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Old 03-12-2010, 02:35 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,842 times
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I am considering moving to the Grand Rapids area for school. My other options would be Ann Arbor or Lansing. I am from Cincinnati so I am assuming there isn't much difference between the areas but the normal stuff (cost of living, shopping, etc.) If any of you have any input (compare/contrast, experiences, etc.) regarding any of the cities in MI, I would appreciate it. I am used to the "conservative" style city like Cincy so that doesn't bother me at all. I've planned a road trip to visit next month sometime, so any tips or spots I should check out please let me know. I'm 29 and would be moving with my gf and 2 small dogs and just looking for some comments that might give me a better view of the cities. I look foward to some responses and thanks in advance for your help.
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Old 03-12-2010, 06:45 PM
 
Location: Wyoming, MI
47 posts, read 98,111 times
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I've lived in the Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor areas, although I'm not intimately familiar with either. Ann Arbor has more of a college town feel, where about a third of the population is college students, and the University of Michigan main campus is in the heart of the city. I sometimes feel that Ann Arbor is a small town transformed into a large one solely due to the existence of U of M. Grand Rapids feels more like a city, more business oriented. Housing is more expensive in Ann Arbor.. 1.5 to 2x the price of comparable housing in GR. As far as shopping goes, the GR area probably has more of the larger department stores/malls (in the neighboring suburbs). But you also don't have to drive too far outside of AA to find more shopping malls/department stores. I think both are good places to raise a family if you are concerned about that at all. As far as parts of the cities to see, I'm not sure whether you mean attractions or just to get a feel for the city. If it's the latter, in Ann Arbor I'd probably visit the University of Michigan downtown campus and the surrounding area. For Grand Rapids, probably the downtown area southeast of the 131 and I-196 interchange.

Last edited by francishsu; 03-12-2010 at 06:55 PM..
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