Bad press for GR (Detroit, Grand Rapids: new house, gardening, beaches)

[magellan]

Originally Posted by rolltide324

I don't live in Michigan, but I will be moving to Grand Rapids in a few months. So I don't know about the outlook for Michigan/Detroit etc... but I having read the article, I just don't think it makes much sense. It says that it has a focus on the demographic of 18 and younger... but wouldn't the majority of those people be still living with parents? And wouldn't the 18 year olds (and some 17 year olds) be going to college? I don't think that could be counted as a permanent relocation. Maybe I'm missing something, but that just doesn't make sense to me.

Good point rolltide. Maybe people are just having fewer babies, or waiting longer to have kids, which combined would decreases the under 18 population.

[wgates]

Actually, the census information is only a piece of the population in the area. The census was only those living in the city, and it doesn't count the thousands of university and college students who reside in the metro GR area, or the residents of the surrounding area who support downtown GR. Not to minimize the effect this might have, but luckily, this article did not appear in the printed version of Newsweek. It was in an online (rather obscure) format.

I don't think the cold winters have anything to do with the popularity of a city. Look at Denver. There are lots of young people, and they get tons of snow and cold weather. It's all in the attitude and what the possibilities are...

[suydam]

Originally Posted by wgates

Actually, the census information is only a piece of the population in the area. The census was only those living in the city, and it doesn't count the thousands of university and college students who reside in the metro GR area, or the residents of the surrounding area who support downtown GR. Not to minimize the effect this might have, but luckily, this article did not appear in the printed version of Newsweek. It was in an online (rather obscure) format.

I don't think the cold winters have anything to do with the popularity of a city. Look at Denver. There are lots of young people, and they get tons of snow and cold weather. It's all in the attitude and what the possibilities are...

To echo your sentiment, one of the most prosperous metro areas in the USA is Minneapolis. It's considerably colder than Denver or Michigan and doesn't have the benefit of our beautiful beaches. From a geographic standpoint, Minneapolis has no advantages over Michigan. BUT it thrives none the less.

[dutchinnd]

Uhhh--on the beaches front--if you have visited, either you saw only a limited portion of the city or you forgot what you saw. Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles are all in Minneapolis proper. In the burbs you have Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake; Mille Lacs is only about 50 miles north.

In terms of geography, it started as the crossroads of transportation (river & rail)--getting grain & lumber out of the Northern plains. GR had lumber and furniture, but never became the diversified product center like the Cities (still grain & milling, but also technology, mining, health research, etc). GR also has to compete w/ Chicago and Detroit as business centers; the Cities don't have that level of competition.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by dutchinnd

Uhhh--on the beaches front--if you have visited, either you saw only a limited portion of the city or you forgot what you saw. Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles are all in Minneapolis proper. In the burbs you have Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake; Mille Lacs is only about 50 miles north.

In terms of geography, it started as the crossroads of transportation (river & rail)--getting grain & lumber out of the Northern plains. GR had lumber and furniture, but never became the diversified product center like the Cities (still grain & milling, but also technology, mining, health research, etc). GR also has to compete w/ Chicago and Detroit as business centers; the Cities don't have that level of competition.

I'm sure these lakes are really nice, but nothing in the Midwest compares to the beaches along the west side of Michigan. Not only are they Great Lakes beaches, but they are the nicest Great Lakes beaches. Beaches in this area even appear occasionally on those "best beaches in America" lists. Inland lakes near Minneapolis are not even in the same conversation, no matter how nice they are.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by suydam

To echo your sentiment, one of the most prosperous metro areas in the USA is Minneapolis. It's considerably colder than Denver or Michigan and doesn't have the benefit of our beautiful beaches. From a geographic standpoint, Minneapolis has no advantages over Michigan. BUT it thrives none the less.

Minneapolis' metro population growth has really slowed in the last five years (although that's just based on estimates). My guess is they are suffering from Baby Boomers moving South, just like a lot of Northern cities. Another interesting example is Toronto, which is one of the fastest growing cities in North America. Its average temps are a lot like Michigan, although they don't get the amount of snow we do. They're growing by about 90 - 100K people/year, which is an astounding rate (mostly international immigration).

[michigan83]

Minneapolis' metro population growth has really slowed in the last five years (although that's just based on estimates). My guess is they are suffering from Baby Boomers moving South, just like a lot of Northern cities. Another interesting example is Toronto, which is one of the fastest growing cities in North America. Its average temps are a lot like Michigan, although they don't get the amount of snow we do. They're growing by about 90 - 100K people/year, which is an astounding rate (mostly international immigration).

This makes me wonder if the obsession with "living somewhere warm" and fear of cold places is more of a cultural thing here in the U.S., and isn't true worldwide. I have no idea. Just a theory.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by michigan83

This makes me wonder if the obsession with "living somewhere warm" and fear of cold places is more of a cultural thing here in the U.S., and isn't true worldwide. I have no idea. Just a theory.

I think you're right. It's ingrained in the American psyche that you retire and move South. That means you've "made it." It might happen with foreign nationals after they've been here for a couple of generations, but the newcomers certainly don't seem to care.

[beachmouse]

Northern North American winters are also typically significantly colder than what you find in Germany, France, and the UK.

[suydam]

Originally Posted by dutchinnd

Uhhh--on the beaches front--if you have visited, either you saw only a limited portion of the city or you forgot what you saw. Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles are all in Minneapolis proper. In the burbs you have Lake Minnetonka, White Bear Lake; Mille Lacs is only about 50 miles north.

In terms of geography, it started as the crossroads of transportation (river & rail)--getting grain & lumber out of the Northern plains. GR had lumber and furniture, but never became the diversified product center like the Cities (still grain & milling, but also technology, mining, health research, etc). GR also has to compete w/ Chicago and Detroit as business centers; the Cities don't have that level of competition.

I've been to all those beaches, and they're very nice. That said, there is absolutely nothing to compare to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan (Michigan's west coast) short of a trip to the ocean. If you've never been, you should come visit! Here are some photos.

I didn't in any way mean to disparage Minneapolis. Sorry if it came off that way. Minneapolis is a fantastic place to live, with a far better economy than ours right now.