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about 200K people in GR... 1.4 million people in the metro area
if U enjoy the outdoors and natural beauty, parks, rivers, streams, lakes, etc... then U will like west MI and the GR area.
It's not that religious.. it' not like if U don't go to church ppl R going to hate U.
GR used to be very conservative, but that is the older generation for the most part.. it's changed a lot over the past decade. There has been a lot of people in the 25-40 age range moving in to the city. The area is growing a lot.
My wife and I moved to the Grand Rapids area three years ago from the Detroit area. I can say that overall we are very happy here, and have made some good friends, and love the area! In reading the other threads I can agree on a lot. The unique thing about the GR Metro area is that there are major differences from community to community. For example, GR proper as a whole is very diverse, urban, and has a great feel to it. Once you get to the outer areas, especially on the west side communities of Jenison and Hudsonville, that vastly changes. Those outer communities tend to be much less diverse, more closed minded, small-town like, and isolationist. I can tell if someone is from Jenison or Hudsonville after talking with them for about 2 minutes. The Dutch ancestry / CRC is very prevalent there, and does tend to keep people away. There is even a difference in dialect. For example, the term "We'll see once" is a term the Dutch use in those areas. I have never heard anyone use that term outside of those areas lol. Having said that, we do have some good friends from those areas. However, if someone is looking to enjoy the West MI experience I would strongly recommend not moving to one of the west side communities. Stick to GR, Kentwood, Forest Hills, Cascade, GR Township, Rockford, etc. etc. Avoid Ottawa county excluding the shore communities. Just my two cents!
I will add my two cents. I am from the middle of Michigan. After college, I lived in the Detroit suburbs, then Chicago and then San Diego. I actually never wanted to live here. But, I decided to settle down, get married and come back to Michigan. Can't say I really regret it either. I will break down plus and minus of GR.
Plus
1. Cheap. Homes are cheap here; especially now. But they always have been.
2. Quite clean for a mid size US city
3. No traffic. Rarely is there a traffic jam. I spent the better amount of my twenties behind a steering wheel in traffic. After living in GR for the last seven years, I get almost get mad if I slow down to 40 on the expressways.
4. Vibrant downtown. Now this isn't my ol' Chicago. But, for its size, there are some nice restaurants, bars, museums, event centers etc in this town.
5. Great airport to fly in and out of. I don't miss my drives to Chicago O'hare. GRR is an airport that is easy to get in and out of and is represented well by airlines. In fact, seems like every year or so they add more direct destinations.
6. Good school systems (other than in the city). If you have a family, you can't beat east grand rapids or forest hills schools; some other suburbs are nice as well. Even if you don't have kids, it helps your property value having people around that value education.
7. Good location. 2 and half hours to downtown Chicago (with no traffic), 2 hours to Traverse City (a great resort town), 30 minutes to lake Michigan (the best lake of the Great Lakes IMO), 2 hours to Detroit, 4 hours to Indianapolis.
8. This is a Red area. By that, I mean GR is a politically conservative town. The state of Michigan is liberal for the most part (especially southeast Michigan). But GR is not. That is a plus for me. Perhaps not for you. But, I don't think people here shove it down your throat either. Liberals have their presence as well. Please do not turn this into a political discussion though. It is worth mentioning though so you are not surprised. People are pretty active politically.
9. Great outdoor activities. Golf is really really cheap here with lots of wonderful courses. As mentioned earlier, great camping, hunting and fishing. Lots of lakes nearby too that are clean.
10. One of the most underrated parts of Michigan (especially west Michigan). We are on the very very west end of the eastern time zone (EST). People don't realize how great this is. One, the eastern time zone is the time zone the entire country works around (ie stock market, news reports, sporting events etc). Two, the sun sets late in the summer. End of June, it doesnt get dark till 10 PM. This was my beef with Chicago because I love to golf. It is hard to get a round in after work in Chicago because there latest day is 9 PM (the are in the eastern most side of the Central time zone). Not here in GR though. Flip side is short days in winter but it is worth it.
11. We have a few really rich families here. Some people view this as negative but these families get things done with the money. DeVos is the big name here. Actually is a very rich family for such a small town.
12. Well positioned for the future with an emphasis on the medical fields - business wise. We have nice backbone of manufacturing and a nice direction toward high tech.
13. Diversified. Many races and nationalities represented here. I know plenty of UK people and they all seem to hang out here together; as well as French, Indian, Vietnamese etc.
14. No real natural disaster threat like hurricanes, tsunamis, or earthquakes. We have tornadoes but the threat is low.
Minuses
1. Smaller town. As nice as GR is, this city isn't that big and you can run out of stuff to do depending on what you need for entertainment. I wouldn't recommend this town for the single scene. I expect you see the same people everywhere.
2. Cold and snowy. That's all I gotta say about that.
3. Religious. We like our religion here. Its not a matter of if you go to church, rather which one. I may be exaggerating on this a bit. But, make sure if you move here to ask people where the best places are to live if you aren't real religious. I believe it is mostly your Western and some Southern suburbs that are more extreme. In the city you are OK and the east suburbs. Luckily I work for a French company and I am not subjected to the religious aspect of this area. But, at least its not an Islamic area!
4. People may argue this but I am not sure this is the friendliest town in the US. Chicago and San Diego have friendly people. Detroit has down right rude people. GR isnt in the middle rather skewed toward the Detroit mentality. But this is a perception. I think neighbors and coworkers may be nice enough. But driving around, in restaurants, stores etc, people are generally a little more narcissistic.
5. Pretty flat area. There are hills here. But no mountains. We ski but it isn't that great. I speak from experience here because I love skiing. Plus side is you don't have to drive in mountains.
6. Economy. Compared to the rest of the state, GR is in good shape. Nationally, however, we have a high unemployment.
Well I could probably go over more points but this is more than enough from me. I am sure some will argue but I have a good perspective from living around the US and I am well traveled globally.
In summary, you will have a hard time finding a better stand alone city this size in the US that is as nice as GR. Weather bad. All and I mean all else is good.
My 2 cents. I was born and raised in San Francisco, and moved here to finish grad school, and I found a job here. I am an ethnic minority. While I'm registered democrat, I tend to hold to more conservative values.
I agree with msukc on the pros EXCEPT for:
3. The traffic on 28th street during rush hour is just as bad as in San Francisco.
4. The downtown is limited in what it has to offer. Sure if you want to eat and drink, it's okay, but not much more beyond that. I was so shocked how dead it was at 10 am on a weekday. The only time it's bumpin' is during Artprize.
5 I fly over 50,000 miles a year for work. I live and work about 15 minutes from the airport. It's hard to get anywhere from here, you always have to fly to either ORD, DTW, MSP, or CLE to get anywhere. I've had to deal with so many weather delays. It's also expensive - I can fly from SFO to NYC for about the same price as GRR to NYC.
13 While according to the US census (2010) there are more African Americans and Latinos than the national average here, there are less Asians. And where are the minorities? Also, there isn't a great immigrant culture - I have to make a pilgrimage to Chicago every so often to get the diversity I'm used to.
As for cons, it gets hot here! The latest heat spell of 80s made me long for my cold 50 degree San Francisco summers.
Nearest Whole Foods? Drive to Detroit or Chicago. Nearest Trader Joe's? Drive to Detroit or Chicago. Nearest Ikea? Drive to Detroit or Chicago.
I had to visit multiple supermarkets to find crumpets. And the only place which I was able to find them (GB Russos) only had it frozen.
Don't get me wrong, I've come to appreciate GR for what it is, but I'm glad that I'll be moving back to San Francisco soon.
Also, don't forget MI < CA unemployment. And I don't think it's a bad thing, but there are 2 mosques by where I live.
4. The downtown is limited in what it has to offer. Sure if you want to eat and drink, it's okay, but not much more beyond that. I was so shocked how dead it was at 10 am on a weekday. The only time it's bumpin' is during Artprize.
I do agree this statement. The thing about downtown GR is that hardly anyone lives there so there isn't a lot of foot traffic. During the work week the people who work there are well, in their offices.
There are definitely plenty of times other than Art Prize where its busy though. Just about any weekend night it's busy for one thing and weekends during the summer it gets a decent amount of traffic, festival or not.
I do agree this statement. The thing about downtown GR is that hardly anyone lives there so there isn't a lot of foot traffic. During the work week the people who work there are well, in their offices.
There are definitely plenty of times other than Art Prize where its busy though. Just about any weekend night it's busy for one thing and weekends during the summer it gets a decent amount of traffic, festival or not.
There are at least 4000 people living downtown. But during the day, they're mostly at work (even working out in the suburbs). What would create more foot traffic downtown is better retail, which would attract retirees during the day and college students.
Most evenings downtown, particularly when the weather is nice, are pretty busy. And WAAAYYY more than it was even 3 or 4 years ago. But all the new housing downtown will do that.
There are at least 4000 people living downtown. But during the day, they're mostly at work (even working out in the suburbs). What would create more foot traffic downtown is better retail, which would attract retirees during the day and college students.
Most evenings downtown, particularly when the weather is nice, are pretty busy. And WAAAYYY more than it was even 3 or 4 years ago. But all the new housing downtown will do that.
There are people who live in what is technically downtown, but I think most of them are on the west side of the river which doesnt bring a lot of foot traffic into the main area of downtown. I lived downtown for 3 years and definately agree that a lot has changed. The new housing going in will help a lot and I think its really the smart move.
There are people who live in what is technically downtown, but I think most of them are on the west side of the river which doesnt bring a lot of foot traffic into the main area of downtown. I lived downtown for 3 years and definately agree that a lot has changed. The new housing going in will help a lot and I think its really the smart move.
Actually, that's all the downtown projects like Plaza Towers, Forslund condos, the ones above the storefronts on Monroe Center, all the Dwelling Place units along S. Division and near Commerce and Weston, Boardwalk, the 3 projects near the Globe Apartments, The Fitzgerald, Morton House, River House, Ransom Towers, dorms at Grand Valley, and a bunch of smaller apartment buildings mixed in (and I'm probably missing some) . That's not counting the near West Side. I was surprised too when I saw the census data.
I agree with most posts here and that GR seems like a good fit. One thing I would add, GR does not have a very international connection. Someone coming from London might feel a bit 'isolated' in a medium size city in the midwest. I mean, London is London. Pretty important historical city. GR is very midwest American. Might be a culture shock compared to say a London to NYC or Boston move.
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