Grand Rapids Michigan

[cjnix29]

Absolutely! My DH and DD4 will be with me and we are planning to spend alot of time a SaB. Praying for hurricane free weather!!

We will be there with DH and DS7. We are praying for no hurricanes too! We will be at the Contemporary prior to going to the yacht club. Our only consolation is that atleast we really like our resorts! And I could always add the no expire to our tickets!

 

[maxiesmom]

and[/B] it's just far enough East of the lake that they don't get quite as much lake effect snow as everyone West of US131. That makes a huge difference on whether you get 2 inches of snow or 22 inches. I live due West of GR (halfway between GR and Grand Haven) and have called this home for 34 years. Other than the long cold winters and the bad economy I love it here. The beaches ROCK during the summer

I agree with all of the above! I want to add that when you pick a location, you do need to consider how much snow it will get, and how that will affect you driving anywhere.

A bad snow storm can easily double or tripple commute time. I live in Wyoming, which is just West of that US131 snow border. During bad weather it can take a couple of days more my street to get plowed out. And my easy 10 minute commute can turn into half an hour or more if the roads are bad. The sidewalks get plowed before the street does! A vehicle with at least front wheel drive is a must for dealing with snowy streets.

I would love to live outside of the city, and have many friends that do. But there is no way I would want to get on the highways during a winter storm and have to face a long drive to work.

Just something else to keep in mind when picking a place to call home.

 

[cjnix29]

Yeah, I understand about snow! We lived in both Cleveland and in Nebraska! That is why we are looking on the South East side, as his job will be near the airport. A lot of great advice here! thanks so much, keep it coming!

 

[BrightScouter]

Interesting. I work about a mile south of the airport! I live in Lowell, actually NE of Lowell so on the far side and I have about a 30 minute commute. If you look at Lowell schools, you could be within about 15 minutes of the airport if you live on the south side of Lowell. We were torn between Lowell and Caledonia when we were trying to choose. We ended up going with Lowell and have loved the town ever since.

Is the company near Patterson Ave? I have worked for two in that area.

You will like the area.

 

[budbeerlady]

Just wanted to chime in and say "Have a great visit!" We are to the south, along lake Michigan. If you find a area you like ask around about the snow, really, ask the people in the town. I am just past South Haven, we get dumped on. North of Gr might get 84 inches in a winter and we will have had almost double that by us. We didnt know we were moving into the snow belt.

I grew up in Hudsonville, wonderful area. With the new M-6 it would be just a hop over to the airport area. The snow isnt too bad there, the people are friendly. You would be about 15 min from the Grandville Mall, near Grand Valley State University and about half way between GR and the lake. Its not quite so small like it used to be. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...54978,0.110035&g=hudsonville,+mi&ie=UTF8&z=11

To see: The Fredrick Meijer gardens are wonderful with the chihuly exibit going on. http://www.meijergardens.org/ Head up the road to Holland State park and watch the sunset. http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQsAQwBA

 

[kristenrice]

I just wanted to chime in and say "hi"!

I was born and raised here in the Grand Rapids area. I grew up in Wyoming and we now live in the southeast corner of Kentwood.

My DH has been a police officer for the Grand Rapids Police Department for 22 years. I've been a paramedic for 13 years and our service area covers from Ada to the lakeshore so I get around. Needless to say, we know a lot of the "good" and the "bad" areas.

Everyone has given you great advice so far and I really don't have anything to add. I totally agree with the comments about the snow affecting your commute. On a dry day, it takes me about 15 minutes to drive to work. When that lake effect snow hits, it is anywhere from 30-45 minutes. The cities do a good job with plowing, but the rural areas are not as quick to see a plow. There are some really nice subdivisions in the Hudsonville/Zeeland area, but in the winter, it can be very difficult to access them. (Yes, I've gotten the ambulance stuck and, no, they are NOT 4WD)

I can't comment too much on the schools. My DD's are 5 and 7 and they are enrolled in a local Christian school. (Yup, we're part of the conservative population). I was brought up in the Christian schools so I never considered an alternative for my own children. As a result, I did ZERO research on any of the public school systems in the area.

Good Luck on your decision. Maybe we'll be giving you a "Welcome Home" soon.

 

[mjhd]

Just wanted to add that there is a great group of moms over on the momslikeme.com message boards. Good luck future neighbor! And ita we should have a gr dis meet soon!

 

[cjnix29]

Ok....so we just got back from our whirlwind tour of Grand Rapids. Have to say it...we didn't Love it. I don't know if we just didn't see the right parts of the city or what. We thought we would like the Caledonia area, but when we got there, it seemed like it was so far away from convenience...shopping, etc. The schools looked really nice though. We did like East Grand Rapids, and I hear the schools there are good. However, not sure we would have a snowball's chance of affording a house we liked!! Same goes in the neighborhoods in Cascade Twp...really liked the ones we went through, but I don't think we can afford it, no....I KNOW we can't afford it! So now, we are trying to figure out if it is worth the move. It seems any raise my DH will get will be eaten up by the increase in housing cost. We know live in a 2200 sq ft 4 br 2.5 bath house, with a VERy reasonable mortgage payment. I am afraid we will not be able to come close to that.

We kept wondering if we were missing something. Everyone we talk to really likes the area. We didn't actually go downtown, but just drove the highway around it. We figure that our neighborhood community was really more important to us, since we won't be downtown regulars.

Did we do something wrong?! Or not look in the right places?!

 

[Not so Dumbo]

Ok....so we just got back from our whirlwind tour of Grand Rapids. Have to say it...we didn't Love it. I don't know if we just didn't see the right parts of the city or what. We thought we would like the Caledonia area, but when we got there, it seemed like it was so far away from convenience...shopping, etc. The schools looked really nice though. We did like East Grand Rapids, and I hear the schools there are good. However, not sure we would have a snowball's chance of affording a house we liked!! Same goes in the neighborhoods in Cascade Twp...really liked the ones we went through, but I don't think we can afford it, no....I KNOW we can't afford it! So now, we are trying to figure out if it is worth the move. It seems any raise my DH will get will be eaten up by the increase in housing cost. We know live in a 2200 sq ft 4 br 2.5 bath house, with a VERy reasonable mortgage payment. I am afraid we will not be able to come close to that.

We kept wondering if we were missing something. Everyone we talk to really likes the area. We didn't actually go downtown, but just drove the highway around it. We figure that our neighborhood community was really more important to us, since we won't be downtown regulars.

Did we do something wrong?! Or not look in the right places?!

I so sorry you didn't fall in love with GR
If you would like to look for houses online try www.grar.com That's a good site for all the homes listed in GR. Maybe try Hudsonville or Grandville they are a litte bit West but good areas. Not as pricey as the Forrest Hills and Cascade areas. They are both close to M6 which would be an easy drive to the airport area.

Did you get a chance to check out the shoreline and the beaches? It was really cold but the waves were gianormous this weekend.

 

[cjnix29]

We didn't get a chance to get to the shoreline. We have been before, and know we like that. It's just trying to find a neighborhood that we feel we could actually live in. I think we were so exhausted and crabby by Saturday night, that we weren't in the mood to be in the car anymore! Although DH has been looking now, expanding our search, and has fallen in love with some Brady-esque houses in the Northview area. And so....it continues. It would be a little longer of a drive for him, which is something we need to consider as well.

 

[Disneyforus]

We didn't get a chance to get to the shoreline. We have been before, and know we like that. It's just trying to find a neighborhood that we feel we could actually live in. I think we were so exhausted and crabby by Saturday night, that we weren't in the mood to be in the car anymore! Although DH has been looking now, expanding our search, and has fallen in love with some Brady-esque houses in the Northview area. And so....it continues. It would be a little longer of a drive for him, which is something we need to consider as well.

This is my neck of the woods growing up..I am from Rockford...the next school district north of Northview (besides Comstock Park) and it is a great area! Also, if you are on the North Side of Grand Rapids it makes for very easy access to "going up North"! Rockford is a fabulous school...check it out!

I have to honestly say, that I don't "love" Grand Rapids anymore. It's just gotten too big and busy. We live in Portage an hour or so south of Grand Rapids and it is just the right size for my family. We are basically 20-30 min from everything we need, including great entertainment options that come into Miller Auditorium at Western Michigan University. If we want to go to Chicago, it's only 2 hrs away.....and the Detroit airport is also 2 hours. We do come into GR for Van Andel arena events and to visit family...

Not trying to sell you on another area...but don't be afraid to check into areas a little outside of the GR area. We have friends in Greenville for example that moved from Kentwood and are loving their neighborhood and schools.

Good luck in your search! Home is where your family is, so wherever you end up it will be just right!

 

[cjnix29]

I truly appreciate all the great advice, and would love to meet you all if we move! It would be great to have smiling faces in a new city! I totally understand about moving a little further out. However, our problem is that I don't drive all that far. I have a weird health condition, still undefined (I call it Irene), that makes it so I have to be careful with my driving. So I don't want to be too isolated. Plus, we will need to be close enough to doctors/hospitals so that I can get to an appointment on my own if I need to. So many decisions! DH is supposed to hear from his boss tomorrow. Funny, his current boss, is moving too, and would be his new boss. Which is part of what makes the decision hard. He really likes the guy, and is concerned about what he would get for a boss if he didn't go!

anyone know anything about the Northview area? and what about property taxes? will they break the bank!?

 

[Jennabeth]

I live in the Northview area. My DH and I originally lived on the SE side (Forest Hills) and moved here when we decided to have kids. I love the area! We live within walking distance of the Library, Baskin Robbins, bagel shop, Lowe's, Kmart, the high school and our elementary school (but the kids ride the bus), restaurants and a mile from Meijer (superstore, similar to Walmart but nicer IMHO). I grew up in a small town and get that same feeling here, but I'm 10 minutes from downtown and all it offers. The school remind me of my elementary school. We are allowed to bring in homemade snacks and have a Christmas party. Parents are welcome to join their student for lunch and volunteer in the classroom. The school district has a great band program and really encourages arts which is great because I have two DDs and one is not at all athletic. They start band/choir in 5th grade and get it every day.

My girls love going downtown and we try to go often. We are 10 minutes from one mall (on 28th St.) and 5 minutes from the shopping on Alpine Ave. We also head into Rockford during the summer for the Blues concerts and love to ride/skate on the trail.

I don't think the property taxes are bad, but this is the only place we've paid taxes. I think we pay about $1600 per $100,000 (close to that). Northview is in Plainfield Township so there is not city tax (yay). You can get a nice starter home low $100,000s (esp now), a 2,200 square foot home will probably run $200,000 - $250,000, depending on sub division and finishes (finished basement, 2+ bathrooms, granite). Feel free to PM me if you have questions.

 

[Dizfan4life]

Well.... I am not sure of where you are in any decision making, but from a Michigander..... Hello! I'll give you some tips, if you don't mind ! My husband works on the Southeast side of Grand Rapids, it is technically Kentwood. He works near the G.R. Airport. We live in a small community in the Hamilton area just a little west/southwest of GR. The commute for him everyday is roughly 30 mins and he says he really needs that time to wind down before he comes home to me and the kids ! In the winter time his commute might take 40 mins but since it is mostly highway for him (M-6 or US 131) it doesn't cause much problem at all. Can I suggest a different area to live than in GR? The GR school district has been having some problems and I want to be honest and tell you that I would not send my kids to that district. There are five districts that I would feel comfortable sending my kids to Caledonia Public, Hudsonville Public, Byron Center Public, Zeeland Public, or Hamilton Community Schools. You could easily find a house, in the suburbs for the mid-100,000's range and it will be quite a decent house. If you are wanting a community that is more close to city living, I would suggest Hudsonville or Zeeland. By the way... my kids go to Hamilton Community Schools and I it dearly!!!! The teachers know your kids well and care for you kids dearly..... and chances are they will attend one of the churches in the community . However, I know of several families who have kids in the Zeeland and Hudsonville schools and the same can be said about their teachers too! Good luck with such a tough decision. Oh... and yes.... at West Michigan meet and greet is a must !

 

[Dizfan4life]

I truly appreciate all the great advice, and would love to meet you all if we move! It would be great to have smiling faces in a new city! I totally understand about moving a little further out. However, our problem is that I don't drive all that far. I have a weird health condition, still undefined (I call it Irene), that makes it so I have to be careful with my driving. So I don't want to be too isolated. Plus, we will need to be close enough to doctors/hospitals so that I can get to an appointment on my own if I need to. So many decisions! DH is supposed to hear from his boss tomorrow. Funny, his current boss, is moving too, and would be his new boss. Which is part of what makes the decision hard. He really likes the guy, and is concerned about what he would get for a boss if he didn't go!

anyone know anything about the Northview area? and what about property taxes? will they break the bank!?

Well.... all of the quotes I read, I totally missed this one ! Since you would like to have a hospital near by I would look into Zeeland or Byron Center. Both of those communities have grocery stores, hospitals, and pharmacy's all within a 10 min drive of each other ! However, for your hubby's sake I would probably look at Bryon Center with having the M-6 highway right on his door step!

 

[cockermon]

Hi-
I usually lurk, but thought I would post as we moved to Grand Rapids almost 10 yrs to the date from east side of Michigan. We have a great quality of life & reasonable cost of living compared to other metro areas,

Both East Grand Rapids & Cascade/Forrest Hills are the 2 most expensive areas in this area. Yes, schools are very good but extremely competitive.
Many MD's live in Cascade/Forrest Hills and "old money" in East Grand Rapids.
Home prices accordingly very expensive.

Now there are other areas with good schools. Rockford, where I live, has very good public schools. Home prices very - starter homes in low 100's, nicer homes in 200's and lake homes 300-400's. It would be about 30-40 min from my home to the airport area or downtown GR by Medical mile.
Rockford has nice small downtown area on the "Damn" with great shops & restaurants. (Try Reds on The River)

Jenison and Hudsonville probably have similar home prices and good schools.However, this area is the more conservative area of GR. Many folks here send there children to Christian schools vs public schools. This can be a bit of "culture shock" for folks from out of state.

The downtown area is Medical Mile. We have new Medical School, Spectrum Health, DeVos Childrens Hospital to open 1-11-11 and Van Andel Research Institute. Recently Spectrum Health named top 10 Healthcare system with the likes of Mayo & Cleveland Clinics. If you need top notch medical care- would suggest you check it out. Cathy

 

[Poohs Pal]

I so agree but 28th street can be an adventure at times LOL.

I don't live in Grand Rapids but spent 8 months there(17 years ago) while Dson was gettting rehab at MFB. I have to go back every six months to the area. 28th street did not bother me but everyone warned me to stay away from the belt line Also just wanted to add that everyone is Grand Rapids is very friendly.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

Also just wanted to add that everyone is Grand Rapids is very friendly.

Thank-you

I have never lived anywhere else and I have nothing to compare us too so your comment brought a smile to my face.

 

[budbeerlady]

If you are wanting a community that is more close to city living, I would suggest Hudsonville or Zeeland. By the way... my kids go to Hamilton Community Schools and I it dearly!!!! The teachers know your kids well and care for you kids dearly..... and chances are they will attend one of the churches in the community . Good luck with such a tough decision. Oh... and yes.... at West Michigan meet and greet is a must !

Just wanted to say small world and hello! I work on M-40 between Hamilton and Holland here, my Dd goes to Holland Christian on the southside.

OP, do you have the opportunity to come back again and poke around? I couldn't imagine trying to make all those decisions in a weekend.Maybe rent for a bit before taking the plunge on a neighborhood? For the record I love parts of the area but for everything big city we go to Chicago on the train. Grand Rapids can be an odd town, its happening or dead, no inbetween.

Medical wise my parents have both been with excellent specialists but they are across the street from the hospital on Michigan Ave downtown. We drive my Mom in and out if need be via Market from i-196, less traffic if she does do it herself. My Mom's neurologist was out on the East Beltline and that road is nuts! She couldnt safely drive it!

 

[cjnix29]

keep the advice coming! my head is swimming! Waiting til tomorrow to hear what the bottom line is. Yikes! This will be our third move with the company, so we've been through all this before. We bought our last house without even going in it! Pure craziness!

Budbeerlady....renting won't be an option for us. Because it is a company relocation, we get a stipend to help with expenses, plus they help with realtor fees, etc. If we rent, we don't get it. So when we went to buy, we would have to pay our own closing costs, etc. Would be VERY expensive! I'm not sure if we will be able to go back up to check things out. We will before we have to buy a place to live, of course, but not sure about before having to make the decision to go.