[JD2AK&ME]

Hello, We retired to Alaska 11 yrs ago and while it's been great, the time has come to move to be near our son's family (granddaughters). They live in Okemos so we want to buy a house somewhere east of Lansing with in a 20 min. drive to Okemos. We are looking for a nice, single family, ranch house with a yard, in a quiet area. I am used to swimming 3X a week, in a pool, all year round and hope to find a pool not too far from where we buy. We would like to stay east of downtown Lansing and have started looking at places in Holt, Mason, Williamston and Haslett as well as Okemos. Access to quality medical care is also important at our age. Any insights concerning retiring in any of these towns (or other suggestions of towns) would be appreciated. We hope to be able to fly down in April to look at some houses. Thanks, Diane

[secondbreakfast]

Originally Posted by JD2AK&ME

Hello, We retired to Alaska 11 yrs ago and while it's been great, the time has come to move to be near our son's family (granddaughters). They live in Okemos so we want to buy a house somewhere east of Lansing with in a 20 min. drive to Okemos. We are looking for a nice, single family, ranch house with a yard, in a quiet area. I am used to swimming 3X a week, in a pool, all year round and hope to find a pool not too far from where we buy. We would like to stay east of downtown Lansing and have started looking at places in Holt, Mason, Williamston and Haslett as well as Okemos. Access to quality medical care is also important at our age. Any insights concerning retiring in any of these towns (or other suggestions of towns) would be appreciated. We hope to be able to fly down in April to look at some houses. Thanks, Diane

You might also consider Fowlerville, Webberville, or even Howell (a little further away, but it has a small community hospital). Though keep in mind these areas are very conservative; not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing for you.

[carcross]

Healthcare in the Lansing area is very good, and with MSU having a connection (students + research) with both major hospitals, hospitals the quality healthcare will be around long term. So really, any of those cities will be great in that regard... as with Lansing not having much traffic problems, you are only a quick drive away from a quality hospital or medical provider.

As far as ranch properties go, you will get more bang for the buck going south as opposed to east. Another area worth checking out is immediately north of Lansing, but south of I-69. There are some rural areas there that have properties matching what you describe, but because they are still in the Lansing Public School district, their property values aren’t as high. As obviously that negative wouldn’t be applicable to you, and you might find some good properties on the north side that are undervalued price wise.

[jdhpa]

I see Williamston has a community center with a pool:

https://www.williamstononline.net/


And there's a YMCA in East Lansing with a pool:

https://www.lansingymca.org/poolschedule


Good luck!

[hooligan]

Originally Posted by JD2AK&ME

Hello, We retired to Alaska 11 yrs ago and while it's been great, the time has come to move to be near our son's family (granddaughters). They live in Okemos so we want to buy a house somewhere east of Lansing with in a 20 min. drive to Okemos. We are looking for a nice, single family, ranch house with a yard, in a quiet area. I am used to swimming 3X a week, in a pool, all year round and hope to find a pool not too far from where we buy. We would like to stay east of downtown Lansing and have started looking at places in Holt, Mason, Williamston and Haslett as well as Okemos. Access to quality medical care is also important at our age. Any insights concerning retiring in any of these towns (or other suggestions of towns) would be appreciated. We hope to be able to fly down in April to look at some houses. Thanks, Diane

Hello, Diane.

We live right in that area. Any of those areas should be able to provide what you're looking for. Staying out of East Lansing city limits will reduce your property taxes a decent amount (MI taxes are likely higher than AK).

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-wit...ty-taxes/11585


There is a YMCA on Haslett Rd near Park Lake Rd for your swimming needs - there is also the Michigan Athletic Club, but that's much closer to campus - i.e. further away from any of those towns, aside from Holt.

Williamston and Mason are very nice small towns with their own personality. Holt is less so, as it pretty well just blends into south Lansing at this point. We rented in Holt for 6 mos when we moved back home prior to buying our house. We much prefer this side of town.

Dewitt could be a possibility, too, although it's maybe closer to 25 mins to Okemos vs. 20.

[teachbeach]

Just on the north side of 69 is Bath Township in Clinton County, with East Lansing address. The area you're looking has all the amenities you're seeking. For swimming, there's the MAC (near MSU campus), The Hannah Center in East Lansing and the Parkwood Y in Haslett. Haslett High School also has open swimming, and if you're over 62 it's free (sign up for your HIP card through Community Education). Great medical facilities (Sparrow Hospital and McLaren is building a huge new complex) with MSU also having specialists and clinics. If you need super specialists, Ann Arbor and Detroit are an easy trip. Lots to do with being close to campus; sports, concerts, plays, Wharton Center, museums and with Lansing being the capital, it too has some neat areas (Old Town, REO Town, RiverTrail, Rotary Park), lots of parks, farmers markets etc. Williamston and Mason are a little bit further out from "the hub", but they are charming towns with their own retail and dining presence. Easy to get around, traffic is manageable. You're used to the cold, so that won't be an issue~but we do have many gray days during the winter months. If you haven't found a place to purchase, you might want to rent for a few months to drive the areas and see what fits your needs, especially if this is your "forever home".