[senc28]

My family will be relocating to western MI from Cleveland, OH. My husband will be working remotely so we are free to pick any location that fits our needs best. We have 3 young children so schools and safety are important. Our budget is $400k-$500k. We want land. We would be miserable if we could see all of our neighbors.

We would prefer coastal. We will have a lot of out of town guests and would like to give them the vacation experience while they are with us. I have a list of towns with homes matching our criteria but want to hear opinioms on them. We will be coming up in a few weeks and I want a nice list of locations to check out. Please feel free to add any that might interest us.

Holland
Hamilton
Saugatuck
Muskegon
Allegan
Manistee
Northport
West branch
Delton

[zthatzmanz28]

Pick any but Muskegon...

[magellan]

Originally Posted by senc28

My family will be relocating to western MI from Cleveland, OH. My husband will be working remotely so we are free to pick any location that fits our needs best. We have 3 young children so schools and safety are important. Our budget is $400k-$500k. We want land. We would be miserable if we could see all of our neighbors.

We would prefer coastal. We will have a lot of out of town guests and would like to give them the vacation experience while they are with us. I have a list of towns with homes matching our criteria but want to hear opinioms on them. We will be coming up in a few weeks and I want a nice list of locations to check out. Please feel free to add any that might interest us.

Holland
Hamilton
Saugatuck
Muskegon
Allegan
Manistee
Northport
West branch
Delton

Wow, I think you should try asking a little nicer. No one here on the Michigan forum owes you a nice tailored list of beautiful towns with nice schools. Plus, if you're going to be my neighbor, apparently you don't want to see me. I get it, I sometimes get the mail in my boxers.

[beachmouse]

Grand Haven-Spring Lake gets you generally well-regarded schools, good beach and waterfront channel and marina areas and downtown Grand Haven has a classic Lakeshore main street. Easy access to bigger city amenities in Grand Rapids, save for summer weekends when traffic gets to be a zoo and you probably don't want to fight that. Though you'll have to probably go to the fringes of town to get the space you're looking for.

Would be my pick for coastal life in the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland triangle.

I'd also look at South Haven instead of Muskegon or Allegan. And Luddignton-Pentwater if you're looking in the Manistee area.

[canudigit]

Originally Posted by magellan

Wow, I think you should try asking a little nicer. No one here on the Michigan forum owes you a nice tailored list of beautiful towns with nice schools. Plus, if you're going to be my neighbor, apparently you don't want to see me. I get it, I sometimes get the mail in my boxers.

Everyone has their own perception of things, but I didn't get that attitude out of her post at all. When she said that she wants a nice list of locations to check out, I took that like she was planning to compile any information that she got here into a list of areas to check out, not that she was demanding that someone here compile the list for her.

I took her comment about being miserable if they could see all of their neighbors in the sense that they enjoy wide open spaces and don't want to look out their back window into someone else's back yard, not that they literally can't stand the sight of another human being or think they're too good to rub elbows with them.

I guess only she knows the way that it was intended, but I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt.

OP, I'm sorry but I won't be much help. I have only been to the western coast of Michigan once and that was an all in one day drive by kind of thing. Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Ludington are the towns that we stopped in. I liked all of them but found Ludington to be pretty remote (although it is a wonderful little resort town and very pretty) and Muskegon to be a bit gritty and industrial feeling. That's all I have to offer, except to say that Lake Michigan beaches are absolutely gorgeous, kind of like the ocean only cleaner and prettier. I am most familiar with SE Michigan.

Good luck in your search!

[Coldjensens]

traverse City Leelanau?

[hellob]

Saugatuck. There's a remote area of town for privacy, you have beaches nearby. You're about 20 miles from South Haven and 10 from holland. Douglas is another town next to Saugatuck.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Everyone has their own perception of things, but I didn't get that attitude out of her post at all. When she said that she wants a nice list of locations to check out, I took that like she was planning to compile any information that she got here into a list of areas to check out, not that she was demanding that someone here compile the list for her.

I took her comment about being miserable if they could see all of their neighbors in the sense that they enjoy wide open spaces and don't want to look out their back window into someone else's back yard, not that they literally can't stand the sight of another human being or think they're too good to rub elbows with them.

I guess only she knows the way that it was intended, but I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt.

OP, I'm sorry but I won't be much help. I have only been to the western coast of Michigan once and that was an all in one day drive by kind of thing. Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, and Ludington are the towns that we stopped in. I liked all of them but found Ludington to be pretty remote (although it is a wonderful little resort town and very pretty) and Muskegon to be a bit gritty and industrial feeling. That's all I have to offer, except to say that Lake Michigan beaches are absolutely gorgeous, kind of like the ocean only cleaner and prettier. I am most familiar with SE Michigan.

Good luck in your search!

Perhaps you're right. I'm like a jaded Comcast customer service rep.

[canudigit]

Originally Posted by magellan

Perhaps you're right. I'm like a jaded Comcast customer service rep.

Well, you've been a mod on this crazy forum for a long time...

[MS313]

Muskegon is pretty rough in some parts. The other cities on your list seem fine from what I know.