Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Michigan
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 06-21-2008, 11:44 AM
 
5 posts, read 37,886 times
Reputation: 13

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by deslok View Post
Don't mess with Holland unless you are of dutch decent. Otherwise go for it. =)
I'm Irish (no, I'm not the Mayor) and have lived in Holland for 20 years. I have never felt like I don't belong or am not welcomed. My kids have friends that are every color of the rainbow, some of them are even Dutch.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 06-21-2008, 09:07 PM
 
Location: over there --->
133 posts, read 498,241 times
Reputation: 71
I would second Traverse City. I'd also throw in Gaylord, Midland, and Alpena, depending on what exactly you're looking for.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-21-2008, 09:13 PM
 
Location: Grand Rapids Metro
8,882 posts, read 19,845,845 times
Reputation: 3920
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerNut View Post
I'm considering a move to either Michigan, Maine or New Hampshire and would appreciate some suggestions about Michigan cities.

What I'm looking for: a community of 10k to 40k people, good places to eat, shop and entertain - not too busy but not too slow either - job opportunities (background is sales/management, I'm currently a Chaplain at a max prison).

I appreciate the help.
Grand Haven would meet pretty much all of your needs, including being within a 30 minute drive of Grand Rapids (jobs).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2008, 01:42 PM
 
63 posts, read 649,515 times
Reputation: 44
There are 3 cities that I've narrowed it down to: Grand Haven, Port Huron and Walker (outside of Grand Rapids). I'm most curious about Walker and then Grand Haven, can anyone give me some information on these communities? Thanks.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2008, 02:12 PM
 
15 posts, read 225,935 times
Reputation: 22
I am originally from Holland, MI, but spent the past 10 years of my life in Grand Rapids until I had to move to Florida to get a teaching job. Holland is a nice city for families. I was bored as a college grad and moved to Grand Rapids. G.R. has MUCH more to offer in terms of entertainment, jobs, and diversity than the smaller cities of West Michigan. (I don't recommend Muskegon - Very blue collar and has a run-down feel. Traverse City, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, nice and quaint, but small.) The crime in G.R. is relatively low for a medium sized city. It is still less than an hour's drive to the beaches, which are very beautiful! The only thing I do NOT miss is the weather. Summer is beautiful, but once fall sets in, expect a lot of clouds and drizzle from the lake effect. That lasts into April at least. It gets gloomy. Other than that, it is an awesome place to live. People are friendly, cost of living is pretty cheap (about 1/2 of what it is in Florida) After I get my fix of sun and palm trees I'll be back! Good Luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2008, 02:14 PM
 
Location: Michigan
334 posts, read 1,371,172 times
Reputation: 150
Midland's(41,000) pretty nice. I like it because it's halfway between Metro Detroit and the northern LP. Plus low crime, unemployment, it's clean, and all the modern things like a mall etc.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-22-2008, 02:29 PM
 
15 posts, read 225,935 times
Reputation: 22
I lived in Walker! Right behind Target on Alpine Avenue. What I liked was that it had access to all the freeways and you could get around Grand Rapids or out to the Lake easily. It's a bit of a drive to the malls, but there are plenty of good restaurants on Alpine Avenue. That area used to be run down, but it improved over the 3 years i lived there, and I'm sure has improved even more. The reason I moved there was that the rent was a bit cheaper than other parts of Grand Rapids. Overall I do like the SE side of Grand Rapids better. It is newer and has more to do. But Walker is a nice safe area and I remember i was very sad to leave.
Grand Haven is a great town. Much smaller, especially during the off-season months. It really booms during the summer. If you like boats or the water, you might like it there. It's sort of like Holland. But I liked that Walker is basically part of Grand Rapids. And with the job outlook the way it is over there lately, you're better off in a bigger town.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2008, 09:16 AM
 
63 posts, read 649,515 times
Reputation: 44
michigan_girl, that is very helpful!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2008, 09:45 AM
 
Location: East Grand Rapids, MI
845 posts, read 3,270,532 times
Reputation: 241
Quote:
Originally Posted by deslok View Post
Don't mess with Holland unless you are of dutch decent. Otherwise go for it. =)
That's a sentiment that might have held true 30 years ago. I really don't think that's the case at all anymore.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 06-23-2008, 09:49 AM
 
Location: East Grand Rapids, MI
845 posts, read 3,270,532 times
Reputation: 241
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadgerNut View Post
There are 3 cities that I've narrowed it down to: Grand Haven, Port Huron and Walker (outside of Grand Rapids). I'm most curious about Walker and then Grand Haven, can anyone give me some information on these communities? Thanks.
Walker is more a suburb of Grand Rapids than a city of its own.
Yes, it's a city with its own government, but it's essentially part of "Greater Grand Rapids."
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Michigan
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:38 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top