Opinions on Grand Rapids vs Minneapolis (Detroit, Allendale: best cities, crime, neighborhoods)

[jxr182gmail]

Have any of you been to Minneapolis? My partner and I are about to be relocating at the begging of July and I have to decide where to... I am down to the wire... I'm doing research like mad and have a job opportunity in both Bloomington and Grand Rapids... The winters in Minneapolis scare me... I'm from Texas/Oklahoma and the snow we get here frightens me, of course we do not have the road crews... Grand Rapids smaller size makes me think it would be somewhat easier to get around.. plus I think Minneapolis is just worse weather period... But all things Michigan come with a stigma unfortunately when it comes to crime and urban blight... I know Grand Rapids isn't that bad, but I only hear about how good Minneapolis is... I guess it comes down to the me liking the job opportunity in Grand Rapids more, but I'm not sure if I would like the city.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by jxr182gmail

Have any of you been to Minneapolis? My partner and I are about to be relocating at the begging of July and I have to decide where to... I am down to the wire... I'm doing research like mad and have a job opportunity in both Bloomington and Grand Rapids... The winters in Minneapolis scare me... I'm from Texas/Oklahoma and the snow we get here frightens me, of course we do not have the road crews... Grand Rapids smaller size makes me think it would be somewhat easier to get around.. plus I think Minneapolis is just worse weather period... But all things Michigan come with a stigma unfortunately when it comes to crime and urban blight... I know Grand Rapids isn't that bad, but I only hear about how good Minneapolis is... I guess it comes down to the me liking the job opportunity in Grand Rapids more, but I'm not sure if I would like the city.

I would definitely try to push the Michigan stigma of crime and urban blight out of your mind when talking about Grand Rapids. It is more than just "not that bad." It is one of the nicest mid-sized cities in the country, and it has a wonderful downtown and nice suburbs. The winters probably are nicer than Minneapolis... you won't have the brutal arctic cold that Minneapolis gets (although Grand Rapids usually gets more snow). Summers are wonderful, maybe even slightly cooler than Minneapolis.

One of the best things about GR is how easy it is to get around. Downtown is great and more and more people are living and working downtown every year. There are tons of restaurants and bars, and people out and about every day of the week. But, since it is a mid-sized city, you can even live in a rural area if you want and still commute to downtown in 25 minutes. That is something that would be a lot more difficult in Minneapolis. You can basically choose whatever lifestyle you want if you have a job in Grand Rapids. Urban living, suburban, in the woods, on a lake, or out in farm country. It is reasonable to commute from all of these places.

Another great thing about GR is the easy access to nature. You can be to some of the best beaches in the country on Lake Michigan in 30 minutes, or you can be camping in the north woods in a couple of hours. There is a lot to do. While there are a lot of nice lakes in Minnesota, nothing near the Twin Cities can compete with the beaches and beach towns that are just west of Grand Rapids.

In the end, you will have to pick the place that you like best. Minneapolis has more people, pro sports, more activity, more cultural amenities, etc, because it is a bigger city. So if you are looking for a big city with a fast-paced urban lifestyle, Minneapolis is probably what you're looking for. But if you are only worried about having a "nice place to live" and wouldn't mind a slightly slower pace.... you can't beat the quality of life in GR.

[Gorath]

Highest average snowfall (year)
//www.city-data.com/top2/c464.html
Grand Rapids, MI: 73.4 in
Minneapolis, MN: 49.9 in

Coldest winter
//www.city-data.com/top2/c456.html
Minneapolis, MN: 13.0 degrees F
Grand Rapids, MI: 22.3 degrees F

In summary,
Grand Rapids gets more snow.
Minneapolis has colder winters.

[Jandur]

If it's any indicator a friend of mine moves from Grand Rapids to Minneapolis. After a year he moved back to GR because he liked it more. He's not from GR either.

If you like the job in GR more, move to GR. It's safe, has some very nice neighborhoods. I think the cost of living might be a bit lower too.

[ChrisCanDoIt]

Originally Posted by jxr182gmail

Have any of you been to Minneapolis? My partner and I are about to be relocating at the begging of July and I have to decide where to... I am down to the wire... I'm doing research like mad and have a job opportunity in both Bloomington and Grand Rapids... The winters in Minneapolis scare me... I'm from Texas/Oklahoma and the snow we get here frightens me, of course we do not have the road crews... Grand Rapids smaller size makes me think it would be somewhat easier to get around.. plus I think Minneapolis is just worse weather period... But all things Michigan come with a stigma unfortunately when it comes to crime and urban blight... I know Grand Rapids isn't that bad, but I only hear about how good Minneapolis is... I guess it comes down to the me liking the job opportunity in Grand Rapids more, but I'm not sure if I would like the city.

This is really funny to see a forum topic like this! I'm a Detroit native, who lived in Dallas, moved to Minneapolis (where I currently live) and will be moving to Grand Rapids in August.

First of all, Minneapolis and Grand Rapids aren't going to be that much different weather wise. So don't let that be a huge deciding factor. Minneapolis is going to be colder/dryer, where Grand Rapids, while temps are slightly warmer in the winter, due to the lake, will get more snow.

Minneapolis is a nice city, but honestly won't miss it that much. The suburbs are just "OK" and in my opinion, there are a few nice ones. I'd avoid Bloomginton, and look in Minnetonka, Wayzata, Chaska, Chanhassen, Woodbury, Maple Grove. Minneapolis as a whole though, felt claustrophobic/land-locked to me. I thought people were super friendly at first, but then realized Minnesota nice = Minnesota passive-aggressive.

I'm looking forward to moving to Grand Rapids. I'd stay on the North and East sides of the Grand Rapids metro, and avoid the South/West sides, unless you are far out West, say in Allendale.

Let me know what other questions you have!

[jxr182gmail]

Thanks for the input everyone! Its so hard to make to make a decision when you've never been to either place (or even the region). The furthest north I've been is southern Kansas :-) ... in either case I am a bit intimidated about living in a city the size of Minneapolis, and GR seems more up my alley as for size... Still talking it over with my partner but personally I think i'm leaving towards GR (can't beat warmer temps AND more snow - although I'm sure i'll get tired of the snow pretty soon lol).

[suydam]

Originally Posted by jxr182gmail

Thanks for the input everyone! Its so hard to make to make a decision when you've never been to either place (or even the region). The furthest north I've been is southern Kansas :-) ... in either case I am a bit intimidated about living in a city the size of Minneapolis, and GR seems more up my alley as for size... Still talking it over with my partner but personally I think i'm leaving towards GR (can't beat warmer temps AND more snow - although I'm sure i'll get tired of the snow pretty soon lol).

Here are a couple more advantages to GR that I don't think anyone has touched on.

First, we have beaches... real ones... within 45 minutes of downtown.
Michigan's West Coast - Beaches, Coastal Areas - Experience Grand Rapids

This was huge for us when we located here. Detroit doesn't have it (Lake Erie doesn't measure up) and Chicago has it but it was too busy and we'd have lived way out in the suburbs without easy access to the beaches we'd want to visit.

Second, if you like Beer, even Minnesota cannot measure up to Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids pushing for BeerCity USA crown :: MittenBrew

Third, if you're a golfer Michigan is a bit of a mecca for golf, ranked #4 in the country behind Hawaii, South Carolina and Nevada: 10 Best Golf States: Golf Digest

[intelfan11315]

I can't really chime in more than what the other posters have said , but I think Grand Rapids is an awesome city, probably one of the best cities in the United States to live. I think Minneapolis is great too though, and find it to be probably one of the most underrated big cities. Either way you can't go wrong.. although I'd still probably go with Grand Rapids. Having the beaches around here is just so nice.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by jxr182gmail

Have any of you been to Minneapolis? My partner and I are about to be relocating at the begging of July and I have to decide where to... I am down to the wire... I'm doing research like mad and have a job opportunity in both Bloomington and Grand Rapids... The winters in Minneapolis scare me... I'm from Texas/Oklahoma and the snow we get here frightens me, of course we do not have the road crews... Grand Rapids smaller size makes me think it would be somewhat easier to get around.. plus I think Minneapolis is just worse weather period... But all things Michigan come with a stigma unfortunately when it comes to crime and urban blight... I know Grand Rapids isn't that bad, but I only hear about how good Minneapolis is... I guess it comes down to the me liking the job opportunity in Grand Rapids more, but I'm not sure if I would like the city.

I've been to Mpls about 6 or 7 times, and felt a cold in the winter that I've never felt in a lifetime of living in Michigan. It is a beautiful city though, but quite a bit more "sprawly" and congested than Grand Rapids. There's no more blight or crime in GR than Mpls either.

[actinic]

Minneapolis doesn't charge an income tax like GR does.