Grand Haven as a place to live year round (Grand Rapids: buying a home, employment)

[caspadella11352]

I've posted some other threads in this forum related to relocating from AZ and have received some helpful input, hoping for some more....I'm curious what living in Grand Haven is like especially during the summer. I imagine it becomes congested with tourists in the summer and am trying to get away from that living in AZ, as we become highly infested in the winter with out of towners and it makes daily living unpleasant, traffic is congested, longer lines at the store, and people driving like idiots. I like the area east of the Hofma preserve and there seems to be some nice homes in our price range in that area, and the schools seem to be great. Also, a possible job opportunity that looks good in Muskegon so the commute wouldnt be horrible, but would like the option of being able to work in Grand Rapids as well if that gig didn't work out in the future. Can anyone speak to the general population increase during tourist time? And any other input about Grand Haven related to raising a family and buying a home there, including weather since I am not used to snow. TIA!!

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by caspadella11352

I've posted some other threads in this forum related to relocating from AZ and have received some helpful input, hoping for some more....I'm curious what living in Grand Haven is like especially during the summer. I imagine it becomes congested with tourists in the summer and am trying to get away from that living in AZ, as we become highly infested in the winter with out of towners and it makes daily living unpleasant, traffic is congested, longer lines at the store, and people driving like idiots. I like the area east of the Hofma preserve and there seems to be some nice homes in our price range in that area, and the schools seem to be great. Also, a possible job opportunity that looks good in Muskegon so the commute wouldnt be horrible, but would like the option of being able to work in Grand Rapids as well if that gig didn't work out in the future. Can anyone speak to the general population increase during tourist time? And any other input about Grand Haven related to raising a family and buying a home there, including weather since I am not used to snow. TIA!!

So I live in Grand Rapids and have been commuting to Grand Haven for the last couple of years.

Some things to know about Grand Haven. On paper it appears that Grand Haven is this smallish cute lakeshore town of 11,000 people. However the immediate area it occupies is a collection of cities and townships that equate to a small urbanized area of about 50,000 people. The Grand Haven area blends into the southern portion of the urbanized Muskegon area, so you're really looking at an area with the immediate amenities for a metro of about 200,000 people.

That said traffic in Grand Haven is always a pain in the butt no matter what time of the year. This has more to do with the State of Michigan and it's epic history of refusing to upgrade the infrastructure in the parts of the state that are growing. Still if you're coming from one of the larger AZ cities (I spent 6 years in Phoenix) it shouldn't seem too bad. Grand Haven is known for it's touristy lakeshore vibe, and you will notice the uptick in seasonal residents and tourists. Some what lesser known(by design) is that Grand Haven is also home to several mid sized auto parts manufacturers (among others) so it's got a pretty solid year round employment base. The year round population is less transient than you would realize from a google search, and the seasonal fluxes while inconvenient are not overwhelming. There are only a few weeks/weekends a year I avoid GH due to the tourists.

The tourist activity is concentrated along Beacon Blvd (US-31) and west toward the downtown area, and the lakeshore. If you are interested in relocating to Grand Haven concentrate your search on the areas east of US-31. It's much easier to get in and out of the city on this side of town. On the days the drawbridge is active and traffic comes to a crawl you can sneak out on one of the back routes. The area around Hofma Preserve would fall into this category. If you don't mind being more in the country I'd even look at properties in Robinson and Grand Haven Twp's as well.

I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have more pointed questions, i'll be happy to help.

[caspadella11352]

Originally Posted by mjlo

So I live in Grand Rapids and have been commuting to Grand Haven for the last couple of years.

Some things to know about Grand Haven. On paper it appears that Grand Haven is this smallish cute lakeshore town of 11,000 people. However the immediate area it occupies is a collection of cities and townships that equate to a small urbanized area of about 50,000 people. The Grand Haven area blends into the southern portion of the urbanized Muskegon area, so you're really looking at an area with the immediate amenities for a metro of about 200,000 people.

That said traffic in Grand Haven is always a pain in the butt no matter what time of the year. This has more to do with the State of Michigan and it's epic history of refusing to upgrade the infrastructure in the parts of the state that are growing. Still if you're coming from one of the larger AZ cities (I spent 6 years in Phoenix) it shouldn't seem too bad. Grand Haven is known for it's touristy lakeshore vibe, and you will notice the uptick in seasonal residents and tourists. Some what lesser known(by design) is that Grand Haven is also home to several mid sized auto parts manufacturers (among others) so it's got a pretty solid year round employment base. The year round population is less transient than you would realize from a google search, and the seasonal fluxes while inconvenient are not overwhelming. There are only a few weeks/weekends a year I avoid GH due to the tourists.

The tourist activity is concentrated along Beacon Blvd (US-31) and west toward the downtown area, and the lakeshore. If you are interested in relocating to Grand Haven concentrate your search on the areas east of US-31. It's much easier to get in and out of the city on this side of town. On the days the drawbridge is active and traffic comes to a crawl you can sneak out on one of the back routes. The area around Hofma Preserve would fall into this category. If you don't mind being more in the country I'd even look at properties in Robinson and Grand Haven Twp's as well.

I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have more pointed questions, i'll be happy to help.

Thank you, we have lived in Phoenix metro area for over 7 years now. We are really hoping that it is different there in the Grand Rapids area, we want a slower pace and less crowded. We are also looking at Rockford and Zeeland or Hudsonville area for the schools. On my visit to the area recently I liked the feel of Grand Haven but it was November so of course there were no crowds in the beach areas, in fact I didn't run into traffic anywhere on my visit to the area except in Holland. Thanks so much!!

[mjlo]

Originally Posted by caspadella11352

Thank you, we have lived in Phoenix metro area for over 7 years now. We are really hoping that it is different there in the Grand Rapids area, we want a slower pace and less crowded. We are also looking at Rockford and Zeeland or Hudsonville area for the schools. On my visit to the area recently I liked the feel of Grand Haven but it was November so of course there were no crowds in the beach areas, in fact I didn't run into traffic anywhere on my visit to the area except in Holland. Thanks so much!!

Yeah if you are in Grand Haven on the weekend in the off season it's going to feel a lot more quiet. I think it's safe to say that no matter where you go in West Michigan it's going to feel less crowded than Phoenix The population is growing and the traffic is getting worse, and the freeways slow down for about 4-5 hours during Friday rush hours in the warmer seasons. But again it's still going to feel easy in comparison to a major market like PHX.