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Hello. Here's a bit of my story:
I grew up near Grand Rapids and left the country in 2007. I have visited my family every now and then but I have noticed that (as every other big city) things have become a bit too progressive for me and I'm looking for a place to come back with my husband and children.
Basically, I'm looking for Grand Rapids suburbs in the 80's but I'm not sure if that exists. I wouldn't like to live in a remote town for example either.
Some relatives have mentioned Greenville SC, Lincoln NE, Pensacola FL as possible options, but I'm not sure and to be honest, I haven't travelled my country that much.
Let me know if you have any suggestions, but my priorities to find are:
- Between 100K and 300K population
- Great schools
- Low crime
- As conservative as it gets
Good luck.
Might be some pockets here and there but nothing I can think of right off that would stand out.
Since 2008, this country veered hard to the left, slid across the median and into oncoming traffic.
It’s gotten weird.
Good luck.
Might be some pockets here and there but nothing I can think of right off that would stand out.
Since 2008, this country veered hard to the left, slid across the median and into oncoming traffic.
It’s gotten weird.
The 3 metros you mentioned are all bigger than your given population range, at least for metros. If you meant 100-300k for core city by itself, you could get some of those or other different names.
Some possibilities assuming you meant metros of 100-300k:
Appleton WI
Green Bay WI (slightly too big)
Wausau WI
Or maybe
Bowling Green KY
Lynchburg VA
Tuscaloosa, AL
I didn't check crime rates or schools. That might be a deal breaker on one or more of the latter 3.
If you want "great" schools, you might need a rich suburb, private school or perhaps a place that isn't conservative.
The first that comes to mind, After being away, what did you miss the most? The thing I was most nostalgic about was rural mid-Americe. so I settled in a town of 4,000 in Kansas, and loved it.
For 100k-300k population, do you mean a total metro area population of 100k-300k? For example, a town of 40,000 people could have a metro area population of 150,000. You're talking about that small?
Or, are you referring a suburban area where the suburban area itself has 100k-300k population?
This is actually a challenging question because to have great schools and be an area as nice as Grand Rapids suburbs typically ends up being larger cities. College towns have to be ruled out because government employees are not conservative and smaller cities often either don't have nice suburbs as you described or aren't really growing areas.
Some places I landed on are:
- Spartanburg, South Carolina (growing but not too big...very conservative area as growing places go). This one seems like the best of the list to me because of relatively small size and booming economy and location.
- Bentonville, Arkansas (Home of Wal-Mart)
- Madison, Alabama (suburb of Huntsville...I imagine it to be conservative, especially this suburb, even they do have all the federal aerospace workers)
- Fairhope, Alabama - Across the bay from Mobile, this is conservative and pretty especially if you like the water
- Knoxville - this is bigger than you requested but the western suburbs (Farragut) don't feel that big and are pretty. Next to Smokies.
- Franklin, TN - A suburb of Nashville but once you get down there it doesn't seem all that big.
- Mount Pleasant, SC - suburb of Charleston...lovely, beaches
- York, SC - Outside Charlotte, this is a lovely small town just outside Charlotte suburbs. Classic small town.
- Southern Pines, NC - resort area south of Raleigh, NC, great weather which is why all the golf courses are there apparently
- Edmond, Oklahoma - Really nice suburb outside OKC, very conservative and very attractive city (way more trees and hills than you would think) with solid economy.
- Boise (scenery, safe, growing...seems like great choice), Colorado Springs (scenery, safe), Sioux Falls SD (growing, safe), West Des Moines (growing, safe), Appleton, Wisconsin (said to be really nice for a smaller city), Dayton, Ohio suburbs (uncrowded, clean/nice, great location outside Cincinnati but not too close)... All conservative and nice and not too big.
- Birmingham suburbs are very nice and ultra conservative. It's larger than you requested but the nicest suburban part is probably less 300k people altogether and separate from the main city by a ridge. This feels like a good choice for you.
- Auburn, Alabama - Lovely, growing community and conservative even though it's a college town.
- Madison, MS - Very conservative, upscale/clean and green, good schools, the suburban area itself is about 60,000 people.
- Oxford, MS, Pass Christian, MS, Ocean Springs, MS, Hernando, MS - Conservative, smaller than you requested but pretty and have good schools
The 3 metros you mentioned are all bigger than your given population range, at least for metros. If you meant 100-300k for core city by itself, you could get some of those or other different names.
Some possibilities assuming you meant metros of 100-300k:
Appleton WI
Green Bay WI (slightly too big)
Wausau WI
Or maybe
Bowling Green KY
Lynchburg VA
Tuscaloosa, AL
I didn't check crime rates or schools. That might be a deal breaker on one or more of the latter 3.
If you want "great" schools, you might need a rich suburb, private school or perhaps a place that isn't conservative.
Good list. I'd add Cookeville and Johnson City TN, maybe also Logan UT.
I know Grand Rapids has purpled quite a bit, but It’s a new one for me to hear that the whole area has gotten TOO liberal. Is it just that you want a change? Grand Rapids western suburbs, specifically Hudsonville, Jenison, Zeeland, and West Olive are probably the most conservative areas in all of Michigan. This along with having some of the best and most well funded school districts in the state.
I would think Ottawa County fits your criteria almost perfectly. You get all the economic benefits and opportunities that come with being in the GR area, but it still retains those strong Calvinist/Christian values that have defined it for decades. It feels worlds away from the more progressive/elitist eastern side of GR's metro.
The core of every population cluster is likely going to be too progressive for you. Why specifically would you avoid GR when it offers so much of what you’re looking already? Other than perhaps it being too familiar?
- Between 100K and 300K population
- Great schools
- Low crime
- As conservative as it gets
*Jonesboro, Arkansas
*Frankfort, Kentucky
*Owensboro, Kentucky
*Lawton, Oklahoma
*Charleston, West Virginia
*Huntsville, Alabama area
*Decatur, Alabama
*Dothan, Alabama
*Kingsport, Tennessee
*Cookeville, Tennessee
*Greenville, South Carolina suburbs
*Evansville, Indiana region
*Springfield, Missouri region
My advice is stick to "red states" politically, if you are looking to be "as conservative as it gets."
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