[michigan83]

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.

Yikes. I think you got some bad advice.

IMO, you are choosing between a second-class major city and a first-class mid-size city. If you value quantity over quality, or name recognition over actual substance, then Detroit is the place to be. If you don't care about sports, I have a hard time understanding that choice.

I don't think that anyone with first-hand knowledge of both places would make that crazy first class/second class analogy. Grand Rapids is one of the nicest cities in the U.S. of its size. Detroit is arguably THE most deteriorated and depressed city of its size. It's hardly even a fair comparison. Your friend might be very trustworthy, but you can't apply a cliche to something like this. Again, there is no way that he is speaking from first-hand experience of spending time in both places.

A nice article from the perspective of a Boston journalist:

http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/pres...and_Rapids.pdf

[magellan]

Originally Posted by deslok

I wasn't referring to anyone specifically and did not make my post out to be that pro-gr people are making racist comments. Please don't paint me with that brush sir.
Perhaps it is the OP's opinion that the comments made were racist, as he brought it up to begin with. It is his post, and he has made his decision.

My apologies. I was just asking for clarification.

[allbusiness]

Um, it's called, "Having an opinion." The OP asked for opinions and he/she got them. If Mayor Bing can get the city of Detroit to turn-around and leave the corruption and scandal filled past behind, I will gladly begin endorsing Detroit as a great place to live. If the poster had asked about Dearborn, Novi or Troy, I would have had a different opinion.

PS: Jackson is way the heck over on the east side. Just east of Lansing is about midway.

Originally Posted by zthatzmanz28

To pick one or the other would be exhibiting negativity towards the one I did not endorse.
If I say GR, then I am hatin on Detroit,
If I suggest Detroit I am hating on GR.
This is a loaded question and a no-win-situation.
Either way someone is gonna feel really bad about their city...
So I will pick JACKSON...centrally located between the two..

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by allbusiness

Um, it's called, "Having an opinion." The OP asked for opinions and he/she got them. If Mayor Bing can get the city of Detroit to turn-around and leave the corruption and scandal filled past behind, I will gladly begin endorsing Detroit as a great place to live. If the poster had asked about Dearborn, Novi or Troy, I would have had a different opinion.

PS: Jackson is way the heck over on the east side. Just east of Lansing is about midway.

Downtown GR is about 100 miles Northwest of Jackson, downtown Detroit is about 75 miles East of Jackson. That is not quite halfway, but pretty close. Okemos would be right in line and halfway.

Jackson isn't on the East side, it is just East of center (about 1/3 - 2/3).