Affordable Portage Storage Units

Moving and storage go hand in hand. Whether traveling across town or the country, moving is an exciting and fresh start. While Storage Rentals of America is here to help you with all your storage needs, we also want to help you get familiar with the area. That's why we put together this resource guide for Portage, Michigan.

About Portage, Michigan

Portage is a mid-sized city in Kalamazoo County that calls itself 'a natural place to move.' It is located in southwestern Michigan, a midway point between Detroit and Chicago. For travelers seeing the country, it's a great place to stop and take a breather for its historical parks and recreational activities. The city has a population of around 47,000 and belongs to the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Portage is famous for its historical parks and trails that residents use for many exciting outdoor activities like biking, hiking, and canoeing. It takes up 35.17 square miles and is ranked among the top 100 greenest cities in the United States.

What to do in Portage

Portage is especially appealing to people who like to be active outdoors. Its natural surroundings and bodies of water make it easy to find places to fish, go boating, or swim. There are also opportunities to view sporting events, go shopping, and relax at the cinema. Here are a few of the city's highlights.

Portage is a bicycle-friendly community, part of the area's green initiative. The Portage Bikeway System was created in 1989 and consists of trails over 55 miles long. This gives cyclists plenty to explore around the city.

The Kalamazoo Air Zoo is an excellent place to visit with family or friends. It has been voted the "Best Place to Spend a Day with Your Family" and the "Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners" for three consecutive years. It has rare displays of aviation artifacts, flight simulators, amusement park rides, historical exhibits, and educational activities. It truly is a feast for the senses and has something that appeals to every age group.

For those who like to go to sporting events, the Kalamazoo Growlers Baseball minor league team is active during the standard baseball season. Residents and visitors can enjoy the thrill and fun of watching Portage's home team play against various visiting teams. Also, the Kalamazoo Wings Event Center is a multi-purpose arena with 5,113 spectator seats. The arena is home to the local ice hockey team, the Kalamazoo Wings, and people often come here to watch them play.

Working in Portage

Portage has an unemployment rate of 3.3%, 0.6% lower than the nationwide average of 3.9%. The amount of jobs has increased by 0.95% in the past year. A few major employers in the area, like Stryker Corporation, provide many manufacturing careers as it is a leading medical equipment and technology provider. Kalamazoo College also offers careers in education and a steady source of dependable employment. In addition, the FEMA Corporation calls Portage home.

It is no surprise that the majority of jobs here are in manufacturing (20%). Other jobs are in health care (15%), retail (12%), education (10%), food service (6%), professional services (6%), finance (5%), and construction (4%). The remainder have real estate, administrative support, arts, recreation, and public administration careers.

Portage Neighborhoods

Here are some top neighborhoods in Portage and their average prices.

• Ramona Park Median home price is $247,983
• S 12Th St / Briarhill Dr Median home price is $226,159
• Angling Rd / W Milham Ave Median home price is $226,159
• Romance Rd / Oakland Dr Median home price is $205,965
• Vanderbilt Ave / Shaver Rd Median home price is $202,759

Portage School District

The motto of Portage Public Schools is 'the future learns here.' The district spends around $10,000 per student, almost $2,300 below the national average. The average student-to-teacher ratio is 18.5, 2.5 students more than the national average of 16:1. Regarding their public schools, there are eight elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. Regarding higher education, Kalamazoo College is nearby, while Michigan University is a 2.5-hour drive away. There are also five junior and community colleges in the 50-mile radius around Portage. The community college closest to Portage is Kalamazoo Valley Community College, only five miles away.

Moving to the Portage Resource Guide

Water/Sewer The city uses United Water, Inc for their water supply and distribution. To activate water services, new residents can call the Treasury office.

Recycling Portage offers a supplemental Curbside Recycling Program that new residents can enroll in through a convenient sign-up form.

Gas and Electricity Consumers Energy provides electricity and natural gas energy to residents of Portage.

Trash Removal Republic Services handles trash pickup, weekly recycling, and bulk trash pickup. To set up services or find more information, consult their customer support online.

Phone/Internet/Cable The top internet providers in Portage are AT&T, Xfinity, Spectrum, and Viasat. Many of the competitors on the list of top 14 internet providers in the area offer bundled services, including phone and cable. Customers should shop around to find the best deals and quality of service.

Portage Housing

The cost of living in Portage is almost 6% lower than the nation's average. There are 19,199 households in the city, and the median household income is $55,050 per year. The median cost of a home in Portage is $165,400, which has appreciated by 7.63% over the last decade. However, home values increased by 4.1% in the past year alone. The average rent in Portage is $832 a month for the average 747-square-foot apartment square footage. This rate is lower than rent in metro Detroit, which averages $1,200 monthly.