GR- nationally recognized as a top place to live.
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1/24/2021
Wow. “bland Rapids and everyone is Smug, uptight and part of the Christian Reformed Church. “ Someone is accurately describing Grand Rapids in 1985. Much has changed since then. Bizarre that this person lives on the very edge of metro Grand Rapids in one of the most homogeneous boring suburbs- Byron Center. My advice to the Byron Center person - move 10 miles north to the city and live in east town- a radical difference from Bryon Center. Sure there a big segment of Christian reformed in western and eastern sides of town. They really dominated the GR vibe in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then the nickname was bland rapids. Since then, GR has attracted many young progressives, artists, and hipsters. Lots of progressive lifestyles in the city for sure. They have driven a huge renaissance in the art, coffee, and beer scenes ( over 50 brewers here and counting in the city of Grand Rapids. Lots of diversity in the neighborhoods of east town, near North Side and near west side. GR has some great new music venues bringing in all kinds of National quality bands Of all genres. . Food scene is spotty. Some good places includeing cheese and wine and downtown market run by the national winner of the cheese monger award for the top cheese expert in the us. Head downtown on a Saturday night. My friends from Detroit and Chicago visit and comment on the vibrant nightlife downtown. It’s not Chicago, but it’s very vibrant for its size. My friends say the city vibe feels like the Portland of the Midwest.
The GR metro area has 1.2 million people. So yes it has its wealthy and pretentious areas ( east Grand Rapids and Ada ) Bur it has blue collar areas, hipster areas, etc.. like any other city this size or bigger. The many neighborhoods are very different in look, vibe, and composition. I live here now but I am not a native so I don’t have a home town bias here. But this persons description of the area seems very narrow. GR is great for families, hipsters, it’s fun, close to Lake Michigan and affordable, the billionaire ‘s ( shocking number of billionaires here given its smaller size)here have spent hundreds of millions making the city’s health and cultural institutions (Ballet, opera, symphony, art museum) are world class for a midsize city. Everything is improving rapidly here. The city is red hot nationally and attracting great young people from the Midwest to move here. I expect the GR renaissance to continue.
However, GR does have its negatives - bad weather, grey and wet, 10 billionaire families give a lot but also control and own a lot of the city Food scene is ok and improving but still a weak spot compared to the beer, spirits and coffee scenes, no high quality college prep schools here like Latin in Chicago or DCD or cranbrook in Detroit, it’s isn’t beautiful here. The airport is new and nice but not many direct flights. Crime is skyrocketing. 2 years ago we had 8 murders a year but in 2020 we had nearly 40. Also, Grand Rapidians are clannish known for cliques and aren’t very welcoming to new families that move in. Acclimating socially can be difficult in some neighborhoods. I do hear this from some transplants. People can display a provincial attitude here. Not very global in mentality. Still I can’t think of a better midsized city Overall- and particularly when you factor in cost of living.
Alfred | Grand Rapids, MI