[Christoph83]

Grand Rapids over Detroit, anyday. It's such a nicer city, and close to beautiful Lake Michigan, the Dunes, the woods, etc. Just a wonderful area overall.

Here is a slide show of Grand Rapids:

http://w207.photobucket.com/pbwidget...t/f1762f97.pbw

[Northman]

I may be having to leave my current job in Petoskey, and if I do GR and Detroit will be my top 2 choices to relocate to as well.

I'm from Detroit, so I'm biased in my opinion of it. Certainly not closing my eyes to any of its issues, but I love the city and the area.....always have, always will. The people are genuine, the food is fabulous, the sports atmosphere is incomperable, and despite the reputation, there are many beautiful areas of the city (architecture, riverfront) and its suburbs (lakes, golf courses, parks, etc.). I also have a ton of family in the area, which can be a plus and a minus.......I'm sure most of you know what I mean.

Grand Rapids is untapped territory for me, but I've been there to check it out a few times, and it looks to be a very attractive place to live. I absolutely love it's location near Lake Michigan, and how can you not like being 3 hours from a world class city like Chicago? I already use the Chicago airports a good bit.....even living up here in Petoskey.......but being that much closer would be awesome. GR seems to be the perfect "not too big, not too small" choice, for sure. Their downtown is really up & coming, and the Van Andel arena is very suitable for sports and big name concerts alike. GR also gives me closer access to everything in the Detroit area than where I am now. Should my situation up here continue to deteriorate, I will be investigating the GR area even more.

[michsnowlvr]

Im from the Detroit area and like it, but have also visited W. MI several times and love it there too.....

Boston, like Detroit, is a sports town. If that was one of the perks you had in Boston, then Detroit all the way. The buzz that the Tigers, Wings, Pistons...and even Lions (not to mention college football) bring to the area really is something special. There is never a dull time of year.

Weatherwise, Detroits weather is VERY similar to Boston, from a statistics viewpoint, Detroit is just a touch cooler year-round (except in Spring), receives a little LESS rainfall but a little MORE snowfall than Boston. But again, putting aside exact statistics aside, the weather/seasons are VERY similar and you probably would notice no difference. Grand Rapids has similar weather too, but you would definitely notice more snow in the winter due to lake effect.

Detroit metro has many upscale suburbs, but for as crowded as the metro-area is, there are also rural communities closeby as well. You can get all the culture of a big city area, but also rural anemities close by, if you want the best of both worlds. Detroit is on the Detroit River so that makes things nice as well.

Having said all that, though I dont know much about Grand Rapids, its right by Lake Michigan, and West Michigan is full of natural beauty, and I have heard lots of great things about Grand Rapids.

So, honestly, IF you are coming here and already have a guarenteed job, you will probably love Michigan no matter where you settle!

[Coldjensens]

You could be appy in either place. It depends on you. IN the Detroit area, you can find suburbs to meet every taste. If you are single, you might wnat to look at Royal Oak. If you want watesports, look in one of the lake suburbs in North Oakland County, or in grosse Ile. If living on a farm appeal to you then other suburbs or townships might appeal.


THe west Side of the state is generally quieter and prettier, but there are exceptions. The problem is that you must figure out what you want.

I cold tell you Move to grosse Ile becuase I love the deer walking through my yard, woods outside all of my windows and the River right in my front yard, and you might be miserable there. There is not a good nightclub for miles, and good dining or bars are few and far between. You may not be thrilled by an old fasioned small town homecoming parade. Maybe you more enjoy the hubub of city life. Maybe you like to sit by yourslef and hear nothing but bugs and frogs. Maybe you like certain types of water sports. Only you know enough about you to tell you what will make you happy.

Personally, I could live in either place and be really happy to be there. I love the beauty of Michigan's west coast. I love the quiant small older towns scattered around both sides of the state. You must figure out what you want. then we can help you find out where that is.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by GRowing

I'm looking for the best place! Before you call me cliche...I am 31 and i have spent most of my adult life grinding towards financial happiness. I have a lot of professional experience but not a lot of being happy. I grew up poor in Dorchester. I have lived very frugally since and I am now ready for life to begin. Tell me where I would be happy at! The country, the city and anything in between is fair game. I am considering all options and I hope to read some things that I don't have the experience to think of myself. Sorry if this seems difficult. I just don't know. If I live in the city or the suburbs I will probably be in the market for a vacation home if anyone has any suggestions. If I live in the country I would probably be in the market for a downtown loft or apartment. I want to live the good life that is why I am leaving for Michigan. I was doing alright in Boston but I this move to Michigan will allow my money to go much further.

Wow, in your financial situation, I'd say Grand Rapids. It's not as large and cosmopolitan as Boston, but there's a lively arts scene and growing number of young professionals. While Detroit is larger with a larger population, its sprawl is mind-numbing sometimes. The good things to do in Detroit all seem to be 45 - 60 minute drives from each other.

I think owning a small place on a lake nearby Grand Rapids and having a downtown condo would be pretty sweet (if I were younger again and didn't have kids ). They actually have a name for that in Grand Rapids, because it's so common, called "urban cottages." (they probably use that name in other cities like Chicago too). I know of a couple of people with houses on Spring Lake and condos downtown.

These are probably my favorite guides to the different areas you are considering:

http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/
http://www.metromodemedia.com/

[Indentured Servant]

Happiness comes from within and individualism is such that one cannot project ones likes and dislikes to map seamlessly, if at all, to another. If you are really serious, then you would visit both places. Everyone has their bias, prejudice and pet peeves, which may differ from your own. I don’t see it being very productive or helpful asking such a question on this forum. You can ask for details and perceptions about each place….but I am sorry…..to ask people to tell you which city will make you happy just seems disingenuous. You should spend a week in the State spending equal time in both places. However...if you are not happy already....don't place the expectation for Michigan to lift your spirits.

[GRowing]

"I think owning a small place on a lake nearby Grand Rapids and having a downtown condo would be pretty sweet (if I were younger again and didn't have kids ). They actually have a name for that in Grand Rapids, because it's so common, called "urban cottages." (they probably use that name in other cities like Chicago too). I know of a couple of people with houses on Spring Lake and condos downtown." Thanks, that is exactly the type of help I am looking for.

I have spent some time in both places already. I don't have the time to just drive around each city for a month. I wish I did. I don't want to decide based on my own beginners perspective of Michigan. I want the inside track. I want to know how to live the good life in Michigan. I am getting a crash course in living the good life lately but I started from close to scratch. Just tell me if you had a six figure income, no debt, relationship, no family in either place; desire to bypass the "starter home" and be permanent; where would you settle? and sports are cool but I wont be moving anywhere based on sporting events.

[ladyblue09]

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit but I've been forced to move to the west side of Michigan for a job.

Over all, I would recommend going to Grand Rapids simply because Grand Rapids seems to be moving in a positive direction on economic issues while Detroit seems to be on yet another economic decline.
Detroit is extremely dependent on the American auto industry - and we all know that is not going very well! Even if your own job is secure, living in an economically depressed area will affect you in indirect ways (like rising crime, the stress of seeing friends struggle to find work or moving away, financial cutbacks at the businesses you patronize, etc.) that I think will negatively affect you too. If you do end up falling in love with someone over the next few years, wouldn't it be nice if your partner can find work in the area too? One reason I am okay with moving away from my hometown to the west side is that I want my boyfriend to have a better chance of finding work too.
There is also a lot of racial tension between mostly-black downtown Detroit and mostly-white suburbs of Detroit. Racial politics often end up standing in the way of accomplishing anything that might improve the plight of the inner city. I'm sure race issues come up everywhere, but my perception is that Grand Rapids is NOT quite as polarized as the Detroit area is.

If you do end up choosing to live in Detroit, I think you could find some nice areas to live in (I would recommend looking at some of the affluent communities in the Oakland County area). I liked living in the Detroit area myself and would have stayed if the job market there wasn't so ugly. However, my feeling is that the Detroit area as a whole is past its glory days while Grand Rapids is an up and coming area with a lot of reason to be optimistic about its future.

[GRowing]

I am about 95% sure I will choose Detroit. I spoke to a few very intelligent people that helped me to make this decision. I will explain why for all those who have taken an honest interest in my dilemma (or for any who may still wish to change my mind)...

I said I wanted to do this first class. Someone asked me "how can you be first class in the second class city?" I found no answer. He then asked me "why associate yourself with Barney Fife when you can associate with Andy Griffith?" Once again, I had no answer. He told me to live in Detroit and have a nice vacation home someplace extraordinary. This man is usually right about these things.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to all of those who responded no matter how racist, cliche, biased, ignorant, philosophically suspicious, or oddly supportive of Lansing they may have been.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by GRowing

I am about 95% sure I will choose Detroit. I spoke to a few very intelligent people that helped me to make this decision. I will explain why for all those who have taken an honest interest in my dilemma (or for any who may still wish to change my mind)...

I said I wanted to do this first class. Someone asked me "how can you be first class in the second class city?" I found no answer. He then asked me "why associate yourself with Barney Fife when you can associate with Andy Griffith?" Once again, I had no answer. He told me to live in Detroit and have a nice vacation home someplace extraordinary. This man is usually right about these things.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to all of those who responded no matter how racist, cliche, biased, ignorant, philosophically suspicious, or oddly supportive of Lansing they may have been.

I don't know about the Andy Griffith/Barney Fife analogy. I always found Detroit to be the older brother, who was a high school football star, who now can't seem to stay out of trouble with the law, is chronically unemployed, drives an El Camino, and lives in Mom and Dad's basement. But hey, someone's gotta live there. Good luck!