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My wife and I are considering a move to Grand Rapids to be closer to family. I have mixed feelings about West Michigan. We are progressive liberals trying to live as "green" as possible. I know of that area's conservative nature, but am wondering about the general feel of the city (and surrounding areas). We would like to make as small a footprint as possible so would probably be interested in established communities for our family (2 small kids)... East Grand Rapids? We love the outdoors and feel the West side of the state may provide more opportunities than the SE. What is the general feel of GR?.. knowing that Michigan is in some economic trouble, does GR feel depressed, or are people proud to call it home? Does it feel very segregated, dirty or unsafe? What are winters really like? Do people embrace the snow and go skiing or snowshoeing or hole up and complain til spring? Are there any private schools that are secular? I've seen that the air is dirty there, ranking pretty badly in national city air pollution rankings (even heard a report on GR bad air quality on NPR). Is anybody trying to clean it up? Are their other environmentalists in the area? Thanks in advance for any information you may have.
My wife and I are considering a move to Grand Rapids to be closer to family. I have mixed feelings about West Michigan. We are progressive liberals trying to live as "green" as possible. I know of that area's conservative nature, but am wondering about the general feel of the city (and surrounding areas). We would like to make as small a footprint as possible so would probably be interested in established communities for our family (2 small kids)... East Grand Rapids? We love the outdoors and feel the West side of the state may provide more opportunities than the SE. What is the general feel of GR?.. knowing that Michigan is in some economic trouble, does GR feel depressed, or are people proud to call it home? Does it feel very segregated, dirty or unsafe? What are winters really like? Do people embrace the snow and go skiing or snowshoeing or hole up and complain til spring? Are there any private schools that are secular? I've seen that the air is dirty there, ranking pretty badly in national city air pollution rankings (even heard a report on GR bad air quality on NPR). Is anybody trying to clean it up? Are their other environmentalists in the area? Thanks in advance for any information you may have.
Wow! That's a lifetime of questions in one post. We've lived in GR for 12 years now, so I can try and answer your questions:
1) GREEN: If you seek a small footprint, I would say East Grand Rapids, Heritage Hill, Uptown (Cherry/Lake/Diamond area), Cherry Hill, or one of the near Southeast side neighborhoods would be most suited for your lifestlye.
- Although the city of Grand Rapids votes pretty democrat, the suburban areas especially to the Southwest toward Holland are very conservative. Just don't read the Public Pulse section of the GR Press and you should be fine.
- The GR metro area has more LEED Certified buildings per capita than any other region in the country, but it gets little national exposure. We have the first LEED art museum, first LEED hospital, first LEED YMCA/fitness facility, first LEED church, and many other LEED firsts.
- There are also more USGBC professionals in this area than any other region of the Midwest, but also gets little mention. In fact, there are more certified professionals in this area than the rest of Michigan combined. It is mainly architects and design professionals at the Big 3 furniture companies, but many health and financial companies are joining the ranks. The GREEN movement has taken the area by storm lately, and many sustainability measures have been turned into city policy. Mayor Heartwell also signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. green leed grand rapids - Google Search
- The RAPID bus system is pretty reliable and pretty comprehensive. They are working on adding a BRT system on the South side and a downtown streetcar system.
- Check out this website for info on local neighborhood developments, sustainable efforts and local businesses: Grand Rapids – Rapid Growth - Home Page
2) Schools: I don't know of any private schools that are secular, but there are charter schools in the city and a number of good neighborhood schools within GRPS (despite the overall GRPS district struggling). There is a good Montessori School in GRPS if you like that style of education.
3) Clean air: The GR area was reclassified as "acceptable" not long after the original EPA report. I too heard the NPR report and there were some errors in their reporting. Most of the bad scores were directly related to a coal burning power plant along Lake Michigan in Port Sheldon Township. It is right now undergoing modifications to its scrubbers. The air is also affected by pollution coming across from Wisconsin (if you can believe it), and local legislators are putting pressure on the EPA to put more pressure on Wisconsin polluters. Media Mouse: EPA Declares that 16 Michigan Counties Meet Smog Standard (Briefs): Grand Rapids Michigan Independent Media
4) Grand Rapids seems to be more optimistic lately. The steady diet of bad news that we had from the media a few years ago has been replaced by a steady stream of good news lately. Other than a persistent gang problem in the Madison/Franklin/Division area, the entire metro area is pretty safe, and downtown is as clean as a whistle and growing rapidly (except for the homeless missions on South Division). The housing and job markets could be better, but it doesn't seem like "doom and gloom" like family and friends I talk to on the other side of Michigan.
Whew! Hope I got it all. If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.
Great Job Magellan!
I was so exasperated by all the misconceptions in greenseekers post
I didn't know where to begin. Luv points for you.
Sweet! Thanks Wabbit.
Fighting the battle of misperceptions
- Magellan
P.S. I should also add that just because someone is religious and/or conservative doesn't make them a "bad" person. I sometimes get the feeling that is what people are trying to say without actually saying it.
Thanks for the quick response. As you know, one can only learn so much from news and forums, so if my post was filled with misconceptions, it is only because I lack access to better information. I'm just looking for information, not trying to further any wrong stereotypes about your city. And I certainly do not believe that those who are conservative or religious are bad. I have always lived in places with a good mix of conservative and liberal, religious and secular people. Rumor has it, around this forum, that GR is in fact, conservative. I'm not sure what that really means in a city. I anticipate strong family values and close-knit communities of folks who look out for each other. At least, that's what I hope. I consider those positive qualities. But a homogenous city may also be a haven for less desirable qualities. There's always good and bad. (I do wonder if Christianity creeps into public schools, etc. without the creeping of other philosophies and religions, for example). And one wants to feel like they are not the only folks around that feel a certain way about issues.
In looking at "green" building, I was surprised to find more information on it in the Grand Rapids area (as Magellan's post confirms) than in Ann Arbor!
You answered many of my questions... thanks! but... as for winter????! what do you all do with the cold months?!
Thanks for the quick response. As you know, one can only learn so much from news and forums, so if my post was filled with misconceptions, it is only because I lack access to better information. I'm just looking for information, not trying to further any wrong stereotypes about your city. And I certainly do not believe that those who are conservative or religious are bad. I have always lived in places with a good mix of conservative and liberal, religious and secular people. Rumor has it, around this forum, that GR is in fact, conservative. I'm not sure what that really means in a city. I anticipate strong family values and close-knit communities of folks who look out for each other. At least, that's what I hope. I consider those positive qualities. But a homogenous city may also be a haven for less desirable qualities. There's always good and bad. (I do wonder if Christianity creeps into public schools, etc. without the creeping of other philosophies and religions, for example). And one wants to feel like they are not the only folks around that feel a certain way about issues.
In looking at "green" building, I was surprised to find more information on it in the Grand Rapids area (as Magellan's post confirms) than in Ann Arbor!
You answered many of my questions... thanks! but... as for winter????! what do you all do with the cold months?!
No problem greenseaker. It's not just this forum, but there is a perception that West Michigan is conservative to a fault. There have been a couple instances I can think of since I've been here that I thought people were exerting "religious and conservative intolerance". One was a gay band teacher in Bryon Center Schools, back about 8 or 9 years ago, who was forced out of a job because he refused to "not talk about" his gay partner at all in his class. After being fired and denegrated by the Byron Center community, a couple of months later he died of a heart attack, and he was only in his mid 30's (his Dr. said he was in perfect health, and attributed it to stress). I think his death "shocked" a lot of people into rethinking their stance on the issue, and even Calvin College and Aquinas College have hosted several gay/lesbian groups to come speak on issues since then.
The pendulum has swung the other way though it seems, even in many of the suburbs. Grand Rapids is loosening up quite a bit, even since we've been here. We attribute it to healthy population growth.
Winters: it's actually warmer than the rest of Michigan over here, as we are insulated a tad more by the warmer waters of Lake Michigan. Snow is heavier, but you only hear complaints in March and April when winter drags on. West of US-131 vs. East of 131 can mean quite a difference in snowfall, so if you don't like snow, stay East of 131. There are several ski hills in the area that are relatively cheap (especially for the kids).
But you really can't beat the sense of "neighborliness" here. People really seem to look out for each other, and people you interact with in public are very friendly (even gas station and grocery clerks).
Let me say that you will feel uncomfortable being in this new place we call GR. Of course please do attribute this to being in a new place and not bible thumping. If you look at the Metropolitan area your going to see purple for the most part, red in Ottawa and a nice blue in Muskegon counties.
Your just not going to find the kind the bible thumbing burn in hell types here. I'll say they did exist here, but its just getting old and tired. The evangelist and reformed churches had a dose of reality in how not to bring the word of God and had made them ever more cognizant of differences. If anything your going to find this place to be moderate and laissez fair in the most urban places. The other places your going to deal with moderates to conservatives much like any suburban regions of the country.
My wife and I are considering a move to Grand Rapids to be closer to family. I have mixed feelings about West Michigan. We are progressive liberals trying to live as "green" as possible. I know of that area's conservative nature, but am wondering about the general feel of the city (and surrounding areas). We would like to make as small a footprint as possible so would probably be interested in established communities for our family (2 small kids)... East Grand Rapids? We love the outdoors and feel the West side of the state may provide more opportunities than the SE. What is the general feel of GR?.. knowing that Michigan is in some economic trouble, does GR feel depressed, or are people proud to call it home? Does it feel very segregated, dirty or unsafe? What are winters really like? Do people embrace the snow and go skiing or snowshoeing or hole up and complain til spring? Are there any private schools that are secular? I've seen that the air is dirty there, ranking pretty badly in national city air pollution rankings (even heard a report on GR bad air quality on NPR). Is anybody trying to clean it up? Are their other environmentalists in the area? Thanks in advance for any information you may have.
Magellan covered much of it...but I'll address a couple things for you.
First off, I'm a tree-hugging progressive-minded liberal. So you probably see eye-to-eye with me on some stuff. I also go to church most sundays...so maybe we don't see eye-to-eye on everything.
1) Green - Our Art Museum will be the first LEED certified Art Museum in the country. This is paid for by the conservatives I was afraid of before I moved here. I've learned that in GR "right wing" and "conservative" don't always mean "anti-environment". That kind of refreshing...trust me.
2) Outdoor opportunities for your kids - I had to address this as it's the sole reason I don't live in Chicago. Last 2 times I've gone looking for jobs there were more in Chicago than west Michigan but we've stayed for this reason. We really want our kids (and ourselves!) to have the opportunities to get outdoors every day. Traverse City is 2.5 hours away, Lake Michigan is 45 minutes away and we live 8 minutes walk from Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. All in all I'd say West Michigan is an incredible place to live if you're into cycling especially as there are great shops and group rides all the time
3) East Grand Rapids - My wife and I selected EGR for many of the same reasons you are considering. We ended up picking EGR for a few simple reasons: A) Top-notch schools by any measure. B) Walkable established neighborhoods full of kids C) No busing of kids to school...they walk/bike, schools are close, streets are all 25mph and there are crossing guards. Think Leave It to Beaver. D) Proximity to downtown (I work downtown, ride my bike or the bus whenever possible) E) Walking distance core services (full-blown grocery store, Rite Aid, barber, salon, coffee shop, etc.). The grocery store thing was a big seller for us and we find ourselves walking there all the time.
4) Winters - They're not that bad if you're from a northern climate already. If you're moving here from FLorida or Arizona it'll be a shock. The cold is manageable (this isn't Fargo) and the increased snowfall compared to Detroit is actually a blessing in my eyes. If it's going to be cold at least it can be pretty (fresh snow every few days means it's never as dirty looking) and the kids can get out and enjoy it.
Hi Suydam, what do you think about each of the three elementary schools in EGR? Would a newcomer be welcome? Are there any areas of EGR that would be less desirable for a family with small children? I ask because our current in-town neighborhood is so pricey that there are no other small children within 4 blocks of our house. We chose it because we could walk two blocks to our downtown area-- coffee shops, barber, grocery, etc. We love it, except for the formality of having to arrange playdates 2 weeks in advance --Writing from the Chicago North Shore
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thanks
