Attending college over 5 hours away from my home in Wisconsin, it was important for me to find a community I could thrive in and feel like my best self. After living on campus at Calvin for two years, I was excited to branch out into Grand Rapids and become a part of it. When my friends and I were looking for a house to rent, we found a great house for a great deal in Alger Heights.

At first, this house was just that to me: a house. Though exciting because it was new, I didn’t think much of our place but rather just making sure I had a spot to sleep and come back to at the end of the day.

But our neighborhood, Alger Heights, quickly transformed our house into a home.

On Our first day moving in, our neighbors were outside greeting us and offering to help with boxes. One of our neighbors even brought over watermelon to share. On Our second day of moving, more neighbors came over to introduce themselves. The block even pitched in to get all four of us gift cards and coupons to local restaurants. In the age of passive connections through a computer screen, this outreach was incredibly touching and helped us settle in to both our new home and neighborhood. Our block has a Facebook group and having made some face-to-face connections made reaching out on the page more meaningful.

Eastern Avenue runs through Alger Heights and offers a variety of places to eat, including a coffee shop and even a brewery. I love taking my friends and family to The Old Goat and Real Food Café when they visit, especially since these restaurants are only a few blocks away from my house. Alger Park is right next to Alger Middle School and is a great place to sit on a sunny, quiet day and study or read. Downtown Grand Rapids is only a ten-minute drive if I’m feeling a little more energetic and adventurous.

I’ve only been a part of Alger Heights for about a year, but it’s already a part of me that I don’t want to let go.