Lansing MI neighborhood (Kalamazoo, Saginaw, East Lansing: for sale, apartment complexes, rentals)

atkrukowski · 04-01-2008, 08:59 AM

Hello,

I've been a lurker on this site since I knew I was relocating. I am searching for homes for rent in Lansing, MI. and have found one on Lathrop Rd.. Since I will be working at MSU and my fiance attending school at Cooley, it seems like a nice in between location.

Does anyone know anything about this neighborhood? I keep getting recommendations to look more in the Northwest, but there are a lot more houses in the east.

Thanks for any advice you can give me about Lansing, MI!

michiganbob · 04-01-2008, 03:17 PM

(sorry my subject line should read "HATE to put down . . ."
Glad to have someone moving TO Lansing for a change. And, I can see why you may have chosen that spot, as it is halfway between MSU and Cooley, but that is not one of Lansing's, uh, "better neighborhoods." I'm sure the rent is cheap (I have seen houses for sale in that neighborhood for under $10,000) but unless you have very low housing standards, I don't think you will be that happy with it. I could be wrong, but I can see that neighborhood from the highway (496) and it doesn't look real promising.

I am watching rents closely in Lansing right now (my spouse and I might be moving soon) and there isn't really a lot of difference between what you are likely to pay there and for something quite a bit better. (Lots of houses that were for sale are coming up as rentals now, putting pressure on apartment complexes and traditional rental properties to lower rents. Also hearing that there will be many sellers open to "lease with option to buy" options.)

I would also stay away from NW Lansing, not because there is anything wrong with it, but I think it will take a while for you to get to MSU. Pretty much have to cut through town and if traffic is bad it can take a bit of time. The only exception would be if you stay to the south edge of NW, closer to 496 or west near 96/69. If you are a couple of blocks from 496 (as I am) you can get to campus pretty quickly, then. Also check out NE Lansing, north of Saginaw and south of Lake Lansing, but east of Wood street. Not a lot for rent there, but it will be close to campus, and close to 127 to allow your fiancee to get to Cooley. By the way, will she be driving to school there? If so, parking is expensive downtown (I work there) but there is some free onstreet parking about 7 to 8 blocks away.

Let me know if you need more info.

MI183 · 04-02-2008, 07:25 PM

I worked in Lansing for 8 years, ending in 1995. It does not take long to get around the city, even in rush hour, so don't worry about being centrally located. After bouncing around the area (Okemos, Williamston, East Lansing, Lansing, Lansing Township) I happened upon Haslett, which was nice. It was easy to get downtown (where I worked), and you go right past MSU on your way.

bubbagirl · 04-03-2008, 09:31 AM

I want to disagree with the suggestion of Haslett only because we lived there for about a year for a job. While Haslett is a very, very nice area and community to live in, it is too far off the beaten path for my taste. Seemed to take a long time to get anywhere, specifically S. Lansing, downtown, or W. Lansing. My husband worked in Frandor, and that took a while. Keep in mind that my "a while" is determined by distance vs. time traveled. To get to 96 was only a few miles, but seemed to take 1.5 times longer than it should have with a lot of lights and/or traffic to deal with. Very convenient to MSU, though!

There are some nicer neighborhoods in both S. Lansing and W.Lansing that are convenient to downtown and in decent proximity to MSU. I really enjoyed living in W.Lansing (off Creyts/Michigan area) as it was very centrally located to stores we frequented, but also because we could easily hop on 496 to get downtown, MSU, or S.Lansing easily and quickly. There are a lot of really nice little subs that are clean and affordable off the main streets. Another area to consider is central Lansing off Mt. Hope / Cedar (stay south of Mt.Hope, east of Cedar), Mt.Hope/Penn, Mt.Hope/Aurelius. I lived on Pacific Ave just off Cedar and it was a great location with a nice neighborhood, and I currently have friends that own a home near Pacific just east of Penn that is a nice and affordable neighborhood.

As for the OP... I agree with other people about Lathrop St. There is a chance you could be in an "ok" area, it is not a well to do street or considered a "desired" location. There are always rentals available on Lathrop -- because there is a reason. Absolutely best thing you can do... get in the area and see where it is you're considering living. Drive the neighborhood and take mental notes - how are the houses kept, how are the yards kept, what kind of cars are in the driveways, what kind of people are seen outside. If you have a lot of younger people loitering in yards or on porches, you might want to rethink... there is a reason why they are loitering. And, of course, there is always the age old suggestion... If you want to know what kind of neighborhood a house is in, sit on the front porch at night.

PolyphonicSpr33 · 04-03-2008, 11:31 PM

There're some nice apartmant complexes around Lake Lansing Rd.
My brother lived in the Villages at Chandler Crossing for a while, nice place.
I lived in West Lansing for 2 years while I finished high school, so far west, in fact, that I was in the school district of a town a few miles west.
Yeah, Lathrop Rd. isn't so nice.
I'd say anything close to 127 and/or 496 would be your best bet. Traffic doesn't get too bad on them during rush hour, but I wouldn't know about the MSU thru roads.

Good luck to you, sir.

Freedom Fries · 04-05-2008, 07:31 AM

Streets south of Kalamazoo are low-income and higher-crime. The closer you get to Michigan Ave. the better. My sister-in-law lived a block over on Allen south of Kazoo and there were knifings, howling starved pit bulls, nastiness.

tofupedia · 05-07-2008, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freedom Fries

Streets south of Kalamazoo are low-income and higher-crime. The closer you get to Michigan Ave. the better. My sister-in-law lived a block over on Allen south of Kazoo and there were knifings, howling starved pit bulls, nastiness.

I was going to apply " 3apitol 3ommon " apartment which on the south of Kazoo close to 496 exit 5.
Can you share just how bad is that neigberhood, any possible of improvment since ?

thanks for sharing

dentedvw · 09-03-2008, 12:08 PM

If you are curious, check out Google's Street View option on the maps. It will take you through many neighborhoods.

We live on the SE side, just off of some MSU property, and it is beautiful, quiet, we have woods, a pond, unbelievably nice here, and very inexpensive. No crime to speak of, except some bricks were taken from my yard once, during a construction project. Not really a big deal, I got better ones the next week.

There are pockets of bad neighborhoods here and there, but overall, mostly ok.

The economy is not great, but if you have a job, you are in good shape here.

nessatar · 09-09-2008, 08:34 PM

That is the Eastside neighborhood. It is very mixed. Yes, there are some shady spots, but also a lot of middle class professionals and college students. There are several community gardens, a very active neighborhood organization, the best farmers market in Lansing, and several very nice parks, one of which has an outdoor pool and a new running track. I lived on Kzoo and Magnolia for a couple of years and never felt unsafe. Annoyed at times, yes. But it's not a slum. Generally, the further north you are on any of the eastside streets (which runs as far west as Pennsylvania and as far north as Saginaw Street) the better the neighborhood gets. But it really varies street by street, so I would highly recommend that you drive by and/or walk around before deciding against it. It would be a good location for your needs and if you don't like that particular house, drive around the neighborhood. You should be able to find something for rent that is nice. Also, with the housing market being so poor in Lansing, don't hesitate to contact the owners of houses for sale. They may be willing to rent to you if they are unable to sell their house.

frommchicago · 01-01-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dentedvw

If you are curious, check out Google's Street View option on the maps. It will take you through many neighborhoods.

We live on the SE side, just off of some MSU property, and it is beautiful, quiet, we have woods, a pond, unbelievably nice here, and very inexpensive. No crime to speak of, except some bricks were taken from my yard once, during a construction project. Not really a big deal, I got better ones the next week.

There are pockets of bad neighborhoods here and there, but overall, mostly ok.

The economy is not great, but if you have a job, you are in good shape here.

Hi
Thanks for the nice post, very encouraging. I need your advice. I will be moving to East Lansing in July 2008 with my family( wife and baby daughter ) for a job in MSU . I was looking for a place just like you described, " beautiful, quiet, we have woods, a pond, unbelievably nice here, and very inexpensive. No crime to speak of..." Im looking to rent in the area west of harrison road and north of towbridge road. Is it safe ? and nearly as you described? ....

thanks in advance for all the help .