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On paper, these two areas appear to be very similar. As you can probably tell, I am considering these two cities for the colleges (Purdue, Michigan State). They are both very similarly sized areas and I'm assuming also similar in cost of living. Lansing/East is slightly larger. They both have a river running through the area. I'm sure the weather is also similar. Both areas have strong college presences too. I am near 30 years old, so I don't really care about the party/night life so much these days, so bars/clubs are not a factor here.
Which cities would you guys choose to live and why? what is better about one than the other? are these relatively safe areas? how is the housing stock and overall architecture (bland suburbia or actual nice, old brick, etc.). Does one have more "charm" and character than the other? what makes one city stand out over the other? how about natural beauty such as landscape/scenery and parks? amenity wise (shopping, entertainment, culture, food) , how do they stack up against each other? would love to hear some opinions here.
Last edited by Clevelander216; 06-26-2017 at 03:17 PM..
Reason: formatting, grammar
I've been to Lafayette and Purdue. Have not been to Lansing. I understand the metro of Lansing is probably over twice the size of Lafayette. Also you have to take into account Lansing being a state capitol. My thought would be that Lafayette/ West Lafayette would be a more traditional college town than Lansing/East Lansing. Lansing might be more urban and cosmopolitan.
Obviously the directional city in both cases is made up mostly of college people compared to the larger core town. Lafayette did not seem as large as the 70K that are purported to live there IMO. And West Lafayette didn't seem as large as it is supposed to be either. Lafayette has a wonderful old courthouse surrounded by the downtown (like most county seats in Indiana) then the river, then in West Lafayette the student commercial district and then the campus of Purdue.
I have heard that Michigan State has a quite striking campus. I thought Purdue was just ok looking. That being said, the area had a bit of charm and seemed to have a relaxed atmosphere.
I'm hoping to be able to see Michigan State someday.
I've been to Lafayette and Purdue. Have not been to Lansing. I understand the metro of Lansing is probably over twice the size of Lafayette. Also you have to take into account Lansing being a state capitol. My thought would be that Lafayette/ West Lafayette would be a more traditional college town than Lansing/East Lansing. Lansing might be more urban and cosmopolitan.
Obviously the directional city in both cases is made up mostly of college people compared to the larger core town. Lafayette did not seem as large as the 70K that are purported to live there IMO. And West Lafayette didn't seem as large as it is supposed to be either. Lafayette has a wonderful old courthouse surrounded by the downtown (like most county seats in Indiana) then the river, then in West Lafayette the student commercial district and then the campus of Purdue.
I have heard that Michigan State has a quite striking campus. I thought Purdue was just ok looking. That being said, the area had a bit of charm and seemed to have a relaxed atmosphere.
I'm hoping to be able to see Michigan State someday.
I was going to say that Lansing/East Lansing is bigger and it is more diverse as well.
Thanks for the input so far guys. Any idea on the safety of each city?
Not sure about Lafayette/West Lafayette, but East Lansing is by and large a safe college town/city. Lansing from what I can remember can be rough in parts of its West and South sides(correct me if I'm wrong on that), but in general, the area isn't too bad in terms of crime.
Lansing does have some neighborhoods you may like to check out like REO Town just south of Downtown and Old Town north of Downtown as well. REO Town Commercial Association
A former MSU major-team coach who graduated from Purdue told me W. Lafayette was way more conservative than East Lansing, which is well toward the liberal end...
Just recently East Lansing was sued because it banned a vendor at the EL Farmer's Market because the vendor bans same-sex marriages on its property.
Isn't East Lansing far more of a real college town than West Lafayette is?
"East Lansing", as a community, was there from the start when MAC (today's MSU) was established. The town and the university grew together. West Lafayette didn't come into existence until well into the 20th century. Before it did, Purdue's location was always given as "Lafayette"; no one ever said MSU was in Lansing.
MSU is well removed from downtown Lansing. Downtown Lafayette is but a mile, at most, from Purdue. Any way you slice it, Purdue is "a part" of Lafayette in a way that MSU is not a part of Lansing.
East Lansing comes across as a "college town" in ways West Lafayette does not. Lansing and East Lansing comes across as distinct places, each having its own identity. West Lafayette, on the other hand, seems more just an extension of Lafayette, a spill over of that city, very much dictated by the fact that downtown Lafayette, where the city was founded, is exceedingly close to Purdue
Isn't East Lansing far more of a real college town than West Lafayette is?
"East Lansing", as a community, was there from the start when MAC (today's MSU) was established. The town and the university grew together. West Lafayette didn't come into existence until well into the 20th century. Before it did, Purdue's location was always given as "Lafayette"; no one ever said MSU was in Lansing.
MSU is well removed from downtown Lansing. Downtown Lafayette is but a mile, at most, from Purdue. Any way you slice it, Purdue is "a part" of Lafayette in a way that MSU is not a part of Lansing.
East Lansing comes across as a "college town" in ways West Lafayette does not. Lansing and East Lansing comes across as distinct places, each having its own identity. West Lafayette, on the other hand, seems more just an extension of Lafayette, a spill over of that city, very much dictated by the fact that downtown Lafayette, where the city was founded, is exceedingly close to Purdue
Yes, East Lansing and Lansing basically have their own individual scenes. So, in a sense, they operate almost more like twin cities, as both cities have their own Downtown scenes, with Lansing also having a couple of other popular/trendy neighborhoods near its Downtown. Even CATA has East Lansing specific bus lines within the general metro system, which is pretty solid, by the way.
Another thing with Lansing/East Lansing is that there are sizable suburbs throughout the area. Generally, those to the east like Okemos and Haslett in Meridian Township are relatively more affluent, along parts of East Lansing, DeWitt and the Holt area nearby. A lot of college students do their big box shopping in Okemos at Meridian Mall and stores nearby down Grand River Avenue.
Also, the suburbs in the Lansing/East Lansing area are generally have a visible/notable degree of cultural/racial diversity. Outside of the 2 cities, the Waverly area west of the city into eastern Eaton County is probably 50/50 in terms of white/non white students and schools are OK/solid. Holt, Okemos and then Grand Ledge and Haslett come behind in that order, give or take. All are solid/good to very good school districts as well.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 06-30-2017 at 03:21 PM..
Isn't East Lansing far more of a real college town than West Lafayette is?
"East Lansing", as a community, was there from the start when MAC (today's MSU) was established. The town and the university grew together. West Lafayette didn't come into existence until well into the 20th century. Before it did, Purdue's location was always given as "Lafayette"; no one ever said MSU was in Lansing.
MSU is well removed from downtown Lansing. Downtown Lafayette is but a mile, at most, from Purdue. Any way you slice it, Purdue is "a part" of Lafayette in a way that MSU is not a part of Lansing.
East Lansing comes across as a "college town" in ways West Lafayette does not. Lansing and East Lansing comes across as distinct places, each having its own identity. West Lafayette, on the other hand, seems more just an extension of Lafayette, a spill over of that city, very much dictated by the fact that downtown Lafayette, where the city was founded, is exceedingly close to Purdue
You're on the right track, edsg. The town and the college did grow together more organically, although MSU was there well before EL as a separate town.
Actually the original Agricultural College of the State of Michigan (1855) (then State Agricultural College (1861) then MAC (1909) ... and so on, till 1955/1964 with MSU)), originally was a village campus. That is, there was really no town at all -- students and professors only had housing on the campus itself or had to travel by horse-buggy over dirt/mud Michigan Ave from Lansing, 3 miles west. Up to the turn of the 20th century, the campus was officially in an unincorporated rural area of Meridian Township, although materials denoting the College of the era all stated "Lansing" as its address (it's funny to see so many incorrect histories state MSU was founded in East Lansing, because clearly there was no EL when the school was founded)...
This situation existed until around the late 1880s when well-known profs William Beal and Rolla Carpenter (who was also an alum) began mapping and laying out streets in the Delta area of today's East Lansing which, originally, was called "Collegeville" until formally founded as a separate community of "East Lansing" in 1907. I believe there were only around 200 people living in the town when EL was founded. But beginning around WWI the town began explosive growth as it became not only MSC's/MSU's college hometown, but more suburban-ish also as the home of many state legislators, execs and white-collar types from Oldsmobile. EL kept growing until, today, it has between 1/3 and 1/2 Lansing's population, though totally free of any hard industry.
Last edited by TheProf; 06-30-2017 at 04:35 PM..
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