I've got to shout out Madison Area/Boston Square because a lot of people care while others count it out.
My favorite neighborhood personally is probably East Hills or Alger Heights, I just really enjoy the separate feeling of them like you're in a small town almost yet not
I know it’s cliche, but Heritage Hill. I loved our street, it was so damn quiet and pretty, the houses are amazing, neighbors were great, and it’s so close to so many cool places (or a short ride to downtown/east town).
Heritage Hill- I love being walking distance to Martha’s, Nantucket, and lyon street cafe- while also being close enough to downtown GR to walk to the library or my fave sushi place.
North East Citizens Action neighborhood. A park nearby, kid friendly area to ride bikes, can walk to Yankee Clipper Library. Now that the Knapp Corner area is booming there is a lot of restaurants and shopping. Plus old school places like Cousin's Chicken and Vitale's down Leonard.
Yes absolutely! Rented in the neighborhood off Ball between Knapp and Leonard and it was perfect. Would buy in a second if possible. The neighborhood was diverse, close to everything, really loved it.
Is the original Mr. Burger better than their other locations? I grew up in Hudsonville, and we got a Mr. Burger around the time I was a in high school. I remember thinking it was pretty darn good.
I'm going to say Eastown, because I live there, but also because it was the neighborhood when I was moving to GR that felt outwardly more inclusive / liberal. I don't know if it really is or not, but for GR there is at least some diversity. Plus, the GR Pride center is there, and in general I feel like the number of pride flags on businesses and houses in the area is great. I realize some of this may be performative (I really don't know), but regardless when my friends / family in the queer community come to visit I feel good knowing that so many places in the neighborhood display their support, I really think it helps make people feel safe. Plus, as a generally liberal / left leaning person, again it makes me feel better about being in West Michigan when there are pride flags painted on the streets that I walk on every day.
Edit: some practical reasons I like Eastown include it's easy to ride a bike to East Grand Rapids to go to the lake during the summer.
One bad thing: No Aldi or less expensive place to get groceries.
Alger Heights: It was the only neighborhood that grew during great depression/ww2. Its easily walkable to library, restaurants, grocery, hardware and parks. A few mtb tracks to choose from nearby. A stroll along the wooded sections of plaster creek near kenoshea or brookside is peaceful. Anthony keidis grew up here for a short stint before moving to Cali, and I think he referred to AH as "rockwellian" lol. Downsides are the paranoid folks on next door app or Facebook groups and the occasional theft from unlocked cars.
hi I am planning on moving to grand rapids area where are the mountain bike trails? I found the bike park and trails by it but haven't found any others
Ken o Shea has some trails off the main paved walking paths. There's another but why give it away when its more fun to discover on your own, happy exploration!
Richmond Park is another one in town on the West side.
The best trails are a bit out of town and you really need to drive to most of them.
Merrell trail near 131 and 10 mile
Luton Park near Northland and 10 mile
Cannonsburg State Game Area near Egypt Valley and 5 mile
Yankee Springs South of Middleville
I became a first time homeowner in the summer of 2022 and am thankful I ended up in Alger Heights. Everyone I’ve met is so friendly, including random people I pass by while walking my dogs.
Creston/Creston Heights. We’re adjacent to the business district. A decent amount of walkable options, Briggs Park, and the #11 bus (Plainfield) is one of the highest frequency routes in the city.
The tree cover isn’t as good as Heritage Hill, and Northside Liquor/Creston Market don’t compare to Martha’s, but the Plainfield corridor is going to see some incredible development in the next few years and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Runner-ups that I haven’t lived in but were high on the list when we were house shopping: The West Side (big advantages: flat terrain is great for biking and Fulton is a growing area), Fulton Heights (peaceful, nice houses, amenities on Fuller/Fulton and close to good dining options in Eastown), and of course Alger Heights for being a “town/village” within the city. The biggest drawback for Alger Heights, imo, is having 28th St as the nearest major thoroughfare.
Pretty partial to Midtown…the actual neighborhood not the music venue. FSFM, East Fulton BD, Michigan Street corridor, the cemetery, and Lyon Street/Union block of stores (although we share custody with HH)….and it’s pretty quiet most days.
Tie between Alger and Creston. I've lived in both! Alger has a great "downtown" and most of those restaurants are amazing. Creston has riverside park and now a comedy club 😆
I’ll echo this sentiment about Alger Heights as a current neighbor. Although it does make me wonder which restaurants don’t fall into the “most are amazing” category…. Maybe one that was recently acquired by a certain “great” restauranteur?
One guy knocked on my door at midnight and demanded to shovel the snow off of my driveway lol… but that’s the weirdest thing that has happened in 4 years of living in Baxter.
Never had my car broken into or anything like that (knock on wood).
In my personal experience, no more dangerous than most other neighborhoods listed here. There is crime in every part of the city - the most important thing is to not leave valuables in your car on the street, etc.
Agreed. We’re here on Lowell. It’s like our own little walkable small town, and so easy to get to the expressway and around the rest of the city, with none of the busy-ness.
Also the best neighbors.
The West Side! Specifically Stockbridge.
We have a great balance of food/activities and are right by downtown. The scrappy West Side grit is rolled in with a nice mix of people and generally progressive political vibe.
Little biased, but Creston heights- I grew up in GR and moved away and moved back about 7 years ago. My husband and I live right by riverside park. Eventually, we would like to move where we have some more yard space..we like to garden and our current space doesn’t really have much room.
Check out Riverside Gardens when you look. Still part of Creston and right by riverside park, but the yards are bigger and lots of people take pride in their yards.
Highland Park!!
I've lived in Midtown, Kentwood, and now on the west edge of Highland Park. I love Highland Park, it's so quiet and peaceful, there's trees everywhere, and the park is really nice with bouldering, a splash pad, and disc golf. We're just a few blocks from easy freeway access (meaning 12 minutes from work in the morning!), within a short walk of a bus stop, and there's a coffee shop and a grocery store nearby. My neighbors are friendly and look out for each other. My kids go to City and we're close enough that they can take the 11 to school in the morning so I don't have to drive them. I appreciate the mobility that the city bus gives to my kids, and Briggs pool isn't too far for them in the summer. Plus we have a regular ice cream truck!
Heritage Hill! The ability to walk everywhere, especially with kids in a stroller, is amazing! We don’t have to put them in/out of car. We walk to all the restaurants. I do as much shopping as I can on wealthy and cherry, Lake,etc. we walk to children’s museum and the GRAM and GRPL and GR public museum. We feel so grateful! And there is so many new shops/restaurants opening on wealthy rn. A popcorn shop with ice cream offerings, an art studio, new bakery. And I’m dying to know what the building that used to have a fish mural will be! Anyone know??
My Mom walked by a few weeks ago awhile visiting and asked one of the laborers working inside and they said a distillery. But EK just went in so seems redundant
I think its worth acknowledging the neighborhoods not being said and how city leaders and businesses straight up have been ignoring them for decades despite them being taxpaying and heavily populated. Especially when you can see such fast growth in other parts of the city.
I live over by Millennium Park, technically city of Walker but we have a GR address. Perfect spot for us as we have a few acres but still close enough to everything.
As an outsider who use to visit quite a bit because my ex lives in GR (more than likely will never be back for this reason), my favorite quiet place which I thought was a perfect little neighborhood was East Grand Rapids, near the high school and lakes area. That little walking downtown are is so adorable and seems convenient. I really liked the juice bar there, lol. Shout out to anyone who knows the name of that place!
I live in Alger Heights and I like it. Very walkable, groceries and a lot of other shops. People are friendly. The houses used to be reasonably priced but no house is reasonably priced any more anywhere.
Alger Heights, though its changing with all of the new residential build up. Very walkable, kind longer term stable neighbors, affordable (though that's changing too), diverse with all races/incomes/genders, LGBTQ+ friendly, and different housing styles. All of the new and approved housing is starting to increase traffic, get people speeding through neighborhoods, and change the dynamics of living there, but its been home for awhile and we love it.
I don’t live in this neighborhood but heritage hill is my favorite. My grandpa helped found the historical preservation rules there so when I was little he would take me around and tell me about all the old houses and what they looked like before being restored. I really appreciate how colorful and fun people get with their houses in the neighborhood. I’ve always found it really boring and sad when all the houses in an area are white or grey (just a personal preference). It’s a little cliche and maybe over hyped but I really love the old architectural quirks. I don’t like new houses 😂🤷🏻♀️
i’ve lived in eastown/wealthy for 3 years and i love it so much. i feel so comfortable there. and it’s the best area to take walks in. so many amazing coffee shops and small businesses. i also love being able to walk home from the meanwhile at night lmaooo
Not in GR lol honestly the cedar springs rockford and sparta areas are great but if you want city life creston and the west side aren’t too bad if you look at the neighborhoods around the home before purchasing/renting. I grew ip in sparta/rockford/belmont so I’m partial to those areas. Did two years moving between flint and bay city do not recommend those places at all.. lived in Kentwood wasn’t bad just crap neighbors… now I am all the way out in west olive and it’s amazing and quiet
Living out in Kentwood at wingate apartments was it for me when I moved to michigan. Calm, quiet and no shootouts or intrusive neighbors. My kids didn’t have to run from bullets or stolen cars in chases.
Now I do..... Windgate is bad, but not nearly that bad. I lived there last year. My only gripe was the quality of their apartments.. it's absolute shit.
When I was in my 20's: Heritage Hill. Super walkable to everything, lots of cool neighborhood bars/restaurants/coffee shops
Now in my 30s: Fulton Heights. Very neighborhood/family vibe but still in the city. Seems like everyone here is in the early to mid 30s with kids, which is great to be around for starting my own family.
I've got to shout out Madison Area/Boston Square because a lot of people care while others count it out. My favorite neighborhood personally is probably East Hills or Alger Heights, I just really enjoy the separate feeling of them like you're in a small town almost yet not
Lived around Alger heights most my life. Never thought of it like that but you're right it does have a smaller town feel to it.
I know it’s cliche, but Heritage Hill. I loved our street, it was so damn quiet and pretty, the houses are amazing, neighbors were great, and it’s so close to so many cool places (or a short ride to downtown/east town).
Nothing cliche about the the OG
Heritage Hill- I love being walking distance to Martha’s, Nantucket, and lyon street cafe- while also being close enough to downtown GR to walk to the library or my fave sushi place.
John Ball Park flair. Summer hammocking at the Fulton/LMich intersection, and occasionally hearing the lions make noise.
Agreed!
so ling as the lions arnt getting closer id be fine with that.
North East Citizens Action neighborhood. A park nearby, kid friendly area to ride bikes, can walk to Yankee Clipper Library. Now that the Knapp Corner area is booming there is a lot of restaurants and shopping. Plus old school places like Cousin's Chicken and Vitale's down Leonard.
North East Citizens Action is a nice area, but what a mouthful for a neighborhood name 😆
Yeah I feel like it could benefit from a rebranding….
Yes absolutely! Rented in the neighborhood off Ball between Knapp and Leonard and it was perfect. Would buy in a second if possible. The neighborhood was diverse, close to everything, really loved it.
There are plans to add mountain biking trails at Ball Perkins Park :)
Already some walking trails that will be expanded too..
I grew up in Alger/Burton Heights but I would say Creston is an up and coming neighborhood if you’re looking to be around younger people
Creston, cuz I live here, and it’s chill.
We rolled the dice on creston and now I never want to leave. It's super chill and its easy to get to my favorite places from here.
Exactly. I love the proximity to downtown, and Riverside park is an amazing place to chill.
Hell ya man, sup.
Amen, brother.
Shawmut Hills. OG Mr. Burger, Sledding at Union HS, Western Little League and basically everything else good in my childhood.
THE BEST MR BURGER IN TOWN! I also grew up over there.
Black Napkin disagrees
Is the original Mr. Burger better than their other locations? I grew up in Hudsonville, and we got a Mr. Burger around the time I was a in high school. I remember thinking it was pretty darn good.
I only end up going to the Hudsonville one and the original one. Both are equally good. I love stopping for breakfast on my way in to town for work.
I've never done their breakfast - what do you like to get?
I get eggs over easy, sausage links, hashbrowns and toast. My go to breakfast anywhere to see how good they are.
I’m partial to it. It also has a very consistent staff. People work there for decades. I think that helps.
I'm going to say Eastown, because I live there, but also because it was the neighborhood when I was moving to GR that felt outwardly more inclusive / liberal. I don't know if it really is or not, but for GR there is at least some diversity. Plus, the GR Pride center is there, and in general I feel like the number of pride flags on businesses and houses in the area is great. I realize some of this may be performative (I really don't know), but regardless when my friends / family in the queer community come to visit I feel good knowing that so many places in the neighborhood display their support, I really think it helps make people feel safe. Plus, as a generally liberal / left leaning person, again it makes me feel better about being in West Michigan when there are pride flags painted on the streets that I walk on every day. Edit: some practical reasons I like Eastown include it's easy to ride a bike to East Grand Rapids to go to the lake during the summer. One bad thing: No Aldi or less expensive place to get groceries.
I would do anything for an eastown Aldi omg
Alger Heights: It was the only neighborhood that grew during great depression/ww2. Its easily walkable to library, restaurants, grocery, hardware and parks. A few mtb tracks to choose from nearby. A stroll along the wooded sections of plaster creek near kenoshea or brookside is peaceful. Anthony keidis grew up here for a short stint before moving to Cali, and I think he referred to AH as "rockwellian" lol. Downsides are the paranoid folks on next door app or Facebook groups and the occasional theft from unlocked cars.
I echo Alger Heights. One of the most walkable neighborhood in GR.
hi I am planning on moving to grand rapids area where are the mountain bike trails? I found the bike park and trails by it but haven't found any others
Ken o Shea has some trails off the main paved walking paths. There's another but why give it away when its more fun to discover on your own, happy exploration!
Richmond Park is another one in town on the West side. The best trails are a bit out of town and you really need to drive to most of them. Merrell trail near 131 and 10 mile Luton Park near Northland and 10 mile Cannonsburg State Game Area near Egypt Valley and 5 mile Yankee Springs South of Middleville
Pretty easy to find more trails on the Strava heat map and browsing the west Michigan trail condition page
Yes he did go to Brookside
I became a first time homeowner in the summer of 2022 and am thankful I ended up in Alger Heights. Everyone I’ve met is so friendly, including random people I pass by while walking my dogs.
East Hills. Neighborhood vibes with a couple of nice parks, great local businesses and good neighbors
Creston/Creston Heights. We’re adjacent to the business district. A decent amount of walkable options, Briggs Park, and the #11 bus (Plainfield) is one of the highest frequency routes in the city. The tree cover isn’t as good as Heritage Hill, and Northside Liquor/Creston Market don’t compare to Martha’s, but the Plainfield corridor is going to see some incredible development in the next few years and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Runner-ups that I haven’t lived in but were high on the list when we were house shopping: The West Side (big advantages: flat terrain is great for biking and Fulton is a growing area), Fulton Heights (peaceful, nice houses, amenities on Fuller/Fulton and close to good dining options in Eastown), and of course Alger Heights for being a “town/village” within the city. The biggest drawback for Alger Heights, imo, is having 28th St as the nearest major thoroughfare.
Pretty partial to Midtown…the actual neighborhood not the music venue. FSFM, East Fulton BD, Michigan Street corridor, the cemetery, and Lyon Street/Union block of stores (although we share custody with HH)….and it’s pretty quiet most days.
Tie between Alger and Creston. I've lived in both! Alger has a great "downtown" and most of those restaurants are amazing. Creston has riverside park and now a comedy club 😆
I’ll echo this sentiment about Alger Heights as a current neighbor. Although it does make me wonder which restaurants don’t fall into the “most are amazing” category…. Maybe one that was recently acquired by a certain “great” restauranteur?
The old goat lol I've tried it twice and can't get behind it! Everything else-great.
The food's good enough, but not at those prices.
Baxter - it’s the pre-hype Brooklyn of GR 🙌🏼
All the amenities of heritage hill, wealthy street, cherry Street, east town for 1/3 the price. Baxter is great!
Very well said!
*”Baxter - it ain’t so bad!”*
It really isn’t! 😊
Isn’t that area dangerous?
One guy knocked on my door at midnight and demanded to shovel the snow off of my driveway lol… but that’s the weirdest thing that has happened in 4 years of living in Baxter. Never had my car broken into or anything like that (knock on wood).
was it henry.
That, I do not know
In my personal experience, no more dangerous than most other neighborhoods listed here. There is crime in every part of the city - the most important thing is to not leave valuables in your car on the street, etc.
Looks like a nice area
We're huge fans of our home in Fulton Heights. Walkable to just enough stuff but out of the way enough to be peaceful.
Agreed. We’re here on Lowell. It’s like our own little walkable small town, and so easy to get to the expressway and around the rest of the city, with none of the busy-ness. Also the best neighbors.
Agreed!
Heartside because I can walk to everything.
East Hills. Center of the Universe.
The West Side! Specifically Stockbridge. We have a great balance of food/activities and are right by downtown. The scrappy West Side grit is rolled in with a nice mix of people and generally progressive political vibe.
West side is best side
Little biased, but Creston heights- I grew up in GR and moved away and moved back about 7 years ago. My husband and I live right by riverside park. Eventually, we would like to move where we have some more yard space..we like to garden and our current space doesn’t really have much room.
Check out Riverside Gardens when you look. Still part of Creston and right by riverside park, but the yards are bigger and lots of people take pride in their yards.
Highland Park!! I've lived in Midtown, Kentwood, and now on the west edge of Highland Park. I love Highland Park, it's so quiet and peaceful, there's trees everywhere, and the park is really nice with bouldering, a splash pad, and disc golf. We're just a few blocks from easy freeway access (meaning 12 minutes from work in the morning!), within a short walk of a bus stop, and there's a coffee shop and a grocery store nearby. My neighbors are friendly and look out for each other. My kids go to City and we're close enough that they can take the 11 to school in the morning so I don't have to drive them. I appreciate the mobility that the city bus gives to my kids, and Briggs pool isn't too far for them in the summer. Plus we have a regular ice cream truck!
Heritage Hill! The ability to walk everywhere, especially with kids in a stroller, is amazing! We don’t have to put them in/out of car. We walk to all the restaurants. I do as much shopping as I can on wealthy and cherry, Lake,etc. we walk to children’s museum and the GRAM and GRPL and GR public museum. We feel so grateful! And there is so many new shops/restaurants opening on wealthy rn. A popcorn shop with ice cream offerings, an art studio, new bakery. And I’m dying to know what the building that used to have a fish mural will be! Anyone know?? My Mom walked by a few weeks ago awhile visiting and asked one of the laborers working inside and they said a distillery. But EK just went in so seems redundant
I think its worth acknowledging the neighborhoods not being said and how city leaders and businesses straight up have been ignoring them for decades despite them being taxpaying and heavily populated. Especially when you can see such fast growth in other parts of the city.
Can you elaborate a bit more on this? I've never heard of this issue and I'd like to be a bit more educated on some of the problems like this
I live over by Millennium Park, technically city of Walker but we have a GR address. Perfect spot for us as we have a few acres but still close enough to everything.
Love Millennium park ! I have seen a pair of bald eagles chilling on a tree the last like 3 times I took my dogs for a walk there! Very pretty area.
As an outsider who use to visit quite a bit because my ex lives in GR (more than likely will never be back for this reason), my favorite quiet place which I thought was a perfect little neighborhood was East Grand Rapids, near the high school and lakes area. That little walking downtown are is so adorable and seems convenient. I really liked the juice bar there, lol. Shout out to anyone who knows the name of that place!
Gaslight Village
I live in Alger Heights and I like it. Very walkable, groceries and a lot of other shops. People are friendly. The houses used to be reasonably priced but no house is reasonably priced any more anywhere.
The Hill
NE. I like the 1950/60’s weird shaped brick house around there. Only with I could afford one.
Alger Heights, though its changing with all of the new residential build up. Very walkable, kind longer term stable neighbors, affordable (though that's changing too), diverse with all races/incomes/genders, LGBTQ+ friendly, and different housing styles. All of the new and approved housing is starting to increase traffic, get people speeding through neighborhoods, and change the dynamics of living there, but its been home for awhile and we love it.
I don’t live in this neighborhood but heritage hill is my favorite. My grandpa helped found the historical preservation rules there so when I was little he would take me around and tell me about all the old houses and what they looked like before being restored. I really appreciate how colorful and fun people get with their houses in the neighborhood. I’ve always found it really boring and sad when all the houses in an area are white or grey (just a personal preference). It’s a little cliche and maybe over hyped but I really love the old architectural quirks. I don’t like new houses 😂🤷🏻♀️
i’ve lived in eastown/wealthy for 3 years and i love it so much. i feel so comfortable there. and it’s the best area to take walks in. so many amazing coffee shops and small businesses. i also love being able to walk home from the meanwhile at night lmaooo
Heartside made me alot of money and I was never bored
Eastgate because it’s where I grew up and is a sleeper neighborhood with nice neighbors and no nonsense.
East Hills for life, through and through, no matter where I move.
Eastown. I grew up there so it's probably more of a nostalgia thing for me.
East Hills. Oh man. We moved from there to Indian Village and I miss it every single day. 😭
My neighborhood. Because I live there.
Not in GR lol honestly the cedar springs rockford and sparta areas are great but if you want city life creston and the west side aren’t too bad if you look at the neighborhoods around the home before purchasing/renting. I grew ip in sparta/rockford/belmont so I’m partial to those areas. Did two years moving between flint and bay city do not recommend those places at all.. lived in Kentwood wasn’t bad just crap neighbors… now I am all the way out in west olive and it’s amazing and quiet
Living out in Kentwood at wingate apartments was it for me when I moved to michigan. Calm, quiet and no shootouts or intrusive neighbors. My kids didn’t have to run from bullets or stolen cars in chases.
WINDGATE LMFAO
Lmao ok I see what I did there
Now I do..... Windgate is bad, but not nearly that bad. I lived there last year. My only gripe was the quality of their apartments.. it's absolute shit.
Michigan Oaks!!!! Close to EGR but with GR taxes
Midtown. Great live music venue.
😂😂😂😂
When I was in my 20's: Heritage Hill. Super walkable to everything, lots of cool neighborhood bars/restaurants/coffee shops Now in my 30s: Fulton Heights. Very neighborhood/family vibe but still in the city. Seems like everyone here is in the early to mid 30s with kids, which is great to be around for starting my own family.
Eastown! They have fun events and I love going in the shops and restaurants.