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The thread isn't about small cities that are a part of another city's MSA...CSA is really stretching it.
Core cities of other MSA’s can have difference economic outlooks than the core MSA (especially in GR when the core isn’t that big) look at Boston vs Providence or DC vs Baltimore
If Michigan got is slit together.....I would move back in a heart beat. You just never know what is going to happen with upcoming recessions. When the country catches a cold, Michigan gets pneumonia. That is my only hesitation in stating that two Michigan cities, Grand Rapids and Detroit, would be 1 and 2 in regards to brightest future (10 years from now or more).
Someone mentioned that Grand Rapids is not big enough to really be considered. Another person mentioned that population growth should not be the main metric. There is part of me that thinks a lot of people in the Grand Rapids area want to keep growth down because they don't want the issues that come with fast growing populations. It's not trying to do big things or punch above its weight, like Indianapolis has done for many years. Many cities, along with their business leaders, want to put their cities on the map and they make investments to create a signature for their city. Grand Rapids does not seem to have the vision or desire.
I think Detroit is the center of a heavily populated area.....half way between Chicago and Toronto, close to Cleveland, Columbus, Indy, Grand Rapids, Buffalo, Cincinnati. Its in a great location, has a great airport, has some great universities, has great bones, great trade route between US and Canada...not far from the recreation of great lake beaches and state parks. It's the most underrated and undervalued big city in America.
The thread isn't about small cities that are a part of another city's MSA...CSA is really stretching it.
While Muskegon arguably may not fit into the criterion of a city with 1 million people or more, it is worthwhile to mention as it is a city in the midwest which has a great future. The location is absolutely stunning with beautiful sandy beaches. Back in the 1970's, the city completely demolished the downtown to build a mall that later became defunct. The mall was demolished in 2003, and the city council decided to build a new downtown. It took 15 years before there was real mobilization. But now, the city is in full swing with the process of rebuilding a new downtown.
In the last year, there have been millions poured into the city with new housing developments. Hotel renovations, condos, parking, a convention center, municipal buildings. etc are all being constructed. It is coined by some as the Brasilia of Michigan - a completely new city being built from scratch. It is kind of exciting to watch if you are into urban planning and seeing a brand new city being built.
This is definitely a city in the midwest with a great future coupled with the fact that it is within the Grand Rapids CSA - an emerging economic powerhouse of western Michigan.
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Midland, Traverse City, and Marquette are all doing well. Now Michigan just needs to figure out what to do with Flint, Saginaw, Sault Ste. Marie, and Escanaba...sigh....
It just blows my mind how clueless people are about St Louis. I think a lot of people really need to spend some more time there and stop basing their opinions of the city on crime, growth rate etc. To compare StL to Detroit is ridiculous. StL is far more vibrant, with more to do, less blight etc.
Other than it being a bit insular, it's really a pretty nice city, has very few areas where crime is a major problem, a large and growing urban core, nice suburbs, a ton of attractions and things to do in a great central location.
The biggest thing holding StL down right now is the county/city not merging.
Minneapolis and Columbus for sure. I hear Kansas City is doing well.
St. Louis has potential. Not sure if St. Louis has decided how it wants to reinvent itself yet.
Detroit is definitely on the upswing but has a very long way to go.
Not sure about the others.
The issue is the city isn't closely connected to the outlying areas that ARE growing, and it's taking away business from "St. Louis" since people would rather be in Chesterfield, St Charles, Clayton, etc...Hopefully a merger or something happens and it should go a long way.
Yes there is crime, and a good amount of it, but it's segregated to mainly a few areas. The amount of attractions (good ones) is actually more than people imagine, especially to people who just read/listen to BS all day about how terrible of a place it is. The city museum is amazing, STL zoo is great & free, obviously there's Budweiser, and so much more.
It just blows my mind how clueless people are about St Louis. I think a lot of people really need to spend some more time there and stop basing their opinions of the city on crime, growth rate etc. To compare StL to Detroit is ridiculous. StL is far more vibrant, with more to do, less blight etc.
Other than it being a bit insular, it's really a pretty nice city, has very few areas where crime is a major problem, a large and growing urban core, nice suburbs, a ton of attractions and things to do in a great central location.
The biggest thing holding StL down right now is the county/city not merging.
It just blows my mind how clueless people are about St Louis. I think a lot of people really need to spend some more time there and stop basing their opinions of the city on crime, growth rate etc. To compare StL to Detroit is ridiculous. StL is far more vibrant, with more to do, less blight etc.
Other than it being a bit insular, it's really a pretty nice city, has very few areas where crime is a major problem, a large and growing urban core, nice suburbs, a ton of attractions and things to do in a great central location.
The biggest thing holding StL down right now is the county/city not merging.
I know the insular experience comes from mostly the native dominated suburbs. I live DT and most of my neighbors are not from here.
I have traveled and lived all over the country, and most negative opinions come from people who have never experienced St. Louis. St. Louis isn't the end all be all of cities. There are many places that I like very few places I don't. I honestly believe St. Louis is easily one of the best cities for those who are looking for a small big city. It is the absolute smallest area I would want to live in. It is just barely big enough to offer just about everything I need for life but small enough to eliminate a lot of the stress and expense of the big cities.
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I'm not sure what you are trying to say. Everything in my post still stands.
She is trying to say that St. Louis is crime ridden and run down. She looks for articles to confirm her belief and post to debate with you. Few people do that but it doesn't hold in a discussion like this.
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