[Laurandy]

My boyfriend has a great job opportunity in Lapeer. The area looks nice. We're from central Illinois and both from smallish towns. Does anybody have any direct experience with Lapeer?

What other great towns or cities are nearby? We'd like to check out multiple places.

Thanks!

[chiroptera]

Lapeer is a really nice little city at the base of Michigan's "thumb." Cute older downtown, plus all the big box stores and what-not on the main drag (M-24.)

Are you looking for rural or more city amenities? Renting or buying? How much of a commute is acceptable?

If you're OK with rural or small-town living there's plenty of opportunities within 30 minutes of Lapeer. No real city life within an hour of there - for that you'd want northern Oakland county, which can be a long-ish commute. To the west in Genesee county there's Flint (not awful but I wouldn't recommend unless you're an urban pioneer type), Grand Blanc, Davison, etc. Personally I'd prefer living right in or near Lapeer than just about anywhere in Genesee county.

Everything to the north (the Thumb) is very rural, farmlands, and some nice small communities. Same to the east and south. If you like lake living and can afford it there's a plethora of lakes to live and play on.

[Laurandy]

Wow. Thanks!

We'd be renting. We're not city people but not exactly rural either. We're from a small town surrounded by cornfields, but we're 30 minutes from a mid-size city. His job would be located directly in Lapeer. I would like a 30 minute commute or less to whatever job I find.

[chiroptera]

I'd consider Lapeer itself, or perhaps Davison (roughly 15-20 minutes) to the west or points in between, for practicality sake. If you go in any other direction, you could be setting yourself up for limited job opportunities and/or a longish commute for you because you'll be more in the boonies. That way you're on the I-69 corridor and a straight shot into any of the cities in Genesee county. And since you'll be renting, you can probably move after your initial lease once you figure out the lay of the land.

[summerintheciy]

Lapeer is liveable, but has kind of a trashy vibe to it. The crime index is also kind of high for such a small town. I would recommend nearby Dryden (township, not village). It is much nicer and the commute to Lapeer is around 20 minutes.

[cmuguy25]

If you do not mind a little bit of a commute to Lapeer, I would also recommend looking at Oxford. Cool small town, lots of lakes, etc. I would also second Lapeer isn't a bad area. Small town but friendly neighborhoods.

[Laurandy]

Thanks, guys. I was a little concerned about Lapeer's crime rate. I come from a slightly larger town with a really low crime rate, so it makes me nervous. I'll take a look at the other towns that were suggested.

[RockChester]

Lapeer is one Michigan city that charges a city income tax. This isn't a vote for or against the city but it's something that you should know before moving there.

[Andaura]

Boyfriend here! We checked into the personal income tax thing, and 1% isn't too bad. Thanks for that info.

I checked into the crime rate, and it's similar to the town my sister currently lives in. She says it's mostly people breaking into cars. I have my eye on Rolling Hills Apartments, which have garages, so I'm not too worried about that. Does anyone know if Rolling Hills is an okay community?

Does anyone have any info on the schools there? My son will most likely be entering Lapeer West High School.

I know it's a small town, but is there like a bad part of town we should stay away from? My current town only has a population of 4,500, and there are a few areas where I wouldn't want to live.

Are there any other little fees associated with living in Lapeer, or Michigan in general? Today I learned about the no-fault auto insurance, and of course the rates associated with it. On average, the auto insurance rates in Michigan seem to be almost double of what they are here in Illinois.

Thank you!

[jaynarie]

I grew up on the Lapeer/Genesee county line. I'd often to go Lapeer over Flint if I needed to go somewhere like Meijer or Kohls, or even the movies. It is a safe little city.

I just moved back to the state over a 7 year absence, so I wouldn't be a good judge residential areas in Lapeer.

School wise, Lapeer is not bad. Davison is better. They are actually consolidating into one high school next year, I believe.