[ruca25]

I am relocating my family to the Kzoo area this summer d/t a job transfer. I'm an acute hemodialysis RN and while my new job will consist of travel to about 7 different hospitals and L-techs (Bronson, Borgess, Foote, Jackson, etc.) my home base will be in Kzoo. My daughter will be a junior in HS next year and has some learning disabilities so my primary concern is finding a school district that can provide the special services she needs (we are in the Livonia school district now.) Second to that, of course, is finding affordable housing in a good neighborhood. My children are mixed and my husband is African-American so tolerance, if not diversity is also important. Can anyone point me in the right direction? We've been told Portage is a good school district, but it seems a little pricey. Please help! School's out soon, my job starts May 1st and we need to get moving!

[northstar22]

I'm from the Kzoo area, graduated from WMU, and now I live in beautiful Minnesota.

Kzoo schools are alright, but much more diverse than Portage schools. Portage isn't all that expensive, especially if you stay away from the subdivisions. You can also look into Galesburg, Richland/Gull Lake, Mattawan, Three Rivers, and Schoolcraft. Also, Michigan has school choice, so you don't have to live in the school district your child attends. You shouldn't have to worry about racism - I'm black and multiracial, and I've never experienced any discrimination in those areas.

Affordable housing is everywhere right now, especially in Michigan. Stay away from the north side of Kalamazoo, it is a dangerous ghetto. The Edison neighborhood, on the east side of Kzoo is sketchy, but improving. The actual Eastside neighborhood is ghetto. Anywhere else in the city of Kalamazoo is good. There are no bad areas of Portage, Mattawan, Galesburg, Three Rivers, etc. Since you live in Livonia, it sounds like you'd like Portage or Mattawan, which are very suburban areas.

You are very blessed to have a job in Kzoo. I looked for over a year with no success. Unemployment is very high throughout the entire state of Michigan.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by flyingwriter

I'm from the Kzoo area, graduated from WMU, and now I live in beautiful Minnesota.

Kzoo schools are alright, but much more diverse than Portage schools. Portage isn't all that expensive, especially if you stay away from the subdivisions. You can also look into Galesburg, Richland/Gull Lake, Mattawan, Three Rivers, and Schoolcraft. Also, Michigan has school choice, so you don't have to live in the school district your child attends. You shouldn't have to worry about racism - I'm black and multiracial, and I've never experienced any discrimination in those areas.

Affordable housing is everywhere right now, especially in Michigan. Stay away from the north side of Kalamazoo, it is a dangerous ghetto. The Edison neighborhood, on the east side of Kzoo is sketchy, but improving. The actual Eastside neighborhood is ghetto. Anywhere else in the city of Kalamazoo is good. There are no bad areas of Portage, Mattawan, Galesburg, Three Rivers, etc. Since you live in Livonia, it sounds like you'd like Portage or Mattawan, which are very suburban areas.

You are very blessed to have a job in Kzoo. I looked for over a year with no success. Unemployment is very high throughout the entire state of Michigan.

It's a shame about the north end. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in K'zoo at my grandparents house on the north end (on a street running north, off of Douglas). My father's sister lived on a street 2 blocks south of Douglas.

A few years back I went to Michigan & wanted to visit my grandparents graves. The only way that I knew to get there was to go to my grandparents house & drive from there.

The street that my grandparents house was on was not bad, but as soon as I crossed Douglas it was very scary.

Portage seems to be a reasonably good place. One of my cousins retired from teaching in Portage. He did have one threat, although the threat came from a distant relative.

Portage seems to be where a lot of the baby boomers who grew up on the north side went, according to another cousin, who moved there.