Grand Rapids a good fit? (Detroit, Ann Arbor: cul-de-sac, best neighborhoods, house prices)

[Tardigrade1]

Hello everyone! I've been recently over on the Ann Arbor forum asking if it would be a good fit for our family to move to (from Chicago) next year, and many posters there suggested looking into Grand Rapids, which we now are. So far, we're really liking what we're seeing and were wondering if anyone had any general impressions of GR and its culture, best neighborhoods for young families to move to, etc. Any thoughts or help would be so much appreciated!

About us:

--We're a couple in our early 30s with two young children (daughter, 3, and son, 9 months).
--We are both remote workers -- my husband is a software engineer and I have a remote research position (flexible hours while staying home with our kids). Combined, our income is about ~140k, but for our first home we'd really like to keep our spending conservative, around $300k max. We're looking for a place with great cultural/outdoor amenities but where our income will go fairly far (at least moreso than in Chicago).
--We are looking for something of a "leafy suburb/kids playing in the cul-de-sac" vibe and lots of safety for our young kids, but also with some decent walkability (to local parks, coffee shops etc).
--We are big on year-round outdoor living, and would do best where people are fairly active year round and where there's some access to hiking/biking trails and water recreation.
--We've lived in and loved some very liberal environments (east-coast university towns, large metros) as well as some more conservative places in southern California and the coastal + deep South-- we get along with pretty much everyone and are very adaptable!
--Politically/culturally, we ourselves are quite socially conservative (pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, "family values," tend to vote Republican) and also gravitate toward "farm-to-table," artisanal crafts/foods/beverages, walkability, sustainable energy/agriculture, progressive urban planning, and we love exciting arts and music scenes. Appearance- and personality- wise, I think we tend to read as "crunchy" and people at first blush tend to assume we're progressive/far-left Community involvement is very important to us, and so we'd really like to be sure that we're a good fit for wherever we're moving.
--For our preschooler, we love the idea of an outdoor/forest preschool combined with homeschooling + extracurriculars. It looks like GR and A2/Detroit both have great options for this.
--We are Catholic and prefer traditional Latin Masses -- Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in GR looks like a good option for what we're after.

Insofar as we're considering GR as well as Ann Arbor, I guess we would ask:

--What are the best neighborhoods in GR for young families at our price point? Are there good places to have other young families as neighbors, have some walkable access to parks and cultural amenities etc?
--Does GR generally seem like a good fit for a family of our temperament?
--What are everyone's general impressions of the city and the quality of life there?
--In general, is GR a good market for first-time homebuyers, and is it friendly to outsiders who would like to settle there and become part of the community?
--For those who live there, what are some activities that you love to do with your families/young kids? Is GR a family-friendly city in general?

Thanks so much!!

[michigan lizard]

There probably is, though it's a bit of an unusual combination you've got going on there. I'd say Grand Haven for you, but I really doubt it has a Latin mass, and it's pretty dead in the winter. I've got a few areas in mind for you, but I'm not an expert on GR by any means. I know all of what you ask for is there, just not sure if it's all in a single place. Hopefully someone who lives there will chime in. Unfortunately, house prices seem to have skyrocketed around west Michigan lately. $300k used to buy quite a bit in WM before this last runup. Still cheaper than AA/Chicago.

[Tardigrade1]

Thank you for your reply!! We'd love any suggestions for areas to live etc -- being an expert is by no means necessary Right now we've sort of had our eye on Eastown/Fulton Heights area, but are still in the preliminary stages of researching. I'm curious, why might you see Grand Haven as a good fit?

CoL has definitely gone up, and honestly I'm wondering if we've set our price ceiling a bit too low for the area. We like to be frugal/conservative spenders but could realistically go closer to $400k for the right house -- maybe increasing our price ceiling would expand our options a bit?

[michigan lizard]

Eastown is exactly what came to mind, with the walkable, leafy suburb vibe. Grandville on the other side, though not sure how walkable it is. Knapps corner, Leonard towards east beltline, east grand rapids, comstock Park all seem nice as I drive through. I've shopped, dated, worked and played in grand rapids my entire life, but I've never lived there. Probably best to ask someone who has.

Grand haven is very conservative, yet sorta crunchy, safe, leafy suburb quality. Walkable except for us31 going through the center, the speed limit is lower going through. Spring lake to the north is similar, and has bike trails, but I wouldn't call it walkable otherwise (unless you're perhaps in the village itself). The arts music scene there isn't much.. All close to the water, but not to Latin mass (I don't think?) Live a little farther north from there.. I'm Catholic, too, and I don't know anyone who attends mass in Latin. I don't know of anywhere in the area with the forest schools, though they seem great. So, it ticks some of your boxes, but not all. In general, I just wonder if getting away from the bigger more expensive cities won't be better for your bottom line, since you arent tied to jobs there.

Eta: I also live in a safe, leafy suburb, with sidewalks and little parks everywhere, but it probably misses too many of your checkboxes. In case you're curious: https://rooseveltpark.org/

[bartonro]

Similar to the poster above, I'm not sure you're going to be able to find all in one setting. Based on your criteria, I would say IMO, the following would be the closest in order with the caveat that I know nothing about Latin Mass:

Rockford, it has the trails/nature setting you're looking for with the trails, Rouge River and lakes. Great schools and more conservative than the city of GR and inner ring suburbs, but also more moderate than other suburbs of GR. One of the more walkable suburbs. The negative though, I'm not sure how easy/hard it would be to get in under 300k as it's a more expensive suburb than many others.

Allendale, not very walkable, but has GVSU, so it has the college vibe that you mentioned you like. The University is liberal but most of the area around Allendale is conservative. Not as much of the nature setting you're looking for either unless you go on campus or to a couple of the parks near the Grand River, but you would be closer to Lake Michigan Schools are good, but not quite on the level of Rockford.. The area is full of new constructs, so not sure how easy it would be to get in under 300k.

Lowell, has a downtown strip that makes it kind of walkable, but still not that much. Conservative. Solid schools, but behind Rockford. The Grand River goes through it, so there's some beautiful areas nearby, but farther from Lake Michigan. I would think there's plenty of house under 300k.

Caledonia, small downtown but not very walkable. Conservative, but becoming less so IMO due to more families moving into that area? Good schools. Some pretty areas, but also far from Lake Michigan. Full of new constructs though, so maybe hard to get under 300k.

Grand Haven, as above poster mentioned, walkable, but the city is touristy and is quiet in the off season. Very close to Lake MI, but also much farther from GR than the other suburbs.

Grandville, there's a part if you lived nearby that would be walkable. Conservative and close to much the area's CRC population, meaning not many Catholics. Good schools and many young families. Inner ring suburbs of GR, so close to everything. Near the Grand River and Kent trails. I would think a house under 300k would be easier to find.

Could be a few things on my list that could have changed with time, but that's my overall impression. And to answer your question about family friendly, I believe about 10 years ago that it was rated #1 in the country for best place to raise a family. Hope this was a little helpful. YMMV.

[beachmouse]

One thing you have to look out for in the Rockford area is that you only want municipal water service. There's a long term mess with generally moderate PFAS contamination in groundwater/private wells and while remediation is significantly underway, it's not something you want to deal with.

Grand Haven is close enough to Muskegon to make this feasible-

https://sacredheartmuskegon.org/

Mass Schedule: Saturday: 5:00 p.m.; Sunday: 11:00 a.m. (Rosary led by Knights of Columbus at 10:30 a.m.)
Sacrament of Reconciliation: Saturday: 4:00-4:45 p.m.
Daily Mass Schedule: Tuesday: 6:00 p.m. in Latin; Thursday: 8:00 a.m.; Friday: 8:00 a.m.

Muskegon has some rough spots, but pre-corona was starting to see something of a revival due to its closeness to the Lake and the hipsters who were getting priced out of Grand Rapids looking for something similar where they could put the craft brewery and be within commuting distance to GR.

[michigan lizard]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

One thing you have to look out for in the Rockford area is that you only want municipal water service. There's a long term mess with generally moderate PFAS contamination in groundwater/private wells and while remediation is significantly underway, it's not something you want to deal with.

Grand Haven is close enough to Muskegon to make this feasible-

https://sacredheartmuskegon.org/



Muskegon has some rough spots, but pre-corona was starting to see something of a revival due to its closeness to the Lake and the hipsters who were getting priced out of Grand Rapids looking for something similar where they could put the craft brewery and be within commuting distance to GR.

The walkable/coffee shops parts of Muskegon are more liberal, and less safe. I don't see them wanting to live downtown or in Lakeside. They might want to consider my little city, but I didn't get the sense it was the vibe they're looking for (I could be wrong. It is very close to Mcgraft Park with summer concerts.) Probably more Norton Shores, which isn't great for walking, though lots of bike lanes. I guess there's a little area around 4 corners in North Muskegon. That's safe/leafy.
Still no forest preschool that I've heard of anywhere nearby.

Interesting about Sacred Heart. It's in the Heights, which is the hood, but on a main road. I suppose a lot of churches are in the hood these days.

All that to say, the nicer areas are safer, but less walkable and less artsy.

[beachmouse]

I was thinking more that Muskegon was commutable from Grand Haven or Spring Lake for church purposes than as a place to buy given their parameters.

[michigan lizard]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

I was thinking more that Muskegon was commutable from Grand Haven or Spring Lake for church purposes than as a place to buy given their parameters.

Ah, gotcha. I think the one in grand rapids would only be about 1/2 hour away, if it came down to that.

[Tardigrade1]

Ah, gotcha. I think the one in grand rapids would only be about 1/2 hour away, if it came down to that.

Yes, we'd most likely be commuting to GR if we live outside the city, as that particular parish has a Sunday Latin Mass! It's good to know about other options for daily Mass etc, however!

The forest preschool that we found is in Ada -- so would be a bit of a longer commute from western communities. If the area has a walkable downtown that's (ideally) within biking distance, with more of a suburban-but-still-walking-distance-to-parks feel in the immediate area, that'd be great for us also. We're looking at Rockford, Lowell, Jenison/Hudsonville as well as some of the more easterly city neighborhoods (Eastown, Fulton Heights, Eastgate, Ottawa Heights)... really we're not too picky as long as we're not isolated from neighbors and can remain physically active within our neighborhood (and there are some cute shops/restaurants nearby, maybe in a local downtown or within GR itself).