The airport-adjacent area
Cascade is the township the airport tucks into — Forest Hills-area schools, a 15-minute run to downtown, and the M-6 beltway feeding both the airport and US-131. Southeast Kentwood (49508) sits just northwest of the field and brings the lower end of the price range into reach. You're trading nothing on commute for the airport proximity; the M-6 and 28th Street access make the rest of the metro easy too.
One practical note near any airport: I check the flight-path and noise situation for a specific address, since it varies street to street and it's the kind of thing you want to know before you write, not after.
What homes near the airport cost
On the Cascade side, condos, attached homes, and smaller ranches run about $250,000 to $400,000, 1990s-2000s 4-bed colonials $450,000 to $600,000, and newer or larger builds on half-acre-plus lots $650,000 to $1,000,000. Custom Thornapple riverfront and estate parcels reach $1,000,000 to $2,750,000. The southeast Kentwood ZIP brings condos and mid-century ranches in below that, widening the entry point.
For the deeper read, the Cascade neighborhood guide covers the township, and the Forest Hills Schools area page overlaps much of the Cascade side.
More on the Cascade area
Cascade is the township I point move-up buyers toward when they've outgrown their first house: Forest Hills-area schools, a fifteen-minute run to downtown Grand Rapids, and Gerald R. Ford Airport tucked into one corner. It doesn't have a walkable main street, and once you understand that the rest of the decision gets easy.
Read the full Cascade neighborhood guide →