Can anyone tell me about West Michigan? (Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo: home, employment)

4WD Greg · 02-18-2008, 06:01 PM

There are some beautiful areas long the Lake Michigan shore. Grand Rapids is the "capitol" of West Michigan.
The GR area is dominated politically by the Calvinists and their right wing politics. It's almost like a closed society where they sit around and bad mouth Detroit and the entire eastern half of the state.
Kalamazoo, on the other hand has more of a liberal culture, and one multi billionaire liberal has funded college educations for all of Kalamazoo's high school graduates. Expect that town to grow dramatically in the future.
The auto industry dominates everything from Lansing eastward, and 50% of the state's population lives in the tri-county Detroit area. When the nation slips into a recession, the first thing they do is stop buying cars, causing Detroit, and by extension, almost all of Michigan to slip into a near economic depression.
Those that try to blame local politicians for our economic problems don't know what the hell they're talking about.
The weather on the western side of Michigan is heavily affected by Lake Michigan. The air is much cooler on the lake shore than it is inland, and in the winter time, they get much heavier showfall than areas further inland.

Stormgirl08 · 02-19-2008, 02:22 PM

People are a little mean! lol..I grew up in wyoming, MI. I moved out of state only to return. I am south of Grand Rapids. I grew up CRC. I am not a cold and nasty person. I think some of you must think the world is out to get you!

lol..anywho..Gun lake is beautiful area. You can hunt, fish, jet ski, and in the winter there are snow trails. Its a really nice area. its about 45 min south of Grand Rapids. Also around Alaska, Caledonia, Middleville MI is the thornapple river. people go tubeing all the time in the summer. There is Campau Lake in Alto. Thats a really nice area. The winters are fun at first but when march comes I think we all have had enough. Sometimes the summers can get a bit humid. There is the "medical mile" which is making the job market go up for medical. Dont get me wrong..the job market is sucky. The governor is doing a terrible job. If you like Hockey we have the Grand Rapids Griffins, Indoor Football we have the Rampage, Baseball we have the west michigan whitecaps. all fun to go to. Van Andel has Good concerts with big named people. All in all i think southern Kent county is a great place to live. You get the small town feel, Grand Rapids is not too far away, you can do all the summer and winter sports.

CHEER UP PEOPLE!

tromba61 · 03-15-2009, 01:02 PM

I have found living in Holland, MI to be extremely frustrating on the human level. Since I grew up amongst the Baptist fundamentalists and conservatives in Oklahoma, I thought nothing could phase me. But the Calvinists and Dutch and conservatives up here take snobbery to a new level.

It's not that the locals won't talk to you; they won't even make eye contact or acknowledge your existence. I suppose the kindest thing you could say is that they are private and let you have your privacy, but most people might find this behavior to be hostile and passive aggressive.

I cannot wait to move. All you can do is try to find people who are not locals; then you have a chance at friendship. So the economy is horrible, the people hostile, and it's cold for nine months. At least the housing is cheap.

Bydand · 03-15-2009, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tromba61

I have found living in Holland, MI to be extremely frustrating on the human level. Since I grew up amongst the Baptist fundamentalists and conservatives in Oklahoma, I thought nothing could phase me. But the Calvinists and Dutch and conservatives up here take snobbery to a new level.

It's not that the locals won't talk to you; they won't even make eye contact or acknowledge your existence. I suppose the kindest thing you could say is that they are private and let you have your privacy, but most people might find this behavior to be hostile and passive aggressive.

I cannot wait to move. All you can do is try to find people who are not locals; then you have a chance at friendship. So the economy is horrible, the people hostile, and it's cold for nine months. At least the housing is cheap.

I get to call BS first!

Lets look at a few things here. Holland area is 30% Dutch only, that means 70% is of different ancestry, so why this old stereotype still persists is beyond me. Private, yes they are, but they are also very warm and friendly.
9 months of cold? That is the largest load of BS I have seen posted in a LONG time. So what you are saying as that it gets cold in Aug/Sept, and doesn't warm up until May/June. If you mean 80+ maybe, if you mean 65 or 70+ then you are not even close. 9 months of cold, lets see the data. I can post pages of data showing you are wrong, but let's see what you have to prove your point. (Holland was 70's the first week of November and 57 today, which at the end of winter feels quite warm.)

Economy; not the best, but not horrible either. Have you looked at other places lately? West Michigan is not doing too badly right now compared to many places around the country right now.

deslok · 03-21-2009, 07:05 PM

How can you call BS whenever anyone posts saying they don't like the attitudes of people in Holland/Grand Haven? The overall dutch imprint is still there. I think you have an easy time fitting in in that area with a dutch name, and a decent chance of fitting in if you have a good old boy (or girl) , caucasion complexion. I've experimented with just visiting for a few days wearing different clothes to see if this holds true in how folks treat you in that area, and it does!
Great place to vacation or hang out for a bit though, but wouldn't want to live there. I'm sure the prevailing thought by residents is that they'd rather not have me live there either.

Bydand · 03-21-2009, 09:09 PM

Mainly called BS to the 9 months of cold if you read what I posted again. I fit in and get along great in the Holland area. Name isn't anywhere close to Dutch and I sure don't look like a little Dutch-boy either. I have found the vast majority of people I have met in that area to be very warm and friendly.

MI-IRISH · 03-21-2009, 09:11 PM

it's on the opposite side of east michigan......

deslok · 03-21-2009, 11:15 PM

Yeah I read what you posted again, it was implied however that all you were saying was under the BS umbrella. Since you have found this to be so, I still think the Holland area is way too judgemental, 30 % dutch or not.

Bearcat · 03-22-2009, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bydand

Mainly called BS to the 9 months of cold if you read what I posted again. I fit in and get along great in the Holland area. Name isn't anywhere close to Dutch and I sure don't look like a little Dutch-boy either. I have found the vast majority of people I have met in that area to be very warm and friendly.

I am from Ohio and when I am in Holland they are very friendly to us..

Holland is a nice town to visit and I am sure a great place to live.

Huitlambes · 03-23-2009, 09:59 PM

If the job situation in Muskegon weren't so horrible, I'd suggest that area. Ottawa County (home of Grand Haven, Holland and Zeeland) have far less water than Muskegon. Mona, Duck, and Blue lakes are all nice inland lakes with Duck and Mona opening into Lake Michigan. My husband and I have two wooden kayaks he built and there are loads of places in Muskegon with easy access.
The original snow snurf board was invented in Muskegon and the winter sports complex has a luge track, miles of cross-country ski and snow-shoe trails and and outdoor skating rink.
Muskegon's population is VERY diverse-Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norweigan, Irish, African, Hispanic, Italian, Greek, Polish, etc.
Some of the cleanest, most beautiful beaches are in Muskegon.
And, FYI, Muskegon Lake is not really that dirty, can't even compare it to the Grand River which is horrible!