E Washburn St & S Poplar St Area

This stretch sits right in the middle of Howard City, where brick storefronts and mature trees line streets that feel lived-in rather than polished—the kind of place where you can walk to dinner in five minutes and actually mean it. Double lots are common here, and many homes sit on generous acreage that lets you breathe; creekside properties aren't rare. The neighborhood borders Ensley Park directly, with two other parks within a mile, so outdoor space threads through everything. You're roughly 35 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids if the city calls, but this far from the highway 131 corridor, the small-town rhythm dominates—local restaurants and shops close enough to stroll to, enough land to garden or tinker without feeling cramped. Recent renovations across the area run toward open layouts, updated kitchens, and garages big enough to mean something, and the homes themselves span new builds to log structures to restored older houses, each on its own plot. It's the kind of neighborhood where you notice the lot size first, then the ease of getting places.