Garfield Park-Alger Heights Moving Guide

You can find it in Garfield Park and Alger Heights. Guaranteed.

“It” is anything you’re looking for in a hometown neighborhood: unique restaurants, outstanding public and private schools, convenient daycare and preschools, peaceful green spaces, a new library, a variety of spiritual and worship centers, grocery stores, and financial institutions—the list goes on…

The area—bounded by Burton Street on the north, Kalamazoo on the east, 28th Street on the south, and the 131 highway on the west—is organized into two neighborhood associations: Garfield Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA) and the Alger Heights Neighborhood Association (AHNA).

Pockets of smaller communities, defined by streets, schools, centers of worship, and ethnic groups, give the neighborhoods a smaller, hometown feel in the midst of an urban area known for its diversity.

“We have a pretty dynamic neighborhood,” said Dave Clemo, executive director of GPNA. “We go from a fair number of people at or below the poverty level to people who are taking home six figures a year. It’s about 30 percent Hispanic, 30 percent African-American, and 30 percent Caucasian, and the Hispanic population is seeing real growth."

“We also have three huge parks: Garfield Park, Plaster Creek Family Park, and the park area by Brookside School on Madison just south of Alger,” Clemo added. “That area has a small herd of deer, wild turkey, and foxes. Every fall the salmon run up Plaster Creek.”

In addition to spearheading the GPNA, Clemo is the president of the Garfield Development Corporation (GDC), a non-profit housing development organization that buys and rehabs homes in the area, then resells them to lower income families.

“We identify homes that are in serious need of TLC,” Clemo said, “and hope that by rehabbing the home it will encourage nearby residents to work on their own homes. The cost to rehab the homes is significantly more than what they’re selling for.”

Garfield Park is bounded by Cottage Grove on the north, Eastern on the east, 28th Street on the south, and the 131 highway on the west.

“The area is mostly single-family homes ranging in price from about $49,900 to about $129,900 for a three-bedroom, one-bath home,” said Philip Chaffee, real estate broker and owner of Harmony Homes Realty, Inc. “There is a great diversity of homes and people in this area.”

Alger Heights is directly east of Garfield Park. Beginning with Eastern as the west boundary, the neighborhood runs east to Kalamazoo Avenue, and is bounded by Burton on the north and 28th Street on the south.

“The Alger Heights area is one of my favorites in the city,” Chaffee said. “There is a real sense of community and pride of ownership. It has a blend of housing ranging from English Tudor to brick ranches. I have assisted everyone from a first time homebuyer to college professors moving into the area.”

Housing in Alger Heights ranges from two-bedroom, one-bath homes for about $65,000 to three-bedroom, one-and-a-half baths for about $178,000.

In both neighborhoods, rental properties are primarily single-family homes. Lease prices vary, depending on the size, location, and type of rental.

The Alger Heights business district is experiencing a rebirth after fire recently destroyed the Alger Heights Hardware, a key business in the area. The reconstruction of the hardware, now underway, also has prompted several adjacent businesses to invest in facade improvements.

Service with a Smile
Both neighborhoods have diverse spiritual environments that include Christian churches such as Iglesia Methodista Unita, Korean Grace Christian Reformed Church, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Redeemer Lutheran Church, as well as the Islamic Center and Mosque, and the Eckankar Center of West Michigan.

Grocery stores are within walking distance of many of the homes, and are known for their eclectic offerings of American foods and imported foods, including Russian, Romanian, Middle Eastern, and Spanish. Among them are Rav Food and Beverage, Supermarket y Commissaria Guatemala, Harvest Health Natural Foods, Rayan Phone Cards and Grocery, Short Stop Party Store, Middle Eastern Market, and Urartu Internacional Market.

No matter where you live, shopping, dining, and entertainment are minutes away. The Last Chance Saloon is a local favorite for drinks, pool, and darts. Other eateries include Mineo’s Pizza, Shark’s Fish and Chicken II, and La Vencedora, which offers authentic Mexican fare, Real Food Café, and JB’s Pizza Parlor. Boutiques like Amy’s Fashions, the Italian Connection Men’s Wear, and House of Styles offer clothing and fashions. And 28th Street shops and movie theaters, such as, Cinemark 14 Woodland Mall and Studio 28 are only a short drive.

A variety of service businesses round out the offerings of the main business areas, including Chase, 5/3 Bank, Tu Agencia de Seguros Hispano, Chiquita Beauty Salon, Advasure Insurance, Grand Rapids Transmission Service, Rafa’s Auto Repair, Quisqueva Garage, Jon T Dance Arts Center, and the Alger Barber Shop.

A Creek Runs Through It
Some of the city’s most interesting green spaces are on the southeast side. Burton Woods, for example, is a 6.26-acre natural area that encompasses a network of trails running through a rich woodland right in the heart of the city.

Plaster Creek, one of the metro region's most ecologically important waterways, runs northeast from the rural Village of Caledonia and eventually empties into the Grand River just south of Wealthy Street downtown. The creek gets its name from the vast deposits of gypsum once excavated by several Grand Rapids gypsum mines to make plaster and wallboard.

The Plaster Creek Trail, a hiking trail marked with interpretive signs, begins at Ken-O-Sha Park School, just south of the Garfield Park neighborhood. The trail is a shade-covered path alongside the meandering creek. It passes through some of the busiest urban areas, shielded from the hubbub by the trees and foliage. Families can take a creekside walk, or play on the swings and slide at the school.

Keeping Plaster Creek as pollutant-free as possible was the goal in 2002 when students, teachers, and parents at New Branches Charter School teamed up with Rain Gardens of West Michigan to establish the city’s first school rain garden. A barrel collects the stormwater runoff from the school’s roof, sends the overflow down a river of stones into the garden where the plants filter out many pollutants. Visitors are welcome and should check in at the school office before going to the rain garden.

Other area schools include public and private education facilities such as, Buchanan Elementary, Ottawa Hills High School, St. Francis Xavier, and Headstart at St. Francis Xavier.

The recently renovated Seymour Branch Library is a 10,000-square-foot facility with an expanded youth area that features a multipurpose space, and includes welcoming areas for young adults and adults.

Garfield Park and Alger Heights are established neighborhoods that welcome change and extend hospitality to newcomers. The quiet residential streets and bustling business sections have a flavor unlike anywhere else in town.

Indeed, the area is “the undiscovered jewel in the city,” according to GPNA's Dave Clemo.

Directions to Garfield Park-Alger Heights

From the North:
Take US-131 South toward Grand Rapids. Take the East Burton St. exit, Exit 82A. Turn slight right onto Burton St SW to S Division Ave. Arrive in Garfield Park-Alger Heights.

From the East:
Take 1-96 West toward Muskegon and keep left to take I-196 West toward Downtown Grand Rapids/Holland. Merge onto US-131 South via Exit 77B on the Left toward Kalamazoo. Take the East Burton St. exit, Exit 82A. Turn slight right onto Burton St SW to S Division Ave. Arrive in Garfield Park-Alger Heights.

From the South:
Take US-131 North toward Grand Rapids. Take the 28^th St/M-11 exit, Exit 81, toward Wyoming. Turn right onto 28^th St SW/MI-11. Turn left onto S Division Ave. Arrive in Garfield Park-Alger Heights.

From the West:
Take I-196 East toward Grand Rapids. Take the M-6 East/Paul B Henery Fwy. Merge onto US-131 North via Exit 8 toward Grand Rapids. Take the 28^th St/M-11 exit, Exit 81, toward Wyoming. Turn right onto 28^th St SW/MI-11. Turn left onto S Division Ave. Arrive in Garfield Park-Alger Heights.

Take I-96 East. Merge onto US-131 South via Exit 31A toward Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo. Take the East Burton St. exit, Exit 82A. Turn slight right onto Burton St SW to S Division Ave. Arrive in Garfield Park-Alger Heights.