Not that bad... - 7/12/2006
Lansing is a small city, pop. 119,000 or so I believe. Total metro area population is closer to 375,000. Lansing is the capitol of Michigan and has a somewhat diversified economy compared to the rest of the state. The state capitol, Michigan State University, Cooley Law School and General Motors all call Lansing home. There are many recreational activities here because of MSU, however water fun is not on the list. Ingham County has just one usable lake, and even that is very small. Lake Michigan is only 90 minutes away (I've driven it). Lansing's central location makes it convenient to Grand Rapids, Detroit and even Chicago. Climate here is COLD in the winter, and mild in the summer. Yes it DOES RAIN alot here, as it does in the rest of Michigan due to the Great Lakes. Politically, Ingham County is the second most liberal area in the state behind Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor). If you are looking for a conservative area, try Grand Rapids, 60 miles west of here. Housing here is Read More

Better off dead! - 6/28/2006
Lansing is by far the worst place in the entire world. It’s much like living in East Africa or Detroit but you don’t get the chance of being shot or dying of AIDS, so you just have to suffer. Lansing gets the second most rain in America and the ocean is 15 hours away -- the Great Lakes are at least 2 or 3 hours away. People here are always talking about how they love the lakes but you could live in any other state in the union and be as close to the Great Lakes as Lansing is. If you are thinking of moving to Lansing save yourself the trouble and just cut off your foot and pour a bucket of water on your head it’s the same as living Read More

Lansing has no zip - 6/20/2006
If you look at the Lansing area on paper, it appears like a happening place - East Lansing is a college town, you've got the huge Cooley Law School, there's minor-league basecall, it's the state capital, etc. Despite all of that, Lansing is really kind of a depressing place. There just seems to be this penchant for ugliness, tackiness and an obsession with parking. It also seems to be frozen in the mid 80s, with new ideas not implemented too readily, whether it's new businesses, environmental awareness, etc. The old way is the good way.

True, there are some cool things happening, such as some loft conversions and a revival of East Michigan Ave, including a new bookstore, cafe, cultural center, etc. The problem, though, is that there is still so far to go. Lots of other cities in the Midwest have already done these kinds of upgrades maybe 10-20 years ago, but now it's finally catching on slowly here. Also, so much damage has been done that I fear that Lansing Read More

Good Housing Market - 4/20/2006
As a life long resident who has invested in single family and multi unit housing, I feel the greater Lansing market is still a good place to buy a house. Prices are below the national average, there is a large stock of houses of different ages and price ranges. The local economy is diversified, although we are the largest builder of cars (more are assembled here than any other US city, including Detroit; and GM has built two new plants here) there are many growth industries represented here as well as public sector employers. State government is a large employer, as is Michigan State University and the Sparrow Hospital group. There are almost 20,000 students at Lansing Community College, over 40,000 students at MSU, and the largest law school in the nation (Cooley) and a second law school at MSU, and several other colleges in the area.

Lansing is about a one and a half hour drive to either Lake Michigan to the west or Lake St Clair and Lake Huron to the east, and there Read More

Great place to buy - 4/20/2006
As a life long resident who has invested in single family and multi unit housing, I feel the greater Lansing market is still a good place to buy a house. Prices are below the national average, there is a large stock of houses of different ages and price ranges. The local economy is diversified, although we are the largest builder of cars (more are assembled here than any other US city, including Detroit; and GM has built two new plants here) there are many growth industries represented here as well as public sector employers. State government is a large employer, as is Michigan State University and the Sparrow Hospital group. There are almost 20,000 students at Lansing Community College, over 40,000 students at MSU, and the largest law school in the nation (Cooley) and a second law school at MSU, and several other colleges in the area.

Lansing is about a one and a half hour drive to either Lake Michigan to the west or Lake St Clair and Lake Huron to the east, and there Read More

craps - 4/18/2006
most of the year it is gray and ugly. the cold is not only very cold but damp and seeps into the bones. the summers aremade sickening not by heat but the humidity. surrounding by lakes we cannot see and swimming in gray Read More

Lansing character - 7/10/2005
Lansing is a very common midwestern city, a bluecollar factory town, with a relatively strong "ghetto" presence. The southend, more specifically south of Mt. Hope Ave., is relatively low crime, while areas north of Mt. Hope, differ very sharply. For instance, approximantly 2/3 of people live in the Southend of the city while it contains less than 1/2 of the cities total crime (source from police dept. stats.) There were two murders in the Southend in 2004 while there were nine in the Northend. With that said, Lansing does have a rapidly growing downtown, which is looking very promising. To anyone interested in moving too or visiting Lansing, check out the Lansing police's "Crime Mapper" at http://mapmidmichigan.org/, just click on "Launch Map" and select "Lansing Crime Mapper" from the dropdown menu. It has individual crime data for up to three Read More