[Dloya]

I will be interviewing for a position a few minutes north of Kalamazoo next week and my wife and I are curious about the best places to live in the area for young families.
Quick background - We currently live in the Chicago Burbs but have lived all over - mainly large cities across the US. We have 2 young children (2 and 4) and the things we are looking for are
1. Great Schools
2. Stong Community feel
3. Safe
4. We would like to live on the one of the local lakes but are willing to sacrifice this for the kids
5. We understand we are leaving the ammenities of Chicago but we would like to be realtively close to restaruants and activities for the children.

We really don't want to anything longer then a 30 -40 minute commute.

Any advice

[unclejake21]

Well the Kalamazoo promise is something you might consider for your kids. It is a program offered in Kalamazoo schools that helps pay your child's college tuition. The earlier they start there, the more they will pay for them.

Kalamazoo for the most part is safe, however, I would avoid the northern and somewhat eastern part of downtown. The western part is filled with college students.

[Dloya]

I've read a bit about the Kalamazoo promise and it sounds like a great program. How are the Kalmazoo schools. I would love to settle down and make a place home for the next 20 years but if history is any indicator it does seem unlikely so the promise will not way that heavily into our home search. I've read a good bit about Portage schools on the website. Are these largely considered the best schools in the area? Are there any communities near Gull lake that would be a good match?
Thanks for the advice.

[60'sGal]

Check out Portage. If I were moving to the area, I'd choose Portage over Kalamazoo in a heartbeat. Portage Schools are among the tops in the State.

[xlabel]

If you really don't care about the Kalamazoo promise, get set up in Lawton, Mattawan, Paw Paw, Oshtemo, but I'd really try to shoot for Mattawan, the place has been really desirable for years and will only keep getting better.

[Memphis1979]

STAY AWAY FROM KALAMAZOO SCHOOL DISTRICT. I heard nothing but bad things from the freinds I have up there about the schools in the actual Kalamazoo school district.

Portage would be my first choice if I were you. Good schools, very urban, and lots of things for the family to do.

If you want to get out a little, I'd suggest Richland. Gull Lake schools are very good, and the community is very good there.

Stay away from Kalamazoo, the Kzoo promise is tantalizing, but in the end I don't think it would be worth it.

[ladyblue09]

Portage and Mattawan are both nice communities that I think would have a good family atmosphere. Portage is larger and more suburban while Mattawan is more of a rural small town. If you enjoy going to restaurants, you might find it interesting that there is an Asian fusion restaurant in Mattawan that is so well-liked that you have to make "reservations" just to get takeout from them.

[northstar22]

Contrary to everyone else on here, I would suggest living in Kzoo over Portage or Mattawan. If you like bland, cookie-cutter subdivisions, strip malls, and chain restaurants, than you'll love Portage. Mattawan, once a nice small town, is moving that way as well, also becoming choked with sprawl. Kalamazoo, by contrast, is very interesting. There are a lot of great neighborhoods in Kzoo like Westnedge Hill, Oakwood, West Main Hill, and Milwood. Anything on the south side of town is going to be nice. There are also nice areas on the northeast and west sides of town.

If you prefer a small town, then Three Rivers, Constantine, Wayland, Paw Paw, Lawton, and Decatur are all good options. All of these towns are within a 30-40 minute drive of Kalamazoo.

[northstar22]

Originally Posted by Memphis1979

STAY AWAY FROM KALAMAZOO SCHOOL DISTRICT. I heard nothing but bad things from the freinds I have up there about the schools in the actual Kalamazoo school district.

Seriously, KPS is not that bad. Some of the schools can be rough, but it's not like anyone is getting shot. There are all types of students from a variety of backgrounds. There are probably more drugs in Portage schools anyway.