Best Cities in the Midwest with Pop. 200,000+ (places to live, cost of living)

[RonnieJonez]

Great, another list of cities that might as well still be living in the Nixon administration, with the exception of Chicago & Minneapolis.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

Great, another list of cities that might as well still be living in the Nixon administration, with the exception of Chicago & Minneapolis.

Right.

[sprtrpr]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

Semantics.

No, what is semantics is not counting Grand Rapids. Pittsburgh is clearly not in the Midwest and there are many threads detailing such.

[MarvinStrong313]

I don't think Grand Rapids ever reached 200,000 in population. At least not yet. And I agree, I don't consider Pittsburgh apart of the Midwest because of the following reason, it's not. Pennsylvania is in the east coast. While I agree it may be similar to the mid west in many ways that does not make it apart of the midwest no more than NorthWest Indiana is apart of Illinois just because of Chicagoland.

[spectator80]

in spite of what 'enlightened' individuals like RonnieJonez might think, there are actually a lot of great cities on this list.

if i had to pick just one, however, it'd be madison, wi. why? for one, i like its size. dane county has a population of approximately 500,000 people, large enough to offer a vibrant urban core, but not so large as to be overwhelming. i also like that madison has a college town feel (duh), but that the university doesn't completely dominate every single aspect of the community, as it does in bloomington, in or champaign, il. add in a lively arts and dining scene, some great neighborhoods, the beautiful lakes, and the "live and let live" mentality of many of its residences, and i think madison is a great place to live.

obviously, there are some negatives about madison too - the weather and high cost of living come to mind - but all in all, i believe madison to be one of the nicest areas in the midwest.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by MarvinStrong313

I don't think Grand Rapids ever reached 200,000 in population. At least not yet. And I agree, I don't consider Pittsburgh apart of the Midwest because of the following reason, it's not. Pennsylvania is in the east coast. While I agree it may be similar to the mid west in many ways that does not make it apart of the midwest no more than NorthWest Indiana is apart of Illinois just because of Chicagoland.

Grand Rapids has been close to 200,000, but has never quite reached the mark. It was at 197,000 in 1970, then dipped down for a while. It was back at 197,000 in the year 2000.

If we are trying to keep with the "spirit" of the discussion, I think it is reasonable to include Grand Rapids. The metro area is 700,000 to 1,000,000, depending on how it's calculated. I'm sure that's larger than some of the other cities that actually have a core with more than 200,000.



Historical populations Census Pop.
1850 2,686
1860 8,085
1870 16,507
1880 32,016
1890 60,278
1900 87,565
1910 112,571
1920 137,634
1930 168,592
1940 164,292
1950 176,515
1960 177,313
1970 197,649
1980 181,843
1990 189,126
2000 197,800
2010 188,040

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Grand Rapids has been close to 200,000, but has never quite reached the mark. It was at 197,000 in 1970, then dipped down for a while. It was back at 197,000 in the year 2000.

If we are trying to keep with the "spirit" of the discussion, I think it is reasonable to include Grand Rapids. The metro area is 700,000 to 1,000,000, depending on how it's calculated. I'm sure that's larger than some of the other cities that actually have a core with more than 200,000.



Historical populations Census Pop.
1850 2,686
1860 8,085
1870 16,507
1880 32,016
1890 60,278
1900 87,565
1910 112,571
1920 137,634
1930 168,592
1940 164,292
1950 176,515
1960 177,313
1970 197,649
1980 181,843
1990 189,126
2000 197,800
2010 188,040

If the discussion were "Best Metro Areas in the Midwest with 500,000+ People" or "Best Cities in the Midwest with 100,000+ People", then you would have a point. But the topic being discuss isn't about either of those.

Grand Rapids is nice and all from a small town perspective, but you can't make it have something it doesn't have, then go on the defensive because others call you out for you falsely claiming Grand Rapids has it.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

If the discussion were "Best Metro AReas in the Midwest with 500,000+ People" or "Best Cities in the Midwest with 100,000+ People", then you would have a point. But the topic being discuss isn't about either of those.

Grand Rapids is nice and all from a small town perspective, but you can't make it have something it doesn't have, then go on the defensive because others call you out for you falsely claiming Grand Rapids has it.

Well, you are correct. No point in arguing. The numbers are what they are. But the OP did include Grand Rapids as an option in the poll, which is probably why GR ended up being discussed.

Just for the record, that was my first post in this thread. I don't think I was being defensive about anything, but maybe you weren't talking about me.

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Well, you are correct. No point in arguing. The numbers are what they are. But the OP did include Grand Rapids as an option in the poll, which is probably why GR ended up being discussed.

Just for the record, that was my first post in this thread. I don't think I was being defensive about anything, but maybe you weren't talking about me.

Fair engouh.

I honestly haven't read every single post in the thread, so I had no idea if you posted before. But you did come across as if you were trying to convince someone of something in the last post, which is why I used the word "Defensive."

But it is what it is with regards to the numbers.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by 313Weather

Fair engouh.

I honestly haven't read every single post in the thread, so I had no idea if you posted before. But you did come across as if you were trying to convince someone of something in the last post, which is why I used the word "Defensive."

But it is what it is with regards to the numbers.

Yeah, I was just giving my two cents on the debate. Not really emotionally invested in this thing.