Newark Heights

Within Alger Heights, Newark Heights sits among the kind of modest, vintage homes—bungalows and cottages mostly built in the mid-20th century—that make the neighborhood feel less like Grand Rapids and more like a small town someone forgot to tell about the city. Homes run around $150,000 to $400,000, and they move fast enough that listing agents measure availability in days rather than weeks. Downtown is a 10-minute drive, the airport 17 minutes, which means you're close enough to everything but far enough that you don't have to think about it constantly. Ottawa Hills Park is a short walk away, and there are restaurants and coffee within a 13- to 14-minute stroll—though the real draw is the business district on Eastern Avenue, where you'll find everything from Ken's Fruit Market to local spots that have watched the neighborhood's streets become some of the most walkable in the city. Transit stops practically at your door, and Grand Rapids Public Schools serves the area, which means your morning isn't a geographical ordeal.