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Old 03-11-2012, 01:10 PM
 
19 posts, read 90,481 times
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I ran across a side discussion on another thread about charming towns near GR & it made me want to revive it to see if there is consensus among you. I couldn't figure out how to quote it on this new thread.

So, I'm looking for a list of quaint/charming towns (or even scenically beautiful suburbs w/out a downtown) within about 40 min or less to GR. Good schools are important too, but I can look up those stats up myself if we narrow down a list. I already know about Rockford, so we can start there. Thanks for your opinion!
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Old 03-12-2012, 08:23 AM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
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Grand Haven is probably just inside your perimeter. The lake & the dunes are gorgeous, and a lot of town takes advantage of that. Lowell might also be worth a look.
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Old 03-12-2012, 10:04 AM
 
Location: West Michigan
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Quote:
Grand Haven is probably just inside your perimeter. The lake & the dunes are gorgeous, and a lot of town takes advantage of that. Lowell might also be worth a look.
I would also take a look at Lowell. Depending on where, it is a 20-30 minute commute into GR from Lowell. It has a nice, traditional main street. Good schools. And my favorite part about Lowell is the surrounding countryside. Lots of rolling hills, woods, farms, orchards... much better scenery than some of the other outlying areas.

Holland and Grand Haven are wonderful also, but they are not as close as Lowell, especially when looking at mileage.
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:16 PM
 
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Holland, Grand Haven and Rockford are the ones that fill your requirements. All the extras that comes with Holland and Grand Haven are hard to overcome, though. Beaches, REAL downtowns, great schools, and all the amenities of a great small city. Holland has one up on GH too -- Hope College. iI provides sports, arts, cultural and other benefits.
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Old 03-12-2012, 06:17 PM
 
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Thanks, everyone! We'll take at look at all four of these areas on our upcoming visit.
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Old 03-12-2012, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Viña del Mar, Chile
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I'm going with Grand Haven, I really like Grand Haven a lot. I personally think Rockford could be a liiiiiitle boring to do if you're going to visit, but that's just me. I think you'll find more to do an see if you go to GH.

If you could convince your husband, you could check out Saugatuck lol.
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Old 03-12-2012, 09:17 PM
 
Location: East Grand Rapids, MI
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Two things I would add:
A) 40 minutes from Grand Rapids encompasses nearly the entire region. If you are working in G.R. you will probably want to be closer (though everyone's suggestions the far have been far closer).

B) You should check out East Grand Rapids. It has a nice little downtown, great walkable neighborhoods, fantastic schools, etc. Worth checking out for sure. Other suggestions are great as well. Have a great visit!
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Old 03-13-2012, 10:59 AM
 
Location: The Mitten.
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You want charming? Saugatuck/Douglas, without a doubt. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

(really, I did not mean for that to rhyme.)
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Old 03-15-2012, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Grand Rapids Metro
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Originally Posted by Zenstyle View Post
You want charming? Saugatuck/Douglas, without a doubt. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

(really, I did not mean for that to rhyme.)
I'd second that. Not sure how the schools are.

Spring Lake is not bad for schools, maybe even better than Grand Haven (but you get access to Grand Haven right across the river).
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Old 03-15-2012, 04:22 PM
 
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We are a bit more interested in southern areas so that we wouldn't distance ourselves too much from poss. job opportunities in Holland or Zeeland (in addition to GR) though Grand Haven or Spring Lake sound really nice.

Holland has the best/most houses in our low price range, but the school districts are iffy, being generally ranked around 50 (out of 100) in the state. Although people on these threads have said that Holland schools are good. So we'd have to do more checking on that.

It turns out Saugatuck middle & H.S. are pretty good; the elementary is so-so. The house choices in our range are quite slim, but I found one with a cottage included! We just might have to check it out! Thanks.
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