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Hi, all. I'm looking very seriously at attending college at GVSU in the fall. I'm curious about the Grand Rapids area.
A little background:
I'm a female and I'm 22- not a first-time college student, I've been out of the house since 16 and after two years of college I took two years off to work and explore the country, so I'm a little more independent and, ah, world-experienced, I guess, than most first-time college students. I'm used to living alone and spending way more time in the city/surrounding area than on a campus, so while I'm young and social and will go to dorm parties, put any info on GVSU aside for this post--I'm looking for information on the feel of the area I'll be hanging out in. I need the stuff I can't get from maps and travel brochures--
What's the general "feel" of the city? Good bars, clubs, coffee shops, music venues-- fun activities for a 22-year-old?
Enough attractive young people? Is the dating scene fun?
What's the extended surrounding area like? I dig outdoorsy stuff.
What's the attitude towards people moving in from other states? I've spent most of my life between Baltimore, MD and Charlotte, NC (and resemble the former much more strongly)--I don't sound or act very Southern and I'm very open-minded and friendly. However, some other states I've looked at transferring to are rumored to be very unfriendly to people who aren't from their region, and I would like to know how easy it is to assimilate here.
One more thing: I'm pretty much a full-time career server at this point in my life and will be looking well ahead of time for a great restaurant to transfer my work life to. Does the restaurant scene thrive here?
Hi, all. I'm looking very seriously at attending college at GVSU in the fall. I'm curious about the Grand Rapids area.
A little background:
I'm a female and I'm 22- not a first-time college student, I've been out of the house since 16 and after two years of college I took two years off to work and explore the country, so I'm a little more independent and, ah, world-experienced, I guess, than most first-time college students. I'm used to living alone and spending way more time in the city/surrounding area than on a campus, so while I'm young and social and will go to dorm parties, put any info on GVSU aside for this post--I'm looking for information on the feel of the area I'll be hanging out in. I need the stuff I can't get from maps and travel brochures--
What's the general "feel" of the city? Good bars, clubs, coffee shops, music venues-- fun activities for a 22-year-old?
Enough attractive young people? Is the dating scene fun?
What's the extended surrounding area like? I dig outdoorsy stuff.
What's the attitude towards people moving in from other states? I've spent most of my life between Baltimore, MD and Charlotte, NC (and resemble the former much more strongly)--I don't sound or act very Southern and I'm very open-minded and friendly. However, some other states I've looked at transferring to are rumored to be very unfriendly to people who aren't from their region, and I would like to know how easy it is to assimilate here.
One more thing: I'm pretty much a full-time career server at this point in my life and will be looking well ahead of time for a great restaurant to transfer my work life to. Does the restaurant scene thrive here?
Thanks in advance!!
--A
I'll try to answer a lot of these, even though I'm older than 22.
A lot of young people in their 20's. Grand Rapids is actually well below the national average for age. GVSU is the fastest growing college in Michigan (doubled in 15 years) so Grand Valley students make up a big percentage of that number. Look at checking out Grand Rapids Young Professionals' (GRYP) events to meet other young (and older) people.
A lot of older GVSU students live in apartments downtown, but they double and triple up to make it affordable. Living by yourself and being a server, you might shoot for a studio in Heritage Hill. Plenty of restaurants downtown for work.
There's free bus service from Grand Valley's campus downtown out to Allendale all day, used heavily, so you can live in the dt/heritage hill area and not worry about driving every day.
Nightlife is varied, depending on your tastes. Pyramid Scheme, Intersection, Founders Brewery, Mulligans, Billy's, Hopcat, Wealthy Theatre and many others have live music. Lots of locally owned coffee shops. I'd check out Revue Magazine and Recoil for all things entertainment wise.
I personally meet a lot of people who have moved here from elsewhere, primarily bigger cities, to find a better quality of life and lower cost of living.
Surrounding area is full of outdoorsy stuff, it's sort of what West Michigan is known for. A lot of lakeshore touristy towns along Lake Michigan, massive beaches, dune hiking, huge and growing mountain biking community, hundreds of miles of paved trails for biking and roller-blading, downhill skiing and snowboarding (not like Colorado or Vermont, but good for a Saturday afternoon), boating (if you own a boat, if not, you'll probably soon meet someone who has a boat), kayaking, fishing on the Rogue or Grand Rivers, camping. 2 hours North and you're in some of the most beautiful areas of the country. 3 hours South (you can go by train if you want) and you're in downtown Chicago, indisputably one of the best places in the U.S. to spend a weekend.
There's also a big and growing craft beer community in Grand Rapids. It was just named Beer City USA last year for the first time, tying with Asheville, North Carolina.
I hope that's a good start.
If you want to know what's moving and shaking in Grand Rapids on the business/job growth side, Rapid Growth and the Business Journal are pretty good resources:
Hi, all. I'm looking very seriously at attending college at GVSU in the fall. I'm curious about the Grand Rapids area.
A little background:
I'm a female and I'm 22- not a first-time college student, I've been out of the house since 16 and after two years of college I took two years off to work and explore the country, so I'm a little more independent and, ah, world-experienced, I guess, than most first-time college students. I'm used to living alone and spending way more time in the city/surrounding area than on a campus, so while I'm young and social and will go to dorm parties, put any info on GVSU aside for this post--I'm looking for information on the feel of the area I'll be hanging out in. I need the stuff I can't get from maps and travel brochures--
What's the general "feel" of the city? Good bars, clubs, coffee shops, music venues-- fun activities for a 22-year-old?
Enough attractive young people? Is the dating scene fun?
What's the extended surrounding area like? I dig outdoorsy stuff.
What's the attitude towards people moving in from other states? I've spent most of my life between Baltimore, MD and Charlotte, NC (and resemble the former much more strongly)--I don't sound or act very Southern and I'm very open-minded and friendly. However, some other states I've looked at transferring to are rumored to be very unfriendly to people who aren't from their region, and I would like to know how easy it is to assimilate here.
One more thing: I'm pretty much a full-time career server at this point in my life and will be looking well ahead of time for a great restaurant to transfer my work life to. Does the restaurant scene thrive here?
Thanks in advance!!
--A
I'm 28 now, but spent 18-25 in GR. So that said...
Grand Rapids itself has a pretty decent downtown scene. There are a solid handful of clubs/bars and decent restaurants. It's nothing crazy, but it's enough that you can vary it a little bit and there is something for everyone. The restaurant "scene" is also pretty good for a city of its size.
Dating scene. Pretty good. Obviously a lot of this just depends on you though. You're still young, but people in GR often get married very young. I would not really want to be dating there in my 30s. The girls are there, sometimes they are a bit reserved though. It's not like a big city where people are constantly going on dates and seeing multiple people etc. A lot of people still have very conservative upbringings which sort of influences the dating culture. That said, no complaints, could be much worse.
One thing to note is that GVSU's main campus is a bit outside GR. If you are taking classes at the main campus...it's pretty sterile out there. Very boring if I'm being honest. There is a downtown campus that offers certain classes though. There is also a shuttle between the two campuses.
I'm 28 now, but spent 18-25 in GR. So that said...
Grand Rapids itself has a pretty decent downtown scene. There are a solid handful of clubs/bars and decent restaurants. It's nothing crazy, but it's enough that you can vary it a little bit and there is something for everyone. The restaurant "scene" is also pretty good for a city of its size.
Dating scene. Pretty good. Obviously a lot of this just depends on you though. You're still young, but people in GR often get married very young. I would not really want to be dating there in my 30s. The girls are there, sometimes they are a bit reserved though. It's not like a big city where people are constantly going on dates and seeing multiple people etc. A lot of people still have very conservative upbringings which sort of influences the dating culture. That said, no complaints, could be much worse.
One thing to note is that GVSU's main campus is a bit outside GR. If you are taking classes at the main campus...it's pretty sterile out there. Very boring if I'm being honest. There is a downtown campus that offers certain classes though. There is also a shuttle between the two campuses.
"Dating scene. Pretty good. Obviously a lot of this just depends on you though. You're still young, but people in GR often get married very young. I would not really want to be dating there in my 30s. The girls are there, sometimes they are a bit reserved though. It's not like a big city where people are constantly going on dates and seeing multiple people etc. A lot of people still have very conservative upbringings which sort of influences the dating culture."
^disagree 100% with the underlined red... not accurate at all and a gross generalization... . Not everyone who lives here was born here or grew up here... And not everyone who lives here was born here.... There are a lot of ppl moving to the area from out of state and other parts of MI. So, everything underlined in red can be considered BS if you ask me. I have lived here my entire life and I'm over 30 and not married... and the dating scene is fine.
IDK where or when this "people in GR often get married very young" stereotype came about.. It's not true. And what is "young" anyways?.... Maybe in some circles ppl get married before they are 25 or right out of college.... but it is not true for the majority of ppl here. IDK how someone who no longer lives in GR can comment on any of the "scenes" here now. There has been a lot of growth and additions in the past few yrs.... Maybe these kinds of comments need to be prefaced with "when I lived there___" and "the ppl I knew/ know___".... etc. to be more accurate from now on. Thanks.
Back to the topic:
The main GVSU campus in Allendale isn't too far from downtown or any of the cool areas around the Grapids Rapids area... maybe 15 mins if you take your time to get Downtown. Grand Rapids in a city of about 200,000 ppl w/ over 1 million in the Metro area.
Grand Rapids is really turning into a cool city! It's really been booming the past 10 yrs and esp the past 5 yrs or so. The downtown nightlife is really good! Lots of restaurants, bars and clubs most within walking distance of each other downtown. The taxis are pretty cheap here. There seem to be new restaurants, bars, coffee houses, etc. popping up all over. examples: Knapps Corner area, Eastown, Gas Light Village.
Van Andel Arena (downtown) holds all kinds of events from concerts to sporting events (seats something like 12,000-14,000 ppl depinding on the event) The DeltaPlex also holds concerts and other events. (it's about 1/2 the size of Van Andle) There are a few clubs which hold shows. The Intersection often has awesome artists playing! Devos Place is a big convention center and theater which has plays, opera, conventions, etc..
There are all kinds of festivals held in the area. Festival on the Grand is a really good one! Food, Art and Music downtown. The African American Festival is prob my fav. Always good music and food there! ArtPrize is held throughout downtown in Sept. and is pretty cool! Artwork inside and around pretty much every building downtown and in every park. It's a cool event. Although as an artist I think the 'contest' is stupid... the biggest thing always wins.... so lame! haha! Anyways...
The art museum and Public museum downtown always have great exhibits coming through as well.
Eastown (inbetween EGR and downtown GR) is a cool kind of 'bohemian' neighborhood with shops, art galleries, coffee houses, some cool restaurants like YesterDog & Wolfgang's, ethnic restaurants and small bars (which frequently host live music from local and traveling artists)
We have 2 larger malls and 2 kind of medium/ small malls and all kinds of strip malls and small shops here and there. All the major retail stores rep'd of course.
Cool/ Nice/ Safe areas to live IMO are the Eastown area, Heritage Hill. Anywhere on the NE side of town is pretty nice for the most part. I would stay away from the SW, SE (these areas put you farther from GVSU's campus anyway) and the 'West Side" of GR... just weird areas. GR is pretty safe for a city it's size (safer than most cities it's size).. but all cities have their not so great areas..
If you enjoy beer then you will enjoy the micro breweries here! Founders, Hop Cat & Perrin to name a few good ones.
If you like the outdoors then you should really enjoy GR and West MI in general!! There are lakes, rivers and streams everywhere for boating, fishing and swimming. Parks all over the place. Some with park beaches (John Collins Park on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids and Millenium Park). Lake MI is only about 35 mins- 1 hr away depending where you are going. Tons of nice sandy beaches and cool beach towns like Grand Haven and Saugatuck (only about 40 mins away). There are all kinds of cool beach towns up and down the Lake MI coast. Pentwater, Ludington, Manistee, Traverse City (is esp. awesome) and Petoskey are all really great places for a day or weekend trip. If you snowboard or ski (or want to learn to do either) there are 2 ski areas (Cannonsburg and Pando) within about 10 miles of downtown. Pando has tubbing as well. There are bigger and nicer resorts a couple of hrs north.
That's about all I can think of to share with you.
Hope this info helps!
Last edited by mikeD-is-Me; 05-03-2013 at 09:31 PM..
Reason: I left out some info that I thought might help
Be aware that GR is much smaller than Baltimore or Charlotte, but for a city as small as this is definitely makes up for it in quality. Great beer, up and coming music scene, and northern Michigan has some nice camping, towns, and small music festivals. GVSU is also a great school.
-------------------------------------
There are all kinds of festivals held in the area. Festival on the Grand is a really good one! Food, Art and Music downtown. The African American Festival is prob my fav. Always good music and food there! ArtPrize is held throughout downtown in Sept. and is pretty cool! Artwork inside and around pretty much every building downtown and in every park. It's a cool event. Although as an artist I think the 'contest' is stupid... the biggest thing always wins.... so lame! haha! Anyways...
The art museum and Public museum downtown always have great exhibits coming through as well.
-----------------------------------------
The thing I noticed about ArtPrize, though the quality is fine - size does seem to matter a lot.
GVSU has a beautiful campus, reasonable tuition for in state. However I understand NC has some of the cheapest in state tuition in the nation. I was looking and it's around 2000-3000 less per year than GVSU. Why would you give that up?
We also have very large amounts of snow.
Unemployment rate is the same in MI and NC, although GR is doing a bit better compared to the rest of the state, kind of like how Raleigh is in NC. In other words economic opportunities once you graduate are okay, but not great, but no better or worse than NC.
Still I would stay put if I were you. To be totally honest I don't like it here. I'm one of a lot of young people restless to leave. Will be doing so in 2014.
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Is the dating scene fun?
