Best PlacesSouth Westnedge, Kalamazoo, MI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Westnedge, Kalamazoo, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo ranks 3,432nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and car insurance costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Westnedge, Kalamazoo ranks high
- Cheap childcare$732 a month, better than 93% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.5 minutes each way, better than 82% of neighborhoods
Where South Westnedge, Kalamazoo ranks low
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Westnedge, Kalamazoo home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,302, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South Westnedge, Kalamazoo's effective rate of 1.65%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Westnedge, Kalamazoo.
Who works in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo, and how
Work in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo has more parkland per resident than 87% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of South Westnedge, Kalamazoo and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo, month by month
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 35, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 27° | 20° |
| April | 62° | 49° | 37° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 43° |
Flying in and out of South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
The nearest airport, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Detroit Metro Wayne County, about 114 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
Schools across South Westnedge, Kalamazoo average a B−, better than 66% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Angling Road Elementary SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Paramount Charter AcademyF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- Maple Street Magnet School For The ArtsA− · 58% proficient
- Portage North Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Milwood Magnet SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Loy Norrix High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
- Portage Northern High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Westnedge, Kalamazoo school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South Westnedge, Kalamazoo against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo
Is South Westnedge, Kalamazoo a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Westnedge, Kalamazoo ranks 3,432nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, heat safety, and few empty homes, and lowest on car insurance costs and property taxes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Westnedge, Kalamazoo expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $170,560. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $62,302 median income, cost of living beats 56% of neighborhoods.
Is South Westnedge, Kalamazoo safe?
Yes, South Westnedge, Kalamazoo is safer than 56% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $468 per resident a year.
Compare South Westnedge, Kalamazoo with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Westnedge, Kalamazoo. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Westnedge, Kalamazoo: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Westnedge, Kalamazoo: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Westnedge, Kalamazoo: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Westnedge, Kalamazoo detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.