The Scoop
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2/8/2006
I'm 26 and have lived in this city for about 20 years.
Good
...accessible home ownership - you can find very nice "starter" homes in quality neighborhoods for $100,000.
...top-notch Christian colleges - Calvin, Aquinas, Cornerstone, & Hope.
...and on that note you will feel very comfortable here if you fall under the "Christian" (particularly CRC) religious banner. The world, yes world, headquarters of the Christian Reformed Church is located here.
...lots of minor league sports teams.
...recent revival of a stagnant downtown, largely driven by Van Andel Arena (great venue for concerst and sports).
...Lake Michigan is about a 45 minutes drive away. And if you're willing to put in the effort this is by far our best rec feature - swimming, boating, fishing, even surfing if you're willing to brave the elements (surf is generally only up in the fall and winter when the wind is gusting).
Bad
...having travelled all over the US I can comfortably say that this is generally an unfriendly & intolerant community. Black White Hispanic all very segregated.
...quite frankly there still is no "downtown scene." Downtown is poorly organized and boring.
...our weather rivals anywhere for worst in the country, we just recently had a stretch of 15 staight days with no sunshine. Zero sun for two weeks! Winters are bitter cold and overcast. Spring is slushy and rainy. Summers can be nice but are muggy.
...no matter what anyone says this is not a good city for outdoor enthusiasts (see previous note about weather). We have a few ski areas, small parks with hiking trails, and the beach. The Grand River is filled with sewage, city parks are poorly maintained, we have no rock climbing, no truly interesting hiking or biking trails. To summerize Eastern Mountain Sports is packing its bags this month and leaving the city.
...city schools have been in crisis mode the past half dozen years, lots of cuts, lots of people bailing for charter schools.
Abhd | Grand Rapids, MI