These Are The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Grand Rapids For 2018

Do you like your neighborhood? Is it friendly, and where everyone knows their neighbors? No matter if you live in the sticks or in an apartment building in downtown Grand Rapids, you have a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood is different.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Grand Rapids neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Grand Rapids are the best. If you’re in one of the places we’re about to highlight, odds are you know you’ve got it made.

Here are the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids for 2018:

1. Ridgemoor
2. Eastown
3. East Hills
4. Michgan Oaks
5. Westside Connection
6. Heartside
7. Norteast Citizens Action
8. Millbrook
9. Heritage Hill
10. Belknap Lookout

Read on to see how we determined the places around Grand Rapids that deserve a little bragging rights.

Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Michigan check out the best places in Michigan overall or the worst neighborhoods in Grand Rapids.

How do you determine the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids for 2018?

In order to rank the best neighborhoods in Grand Rapids, we had to determine what criteria defines a ‘best’.

Using crime, census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

• High incomes
• Low unemployment rates
• Low crime
• High home prices
• High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We limited the analysis to neighborhoods with over 1,000 people.

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 27 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index the ‘Best City Neighborhood In Grand Rapids.’ We’re lookin’ at you, Ridgemoor.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Grand Rapids has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city from best to worst.

1. Ridgemoor

Population: 2,586
Median Income: $70,660
Median Home Value: $168,400

2. Eastown

Population: 5,254
Median Income: $57,108
Median Home Value: $145,125

3. East Hills

Population: 3,441
Median Income: $41,754
Median Home Value: $127,950

4. Michgan Oaks

Population: 1,625
Median Income: $56,875
Median Home Value: $173,700

5. Westside Connection

Population: 12,009
Median Income: $53,025
Median Home Value: $126,533

6. Heartside

Population: 2,847
Median Income: $28,175
Median Home Value: $159,883

7. Norteast Citizens Action

Population: 10,830
Median Income: $51,769
Median Home Value: $147,625

8. Millbrook

Population: 5,378
Median Income: $43,321
Median Home Value: $101,380

9. Heritage Hill

Population: 3,295
Median Income: $35,529
Median Home Value: $155,350

10. Belknap Lookout

Population: 5,120
Median Income: $37,780
Median Home Value: $136,100

Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of Grand Rapids

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Grand Rapids where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious, here are the worst places in Grand Rapids:

1. Oakdale
2. South East Community
3. John Ball Park

For more reading, check out:

• These Are The 10 Safest Places In Michigan
• These Are The 10 Most Boring Places In Michigan
• These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Michigan

Detailed List Of The Best Neighborhoods In Grand Rapids