Kevin Miyazaki
L: The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing, Michigan. R: Artist Brian Whitfield paints a mural at the Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing, Michigan.
Vallary Harris, 73, enjoys public parks in the day and jazz at intimate clubs at night. But not in New York City, where she spent her 40-year career in human services.
In 2017, Harris moved back to her hometown of Lansing, to be near cousins and childhood friends — and to enjoy a more affordable lifestyle.
This historic riverside town offers city amenities at budget-friendly prices and with a relaxed small-town vibe, entwined with some of the Midwest’s finest year-round outdoor recreation. Rent a kayak, paddle around downtown, tour the state capitol, check out a landmark museum and take a selfie with a rhino at the zoo — all in the same day.
Lansing boasts 111 parks within its 36 square miles, and nearby county parks offer wildlife observation areas, pet-friendly trails, beaches and by-the-hour rentals of paddleboats, cross-country ski gear and other equipment. The highlight is the Lansing River Trail, with more than 20 miles of paved pathways for bicycling and walking, branching from downtown along the area’s waterways.
“You can get on a bike or walk and be on this wonderful trail that goes all through the city and to the suburbs and the Michigan State campus,” in East Lansing, says retiree and longtime resident Marna Wilson, 71. “There are lots of access points.”
Infrastructure is robust, with two large health care systems, a large public library network and reliable internet service.
“Ninety-nine percent of residents have access to multiple broadband providers; 69 percent have at least one ultrafast fiber option,” says Tyler Cooper of BroadbandNow, an analytics firm. “Connections range from $20 to $50 per month; it’s one of the more affordable areas in Michigan.”
Harris misses the many public transportation options from her days living on the East Coast, though Lansing does have a city bus service. Restaurants may tend toward meat-and-potatoes meals.
But residents appreciate the affordability, safety and access to health care, culture and community support. “And there are many farmers markets and a festival of some sort just about every weekend,” says Wilson. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
— Melissa Preddy
Credit: Source link
