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Bold words from someone living in Miami, the genital wart on the tip of Florida.
Very accurate statement considering the highest HIV/AIDS rates of the nation are in Miami-Dade county.
Also, two official designations exist for armpit of America. Makes sense, as everyone would have two armpits. But, Ohio isn't one of them. In the West (the left armpit), Battle Mountain in Nevada is one armpit. The Eastern armpit is the entire state of New Jersey.
Grand Rapids is a quintessential Rust Belt city of the Great Lakes and it feels more like Pittsburgh than it does Chicago. Interestingly though I think it feels like Pittsburgh it doesn't feel like Louisville. I think Grand Rapids feels like a more restrained version of Pittsburgh, and Louisville feels like Pittsburgh went all out and started shooting up the place. If this makes no sense to you, well this is why these talks are HIGHLY subjective.
I am so confused by this posting. First, have you ever step foot in Grand Rapids? How is it a quintessential Rust Belt City? Perhaps Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown, Flint and Detroit fit that description. But Grand Rapids????
Grand Rapids is a vibrant efficient clean city with a booming economy and it has the lowest rental vacancy in the entire USA - 1.8%. It is also very Dutch and Germanic and has a Northern European feeling. Also, I love Pittsburgh, and its one of my favorite cities. But really curious as to how it feels like Pittsburgh more than it does to Chicago? Btw, I am not saying that GR feels like Chicago either. But unsure how you arrived at GR feeling more like Pittsburgh than Chicago. The topography and architecture are very different. FYI...ties between GR and Chicago are strong as many Chicagoans vacation or own summer homes in Grand Rapids' suburbs like Saugatuck, Grand Haven, Holland, and Muskegon. People in GR vacation in Chicago and some have moved to Chicago for careers. But I don't see how GR feels more like Pittsburgh.
I am so confused by this posting. First, have you ever step foot in Grand Rapids? How is it a quintessential Rust Belt City? Perhaps Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Youngstown, Flint and Detroit fit that description. But Grand Rapids????
I used to live there. Frequented Founders quite a bit. Lived in Heritage Hill off Michigan St east of a Dutch Reform Church. I love that city except for winters and their drivers.
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Grand Rapids is a vibrant efficient clean city with a booming economy and it has the lowest rental vacancy in the entire USA - 1.8%.
Like Pittsburgh? I didn't mean Rust Belt in terms of declining s h i t hole with high crime. I meant Rust Belt in terms of former manufacturing hub and now it isn't a one trick pony, like Pittsburgh. It has recovered substantially and is very trendy, like Pittsburgh.
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It is also very Dutch and Germanic and has a Northern European feeling.
I will agree Pgh doesn't feel as Nordic. But, both cities are very White for being cities.
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Also, I love Pittsburgh, and its one of my favorite cities. But really curious as to how it feels like Pittsburgh more than it does to Chicago? Btw, I am not saying that GR feels like Chicago either. But unsure how you arrived at GR feeling more like Pittsburgh than Chicago. The topography and architecture are very different.
Architecture-wise, GR looks like Milwaukee or the near West Side or near South Side of Chicago. But, differences stop there. Though it's not in Appalachia, GR's topography is hilly compared to Chicago. Just look at the difference in elevation when going North on Division Street past downtown. That hill on the right is more drastically inclined than anything in Beverly. They also call it Heritage HILL for a reason. Go West on Michigan St from Heritage Hill and remember the steep decline as you pass the State University building. Chicago has no such steep inclines. The steepest incline is on 111th street and Longwood Drive and it's not even one block long.
GR and Pgh are both hilly cities. Pgh has the most bars per capita and GR has a culture based on beer drinking which is where Beer City's moniker came from. They both have their central business district situated by their main river which unlike Chicago, is actually noticeable in GR and Pgh. The Chicago River is overshadowed by the tall buildings and business of the Loop. Other than the small amount of rowhouses in Pgh, not much difference in architecture. Look at South Side slopes and tell me that can't fit in GR. Of course Pgh has steeper inclines but it's steeper than any other city in the US. Chicago has maybe 1 inclined street? GR has several.
GR like Pgh has that small town feel. Like Pgh, you don't get caught up in a fast paced lifestyle. I know Chicago ain't NYC but it's way faster paced than either GR or Pgh. From personal experience, GR and Pgh people are friendlier and more approachable than stuck up Chicago people.
GR and Pgh were named in the Top 3 safest cities in the US list after Rockville, MD. This was last year in Sperling's. Google it since I can't link it here. Chicago will never be in that list. GR and Pgh don't even have legitimate "ghetto" areas. Homewood maybe? In GR the South side? But other than that, meh. Very small and not enough of a reputation to be considered overly dangerous. Oh, GR and Pgh are also much cloudier than Chicago.
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FYI...ties between GR and Chicago are strong as many Chicagoans vacation or own summer homes in Grand Rapids' suburbs like Saugatuck, Grand Haven, Holland, and Muskegon. People in GR vacation in Chicago and some have moved to Chicago for careers. But I don't see how GR feels more like Pittsburgh.
Chicago is also the number 1 destination for ex Pittsburghers. My guess is that for both of these cities, Chicago offers more opportunity and appeal than Detroit or Philly. True, Chicagoans don't venture much into Pennsylvania so in that way GR has more of a Chicago feel. The accents are also more similar in GR and Chicago than Pittsburgh.
But overall, based on those similarities above, GR and Pgh to me feel more similar than Chicago. All 3 cities have high concentrations of Poles, anyway. GR is more Nordic than Chicago or Pgh (Chi and Pgh's White demographics are more similar). Try and see if you can find any Jews in GR. Last time I checked, they're not significant enough to count. In this way, Chi and Pgh are more like each other.
Grand Rapids is a vibrant efficient clean city with a booming economy and it has the lowest rental vacancy in the entire USA - 1.8%. It is also very Dutch and Germanic and has a Northern European feeling.
Grand Rapids has a Northern European feeling because a lot of people there have Dutch or German ancestry?
Grand Rapids has a Northern European feeling because a lot of people there have Dutch or German ancestry?
Lots of Germans, Dutch, and Swedes. But these Northern European Americans are very different culturally than their motherland counterparts. In West Michigan, these ethnic groups are highly religious, and very conservative. Of course the younger generation will always deviate from that everywhere, but I don't know how GR would feel like Europe. Christianity is still ingrained much in the GR culture despite the transplants. There's a reason why I-96 is named the Holy Land Express jokingly. Such a culture would not be found in the highly secular Nordic countries or the Netherlands. Despite GR going for Obama, it wasn't a huge lead like say, Ann Arbor. GR went 34% for Romney but when you consider that the city is about half White that lead isn't paltry like Pittsburgh's pathetic Romney margin, and Pittsburgh is still much Whiter.
Religion and conservatism are still strong in GR. Stronger than anywhere in Northern Europe. Ask any of the Dutch Americans there or even the progressive hipsters frequenting Founders and Martha's Vineyard.
Grand Rapids has a Northern European feeling because a lot of people there have Dutch or German ancestry?
Well when you drive from Detroit and reach Grand Rapids, it does...lol. If you go to the Upper Peninsula, the majority of the people are of Finnish decent, and some still speak it at home. People in Grand Rapids have a strong sense of community and there is a robust civil society.
Well when you drive from Detroit and reach Grand Rapids, it does...lol. If you go to the Upper Peninsula, the majority of the people are of Finnish decent, and some still speak it at home. People in Grand Rapids have a strong sense of community and there is a robust civil society.
I've been to Grand Rapids before. I didn't note anything particularly Northern European feeling about it. I've also been to Staten Island, which is around one-third Italian. It didn't feel much like Italy even though it still has a fair number of Italian speakers.
How many people in the Grand Rapids metro speak Finnish?
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