Thinking about relocating to Caledonia, Michigan? Well, we’re going to break down some awesome reasons to live in this West Michigan community. We’ll touch on some things like business, location, real estate, recreation, and schools. 

Location of Caledonia, Michigan

Starting with location and the overall feel of the community here; we’re 15 minutes southeast of downtown Grand Rapids, and Caledonia is a very accessible community. We’re just south of the M-6 corridor, so if people want to get over to Lansing, back up to Grand Rapids, down to Kalamazoo, down 131, cruise over to Holland, over to Chicago, it’s all very accessible from Caledonia.

Another reason people love living here is it’s really close to the airport. The airport is five to seven minutes north, so when people come to us and say they want to be close to the airport, Caledonia definitely makes sense. 

The Caledonia Community

Getting into the overall feel of the community, Caledonia used to be a little bit more of a farming community but has turned into a little bit more of a rural/suburban feel, with a little bit of farming in the mix. People love coming down here to have a little more space, but think a little bit rural, a little bit suburban, and some beautiful farm country in between, and that is Caledonia.

Businesses in Caledonia

Do you want to learn more about the businesses thriving in Caledonia? Let’s start with your dining options, and with Caledonia’s small village feel, you’ll find a mix of some old-school restaurants and some new-school options. There’s the Family Tavern, the best burgers in town, and Fricanos across the street. Then with M-37, the main drag through Caledonia, you’ll see some other places, including Brann’s Family Steakhouse, which is a Grand Rapids West Michigan staple, and Uccello’s. 

Diving into some other businesses that are thriving, I’m sure some of you have heard of Amazon. The Amazon Fulfillment Center is now in Caledonia, which is a recent development. Another recent development is Davenport University has moved most of the university down to this area. And then, again, it’s a very big farming community so farming is a big business in the Caledonia area. 

Recreation Opportunities

Let’s talk about some recreational activities in and around the Caledonia community, starting with the Caledonia Lakeside Park and its beautiful water, hiking trails, and playgrounds. The Thornapple River runs north and south, right through the Caledonia community, so if you want to go enjoy some fishing, kayaking, boating, or hiking up the river, the Thornapple River would be a great opportunity to do that.

Some of the other parks and recreational activities, is the Community Green Park, right downtown Caledonia, which offers an awesome amphitheater. Then, there’s the Paul Henry Trail, which connects Caledonia to Gaines Township to Byron’s Center to Kentwood and is an awesome paved trail that people really enjoy. For golf enthusiasts, the number one golf course you want to be aware of in this area is Saskatoon with its 45 holes. There’s the Thornapple River, all of the parks, hiking trails, and golf, so there are plenty of opportunities for recreational activities in this community. 

Caledonia, Michigan Schools

The Caledonia School District is a very large geographical area. It stretches north up past the airport, east over to Alden Nash Avenue South, down to 108th Street, and west over to Eastern Avenue, which is right on the border of Byron Center Schools. As far as the school opportunities for the kids, there’s a total of 10 schools in Caledonia. There is one preschool, five elementary schools, one intermediate school, one middle school, and one high school. The total student population in that high school is about 1,500 students. The total student population for all schools is about 4,500 students and a student-teacher ratio of 22 to one. There are plenty of activities, sports, and clubs. It’s a very active community, as far as pushing and being involved in their high school athletics. And the school system is fantastic. Caledonia ranks number six in all of Kent County and then, 66th out of 600 in the state of Michigan, making this a very highly-ranked school and a great place to send the kids. 

Real Estate in Caledonia

Moving on to learn about Caledonia real estate, we’ll start with the average price point in Caledonia is hovering right around $450,000 right now. $450,000 is a little bit more expensive than the West Michigan average of $350,000. If you’re coming to Caledonia, as far as real estate options, you can have whatever you want. It’s a farming community, so if you’re looking for land, if you’re looking for space, if you’re looking for a farm, there are plenty of options out there for that. At the same time, if you’re looking for a new home, in a nice new development, Caledonia is becoming known over the past 10 years for these newer developments and tight-knit communities. They also have some historical homes lined up through the village and some condo opportunities. The one other thing we need to mention is that there are some really cool lakes in Caledonia that offer some really cool waterfront living on all sports lakes. The two lakes would be Green Lake and Duncan Lake., and then, you can also live on some golf course communities in Caledonia.

We hope you learned a little bit more about Caledonia and the reasons why it’s fantastic to live in this highly sought-after West Michigan community. We love traveling this city and bringing you a feel for what it’s like to live, not only in Caledonia but in West Michigan. If you want to ask us a question about what it’s like to live in Caledonia or are looking to buy or sell in this area, give our team a call.