[peachkitten]

My husband and I are thinking of moving back to Michigan, to be on the west side of the state.

We are in our mid-twenties and looking for a more laid back FRIENDLY community than the city suburb we are currently in. We both are looking for shorter drives to work.

Are there any communities that are similar to this? I'm thinking around the St. Joe area or anywhere west/southwest of Jackson.

Any suggestions for finding a place to live? communities that stand out?

[M TYPE X]

Wrong part of the state. You actually wanted to talk about Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, right?

[pjmiami]

If you're looking for younger and more laid back in the SW part of the state, try Kalamazoo. Western Michigan U. is there as is Kalamazoo College and both draw young people to the town. It's not a suburb; its a nice sized small city. Because of the colleges, you will find a couple of great coffee shops (Water Street Coffee and Fourth Coast Cafe) along with some of the arts and music scene that go along with that. Its certainly not Ann Arbor but the people are friendly and its also much less expensive and much less crowded than Ann Arbor. One thing to consider, however, is whether or not you can get a job there. While it was once prosperous, Kalamazoo is struggling economically along with the rest of the state.

[MainStreet]

My vote would be for living in Grand Haven and working in Grand Rapids.

[Wabbit]

Definately Grand Rapids.
Rockford, Ada (very family friendly)
St. Joe is nice but next door Benton Harbor
is the angriest place you'll ever find.
I love Grand Haven, but that's a long
drive to work in G.R.

[TeacherMan]

Originally Posted by MainStreet

My vote would be for living in Grand Haven and working in Grand Rapids.

To me...this would be ideal... BUT living in GR would be better than lmost anywhere else in the state!

Just MHO!

-TM

[M TYPE X]

Grand Haven-Grand Rapids seems like a long commute to me.

I could tolerate Allendale-Grand Rapids, maybe.

[lost_in_america]

Walker has my vote!!

[suydam]

East Grand Rapids is a wonderful community full of families, incredible schools, sidewalks and traditional neighborhoods. You're also less than 3 miles from downtown GR which means the areas cultural center and city is nearby.

If you're single look at living in the city of Grand Rapids, probably in a downtown condo like Union Square. That's where the young hipsters are headed.

If either of those stages in life fit you, those two areas get my vote.

[deslok]

Saint joseph Michigan has my vote. There is definately a lot of younger folks in that area. Benton Harbor is not a problem in that area, just don't live in Benton Harbor, the two cities do not intertwine much. ( at least, having lived there, I never saw this happen) You also have Lake Michigan and Silver beach , or 20 minutes away Warren Dunes in Bridgman. New Casino is opening up in New Buffalo about 20 or so away, and you also are about an hour and a half from Chicago.
If you like a bigger city feel, try GR, but keep in mind in St Joe your a quick train ride away to Chicago. Kalamazoo is great if you are in your 20's and really want to live like a college aged person. There are alot of college kids in the area, so bars or places that you think would be great, are great, for a college person. I find more young professionals in St Joe or GR, more partiers in Kalamazoo.