mostly those that have never lived outside of Michigan or are homesick. It is from my friends that visited me while there "a bigger version of Battle Creek, dressed up with a few more bars and a larger college presence". "

So, anyone who sees differences between Kalamazoo and BC is delusional? Perhaps if, as you say, Battle Creek actually WAS a bigger, dressed up version of itself with a large university (in other words, a different town entirely), it would be comparable. In the meantime, Kazoo really does have more to offer.

[JessicaGM08]

PS- my mom worked at Kelloggs for over 25 years before moving to Maryland after getting married. She loved her 3 minutes commute

Also- BC has an awesome zoo and Full Blast waterpark and game area for kids... there are tons of beaches around. Guess it depends on how far you are willing to drive.

[Orwelleaut]

Originally Posted by deslok

It really depends on what you are looking for, do not let anyone sell you on one thing or another. These places are very black and white, they are what they are. To one person Battle Creek might be a great place to raise kids, and to another they might find it is very limiting to children, lacks culture, lacks competition and diversity. Others might think it is great due to those very same limitations. To me, any area can be nice if you don't have a neighbor close by ( the country), and own an affordable home ( any of the places mentioned have this available) Question is, do you want to live in the middle of nowhere and drive 15 minutes to civilzation?
Angel is correct, people are very nosy in this part of the State. It almost feels like if you don't open up, people are like " what the heck, why won't you tell me your family history" I get that vibe in Wisconsin when I am there too, so maybe it's a midwest thing. Crime impacts all of Battle Creek, not from a sense of gunshots in the suburbs, but from the fact that the city is VERY spread out geographically. If there was not so much crime, there would not be so much distance from one part of the city to the next. Battle Creek really is about 4 different cities ( lakeview, pennfield, Harper creek, battle creek central downtown) rolled into one. There are no real "nice" areas, just certain parts of Lakeview, Harper creek, and to a lesser extent Pennfield that have safe, clean neighborhoods, but nothing really of note beyond that. Kalamazoo is not much better then Battle Creek, the people that say that are mostly those that have never lived outside of Michigan or are homesick. It is from my friends that visited me while there "a bigger version of Battle Creek, dressed up with a few more bars and a larger college presence". Try GR or Saint Joesph Michigan. At least in St Joe, you might be sheltered, but you'll be on the lake. =)

You certainly say some interesting things, deslok....

If one wants to avoid crime, why on earth would they live in St. Joseph, with good old Benton Harlem across the river? As anyone who has lived in MI at all knows, Benton Harbor is called Benton Harlem for a reason.

And what is this thing about West Michigan people pumping people for info? I lived in Lansing for several years and spent a fair amount of time in G.R. Folks here are more reserved than in the other MI cities like Flint or Lansing. I think you are mistaking attempts to be personable and get to know others for something fueled by ill will. One way of getting to know others is through asking others about themselves.