[Dloya]

I have just accepted an offer to work for a company in the Richland area. My wife and 2 small children (4.5 yrs and 3) will be moving from Chicago at the end of school year. Currently we are trying to decide where to begin our home search. What we are looking for is
1. Great Schools
2. Safe Neighborhood with strong sense of community
3. Activities for the kids
We understand that we are not going to find all the same amenties as Chicago but we would like to find a walkable community with character that provides culture on a smaller scale (walkable part is negotiable)
We have not had a chance to really explore the area as of yet but from reading this forum it sounds as if Portage is the best option in the immediate area (thoughts?) but that if the commute is not too long it sounds as if the East Grand Rapids and the Ada area of GR might be a better fit.
I am looking for insight from families who are have knowledge of these areas. What does portage have to offer? How far is the commute from Richland to East Grand Rapids and Ada? How is this commute in the winter? Are there other areas we should be looking at? Sorry for being long winded but I wanted to give some back ground so people could better guide us.
Thanks in advance

[Wayland Woman]

Am I correct that you're thinking of a 42+ mile commute between East Grand Rapids or Ada and Richland? I sure wouldn't want to do that in Michigan's winter months and I've spend several decades of my life snowplowing and being out in the weather on the worst nights of the seasons meaning I'm not a wimp about winter driving.

[michigan83]

The commute would be a minimum of one hour during good weather with no traffic problems. Doing it from Ada might be easier than East Grand Rapids, just because EGR doesn't have quick freeway access at all. Problem is that EGR fits your requirements much more than Ada does. The Ada area is wonderful, but there is nothing walkable about it, other than the village of Ada itself, which is TINY.

But, people do make commutes similar to that one.

[Dloya]

My wife and I will be visiting the area next next weekend. We will be looking at both Portage and GR. What are peoples thoughts on Portage? Are there other areas we should be looking at?

[60'sGal]

I work in Portage for the School system. Portage is a really nice City. There is no real Downtown area, but the big shopping district pretty well covers everything you might want. Portag eis bordered by Kalamazoo and what you might find lacking in Portage can certainly be found in Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo has a lovely old Downtown area filled with shops and some really great restaurants. Kalamazoo also has two excellent Hospitals, Bronson and Borgess.

Portage is best known for it's Parks, bike trails, Bandshell and Westnedge Ave. Westnedge boasts the Crossroads Mall and just about every restaurant you can imagine. Sam's Club, two Meijers stores, Walmart, Home Depot and so much more.

Doctors are plentiful. For more serious issues, The University of Michigan is an hour away. The Cleveland Clinic 2 hours.

The Schools are excellent , but right now going through a serious budget crisis. Many Teachers will lose jobs within the next 30 days unless a miracle occurs.

To the SW is a sweet town of Schoolcraft known for it's Antique Shops.

Portage is considered a Bible belt area and tends to vote Conservative. There are many Churches and the area is known for them. You are close to I94 which will take you back to Chicago for a visit in a coupe hours.

Portage is a nice place to live. I live about 40 minutes away, but wouldn't hesitate to move here. It really doesn't have what I'd call a "Bad" area. There are certainly areas more "lived in" than others, but none that I'd call bad. Lots of beautiful homes and subdivisions due to the presence of Phizer. Property taxes are what one would expect in a fairly affluent area.

Hope this helped. Be glad to answer any questions you might have.

[mich2fla]

That would kill me. I can probably do it for a little while but it will get old pretty quick (especially the slow commute I had from this recent snowstorm we had). If you have the opportunity to work from home a couple days a week, that would be doable.

If I would you, take a look at the Prtage schools and the general Portage area. If you feel something is missing, then check out FH or EGR schools. For FH, look into the Cascade area that is close to I-96 and M6 for easier commute to Richland.

Good luck!

[jeeg]

I think the Richland and Gull lake area itself is very nice! <shrugs> Easy commute to the downtown K-zoo area for fine dining, shopping, and culture.

Out of the choices mentioned in the OP I would definitely say Portage.

[Wayland Woman]

We just got 10-12 inches of snow last night in the Grand Rapids area with more heavy snow coming next week. That should give you a good gauge of our winter while your visiting. It doesn't much worse than that, when they close all the schools in the area.

I echo what 60'sgal is saying about Portage.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Wayland Woman

We just got 10-12 inches of snow last night in the Grand Rapids area with more heavy snow coming next week. That should give you a good gauge of our winter while your visiting. It doesn't much worse than that, when they close all the schools in the area.

I echo what 60'sgal is saying about Portage.

But that was a band of lake-effect snow that could just as easily been further North (Not that I want it further North ) and not really indicative of "normal". In this area (Ludington) we only got a couple inches total and the roads were/are bare - enough so we took a drive down to Muskegon yesterday and they didn't have much more than we did. I dumped on GR almost alone.

That being said, this winter has been a very mild one so far. I have family that live in Howard City and commute to GR every day for work. I don't recall them ever missing a day of work due to snow. You just have to plan ahead and slow down.

I also agree with 60'sGal. While I really like GR, Portage makes more sense to me in your situation.

[mackinac81]

I grew up in Portage and can personally say that the schools are excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to send my kids there. I've also had to commute from Kalamazoo to GR before, and while I love GR, it got really old in the winter. Grand Rapids is great, but go for Portage. It makes more sense, and with Kalamazoo will have everything you need cultural and shopping wise.

Good luck.