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Why do you live where you live?

michaelskis

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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I choose to live in Heritage Hill for many reasons. My family has a deep love of architecture and history which was nourished from a young age. My Mom was always taking us on home tours. We still do them together today. We started out going to Marshall, Michigan, which was supposed to be the state capitol. Many wealthy lumber baron types built fabulous homes there which are extremely well-preserved since they decided on Lansing. It's well worth the trip. Detailed info available at: http://marshallmi.org/events.taf?_function...AA3CE2844A2D92E

Mom was also a docent at the Voigt House Victorian Museum.

My first apartment after college was in the Hill. I lived there for 8 years. I got deep into the outlaw biker scene and ended up married to one who, while at first charming and well-educated, turned out to be a physically abusive sociopath. Alternated between living in crap holes and living on the street - if you can call it living. I split as soon as I could safely get away and went to Tulsa, Oklahoma for two years. Came back for the funeral of an old Hell's Angel friend and stayed.

Finally decided to go to rehab for alcoholism and just celebrated 12 years sober. Once I really got back on my feet, I simply had to move back to Heritage Hill. I have been in my place 5 years now, blissfully single with a little white cat who has one blue eye and one green eye. From the first day there, it has truly felt like home to me. I was just telling my Mom I woke up Saturday morning, kitty was purring on her stack of pillows next to my head, I look around my peaceful pretty bedroom with the round walls and I'm filled with joy and contentment.

Everyone here is so friendly! People actually want to get to know each other here. We had a street fair at Cherry & Diamond last weekend - very cool. The heartside area is also undergoing a tremendous transformation as an artist colony while taking care not to displace the street people. In fact, most of the artists I've talked to down there take pains to include them in their events, treat them like human beings, and make them feel welcome as much as possible.

There is no place I would rather live.

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Weallneedhistory Whistle-Stop

Weallneedhistory

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Mom was also a docent at the Voigt House Victorian Museum.

Finally decided to go to rehab for alcoholism and just celebrated 12 years sober. Once I really got back on my feet, I simply had to move back to Heritage Hill. I have been in my place 5 years now, blissfully single with a little white cat who has one blue eye and one green eye. From the first day there, it has truly felt like home to me. I was just telling my Mom I woke up Saturday morning, kitty was purring on her stack of pillows next to my head, I look around my peaceful pretty bedroom with the round walls and I'm filled with joy and contentment.

There is no place I would rather live.

That is awesome that you kicked the habit, and love life now. Congratualtions!

As for where I live, don't get me started on Globalization. Instead, although I love the Hill area, and am fascinated by the older mansions of Grand Rapids, I am fortunate that my fiance owns a house on the edge of GR. So it's not much of a choice for me. She has a great place. She works downtown, and it's only a 15-20 minute drive to my work as well.

I love the word docent by the way. :thumbsup:

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dodgeboy11 Unincorporated Area

dodgeboy11

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I live in Kentwood. I chose to live here for several reasons. First, it was much closer to work than Grandville (I work off Patterson). Second, the housing is cheaper than some of the more rural areas. Third, I REFUSE to pay income tax, so that ruled out Walker and Grand Rapids. (Even though it's stupid, I'd rather pay more in property tax than income tax and property tax combined....I just hate filling out extra forms.) :)

I chose to stay in Kentwood for several reasons... First, for all the reasons above. Additionally, moving every couple years is dumb as you have to pay closing costs and moving costs each time. Also, I really like Kentwood for it's diversity. For example East Grand Rapids, according to the last census, has ONE person of Vietnam ancestry, 300 black/african american, and over 10000 white people. That is sad. :angry: On the other hand, Kentwood almost exactly reflects the US population....80% white, 10% black, etc. It is nice to be in an area that is more diverse... (Trust me...grew up in Grandville...that's almost as bad as EGR.)

I also like Kentwood for the easy highway access, and all the new development is close enough that I could walk or bike....

Finally, I hate how people label things as ghetto (like the Meijer on K-zoo) or call it Rent-wood, or whatever. So I stay out of spite, too. :lol:

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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That is awesome that you kicked the habit, and love life now. Congratualtions!

As for where I live, don't get me started on Globalization. Instead, although I love the Hill area, and am fascinated by the older mansions of Grand Rapids, I am fortunate that my fiance owns a house on the edge of GR. So it's not much of a choice for me. She has a great place. She works downtown, and it's only a 15-20 minute drive to my work as well.

I love the word docent by the way. :thumbsup:

Thanks! Yes, I love the word docent too. I never take a single day sober for granted - it's a flat-out miracle. Spent last night at the Blues on the Mall - ran into some friends of friends and ended up having a wonderful dinner with them - never would've happened if I was still drinking. I'd probably be sitting in some scuzzy biker bar in Tijuana all hagged out by now.

It's amazing how the smallest things, like Miss Kitty purring in my lap, a good book, with music courtesy of WYCE can provide all the contentment I could ever ask for.

Sounds like you've got a great place too! I'm endlessly fascinated by architecture - too bad realtors are a dime a dozen - it would've made a nice side career but I just can't see turning much profit when there are already so many to compete with.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Sounds like you've got a great place too! I'm endlessly fascinated by architecture - too bad realtors are a dime a dozen - it would've made a nice side career but I just can't see turning much profit when there are already so many to compete with.

If you think you'd enjoy it and have a "business, legal and problem-solving sense", you should try it. You cannot be a good realtor just because you like Open Houses and the Parade of Homes. You have to have skills well above what is required to pass the State licensing exam.

Just my humble opinion.

We live about 10 minutes from downtown in Grand Rapids Township because a good school system is the #1 requirement for us right now. We definitely have talked about moving downtown when the kids get older though. We thankfully live in a fairly dense neighborhood, with many families in similar boats as us. We know about 1/2 the neighborhood (also important to us), of which there are many newcomers to the Grand Rapids area, and a pretty diverse makeup of residents. Who knows, maybe we'll be annexed some day. :lol:

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twoshort Town

twoshort

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I live in the Baxter Neighborhood in Grand Rapids for several reasons. One, its cheaper than renting. You can barely get a studio on the hill for what we're paying for this house (and then on top of that there's the equity we're building). Two, location. It's something like 2-3 minutes from the center of downtown, eastown, egr, east hills, etc. The cab ride from all my favorite bars is less than $5.00. Lastly, the neighborhood is in major need of some rejuvination. If I can help at all then that's great. It would be nice to know I had some sort of impact on my street/block/neighborhood and this is a great place to do something like that.

Plus, I get front row seating for Lighthouse's next project. :thumbsup:

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6th Gen local Whistle-Stop

6th Gen local

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In 1890 and 1892 relatives arrived in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas and they haven't been able to get rid of us since then.

I had accepted a job in Mobile, AL in the early 80's but my father passing away a month before I was to leave ended that ambition and I hung around to take care of family business. 25+ years later I am still here and happy I never moved away. I've traveled all over the country and seen a few other countries but I always come back to Grand Rapids.

Family, friends and work keep me here for now. I plan to retire and live in Michigan in the summers and Central America and the Caribbean in the winter.

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mgreven Hamlet

mgreven

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If you think you'd enjoy it and have a "business, legal and problem-solving sense", you should try it. You cannot be a good realtor just because you like Open Houses and the Parade of Homes. You have to have skills well above what is required to pass the State licensing exam.

Just my humble opinion.

My realtor wife is sitting next to me right now working on her computer. I knew that your comments would interest her. She thought they were right on the money. "Business, legal and problem-solving sense" sums it up very well. It's hard work, but she loves it and it's much more fun for her than her CPA days.

We're in the burb's for the schools, too. Relatively happy....wish the neighbors got out more. Someday maybe I can move into the city, but we're here for now. Can't complain....just wish I could walk to a store without risking my life sometimes. :) (that's due to the total lack of sidewalks where I live out in GR township)

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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We live in EGR. No ties to this area at all until we had to move here for jobs.

We had to pick a town based on 2 things really:

- Our "town" needs some sort of downtown (even a small one) and some older neighborhoods where we can meet our neighbors instead of staring across an open expanse of uniform green lawn.

- Great schools (that was easy, there are lots of great districts around here)

A third ended up making the diff: I work in downtown GR. Living in EGR means I can ride my bike or the bus when I want (at least 3 or 4 times a week when it's nice out). The other places we really liked (Rockford and Grand Haven) were too far from work by comparison. The other good school disctricts we looked at (Grandville, Jenison, Forest Hills, Kentwood off the top of my head...probably more, it's been a few years now) had no downtowns that we could live near (and walk to).

Grand Rapids proper would be wonderful, but we had to put schools in the mix of our decision, and GRPS just doesn't cut it right now (sadly). So the final nicety is the opportunity to walk to Eastown from our house as easily as we walk to Gaslight...we get a little bit of EGR and a little bit of real GR. It's the perfect mix. :)

We live in West Michigan in general because we have family in Detroit and wanted to stay within 2 or 3 hours of them and if you draw a 3 hour circle around detroit, you get Cleveland, Toledo, Metro Detroit, Lansing, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. Aside from Kalamazoo which we also like, you couldn't pay me to live any of those other places...so, I found a job in GR and here we are (to stay, we hope).

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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I live in the SE. I'm here because of situation. If I were to choose a neighborhood I'd probably stay close to familarity and my roots. The Godfrey/Grandville Ave corridor or stay in the SE. Kalamazoo Ave has quite the neighborhoods. I've lived in all the quadrants except the NE and all have their positives.

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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If you think you'd enjoy it and have a "business, legal and problem-solving sense", you should try it. You cannot be a good realtor just because you like Open Houses and the Parade of Homes. You have to have skills well above what is required to pass the State licensing exam.

Thanks GRDadof3. Perhaps I will look into the possiblity further. I problem solve for a living, have an associate degree in business and am a quick study so could easily learn the legal aspects. It's something I've always wanted to do. I am currently six months into learning Spanish which could help serve the growing Hispanic population in the GR area as well.

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