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Moments after driving through the entrances gates to Flowers Mill, I spotted a Lemonade stand at the end of a driveway, or rather, the neighborhood entrepreneurs—four kids under the age of 9—spotted me. Since it was 90 bazillion degrees on this day, I decided to stop. (Even though it was my first stop and I had only been away from the air-conditioned interior of my car for half a millisecond). I greeted them and they scrambled to fulfill my order of one small lemonade. “Are you a health inspector?” one of them questioned. “No,” I laughed, though I was carrying a clipboard and business cards–easy mistake. “I’m writing articles about neighborhoods in Grand Rapids.” “Oh,” he said, “Well ours is the best. Put it as the best.”
After talking to some of the older (yet no less friendly) occupants of the neighborhood, I can see what these kids were talking about. Flowers Mill is more than a collection of houses in proximity to one another—they’re a real community. One home owner outlined some of the community organized events in the last year, which included an Easter-egg hunt and a Halloween party for the kids, ladies’ night out, and ethnic food nights hosted by multicultural neighbors.
If it’s not the spectacular location, spacious lots, or family-friendly environment that attracts you to this neighborhood, let it be the lemonade—it was just that good!
Flowers Crossing was the second neighborhood in my investigation adventure. I randomly selected a house whose owners appeared to be home and knocked on the door. To my surprise, the door opened to a familiar face. Happenstance meetings—that’s Grand Rapids for ya. My acquaintance invited me in, (the insides of these big beautiful homes are no less stunning than their magnificent exteriors), and gave me the inside scoop on Flowers Crossing.
Many homes in Flowers Crossing are still occupied by the original home-owners, although some turnover is beginning. Much like Flowers Mill, Flowers Crossing neighbors organize their own community events like golf outings, an annual Christmas party, and Euchre nights during the winter. The neighborhood also features a recreational center with an outdoor pool, swing set, basketball court and Frisbee golf where neighbors enjoy the outdoors on a regular basis. Houses have spacious lots backing onto forest, which brings that feeling of peace that comes with space and nature even while the highway is 5 minutes away.
Flowers Crossing was the second neighborhood in my investigation adventure. I randomly selected a house whose owners appeared to be home and knocked on the door. To my surprise, the door opened to a familiar face. Happenstance meetings—that’s Grand Rapids for ya. My acquaintance invited me in, (the insides of these big beautiful homes are no less stunning than their magnificent exteriors), and gave me the inside scoop on Flowers Crossing.
Many homes in Flowers Crossing are still occupied by the original home-owners, although some turnover is beginning. Much like Flowers Mill, Flowers Crossing neighbors organize their own community events like golf outings, an annual Christmas party, and Euchre nights during the winter. The neighborhood also features a recreational center with an outdoor pool, swing set, basketball court and Frisbee golf where neighbors enjoy the outdoors on a regular basis. Houses have spacious lots backing onto forest, which brings that feeling of peace that comes with space and nature even while the highway is 5 minutes away.
At the very end of Knapp Court is a development called Catamount. The houses in Catamount are pretty characteristic of the area—large and lovely, with big yards and woods out back. The neighborhood also has a public green space for neighborhood events and there are several hiking trails through the woods. Home owners are a mixture of families and retired couples.
Out of all the neighborhoods I visited, Catamount struck me as the most private, being that it is the farthest down Knapp Court (although “far” is still extremely close to everything you could ever need) and the street goes a ways in both directions after the front gates. Catamount is a beautiful neighborhood where residents take pride in caring for the homes, evident from the women I spoke with who was out in her garden pulling weeds at 3 in the afternoon when it was exactly one million degrees outside. You go, girl.
Our mission is not complete without being able to give back to the community that we are part of. Every year we choose local organizations, that represent important causes in our community, as recipients for annual donations. This is just one way that we can contribute to a better world.