[timeofseasons]

Single, married, or not, simple and easy pick Grand Rapids. Most who claim Ann Arbor is just blind folded with the public university there.

[michigan83]

I think which ever area we chose, we will not be looking at homes right in town. We would like a bit of property but still want to be within 10-15 minutes of either downtown area.

If property and a 15 minute commute into town are what you're looking for, Grand Rapids will be tough to beat. Surrounding communities like Rockford, Ada, Lowell, and Forest Hills are excellent and fit your description.

[MittenDweller82]

Originally Posted by timeofseasons

Single, married, or not, simple and easy pick Grand Rapids. Most who claim Ann Arbor is just blind folded with the public university there.

Ahh, the infamous Ann Arbor basher fully equipped with false statistics and empty statements has come out of the wood work folks. Except this time he did the same....give us no reasons why.

[pjxndvm]

If you are thinking of GR, keep on moving west and look at Spring Lake or Grand Haven. Smaller towns, better schools. (EGR and Forest Hills are very good though) I have lived in EGR my whole life until I moved here to SL. Great schools, bike paths, and very diverse housing. Spring Lake village taxes are high, so stay out of there. SL township is less expensive, as is GH. Many people drive to GR from here. There is not the urban decay like GR. We would never move back to GR.

[313er]

Conklin Is Very Nice too, Its About 20 mins northwest of grand rapids, 20 mins east Of Lake Michigan and Michigan Adventures, Its Very Rural, Small and quiet.

[Jwo85]

Ann Arbor has division 1 sports for family or adult time to enjoy plus your not far from Detroit to go watch major league sports (Yes even including the Lions.) Your also not too far from a a foreign country (Canada) that would offer international cultural learning.

Then there is The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Detroit science center for the kids. In the suburbs you have the Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford Museum,Greenfield Village. 2 hours away from Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio.

Adult fun getaway can be found at the casinos in Detroit and Canada whether you gamble or not, catch a show or do the spa package. Enjoy opera's or plays at Detroit's finest theatres. I heard the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is back. Major music artists are always in the metro Detroit area so you could catch a show from them at one of the venues.

I never been to Grand Rapids, but that is what's available to you in proximity by living in Ann Arbor.

[ForStarters]

Ann Arbor has the diversity and energy of a very large city, while still being relatively small and manageable. It also has the luxury of being located down the road from a major metropolitan area, so you have access to pretty much all of the big city attractions you'd find in other major metros.

On the other hand, Grand Rapids is extremely cosmopolitan for a mid-sized city. GR seems to have a strong sense of "local" and it has the advantage of being the dominate cultural and economic force in its region, thus, West Michigan looks to GR as its central powerhouse. Ann Arbor is somewhat eclipsed by Metro Detroit in that regard.

Ann Arbor seems to have a faster pace than Grand Rapids. AA is Michigan's progressive, liberal beacon, while GR is Michigan's traditional, conservative stronghold. However, these cities do not really fit the usual liberal/conservative stereotypes. Ann Arbor has little in common with the self-righteous liberalism found in California, and Grand Rapids has little in common with the backwoods conservatism found in the American South. The nature of AA and GR, respectively, has more to do with their populations' political beliefs than cultural attitudes. Both cities are of the most successful in the state in terms of economics. Both have vibrant urban cores, history, and the potential for growth. Ann Arbor has much wider cultural offerings, cuisine choices, and academic people. GR has more business and industry, more population, and better access to natural resources. AA has an underlying hippie presence, while GR has an underlying religious Dutch presence.

I would live in either GR or AA. Neither city really trumps the other in any significant way. On almost every measure I can think of, they seem to be pretty equal in terms of quality of life for mid-sized cities. It really just depends on your personal preferences.

[delilah820]

I realize this is an old thread but am hoping the OP might see this. I'm making the same considerations right now and was curious which choice you made, how happy you've been with your choice, and why? I have a 3yr old, so the family aspects are of utmost importance.

[mjlo]

Both of these cities have changed for the better quite a bit even in the last 5 years. I'm not sure it would be the same conversation.

[brodie734]

I wouldn't say Ann Arbor has changed for the better... it's become more gentrified and more upscale as the university has begun chasing wealthier and wealthier out of state and international students and spurred a big boom in luxury accommodations. Don't get me wrong, A2 has always had a tony aspect, but that used be balanced by both a blue collar segment and by the hippie dippy Keep Ann Arbor Weird types... but the former have evaporated along with most of Washtenaw County's manufacturing jobs and the latter have been priced out. It's interesting to note how many people involved in the return of Detroit's cool factor are ex-Ann Arborites who left town for cheaper prices in the D. But it still has so much to offer.

Grand Rapids has absolutely improved dramatically over the past decade. The sheer number of things to do is fantastic for a city that size. I'd call Grand Rapids an amazing value at this point.