If someone would have told Lindsey 15 years ago that she would eventually buy a house minutes away from her parents and send her kids to the same school she went to, she would have called you crazy.

But here she is, and she is HAPPY! After growing up in West Michigan and graduating from Grand Valley State University, Lindsey wanted to see a different way of life. One of her best friends encouraged her to move to Chicago and for 6 years she was blissfully living in the big city loving the young professional life there. Lindsey loved the walkability factor, the constant buzz and excitement, the people, and the fact that there was always something to do. “I loved the ease of getting anything I wanted at any time of day,” said Lindsey.

But like so many boomerang stories we hear, Lindsey met her future husband, and they decided that they wanted kids, a house with a yard, a lower cost of living, good schools, and an overall slower pace of life.

So, back to West Michigan they came. “It was an adjustment,” said Lindsey. “Although the city [Grand Rapids] had grown considerably since I left, it was no Chicago! We were now living in the peace and quiet of Ada vs. the hustle and bustle of city life. But, as years have gone by, we now love it and can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

What are Lindsey’s favorite parts about living in Grand Rapids?

  • It’s family-friendly. With two kids, Lindsey loves living in a city where there is always something to do with the little ones
  • It’s a short distance from Lake Michigan, Chicago, and Detroit. The fact that she can drive there and back to any of these places in a day is a major win for Lindsey.
  • There’s minimal traffic. Living in Chicago, it would take Lindsey an extra half an hour to drive to the store for milk because of the constant traffic. In Grand Rapids, Lindsey can get to where she needs to go in 20 minutes or less.