Get in while the gettin's good!
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1/28/2022
I am in my fifth house in the greater Lansing area since relocating here in 1997 from the tri-city area (Midland/Bay City/Saginaw). Pros: people are friendlier here- they let you in in traffic, or hold the door while you enter a store and sincerely say "How are you?" Cost of living is astonishing, compared to other locations- you can do your homework and find amazing values in walkable areas that other places marvel at (having lived in Austin, Tx, briefly, for example!). Cons: it's working its way back out of decades of doldrums and progress is not perfection. Comparatively, Grand Rapids MI was in an economically challenged place when I was living there (1983-1985) but they more rapidly accelerated out of that phase to become a "cool city"- although they lean very conservatively. Lansing offers State Government jobs, several major insurance companies, GM expansion and two large hospitals which draw from surrounding rural areas. What amazed me about relocating here was it's a city: however, in fifteen minutes in any direction you can be out of town viewing farm fields. Major highway access facilitates N/S/E/W access to GR, Mt. Pleasant, Greater Detroit or Ann Arbor in an hour or so. We have a little airport here so you can "fly local" or drive one hour to DTW depending on the flight schedule you need. More Mom and Pops are gaining momentum (Yay!) over the chain-restaurant options and we have inspired markets like Meijer's Capital City Market (on the main floor of a hotel right downtown across from the Lansing Lugnuts ball field) with easy/free parking. (Target, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Gas Stations, Banks: TAKE NOTE! We need you downtown!) With a little effort you can find your people in Lansing (e.g. Board Games? Historical Preservation?) by viewing "The City Pulse" for events by day of the week. Lansing's overall culture is much more accepting of diversity compared to other locations I have experienced. Lansing would further benefit from a large influx of hard-working, artsy and creative young families invested in advocating for a stronger public school system. I wish we'd come up with creative plans to draw them in like property-tax abatements or student-loan forgiveness incentives! After living in multiple locations (most recently Dearborn, MI for six years) I came back to Lansing as the most optimal city in our freshwater, four-seasons state to score an affordable, walkable residence with enough to do but without the overpricing drama and gridlock I have experienced elsewhere.
Jamie | Lansing, MI