Posted: 11/8/2014 12:33:06 PM EDT
| I have a job interview with a plastics company in 2 weeks up in Kalamazoo. Anything worth doing with the family afterwards this late in the year? How's the area for housing school systems etc? |
|
Kzoo has a ton of different restaurants for eating out, as for family activities, there is the Air Zoo (an aviation museum), Kalamazoo Nature Center (outdoors and hiking trails), Kalamazoo Valley Museum (a nice kids area with hands on stuff, otherwise kinda left wing preachy exhibits), and not far away in Battle Creek there is Binder Park Zoo. Gun shop wise there is On Target (a kinda old fashion style store with a ton of stuff and clutter) to the west of town, and Bullets & Barrels (much smaller place with mostly new stuff, but they also sell suppressors) to the east in Richland. Otherwise it's the standard chains of Dick's, Dunhams and Gander Mountain. The only claim that kzoo schools have is the Kalamazoo Promise, which is basically a privately funded scholarship for children who complete k-12 in the Kalamazoo school district. Other than that, the school system is highly mismanaged, loaded with drugs and crime, and sits dead average in terms of test scores and quality of education. Housing is pretty good if you're looking to buy a house, and prices have not climbed much in the last few years. There are also tons of homes for sale in Kzoo and the surrounding areas (Portage, Oshtemo, Parchment, etc), depending if you want something closer to work, or a ways out but with some land. The only time housing sucks is when it comes to renting. Due to WMU students, rental prices are incredibly high for what little the complexes offer, as well as being crowded with loud students. |
|
Three active gun clubs are located within easy commuting distance of Kalamazoo. South Kent Sportsman's Club, Kalamazoo Rod & Gun and another on the west side I can't recall right now. The Edison neighborhood is crime ridden. Patterson and Woodward intersection is gang infested. Avoid the college campus area if you like to sleep at night, drunk teenagers respect nobody In general the "north side" should be avoided inside the city limits. Outside the city limits north is good. The outlying communities are great, I think Richland had one assault last year.............just one. No robberies, no rapes, no shit.
Oshtemo, Otsego, and virtually all of the little towns that surround Kalamazoo proper are safe and clean. Most of Kalamazoo is very good. Lots of shopping, entertainment and good hospitals. K-Wings hockey has a following. The State Theatre is a great concert location, not a bad seat in the house. Western Michigan University is known as a party school despite the administrations best efforts. Bronco football is fun even if you didn't attend there. Traffic isn't bad, even in rush hour unless you're leaving a concert etc. Locate your potential employer's place of business and avoid living or traveling through the north side when you look for your residence. Good Luck. |
|
Most folks with any sense, work in Kazoo and commute.
Mattawan, Gobles, Portage etc. Lots of good chow and brew in the 'zoo. For a mid sized town, there are a lot worse out there, and few as comfortable to work or visit. It's just not a place where folks really want to raise their kids, due to the direction of the schools. |
