Nice places to live between Grand Rapids and Lansing in MI
April 14, 2010 9:08 PM Subscribe
Can you think of any nice place to live between Grand Rapids and Lansing in Michigan.
Please help me out. I recently got job in Lansing. My spouse works in Grand Rapids MI. These two are approximately 85 miles apart. That means one of us will have to drive three hours daily. So I am looking for places in the middle so only one of us don't have to do all the commute.
I hope there are many people from the MI area on this site that can suggest based on their experience. I am basically looking for places to live that are,
1. Between Lansing and Grand Rapids area.
2. well established and in safe surroundings. I've looked at some apartments that look like very country atmosphere but I need human presence and cannot stay in remote places.
3. my budget for month is between $600 to $900.
Can you think of any place? The prominent townships between Lansing and Grand Rapids that I could see on google maps are Portland, Lowell. So if you could post any information on how good they are, that will be great for me to understand pros and cons.
Please help me out. I recently got job in Lansing. My spouse works in Grand Rapids MI. These two are approximately 85 miles apart. That means one of us will have to drive three hours daily. So I am looking for places in the middle so only one of us don't have to do all the commute.
I hope there are many people from the MI area on this site that can suggest based on their experience. I am basically looking for places to live that are,
1. Between Lansing and Grand Rapids area.
2. well established and in safe surroundings. I've looked at some apartments that look like very country atmosphere but I need human presence and cannot stay in remote places.
3. my budget for month is between $600 to $900.
Can you think of any place? The prominent townships between Lansing and Grand Rapids that I could see on google maps are Portland, Lowell. So if you could post any information on how good they are, that will be great for me to understand pros and cons.
Response by poster: Good place for me is an apartment or house I could rent within the budget I have($1000 or below) that is in safe area and is within a short distance (with in 5 miles) to groceries, hospitals and entertainment etc. Being a NewYorker for a while, I find that I don't really like to be in a lonely place.
Hope that clarifies about the type of place I am looking for. Very much appreciate any suggestions.
posted by auqaluna at 9:42 PM on April 14, 2010
Hope that clarifies about the type of place I am looking for. Very much appreciate any suggestions.
posted by auqaluna at 9:42 PM on April 14, 2010
It really doesn't seem to me like there's anything between those cities that would qualify as "non-remote". At best, exurban. You may need to adjust your expectations here.
posted by dhartung at 9:45 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dhartung at 9:45 PM on April 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
I agree with dhartung. You're going to have trouble in Portland or Lowell.
posted by k8t at 10:52 PM on April 14, 2010
posted by k8t at 10:52 PM on April 14, 2010
Best answer: I commuted from central Grand Rapids to central Lansing for about a year. I did not find the drive to be that onerous, but it is still a trek.
1. Between Lansing and Grand Rapids area.
2. well established and in safe surroundings. I've looked at some apartments that look like very country atmosphere but I need human presence and cannot stay in remote places.
How familiar are you with the area, because there isn't much between Lansing and Grand Rapids. As k8t suggests, it's pretty much Portland or Lowell if you want to be close to any significant population. Given a choice between the two, I would go with Lowell.
There's Grand Ledge, which I think is even nicer than Lowell. It has a nice small town feel to it, with a historic district and the only rock climbing in the southern peninsula. It's worth checking out, but won't save much time on your commute.
There's also Lake Odessa, but I haven't been there in over 10 years, so I can't say much about it.
Other than that, there are plenty of nice historic farm houses that can picked up for a song between Lansing and Grand Rapids, but your closest neighbors will be about a 20 minute walk away from you. I would also note that for the rent amount you're describing, you could buy a house in most of the places I've mentioned. Not a great house, but still a house.
I would also encourage you to look at Grand Ledge, but to remember that even if you lived in central Lansing, you'd still have to drive out to the edge city to do your grocery shopping. What you describe here, "is in safe area and is within a short distance (with in 5 miles) to groceries, hospitals and entertainment etc." will only occur in Grand Rapids, Lansing is set up for cars and buses.
posted by 517 at 11:15 PM on April 14, 2010
1. Between Lansing and Grand Rapids area.
2. well established and in safe surroundings. I've looked at some apartments that look like very country atmosphere but I need human presence and cannot stay in remote places.
How familiar are you with the area, because there isn't much between Lansing and Grand Rapids. As k8t suggests, it's pretty much Portland or Lowell if you want to be close to any significant population. Given a choice between the two, I would go with Lowell.
There's Grand Ledge, which I think is even nicer than Lowell. It has a nice small town feel to it, with a historic district and the only rock climbing in the southern peninsula. It's worth checking out, but won't save much time on your commute.
There's also Lake Odessa, but I haven't been there in over 10 years, so I can't say much about it.
Other than that, there are plenty of nice historic farm houses that can picked up for a song between Lansing and Grand Rapids, but your closest neighbors will be about a 20 minute walk away from you. I would also note that for the rent amount you're describing, you could buy a house in most of the places I've mentioned. Not a great house, but still a house.
I would also encourage you to look at Grand Ledge, but to remember that even if you lived in central Lansing, you'd still have to drive out to the edge city to do your grocery shopping. What you describe here, "is in safe area and is within a short distance (with in 5 miles) to groceries, hospitals and entertainment etc." will only occur in Grand Rapids, Lansing is set up for cars and buses.
posted by 517 at 11:15 PM on April 14, 2010
Michigan scales much differently than New York. Limiting yourself to locations five miles from hospitals locks you out of a number of suitable locations.
If you can be a little more realistic, both Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa are pleasant small towns. GL is within a few miles of the Lansing Mall and a number of retail outlets. Fifteen miles from Sparrow Hospital, though.
posted by yclipse at 4:42 AM on April 15, 2010
If you can be a little more realistic, both Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa are pleasant small towns. GL is within a few miles of the Lansing Mall and a number of retail outlets. Fifteen miles from Sparrow Hospital, though.
posted by yclipse at 4:42 AM on April 15, 2010
As a Grand Rapidian, I can state with confidence that both Ionia & Lake Odessa are nice small towns. Lowell is pretty convenient for commuting to GR (I have many co-workers who live in Lowell) and also a nice small town, but definitely it would be a longer commute to Lansing from there.
If you are looking, check the West MI real estate offerings--plenty of very nice, very affordable houses in the area.
posted by Chrischris at 6:02 AM on April 15, 2010
If you are looking, check the West MI real estate offerings--plenty of very nice, very affordable houses in the area.
posted by Chrischris at 6:02 AM on April 15, 2010
You might want to take a look at Lake Odessa. Ionia is a bit larger but I don't remember it as being that nice. These recollections are so old you will have to take a drive and see for yourself.
posted by caddis at 6:35 AM on April 15, 2010
posted by caddis at 6:35 AM on April 15, 2010
There really isn't a lot to offer "between" Grand Rapids and Lansing. But people here have mentioned some that might meet your qualifications...
Lowell
Ionia
Lake Odessa
Grand Ledge
None of these towns is really smack dab in the middle. Also, none are very "large" towns...Grand Ledge probably being the biggest. Plus, Grand Ledge to Lansing is a short distance and Grand Ledge to Grand Rapids is a much longer distance.
posted by morganannie at 7:16 AM on April 15, 2010
Lowell
Ionia
Lake Odessa
Grand Ledge
None of these towns is really smack dab in the middle. Also, none are very "large" towns...Grand Ledge probably being the biggest. Plus, Grand Ledge to Lansing is a short distance and Grand Ledge to Grand Rapids is a much longer distance.
posted by morganannie at 7:16 AM on April 15, 2010
We have friends who have lived in Grand Ledge for a long time. My brother and his wife live there as well. It's a nice little town.
My friend has been commuting between GL and Grand Rapids for work for as long as I have known him. He didn't mind the drive so much.
Something halfway might be a little easier on you both, but then again you'd be putting miles on two vehicles. My friend did all the commuting himself using a cheap, high-mileage vehicle to save wear and tear on his wife's car. Might be worth considering.
Grand Ledge is also close enough to Lansing that you can do your shopping easily at the bigger stores without having to do a lot of long-distance commutes just to get to the nearest big-box retailer, Meijer, etc. I'm not sure what will be available in Ionia or Lake Odessa.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:33 AM on April 15, 2010
My friend has been commuting between GL and Grand Rapids for work for as long as I have known him. He didn't mind the drive so much.
Something halfway might be a little easier on you both, but then again you'd be putting miles on two vehicles. My friend did all the commuting himself using a cheap, high-mileage vehicle to save wear and tear on his wife's car. Might be worth considering.
Grand Ledge is also close enough to Lansing that you can do your shopping easily at the bigger stores without having to do a lot of long-distance commutes just to get to the nearest big-box retailer, Meijer, etc. I'm not sure what will be available in Ionia or Lake Odessa.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:33 AM on April 15, 2010
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posted by k8t at 9:22 PM on April 14, 2010