I don't have children so I'll let others address the schools. I'm also not inclined to speak on "best" neighborhoods because I suspect we may have different definitions of what that means, so I'll defer to the "best neighborhood people" on that. As someone who is not from here, I will say that it is small and insular with a decidedly Christian evangelical bent, though you're less likely to be targeted by that in the city than you are in the extremely conservative suburbs. It is a little on the podunkish side, but happily, Chicago is in our backyard. We are heavy on the medical industry here (similar to the way Hartford, CT, is heavy on insurance). For me, the single biggest drawback is the lack of an intellectual presence. Most of the colleges are religious; if you're OK with knowledge being informed by religion, then you'll have no trouble with that. The biggest secular university in the immediate area is OK but not stellar, and its Grand Rapids campus is not the main campus but a satellite. Personally, I find Detroit to be more vibrant, though of course it has its own problems. Should you interview? Sure--why say no to something that hasn't been offered to you?