[nhgirl1970]

My son was accepted to MSU for next fall. I currently live in Florida (and hate it). I grew up in Michigan (Detroit suburbs), but I don't know much about the Lansing area. I want to move back, and my son prefers to commute. Therefore, we are looking for something within 20 miles of MSU.

I have no younger kids, so school districts are not my highest priority. I will be renting, and do not want to choose an area with a ton of college kids. I work from home, but I may also want to substitute teach in one or two districts.

I am leaning toward Grand Ledge right now, but I need to know other towns worth considering. I prefer to keep rent $1000 or less. Thank you in advance for ideas and info.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by nhgirl1970

my son prefers to commute

...to living near campus? Dear G-d, why?

[Coldjensens]

Have you seen the MSU campus? It is Capital H huge. He will have enough walking in snow to do even if he lives on campus. Commuting there would be miserable. Parking is horrible too. That school is not designed for commuting.

There are some schools where virtually no one lives on campus and almost everyone commutes or lives in nearby apartments. Other schools are the opposite. Terrible for commuters and not really set up to accommodate them. Virtually everyone lives on campus or in adjoining apartments.

MSU is the latter.

If you are going to try this, you will not be able to go very far out to be within 20 minutes, especially in winter or on game days. Remember Lansing is the State Capital and MSU is one of the largest universities in the world. There is traffic. At times there is impossible traffic.

However, Okemos is nice and I liked Mason when I visited there once. Realistically, you will probably have to stay within the bounds of East Lansing.

[JoePO]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Have you seen the MSU campus? It is Capital H huge. He will have enough walking in snow to do even if he lives on campus. Commuting there would be miserable. Parking is horrible too. That school is not designed for commuting.

There are some schools where virtually no one lives on campus and almost everyone commutes or lives in nearby apartments. Other schools are the opposite. Terrible for commuters and not really set up to accommodate them. Virtually everyone lives on campus or in adjoining apartments.

MSU is the latter.

If you are going to try this, you will not be able to go very far out to be within 20 minutes, especially in winter or on game days. Remember Lansing is the State Capital and MSU is one of the largest universities in the world. There is traffic. At times there is impossible traffic.

However, Okemos is nice and I liked Mason when I visited there once. Realistically, you will probably have to stay within the bounds of East Lansing.

This is a little dramatic - I worked at MSU for a few years so "commuted" from both Okemos and Haslett (as did literally hundreds of my colleagues), and the drive was never more than 15 minutes or so regardless of the weather. Traffic isn't that bad - it's not Chicago, NY, LA, DC, or Atlanta. As long as you can park in a lot (get a permit), it's not much different walking to classes from the lot as from your apt or dorm, none of which are right next to buildings where classes are held. And traffic on (football) game days? Who cares - those are (with one exception) on Saturdays where you don't need to be on campus if you don't want to.

[nhgirl1970]

We will already be paying out of state tuition the first year (Although hopefully he will get quite a bit of scholarship money). Also, he has a lot of computer equipment and said the dorms are just too small (We visited campus this past summer). I think he will be okay with the traffic. We live in tourist trap now. Of course, he will have to get used to winter driving.

It's good to know some of the towns I am looking into are confirmed to be good ones. Haslett, Okemos, and Mason are all on my list. I appreciate the feedback so far.

[mgkeith]

My son is a freshman there right now, living in the dorms. This is a quote directly from him, as he is visiting home this weekend. "Most people loft their beds, and there is plenty of room for a lot of computer equipment, as the desks are under the beds." He and his roommates also have a lot of computer equipment.

[nhgirl1970]

@mgkeith Thanks! I will let him know.

[MaryleeII]

Originally Posted by nhgirl1970

@mgkeith Thanks! I will let him know.

As I recall, this has been a ritual since waaaay back! A set of tools would come in handy! I remember the front desk would hand out wrenches, etc, but there was a wait. I'm talking about way back, like 1972! IMO, living on campus was part of the experience. You miss something living off campus, but that's just my recollection.....Go Green!

[mgkeith]

When they moved in, the beds were already lofted. He is in a quad with a little living room in the entryway. This wasn't the case when his older sister moved there in the early 2000's. Many things have changed.

[nhgirl1970]

I appreciate all the feedback about living on campus, and he still might do it. Regardless, I am moving to the area as well and would like to live fairly close by. Grand Ledge and Mason are currently at the top of my list. Is one better than the other? Are there any cities/towns I should avoid completely?