Talk to me Michiganers

[caitlinsmom]

Dh and I have talked of moving from our state for years.  We are finally in a position that a big move is completely doable and a welcome change.  We've made a list and done our inital research and it looks like Michigan hits the majority of our list.  Our list includes: 4 season climate, humidity, inexpensive housing, easy homeschool laws, homeschool population for friends and get togethers, rural to small city,  natural beauty, easy access to things like camping, fishing....  You get the idea.  As I know it will come up, we DO NOT need to worry about employment as we both work online.

 

So far I've been focusing on the Traverse City area.  Where else would you recommend checking out?

What do you love about Michigan?  Any must see attractions?  Any areas to stay away from?  Honestly, I'd just love to hear your thoughts about the state in general.  I will continue reading and researching (and visiting in March to narrow things down) but I'd love some input from others as well.

 

 

[FaithManor]

Traverse is gorgeous, but REALLY expensive.

 

One area to not overlook would be Kalamazoo. They have a huge homeschooling population with a ton of programs and options, and Western Michigan ( a state school with reasonable tuition) and Kalamazoo College (a super top notch LAC) are quite homeschool friendly since they are used to the large homeschool population there. It's a nice town.

 

Just a thought.

 

You'll find things a bit depressed in the tri-cities area, but land and homes are cheap too, so there is that.

[KatieJ]

West Michigan is where we landed 19'years ago. Grand rapids is a big city with 20 minute commutes from pretty much anywhere. Half an hour to the lake, 2.5 hours to Chicago,large airport, incredibly homeschool friendly, it's a lovely place to live.

Traverse city is gorgeous, but it is so overrun with tourists in the summer, I wouldn't want to live there.

 

But I still feel like MN is home, so,I am not the best one to talk here!

[BridgeTea]

Traverse City is a fantastic place to start looking. That whole area is my favorite in-state destination.

 

How about the Grand Haven or South Haven areas? I'm not personally familiar with those towns but I've always heard great things about them. (Faith, help me out here. Aren't they similar in feel to TC? And they'd be in easy reach of Kalamazoo.)

 

Enjoy exploring Michigan. We've had some tough financial times, but it really is a lovely state.

[T'smom]

I've lived in west MI for 5 years. If I had truly understood what winter was like, I would not have moved here. I was not an outdoor person at all before we moved- now I crave sunlight like a starving person. When I lived farther south (and it wasn't even all that far south), I got enough sun just in the course of daily life. Now we spend a LOT of time outside all summer. We actually mostly live at a campground in the summer. But even then, it's not uncommon to have to wear jeans and sweatshirts early in the morning and later in the evening. The first time I watched fireworks on the 4th in a sweatshirt, wrapped up in a blanket was a shock. If you are coming from a similar climate, you don't need to worry about it. But if you're from farther south, I would really consider it.

 

We live near Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids and there are lots of opportunities in those areas. I have found that most of the homeschool groups are very conservative Christian. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

[BridgeTea]

Adding: yes to Grand Rapids, also. Such an interesting city that has become quite vibrant the last several years. Seems there is always something going on down there. (Uhh..."down there" because I'm "up north"!)

[caitlinsmom]

I've lived in west MI for 5 years. If I had truly understood what winter was like, I would not have moved here. I was not an outdoor person at all before we moved- now I crave sunlight like a starving person. When I lived farther south (and it wasn't even all that far south), I got enough sun just in the course of daily life. Now we spend a LOT of time outside all summer. We actually mostly live at a campground in the summer. But even then, it's not uncommon to have to wear jeans and sweatshirts early in the morning and later in the evening. The first time I watched fireworks on the 4th in a sweatshirt, wrapped up in a blanket was a shock. If you are coming from a similar climate, you don't need to worry about it. But if you're from farther south, I would really consider it.

 

We live near Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids and there are lots of opportunities in those areas. I have found that most of the homeschool groups are very conservative Christian. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

 

The weather sounds pretty close to what we deal with here (East Idaho).  I wouldn't dream of going to 4th of july without a blanket. :)  It's practically tradition. lol

 

You bring up a great question about homeschooling groups.  If they are conservative Christian, how open/friendly are they to others who may not be just lie them?  We are Christian but I'm not the type to sign a statement of faith. :)

[caitlinsmom]

Adding: yes to Grand Rapids, also. Such an interesting city that has become quite vibrant the last several years. Seems there is always something going on down there. (Uhh..."down there" because I'm "up north"!)

 

Up north how far? :)  The first part of the state that caught my eye was the Houghton and Hancock areas, just based off a few pictures I saw on a friends fb page.  Then I was told the whole UP had very little homeschooling population so I kind of switched gears.

[KatieJ]

Up north how far? :) The first part of the state that caught my eye was the Houghton and Hancock areas, just based off a few pictures I saw on a friends fb page. Then I was told the whole UP had very little homeschooling population so I kind of switched gears.

That's way up north. Nope, too far for me. And yes, you would get weather up,there!

[MomtoCandJ]

The UP is so spread out as far as population that the homeschoolers have a hard time getting together (from one side to the other is an over 6 hr drive).

The hills in the Houghton/Hancock area are tricky in winter time and lots of snow (like NMU in Marquette has snowblowers for the sidewalks that put most snowplows to shame). Also they close down US 2 (a major highway up there) a lot due to the snow blowing off Lake Superior. The only express way is I-75 that runs from the Mackinaw Bridge (St. Ignace) to Sault Saint Marie. Lake Superior is really, really cold (even in the summer).

I live on the East side of the state (aka sunrise side) and as far as I know the closest homeschool group for me would be Traverse City area though I think going to Faith's might actually be closer :D

[reign]

Traverse and the souronding areas are amazing. My parents have a home there and we hope to move up within the next 5 years. We also had Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids on our list.

[BridgeTea]

Oh! I am in the Cadillac area. The UP is fantastic for exploring and camping, but I am not hardy enough to live there!

 

No co-ops for us. SOF was a requirement for the only one near me.

[MomtoCandJ]

As you can probably tell, I lived in the UP. Grew up on the island on the far East side of the UP 😃

[caitlinsmom]

Oh! I am in the Cadillac area. The UP is fantastic for exploring and camping, but I am not hardy enough to live there!

 

No co-ops for us. SOF was a requirement for the only one near me.

 

Lol.  Yeah, I don't think we are that hardy either.  I told dh about some of the winter stories I read.  He just stared blank faced then said "And you want to move there?"

 

I guess we will stick to the lower portion. :)  I'm looking at Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo areas right now.  Now before I ask this next question keep in mind we currently live in a town of 400 with the greater metro area at roughly 60k.....  How safe are the surrounding areas of GR and Kalamazoo?  We haven't lived in an area with any sort of crime rate for over a decade.  I don't know if I could go back to it.

[milovany]

Aren't residents of Michigan called Michiganders?  I know nuttin' about the state and living there, but this little piece of trivia has always stuck in my head.  :)

[MomtoCandJ]

Aren't residents of Michigan called Michiganders? I know nuttin' about the state and living there, but this little piece of trivia has always stuck in my head. :)

Yes that's correct ;)

But if you want to get specific the people of lower Michigan are called trolls and people of the UP are called Yoopers :D and yes Yoopers have a different accent than those of lower Michigan. I confuse people all the time with my yooper/southern accent :D

[caitlinsmom]

Aren't residents of Michigan called Michiganders?  I know nuttin' about the state and living there, but this little piece of trivia has always stuck in my head.  :)

 

Lol! I typed that and a few other options multiple times, but none looked right.  I almost titled the post "Hey you Michigan resident..." :D

[8circles]

Stay away from Ann Arbor - they care too much about fashion. Lol

[LucyStoner]

Stay away from Ann Arbor - they care too much about fashion. Lol

Ha ha.

[FaithManor]

Well, like all cities, there are some areas that are better than others, particularly in Grand Rapids though still true of Kalamazoo. I can't name the neighborhoods specifically, so you'll want to find a good real estate agent and question thoroughly. But, the crime rates in either of those areas is quite low.

 

Greenville is another unique place. It is heavily Scandinavian and has an annual Danish festival....sister city is Copenhagen. It is a nice place. Obviously very busy every third week of August for the festival.

 

I live over on the east side of the state. We are about 1/2 hour from Lake Huron. We are rural so we don't have any of the crime associated with Saginaw and Flint, and enjoy some peace. But, please understand that those two urban areas have some of the worst crime rates in the entire country for cities of their size sometimes going back and forth between number 1 and 2 in the nation for homicides. Sigh....the poverty is really, really bad due to the loss of manufacturing and the crumbling infrastructure. If you wanted to live rural or on the lake on this side, you'd want to stay away from those cities so places like Harbor Beach and Lexington might be an option. North of the Tri-Cities area, Tawas is very nice. However, you are a good bit from a decent hospital so that's something to consider.

 

Hancock/Houghton is in the UP in the Keewenaw Peninsula. With standard road conditions, that would be one and half hours west and north of Marquette which has Northern University and a decent hospital system, a fair amount of shopping, and right on Lake Superior so colder than cold. Houghton is home of Michigan Technological Institute and is a sleepy town in which the lines between university and town are non-existent. Everybody knows everyone else. College kids are often adopted by local families since with 200 inches of snowfall annually beginning in October and going through the end of April, not being able to get home on the breaks is normal. Homeschooling is not uber common because the schools are pretty decent and heavily influenced by the college thus STEM oriented, but it does exist and the school likes homeschoolers and is very open to them. You are literally in the boonies. Not kidding. Marquette does not have a mall. As a matter of fact, I am not certain if the UP has one at all, and if it does, it is likely on the east side in Sault Ste. Marie. It's wild, beautiful, outstandingly beautiful as a matter of fact, and quiet. The largest metropolis in which to do much would be three hours west in Duluth...slightly shorter if you want to take the ferry but if memory serves that is very expensive. Duluth, by the way, is home to a very large extension campus of the University of Minnesota. It's a nice school, and you just can't beat Minnesotans for friendliness! Oh, and Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, and U of MN Duluth are all arch rivals in Division III sports, LOL! Except hockey...that is the one caveat. Michigan Tech plays division I hockey.

 

Muskegon on the shores of Lake Michigan is also a nice area. Grand Haven is definitely worth checking out, and if you want to be near U of MI or MSU for the cultural and educational opportunities, you can look at Brighton and Pinckney which keeps you out of Ann Arbor but close enough in to take advantage of the fun, or Perry and Otsego east of Lansing, or south of Jolly Road/I-96 corridor which still keeps you close in to MSU.

 

4-H is a big deal here with lots to offer. If you were actually crazy enough to settle in our neck of the woods, you could join our STEM club. Many homeschoolers who are not inclined to belong to homeschool groups due to their conservative, religious nature join 4-H and thrive.

 

As a general rule, north of the Ohio River Valley, east of the Mississippi, and within the Great Lakes watershed, vitamin D absorption is an issue and most families would be very wise to give their kids Vitamin D-3 and calcium supplements. It is a well known fact that they are finding gross vitamin D deficiency in this part of the Mid-West. Well, okay, the rest of the country describes Michigan and Wisconsin as Midwest, but technically as a region, the Great Lakes is very different from the other states such as Indiana and Illinois.

 

If you really want to live near Traverse Bay, but want to avoid the insane tourism, you can try the Bellaire area. It still has an influx of tourists, but not nearly as bad and most are there to take advantage of winter sports at Shanty Creek and other resorts or golf. Torch Lake is GORGEOUS as is Lake Bellaire, but most of the beachy people and water sports lovers as well as the campers do not head to that particular area. Petoskey and Charlevoix are picturesque like pages out of a fairytale, but again insanely busy in the summer and very, very expensive.

 

No matter what, while you are here exploring and trying to decide if you are moving or not, check out Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, and little hint, just outside the park camping entrance is a little county park on the river bank. It gets warm and shallow right there, lots of kayakers get out at this spot, and it's perfect for playing with young children. The play area gives way to Lake Michigan, and just around the corner one can see the magnificent dunes in the distance. It is so lovely, and the county park is free. Take a picnic and enjoy yourselves. You can then head down to the park visitor center down the road. Really cool, and has a nice junior ranger program. If you are feeling adventurous, take the time to climb. There is one dune that is preserved for climbing, all of the others are off limits to this out of conservation necessity. The view is spectacular!

 

Michigan is pretty much the camping, fishing, hunting, gardening/agriculture, water sport center of the universe, LOL! It is a lovely state, but it isn't a something for everyone kind of place either. So do your research before you take the leap.

[FaithManor]

Oh, and while Michigander is the official term, in the lower peninsula, generally residents fall into three categories, Wolverines, Spartans, and "I don't give a rat's rear". IDGARR's usually are the people that weren't born and raised here! :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

By default, as 4-H leaders we are Spartans since our sponsoring organization is Michigan State. Unfortunately, I have raised two traitors, DD and now the eldest DS who will defect this fall causing us to hang out heads in shame at the next 4-H Council meeting.

 

As a newbie, you get to remain an IDGARR for a very long time. However, at some point, someone is going to expect you to take sides. Michigan does not do "Switzerland" very well. :D

 

If you support Ohio State for any reason, keep it to yourself. :smilielol5:

[Ottakee]

Different areas of Michigan have a very different feel.

 

As to 4 seasons, we do have them, WINTER, Will winter ever be done, construction, winter is coming again.........or some variation of that.

 

Snowfall can vary greatly.  Traverse City area might be 180 inches or so of snow a year and it can come from Oct. through April with the occ. snow in Sept. and May.  The Grand Haven area is around 120-150 inches of snow.  The west side of the state is VERY cloudy in the winter due to the lake and gets a lot of "lake effect snow".........this is when the first 5-15 miles from the lake gets inches and FEET of snow where a city more inland like Grand Rapids has sun and no snow.  The difference in even 5-10 miles can be one area with 15 inches of snow and the other 1.5 inches of snow. Now, if you like snow, the lakeshore is the place to be.  The east side of the state can be colder (less clouds and warming from the lake) but less snow but more sunshine.

 

There are tons of easy ways to homeschool in West Michigan.  Many are religious based so I am not sure about a totally secular homeschool group but many religious based groups are more open to others joining as long as they realize the bent of most people and don't actively work to undermind that.

 

Winters can be cold.  It is record cold here but temps have been down to -10 with windchills of -25 often this month.  On the flip side, summers can be hot and humid with some 100+ days with 90% humidity.  Spring and fall are great for the 2 weeks they last :-)

 

We do love it though as we have some of the best beaches in the nation (on national TV as best hidden beaches in the nation) just about 10 minutes away.  We have cross country skiing right down the road (and out our back door if we want), mountain bike trails, hiking, kayaking, fishing, boating, sand dunes, etc.  We are only 35 minutes from Grand Rapids which has some of the best medical care in Michigan along with museums, Art Prize, sports venues, a zoo, botanical gardens, quite a few colleges, etc.  We are more rural though and have 5 acres but there are many farms all around us.

 

Are you looking for more town living or country?  Artsy/yuppy or more traditional small town?  Larger city with active cultural life?

 

Traverse City is nice but a bit pricey.  Grand Haven is a nice community that is smaller with a bit more reasonable housing.  If you want rural move out about 5-10 miles from either of these and you can get more rural type life.

[MomtoCandJ]

St. Joseph's hospital in Tawas is actually pretty good, if they feel they can't handle it then they Medivac to St Mary's in Saginaw. There is also West Branch hospital, Tawas delivers babies, West Branch does not. Tawas has a public school and 2 pre-K through 7/8 private schools (one Lutheran and the other Catholic, dd1 goes to the Catholic school). We are about an hour and a half from Bay City (part of the tri-cities but doesn't have the crime reputation of Saginaw), I delivered dd2 at McLaren in Bay City (I didnt like the Tawas Ob/GYN). If you want more info on Tawas PM me :)

We don't get as much snow that the West side gets, we live 11 miles from the lake.

[rocassie]

The whole west side of the state is beautiful, and the cities are nice size without being crazy.   I live in the Metro Detroit area, but grew up in Kalamazoo.  Personally I would live in the Grand Rapids area.  Maybe a little more north to northwest.  Outside of the greater city but still close enough to drive in for the day.  Grand Rapids is a great place for families, has a large homeschool community, wonderful farmers market, many great cultural events, and all typical places to shop as well as some great local places.  It is about 1hr from Lake Michigan and 3 hours from Traverse City.  

 

Ann Arbor area (especially south of Ann Arbor) is nice with a lot of culture, homeschool families, and easy access to a lot of things, but it can be pricey depending on the area.

 

Another area may be the Saginaw area and more north, but I'm not that familiar with the area just traveling through.

 

The east side of Michigan has less snow fall and it's drier snow (as compared to the west side of the state) and a much sunnier winter, but it is much more big city.

[FaithManor]

OH, and don't buy property in Midland city property. There is an ongoing debate over the dioxin that Dow polluted the area with which has been oozing up into the soil. Lots of controversy. I would steer clear of that until they sort it out.

 

As for Saginaw, there is a LOT of bad area and crime. You'd want to be west a bit maybe out in Shields or even farther, or west and north of Bay Road a good bit. The Saginaw Academy for Science and Art is in the top 8% of high schools in the nation.

 

If you want the drier east side, proximity to city, but without the crime, if you can afford it, Frankenmuth has a lot to offer and the high school is in the top 500 high schools nationwide. They really do have good results and lots of cultural activities. It is not going to have anything that even approximates inclusive homeschool groups though, and Lutheran K-8's dominate the area with decent tuition costs so homeschooling is not nearly so common. Ask me how I know! We used to live over there. You would not be close to the lake...maybe 45 min. to Bay City State Park, and well over an hour from better beach than that. You also do not want to do this, "I think I'd like to live near Frankenmuth but do not want to pay the property taxes or housing costs so I think I'll move to Richville." DO NOT DO IT!!!! I cannot caution you enough. They have serious problems in Denmark township, ended up in hot water with the county as well as state, and still do not have working water and sewer despite the HUGE tax assessments on property, paid now these seven long years. It is a bad situation and on the surface the size of house and quality you can buy for a low price seems so alluring. BUT, don't bite.

 

North of Detroit, if you really want the true, close to urban living, but drier less snowy Michigan experience, you could try little towns quite a ways north such as Oxford, Lake Orion, Almont, and Romeo. The first two are on M-24 north of Pontiac, and the other two are on M-53 north of M-59 Utica/Troy.

 

I used to recommend Port Huron, but haven't been recently due to a significant jump in crime, and loss of employment.

 

I do think secular or inclusive homeschool groups would be easier to find around Ann Arbor.

[TranquilMind]

I've lived in west MI for 5 years. If I had truly understood what winter was like, I would not have moved here. I was not an outdoor person at all before we moved- now I crave sunlight like a starving person. When I lived farther south (and it wasn't even all that far south), I got enough sun just in the course of daily life. Now we spend a LOT of time outside all summer. We actually mostly live at a campground in the summer. But even then, it's not uncommon to have to wear jeans and sweatshirts early in the morning and later in the evening. The first time I watched fireworks on the 4th in a sweatshirt, wrapped up in a blanket was a shock. If you are coming from a similar climate, you don't need to worry about it. But if you're from farther south, I would really consider it.

 

We live near Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids and there are lots of opportunities in those areas. I have found that most of the homeschool groups are very conservative Christian. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your perspective.

A friend of mine is there right now for Hockey Season.  It is the most miserable place on earth (except for Boston this year, apparently).  There have been numerous pileups on the highway - one had over 190 vehicles -  and temperatures way under zero regularly.  It was -11 a few days ago. 

 

Not for me.  If you don't mind that kind of thing, then go for it. 

[Caroline]

My sister has a house in Boyne City right on Walloon Lake. It is absolutely gorgeous. I love it there.

[MomtoCandJ]

As far as Saginaw is concerned, I agree with Faith. We lived just inside of Shields (Thomas Township), also Hemlock isn't far and please avoid Beuna Vista at all cost, very high crime rate

[caitlinsmom]

Different areas of Michigan have a very different feel.

 

Are you looking for more town living or country?  Artsy/yuppy or more traditional small town?  Larger city with active cultural life?

 

Traverse City is nice but a bit pricey.  Grand Haven is a nice community that is smaller with a bit more reasonable housing.  If you want rural move out about 5-10 miles from either of these and you can get more rural type life.

 

We would prefer country living with an acre or two.  Smaller areas, under 12k population, are the best for us.  Nature and quiet over culture and nightlife but we would like to have something close by for those times we want some culture. (We currently like about 3 hours away from the nearest culture desitnation.  We've gone down once in the last 4 years.lol)  While we like to spend time at museums and such, we dont end up utilizing them like we always talk about.  Basically a grocery store, a lake to fish, internet connection, and a library are our only firm needs. :)

 

I've been setting all housing searches within a 20 mile radius of whatever town I'm looking at.  We don't mind a drive or being off the beaten path as long as there is some sort of community locally that we can be part of.  We have 2 large homeschool groups here locally that we have participated in for the last 4 years that has been our communinity, but the area as a larger whole is lacking in a sense of community.  We'd like to know people we live around or those at the grocery store, library, etc.  We don't have close family so we like to be active in our community for a sense of family.

 

I don't remember who mentioned it but 4-H is something we've participated in the last 2 years.  Last year I became a 4-H leader (wowza! That was work) to meet others in the area and expand our little bubble a bit.  My kids love participating and it would definately be something we would look to join when moving.  We like the country life a lot.  We have chickens and like a large garden.  We've had all sorts of farm animals over the last few years and would like to again in the future.

 

PS- Excuse the spelling.  On my mobile and cant seem to correct my mistakes. :)

[Ottakee]

We would prefer country living with an acre or two.  Smaller areas, under 12k population, are the best for us.  Nature and quiet over culture and nightlife but we would like to have something close by for those times we want some culture. (We currently like about 3 hours away from the nearest culture desitnation.  We've gone down once in the last 4 years.lol)  While we like to spend time at museums and such, we dont end up utilizing them like we always talk about.  Basically a grocery store, a lake to fish, internet connection, and a library are our only firm needs. :)

 

I've been setting all housing searches within a 20 mile radius of whatever town I'm looking at.  We don't mind a drive or being off the beaten path as long as there is some sort of community locally that we can be part of.  We have 2 large homeschool groups here locally that we have participated in for the last 4 years that has been our communinity, but the area as a larger whole is lacking in a sense of community.  We'd like to know people we live around or those at the grocery store, library, etc.  We don't have close family so we like to be active in our community for a sense of family.

 

I don't remember who mentioned it but 4-H is something we've participated in the last 2 years.  Last year I became a 4-H leader (wowza! That was work) to meet others in the area and expand our little bubble a bit.  My kids love participating and it would definately be something we would look to join when moving.  We like the country life a lot.  We have chickens and like a large garden.  We've had all sorts of farm animals over the last few years and would like to again in the future.

 

PS- Excuse the spelling.  On my mobile and cant seem to correct my mistakes. :)

Check out the Allendale area then.  It is 30 minutes from Lake Michigan and Grand Haven, great beaches, boardwalks, etc. and about 20 minutes from Grand Rapids which would have all of your cultural things and great medical care.  It is a smaller community but does have Grand Valley State University in there.  Lots of farms and rural areas, 4H, etc. as well as neighborhoods/subdivisions and then communities with 1-2 acre lots.  The library is small but well staffed and they can get you anything you want through a great library loan program.  Lots of county parks locally with hiking, fishing, etc.  Area is homeschool friendly and great public schools if you would ever need that.  Allendale township and neighboring Robinson township have great zoning for animals, etc. as well.

[melmichigan]

I grew along the St. Clair River, which is perfect for boating and water sports.  I went to college and lived in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area, which can be nice because of the college feel with lots to do and public transportation, other areas are very yuppy.  We spent two years in Tawas when my was husband was stationed there.  It's beautiful, but far from just about everything, hospitals, shopping, etc.  My in-laws have property on Canada Creek Ranch, again a beautiful area with lots of inland lakes for small boats, fishing, and camping, but again far from hospitals, shopping, etc. We spent six years in Traverse City, another wonderful area of the state.  It is expensive and touristy but outlaying areas can be reasonable.  I enjoyed the heavy snowfall and loved being able to connect to the state snowmobile trails from my back yard.  Different areas do feel very different.  I would plan to visit any areas you are considering.

[katilac]

The weather sounds pretty close to what we deal with here (East Idaho).  I wouldn't dream of going to 4th of july without a blanket. :)  It's practically tradition. lol

 

Now see, I would disagree that a place that requires blankets in July actually has four seasons, lol! 

[wendyroo]

We live in Kentwood which is just south of Grand Rapids.

 

PROS:

Very family friendly - Lots of parks, libraries, kids activities, a well-ranked children's hospital, several driveable community colleges (though I don't know if I would call any of them "good")

 

Very safe - I mean no where is perfectly safe, but I never feel uncomfortable being alone with my three small kids on hiking trails or in downtown Grand Rapids; our neighborhood has very little crime beyond the occasional garage break in or car egging.

 

Location - We are close to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, lots of camping and little lakes, the big lake and dunes, Ann Arbor, Chicago and Detroit

 

Cost of living - We moved here from southern New Hampshire, and it was shocking how much house we could afford here.

 

Economy - I know you said employment isn't an issue for you, but it would still probably be better to live somewhere thriving as opposed to somewhere slowly collapsing economically.  Grand Rapids and surrounds are doing well.  Companies are hiring, houses are being bought and sold, Kentwood just build a magnificent new library a couple minutes from us, etc.

 

CONS:

The Bible Belt - My snow plow company has a psalm on their contract.  Many, though certainly not all, of the homeschool groups have statements of faith.  This is con for me, but for others it could be a pro.

 

The weather - Last winter my backyard had 4+ feet of lake effect snow for over two months.  I could not send the boys out to play because they literally would have been buried.  I have pictures of it snowing on April 25th.  There really are only two seasons: winter and road construction.

 

Lack of Trader Joes and Whole Foods - You have to go to Ann Arbor for either of those.   :crying:

 

Wendy

[MomtoCandJ]

Also Shields is no longer a seperate town, it's considered Saginaw the zip code to search is 48609

[KatieJ]

We live in Kentwood which is just south of Grand Rapids.

 

 

 

Lack of Trader Joes and Whole Foods - You have to go to Ann Arbor for either of those. :crying:

 

Wendy

Trader joes is coming to Centre Point Mall !

[KatieJ]

double post. My apologies.

[T'smom]

A friend of mine is there right now for Hockey Season. It is the most miserable place on earth (except for Boston this year, apparently). There have been numerous pileups on the highway - one had over 190 vehicles - and temperatures way under zero regularly. It was -11 a few days ago.

 

Not for me. If you don't mind that kind of thing, then go for it.

The most miserable place on earth? Yep. Pretty much. At least from November through March. I live pretty close to where that 190+ car pileup happened.

 

But, you said that didn't deter you, so..... There may be a few bad neighborhoods in the city of Kalamazoo, but I would say that the general area is very safe. We live in a small town just north of Kzoo and it is a typical small town atmosphere. Very, very little crime. The kind of town where people don't lock their doors. Portage is a larger town very close to Kzoo. It's pretty nice, that's where we go to the mall and such. I believe they have a very highly rated school system. And a great library. I've been tempted to get a library card there, but we live just far enough that I might not get the books back on time! The library in our town is nice, but very small.

 

ETA: not that you necessarily care about the school system, but it usually correlates to how "nice" an area is.

[FaithManor]

Also Shields is no longer a seperate town, it's considered Saginaw the zip code to search is 48609

Well, I hadn't realized that one. GAH!

[MomtoCandJ]

Well, I hadn't realized that one. GAH!

Yeah, I used to live there... About 8 yrs ago. The Shields sign is still on Gratiot by Jack's Fruit and Meat Market :)

[TwoEdgedSword]

Marquette does have a mall. Only one story though!

Lots of folks walked in there for exercise in the winter when we were there.

The Superior Dome in Marquette is awesome.

 

The Westwood Mall

thewestwoodmall.com/

The Westwood Mall in Marquette, MI. Featuring Kohl's, JCPenny, MC Sports, and more.

Stores

STORES · EVENTS · CONTACT ... JOBS ...

Events

UPCOMING EVENTS. Did you know there is a mall ...

[FaithManor]

Marquette does have a mall. Only one story though!

Lots of folks walked in there for exercise in the winter when we were there.

The Superior Dome in Marquette is awesome.

 

The Westwood Mall

thewestwoodmall.com/

The Westwood Mall in Marquette, MI. Featuring Kohl's, JCPenny, MC Sports, and more.

Stores

STORES · EVENTS · CONTACT ... JOBS ...

Events

UPCOMING EVENTS. Did you know there is a mall ...

Snort...sorry. Down here we refer to that as a small shopping center. It didn't occur to me to call it a mall. :D

 

Lower peninsula snootery at it's finest! ;)  :lol:

 

I agree that the Superior Dome is GREAT! I am sad though that the Olympic Luge training run was moved some years back. That used to be a really cool thing Northern Michigan U had. Quite awesome.

[TwoEdgedSword]

No worries. The only reason I would call it a mall is that it's indoors and in winter that's kind of important. ;-). Shopping below the bridge is no comparison!

 

OP if you really don't mind winter that much, don't rule out the U.P. The homeschooling community is not as large as places downstate, but I do remember it growing when we were there. All the local homeschooling families had fun taking their younger kids in their strollers for walks, while the older kids played tennis or whatever at the Dome in the dead of winter.

[wendyroo]

Trader joes is coming to Centre Point Mall !

 

Really?!?   :hurray:  When?

 

I might have to start a thread asking everyone what their favorite Trader Joe products are.

 

Wendy

[sophiasapientia]

The Ann Arbor area is definitely worth a look. 

 

Pros:

Very homeschooling friendly with active groups, both secular and religious.

*Fantastic* library system. 

All the cultural advantages of living in a major university town.

Excellent public school system. 

One of the best health care systems in the country.

Lovely parks. 

Has pretty much anything you could desire shopping/dining-wise. 2 Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, a number of farmer's markets during the warmer months. 

About 45 minutes from the zoos, museums, etc in either Detroit or Toledo and 30 minutes from The Henry Ford. 

About 20+ minutes from the Detroit Airport. 

 

Cons:

The weather!!! Winters can be long and, at times, brutal as with anywhere in MI. (This will ultimately be a deal breaker for DH and me, at least for the winter months.)  

The roads county-wide are in very, very poor repair. Embarrassing, really, given that it is not the cheapest area in which to live. 

Ann Arbor is more expensive than some other areas of Michigan. It is still a good time to buy housing, though. Housing prices are slowly recovering but some neighborhoods in the Ann Arbor area are still not quite back up to their pre-recession values. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wendyroo]

The Ann Arbor area is definitely worth a look. 

 

Pros:

Very homeschooling friendly with active groups, both secular and religious.

*Fantastic* library system. 

All the cultural advantages of living in a major university town.

Excellent public school system. 

One of the best health care systems in the country.

Lovely parks. 

Has pretty much anything you could desire shopping/dining-wise. 2 Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, a number of farmer's markets during the warmer months. 

About 45 minutes from the zoos, museums, etc in either Detroit or Toledo and 30 minutes from The Henry Ford. 

About 20+ minutes from the Detroit Airport. 

 

Cons:

The weather!!! Winters can be long and, at times, brutal as with anywhere in MI. (This will ultimately be a deal breaker for DH and me, at least for the winter months.)  

The roads county-wide are in very, very poor repair. Embarrassing, really, given that it is not the cheapest area in which to live. 

Ann Arbor is more expensive than some other areas of Michigan. It is still a good time to buy housing, though. Housing prices are slowly recovering but some neighborhoods in the Ann Arbor area are still not quite back up to their pre-recession values. 

 

I would say the other huge pro and con to Ann Arbor is the university.  Great for lectures and events, but it comes with all the usual college town cons plus the added hassle of The Big House traffic.

 

Wendy

[sophiasapientia]

I would say the other huge pro and con to Ann Arbor is the university.  Great for lectures and events, but it comes with all the usual college town cons plus the added hassle of The Big House traffic.

 

Wendy

 

Definitely. Big House Traffic is really only a major issue if you live close to the University. Not really a huge issue in some areas. I live in a township with A2 schools and libraries but cheaper taxes, etc. Big House Traffic is rarely an issue for us.

 

Also: Pro/con, depending on your viewpoint: You'll find all sorts of viewpoints but A2 is generally a very liberal town. 

[KatieJ]

Really?!? :hurray: When?

 

I might have to start a thread asking everyone what their favorite Trader Joe products are.

 

Wendy

I am,not sure. It was on the news ( my Facebook feed) last week.

[sparrow]

You may want to look in south central Michigan (south of 94). We get the final wisps of lake effect snow, so it's never too bad. I don't know how people deal with it on the west side of the state! We moved back to my hometown after living in Ann Arbor for 15 years. We're about an hour away from "the big schools" and live among several smaller liberal arts schools. We've found that we've attended far more concerts and lectures than we ever (read: never) did living and working for U of M. The terrain is rolling and there are lakes everywhere. It reminds me of further up north with fewer conifers and more deciduous trees.

 

My dd, has been welcomed, with open arms, in public school music programs as a homeschooler.

 

I would avoid visiting in March to make a decision. It's typically not a pretty month in a pretty state. Lots and lots of snirt (snow+dirt). Come in May or June! I've lived here my whole life and have never desired living anywhere else. It's just that perfect :001_wub: .

[TwoEdgedSword]

Sparrow, what colleges are near you? Always interested in Michigan schools!

[MomtoCandJ]

Snirt.... Gonna have to use that one :)