There are plenty of sources to look at when considering moving to a new place. Tourism pages, Facebook groups, and Google searches all work great, and can give a pretty wide view of a community, like Kalamazoo.

When I moved here, I did just that and searched all of the platforms and websites. But one place I didn't check - and probably should have - was the r/kzoo Subreddit.

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A post showed up the other day on said subreddit, "Reasons to move to Kzoo," and it intrigued me to see some of these answers from the actual people who live here, versus the websites run by local officials, public figures, and community champions.

Some were pretty much in line with everything I read when I first started looking.

But the deeper you dive into the subreddit, the more you get the "people's" voice of what it's like to move to Kalamazoo.

One Redditor pointed out that Kalamazoo was ranked #1 best cheapest place to live in America at one time, and one of the "best small cities in the nation."

Another person gave their personal experiences.

Someone pointing out the actual price of their mortgage vs. rent, and hitting on things like traffic, license tags, and getting to experience "all four seasons" is important stuff to know, and things I didn't know until I'd actually experienced them myself.

Of course, with Reddit being Reddit, there are going to be some negative comments, but not without some merit. One person pointed out the homeless issues throughout the city - something, again, I didn't experience until I'd actually moved here - and the inevitable pointing out that you can "defecate anywhere you want in downtown for a $20 ticket..." which overexaggerates the recent policy change to the city of Kalamazoo (WHICH WE HAVE COVERED INCESSINTLY), but is still a thing you wouldn't know about the town unless you'd gone to the r/kzoo subreddit.

So, maybe it's not such a bad idea to chime in on these once in a while, as an actual person who lives here and ISN'T a person of influence in the city. Let unsuspecting people know what it's really like to live here.

As for me, so far, I tend to lean toward Kalamazoo being "welcoming, fun, and kind of exciting to explore."

I should post that.

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