MSU Red Cedar Message Board

NVM, found the school in question.

There are plenty of good neighborhoods around. I like at M14 & Sheldon, at the plymouth/northville border. Great neighborhoods. Canton is good. You can go as far north as 13 and still be good. Up there, you're getting into the lakes, which mean property values go up. Down around Michigan can get a little seedy but still nothing to be concerned with. Westland, Inkster area I would not recommend over Canton, Plymouth, Livonia, Northville, or Farmington. But, those are going to be more expensive than the area you want to cover in your "first sweep."

Hope that helps. And, oh, if this is a schtick, since this is the first post,

Where are you originally from? Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions and I can give you more info.

Yep, I understand that. But does that mean I completely rule out Southeast of the office?

tWife and I live in Livonia, near 5 mile and 275. It is a nice area. Nice people in our neighborhood and nice, well maintained ranch style homes. We are glad we picked the area.

Good luck!

Thanks. My wife is a nurse. Maybe she can find part-time work at St. Mary Hospital...

Huron Valley Lutheran...

Ahh I see. There are parts of Livonia that have more rentals and are not as well-kept, but you're talking about solid middle class american communities across the board. Plymouth is nice because of its compact downtown in walkable distance from the neighborhoods. Northville/Novi is more cookie cutter, mcmansion suburbia. Canton has a mix of both. Without a doubt you'll be able to find a solid house in the area for 200k. I'm sorry to hear that you're faced with this decision, but it's good news from my perspective that businesses are relocating the Detroit area!

Thank you; yes, I'm disappointed to have to choose either metro-Detroit or separate from the employer. We live a great life down here.

I'm not into cookie cutter, mcmansion suburbia. Rural setting is not an option, given that I don't wish to commute far at all. So, sounds to me like Plymouth might be the focus...

Plymouth is a great little town. Houses in the downtown area have lots of character. Downtown is a very nice, safe, family friendly area. If you don't want cookie cutter McMansions, stay away from Canton. Northville is OK, but pricey compared to Plymouth, and you don't get anything for the cost, IMO.

If Munnburger's realtor doesn't work out, let me know. I've got a friend who's worked real estate in Plymouth for over 20 years and knows the area very well. A couple of folks from tRCMB have used him and have been pleased.

Also, PM me if you want any details on the area. We've been here 16 years and love it.

I bought a house in Canton.
Love my neighborhood. I live not too far off Ford Rd. I dont have kids but I hear we have a good school system.
Canton is pretty easy going. Plymouth is cleaner and has a lot more charm with unique things to do, but the two are essentially the same.
Home prices and taxes are less in Canton. Parts of Plymouth township can be a real pain because you have to go way out of your way for simple things like groceries, and theres no good way to get there.

Theres no real good MSU bar in Canton, but the bar is full of UM townies walverines, but good natured ones.

Feel free to PM if you have questions, I also know a realtor who went out of her way to help me purchase my first home. Cant recommend her enough.

I am going to get massacred for this, but if I were you, I would look in Ann Arbor. I spent three years there in there doing business development work and really came to enjoy the community and people. Personally, I have found the U-M fan becomes more tolerable the closer you get to Ann Arbor and the more involvement the actual person has with U-M. It is the that give it a bad rap.

We are raising our family in East Lansing and there is special dynamic of a university town.

If your wife is a nurse, she will not have a problem finding a job in the area.

You won't find a better school system...public or private.

You won't find a mansion for $200K, but you should be able to get into something decent. Maybe even an older home near downtown where you can walk to Main Street.

The other thing to think about is that if you ever decide to leave your job, the Ann Arbor (Washtenaw County) area has the most diverse and strongest economy in the driveable region.

Second choice would Plymouth and third Northville. I personally would stay west of 275.

Some (three year old) facts on Ann Arbor:

 Top 25 Places to Live in the United States (Money Magazine, 2006)
 #1 Healthiest Cities in the United States (AARP, 2008)
 Sixth in Best Places to Live (Cities Ranked and Rated by Sander/Sperling, 2004)
 #1 in Top Ten Knowledge Worker Metros (Expansion Management, 2007)
 #10 Top Metros for College-Educated Workers (Expansion Management, 2007
 3rd Smartest City in the United States (Fortune Magazine, 2006)
 #1 for Brainpower (bizjournals.com, 2006)
 Educational Quotient Gold Star awarded to Ann Arbor Public Schools (Expansion Management Magazine, 2007)
 Graduation rates over 95% in Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, Chelsea, Dexter, and Manchester
 Washtenaw outscored state averages in English +10%, Math +10%, Reading +8%, Writing +9%, and Science +6%
 74 different languages are spoken in the Ann Arbor Public Schools

Business Environment – Today, with its broad base of business sectors, Ann Arbor boasts one of the strongest and most consistently growing economies in the Midwest. The following Ann Arbor region industries are at least two times the national average in concentration: Engineering Services (2.23), Publishing (2.67), Hospital/Medicine (2.63), Software (3.13), Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (3.28), and R&D Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (7.80).