The nice thing about living and working around Grand Rapids is you can get anywhere pretty quick. Commutes, generally, aren't very problematic.
I only had two apartments in the area. "The Crossings" in Gaines (which is just south of Kentwood, right on M-6) and that didn't bother me. However I moved out in 2006 and crime was starting to pick up around that time. The area developed a lot after I moved in in 2001 and with it came more people and more crime. I had a moped stolen from me there. I only owned it 10 days. The other rental I had was "Ramblewood" out in Wyoming. Avoid that place. It's pretty, but cheap, so they get young renters mostly. It can be hit or miss. Depends on your neighbors.
Up on Alpine you have "York Creek" and that's basically like asking to live next to people with a mobile meth lab.
Down in Standale, just west of GR, there's "Apple Ridge" which is basically a great place to live if you're college aged but not in college. I'd avoid it.
There's a nice gated community place (or at least it was back when I visited there) over on East Paris on the south end of GR. The name escapes me. It's just north of East Paris and 60th Ave.
The shooting place onions! mentioned in Walker is less than a half mile from my house. The reason I bought my house is because it was that close to the range. I don't shoot much now but it really is a good facility. There's also a lot of good ones in the area. Silver Bullet is nice for indoor, and I have never had a problem with staff there. SKSC I've never been to. Calenodia (south of GR) is also nice. Odd, since they have a full service bar, but I always enjoyed my time there.
If you like beer it's hard to go wrong in the GR area. Schmohz is over by the GRR airport, and that's a nice cozy place. Founders is downtown. The Hideout is on the north side, slightly west. Haven't been to either in years though.
