Coldwater, Michigan (Detroit, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek: to rent, crime, houses)

molliecat1 · 10-09-2011, 08:28 AM

Trying again

to see if anyone can tell me about the Coldwater, MI area. Posted previously regarding Adrian vs. Coldwater with no response. Please reference. What is the "town feel" of Coldwater? Are there any moderately priced newer housing developments? How is the High School? Does the area embrace newcomers? Churches? Shopping?
ANY THOUGHTS WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATED

!!!!!

detwahDJ · 10-09-2011, 06:53 PM

Sorry you're not getting responses - don't understand it. My travels have taken me to the Colon, Athens, Sturgis areas only. Since it's far south maybe an Indiana forum....?
Here's a link to the local paper - hope it's not redundant.
Homepage - Coldwater, MI - The Daily Reporter

molliecat1 · 10-10-2011, 05:26 AM

Thanks so much for the response!! I will try the Indiana forum~~~ much appreciated!!

detwahDJ · 10-10-2011, 04:27 PM

Coldwater is on the US-12 Chicago - Detroit corridor. I haven't been there though.
Adrian is a college town "off to the side". Probably has the college culture and lifestyle.
Adrian College

Bydand · 10-10-2011, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by detwahDJ

Coldwater is on the US-12 Chicago - Detroit corridor. I haven't been there though.
Adrian is a college town "off to the side". Probably has the college culture and lifestyle.
Adrian College

Adrian is an hour away from Coldwater.

Wish I had some current information for you about Coldwater, but it has been quite a while since I was there. My Brother-in-Law has a business there, but lives in Marshall. Not a whole lot going on there last I knew, but not dead either. It is about 10-12,000 in population so it isn't a ghost town.

molliecat1 · 10-10-2011, 10:10 PM

thanks for the info.

Bondurant · 01-07-2012, 08:13 PM

Bump.

Sorry. Coldwater is my hometown. There's not much to Coldwater. Wal-Mart killed off local business' as they've done elsewhere. Jobs were hard to find when I left in '08 (much like the rest of Michigan). There's nice areas around Coldwater Lake. Lots of cool old houses. Entertainment options are slim and it's likely not a place you can really enjoy unless you're from there. I love it because it's my home but it's not a fun place. Some good places to eat in town. Dutch Uncle has good donuts and they operate 24/7 (or close to it...might be closed on major holidays). Siren's has a great pizza but the place turns into a pseudo dance club and night and fills with people you don't want to be around.

timeofseasons · 01-09-2012, 04:58 PM

Coldwater isn't doing so well, look into Albion. Albion is between the Jackson and Battle Creek metro.

mandalynn252 · 09-27-2012, 06:55 PM

I realize this post is pretty old, but I thought I would chime in. Coldwater has grown a lot in the past two years. So much it has surprised me.

The atmosphere can seem cold, but you just have to get involved. Participate in things like church or volunteer or get involved with our community arts and you'll make friends in no time. If you just hang around WalMart and some of the more shady bars then you probably won't like what you see.

Entertainment and Food: Entertainment isn't much, but we do have a strong community theater group (Tibbits Opera House) and bands that play for many of the local bars. The bars aren't very special just avoid the shady ones such as Lefty's or the Chicago St. Pub and you'll be fine. There are a several local downtown restaurants that I enjoy especially Jeannie's which looks exactly like it did in the 50's. And if you're aching for a latte try NorthWoods where you can relax in a cafe/store. Dutch Uncle has the best doughnuts in town and they are inexpensive. If you like chains we now have a Jimmy Johns, Applebees, and Buffalo Wild Wings and will soon be getting a Culver's. There are many places to go to and things to see, you just have to look and expect it to be low key. We're Coldwater, not Battle Creek.

Shops: Coldwater doesn't have the greatest shops, but we do have a WalMart (cringe) and a Meijer. I added this b/c not ten minutes away from Coldwater is Quincy and it has one of the best 2nd bookshops I've ever found there. The Swallow's Nest is a great little book and coffee shop right in the little town of Quincy. Great place!!!! The only thing about shopping is there isn't a great place to buy shoes. I end up having to go to Angola IN (just a half hour south) or Battle Creek to get shoes.

Crime: Crime is kind of low. Most frequent is the drug related kind. I still feel safe enough to walk around my neighborhood in the evening. Which something I didn't feel when I lived in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.

Cost of living: Low! It's one of the reasons I still live here. I have heard horror stories of my friends who live in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, and even on the East Coast and their costs of living are way higher than mine. If you're looking to rent and want some space, I'd look into renting a house. Lots of room, but none of the obligation of staying put. And there are plenty to choose from since the housing market was hit hard by the economy.

Schools: Are ok. I didn't go to high school here, but I went to elementary and middle school here. The middle school is horrible, but the school board is trying to fix that. This area's schools are going through some changes right now. They are trying new things to see what will work best. That's not to say that everything is working out, but they are trying.

Marshall: I've never lived in Marshall, but I've visited enough. It's nice to visit. They are proud of their historic area.

Union City: Um, small. Small, small, and small. Not bad, but just really small. If you want a place out of the way and don't mind driving 20 to 30 minutes to the nearest larger town then Union City isn't a bad choice. They just put in a new library and have a Family Dollar.

If you want to live somewhere large enough to be enjoyable, but still a smaller town I'd say Marshall or Coldwater are your best bet. Marshall is close to Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. While Coldwater is close to Angola IN and Battle Creek. Hope you're happy with your move.

msgbob08 · 09-20-2014, 01:01 AM

I'm looking to moving to Coldwater in the near future. I'm retired military and my wife and I have lived almost everywhere. We chose Coldwater because of a old home we want to buy and live out our lives in with our family. We love the small town life and the feeling we get from being treated as individuals and not as a digit, like some big cities. We hope to really enjoy ourselves and continue to be ourselves.