What part of west Michigan would fit us? (Muskegon, Holland: how much, house)

[kittena]

Hi! Sorry for yet another "moving to GR thread" but we would really appreciate some input on areas in the greater metro (or beyond) that might fit us. We're moving to the area in 2 months.



About us: we're a married couple in our mid-30s, no kids, liberal, atheist. I'm originally from the UP (so weather isn't a concern), and my husband is from the deep south, and we both miss Michigan desperately. We work remotely (tech industry) so we're open to living up to an hour away from the city. We're friendly but like peace and quiet at home.



-Politics aren't the top of our concerns, I'm aware w. mi is more conservative. Of course it'd be a nice bonus, but ultimately we just want to be in a blue, legal state again.



-We want to buy a house with a little land (0.5 acres at least?) for under 300k in a very clean, safe area. We really want some privacy away from direct neighbors and space to do things outside.



-A good medical facility in the area. Something smaller that feeds into one of the major GR hospitals would be fine.



-Good internet and delivery services (groceries, restaurants), so nothing too rural.



-Long-shot in our budget but something near some body of water would be the absolute dream. Maybe there's an affordable lake/pond community I don't know about? Like I said long-shot, lol.


I've been looking at Grand Haven, Holland, and Rockford, but I'm not really sure if those are a good fit for us or not.


We're probably going to live in downtown GR for a few months while we explore the area and house-hunt. Thanks for any help with this!!

[GrandRapidsNative]

There are a few smaller lakes or large ponds through out the Grandville and Jenison/Hudsonville area that could be purchased for around $300k. Grandville would be pretty close to a medical area and much shopping also.

Grand haven is a wonderful area. Very popular with Tourists in the Summer with many festivals and events. Plus there is the waterfront beach area that is one of the best around as far as I am concerned. Prices in the City are close to your budget though. But it would be a cool area to live in.

Rockford has many lakes. Many which are private with little to no access to a non waterfront owner. Still you could find a smaller home in that area with the lot size close to $300k but it won't be too close to a large medical facility.

[kittena]

Originally Posted by GrandRapidsNative

There are a few smaller lakes or large ponds through out the Grandville and Jenison/Hudsonville area that could be purchased for around $300k. Grandville would be pretty close to a medical area and much shopping also.

Grand haven is a wonderful area. Very popular with Tourists in the Summer with many festivals and events. Plus there is the waterfront beach area that is one of the best around as far as I am concerned. Prices in the City are close to your budget though. But it would be a cool area to live in.

Rockford has many lakes. Many which are private with little to no access to a non waterfront owner. Still you could find a smaller home in that area with the lot size close to $300k but it won't be too close to a large medical facility.

Thank you SO much. I keep seeing Jenison/Hudsonville popup in my searches so you've confirmed the general area I've been looking at, and Grand Haven does look like it'd be a perfect fit. I'm going to check out Grandville more too.


Really appreciate the input!!

[michigan lizard]

Grand Haven is crawling with cops. Certain things might be legal in Michigan, but you may still run into some trouble with "legal stuff" in a place like GH. I would not move to Hudsonville as an atheist. They just seem to be exceptionally churchy in that area. Ottawa county as a whole seems to be extra-churchy. It also tends to be less affordable that my county (Muskegon). There have been places in Norton Shores >0.5 acres for $300k, but inventory is so low right now, I don't think that's currently the case. Fruitport probably has some, as well as North of Muskegon. You'd be likely stuck with Comcast for internet in these areas. The city of Holland does offer broadband internet, but only to businesses (for now). I do not know their coverage area--maybe not to a place that is out far enough to afford > 0.5 acres for your price limit. I think the other options for internet in the area are Comcast and Charter. I guess check their service addresses to make sure you can get something decent. My coworker lives somewhere south end of Holland, and just recently was able to get Comcast, as they finally brought service down her road (close to Lake Michigan). Before that, she was SOL with crappy options. Even Comcast (lowest tier service) seems to not work great when my DH and I are both working from home, and then you add the kids trying to watch Netflix at the same time.
My handiman lives somewhere in the Saugutuck school district, but I'm not sure exactly where. He says that he's got really cheap, lightning fast internet from some federal program for rural areas. I do not know how affordable the area is, though, and Saugutuck is really artsy but small.

[beachmouse]

Jenison/Hudsonville remains one of the most conservative and churchy parts of the region. How much wiggle room on the restaurant delivery point? Sparta is Rockford-adjacent and kind of flies under the radar. If you're okay with former farmland rather than 'up north' with lots of trees, parts of Walker, Comstock Park and Tallmadge Township have some good-sized lots, you aren't going to pay a trendy location surcharge, and there's a lot of newer commercial/restaurant development of the Standale side of Walker geared toward GVSU students commuting into Allendale.

[kittena]

Thank you so much guys!!

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Jenison/Hudsonville remains one of the most conservative and churchy parts of the region. How much wiggle room on the restaurant delivery point? Sparta is Rockford-adjacent and kind of flies under the radar. If you're okay with former farmland rather than 'up north' with lots of trees, parts of Walker, Comstock Park and Tallmadge Township have some good-sized lots, you aren't going to pay a trendy location surcharge, and there's a lot of newer commercial/restaurant development of the Standale side of Walker geared toward GVSU students commuting into Allendale.

Great ideas I hadn't considered, there's definitely some promising stuff in these areas.


We'd actually be open to living in GR itself, I do see some properties with enough of a wooded yard and space between neighbors that it feels like more space than it really is. I see a lot of good prices (some even well under even $250k) but I can't tell if those are sketchy neighborhoods. The reason I'm looking at GR proper now is because it seems a lot that we want might be at odds with more rural living. I think our big thing is just not being 10 feet from a neighbor lol.

[beachmouse]

The part of the West Side of GR west of Covell Road has long been one of the safest parts of Kent County and has some larger lot subdivisions. My parents have about an acre on a creek just inside the city limits.

[KenTheFramer]

Stay away from Oceana County,,,,Very safe, good medical care, good restaurants of all types,, beautiful lakes and streams, with ver low priced land, in medium to large sizes.

Having said all that, Very Conservative and 96% Republican

A local joke,,,every election there was all Republican votes except one Democrat. All assumed it was a local curmudgeon who fussed about everything,,,,finally he passed on,, next election, there was still that one Democrat vote. Someone commented...”Darn, we buried the wrong guy.”

[kittena]

Hahaha thank you so much Ken! Love it.


Another random question for anyone reading: do any west MI counties have particularly good water? I was spoiled growing up on UP water, and now I'm in a state where the water is so bad we have to buy it bottled. Would be nice to live somewhere with halfway decent water again!

[beachmouse]

A lot of metro GR gets its water from Lake Michigan and I think they don't have to add as much chlorine as they used to because the rivers that flow into it are cleaner now. One thing to be careful about in the Rockford area is homes on wells and PFAS contamination. In that area, you definitely want municipal water.