Top Ten Places to raise a family

Mott the Hoople said:
Actually all these Midwestern towns have something negative in common. They’re pretty boring.
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they aren't boring so long as we keep the Ohioans out......

we are #5 on the Trinity list....
http://www.grbj.com/articles/85791-grand-rapids-ranks-as-no-5-most-hipster-market-in-us

2017

#2 - Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings - Michigan, PricewaterhouseCoopers
#1 - Fastest Growing US Economy - Grand Rapids, HeadlightData.com
#19 - Best Cities in the US - Grand Rapids, US News.com
#2 - Grand Rapids named the 2nd best place to be an Millennial, Trulia.com
#3 - Big Cities with the Healthiest Housing Markets - Grand Rapids, SmartAsset.com
#4 - "Housing Markets to Watch 2017" - Grand Rapids,Trulia
#5 - Best Large Cities to Start a Business - Grand Rapids, WalletHub
#9 - Hottest Hipster Markets in the US - Grand Rapids, Realtor.com and Yelp
#3 - Hottest Housing Markets in the US - Kentwood, Realtor.com
#5 - America's Most Underrated Cities - Grand Rapids, Travel + Leisure
2016

Best US cities for affordable home ownership - #3 Grand Rapids, Lawnstarter.com
Best States to Make a Living in 2016 - #7 Michigan, Forbes.com
Best U.S. City to start a business in for 2016 - #2 Grand Rapids, MI, Wallethub
Top 7 Cities where incomes have rebounded most since the Great Recession - Grand Rapids, MI, Yahoo Finance
Most Improved State for Business - #1 Michigan, CNBC
Ranked 3rd in 2016 Leading Locations Report from Area Development Magazine
Grand Rapids ranked 7th “Best Place to Live in the U.S for Quality of Life” in 2016 by News and World Report
Grand Rapids ranked one of Top 20 best places to live in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report
Grand Rapids the best city in the U.S. to invest in housing by Forbes
Ford Airport ranked #1 airport in North America by Airports Council International (ACI)
Michigan ranks No. 6 in nation for major new corporate facilities by Site Selection Magazine
Best place to own a home - #2 Grand Rapids, porch.com
Grand Rapids’ Zoo School named among 14 most innovative in America by Tech Insider
Top 10 US Supply Chain Schools of 2016 – MSU, Western, & Michigan by U.S. News and World Report
The Right Place ranked one of the best economic development organizations in the nation by Global Trade Magazine
2015

Ranked #1 city to raise a family out of 100 largest metros by Forbes
Named 2nd best U.S. city to find a job by Forbes
Ranked #3 city in the nation for economic growth by The Detroit Free Press
Spectrum Health ranked in top 50 for 10 specialties by U.S. News and World Report
#1 place to visit in "Top 15 places to visit in the U.S. for 2015" by Groupon
First place in the U.S. Conference of Mayors/USA Funds 2015 National Education Pathwayswith a Purpose Awards Program by SYS-Con Media
First place in the U.S. Manufacturing Revival by Forbes
Ranked 3rd in 2015 Leading Locations Report from Area Development Magazine
2014

Grand Rapds MSA ranked #3 for economic performance by The Manhattan Institute
Ranked 4th as America's Smartest Cities Report by Forbes
Grand Rapids ranked in Top 25 among Best Performing Cities in America Study by Milken Institute
Ranked 3rd in Top 5 Cities for New Engineering Jobs by Change the Equation
Named one of 50 States, 50 Spots for 2014 by CNN
Named one of the 10 Best Places to Visit in the U.S. by Amtrak
Ranked 9th Top 10 cities with affordable healthcare by Livability.com
Ranked 9th as America's 10 most exciting Mid-Sized Cities by MOVOTO Blog
Ranked 3rd for best mid-size cities for jobs in 2014 by Forbes
Named one of the most underrated placed in the U.S. by Global Yodel
2013

Ranked 7th as the Happiest Cities to work in right now by Forbes
Named one of the top 15 U.S. Cities Emerging Downtowns by Forbes
Named one of the ten best cities to find employment right now by Forbes
Named one of the nine "Great Places You've (Maybe) Never Heard of" by Mother Earth News
Named one of the 5 most beer-friendly cities in America by Details.com
Ranks as second most 'secure' metro in the U.S. by Farmers Insurance
Grand Rapids and the Gold Coast named #1 top US destination in 2014 by Lonely Planet
Named in Holiday Travel: 9 places to eat, drink, and be merry by ZAGAT.com
Named of 14 destinations for your 2014 travel bucket list by Huffington Post
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https://www.rightplace.org/why-west-michigan/rankings
 
PostmodernProphet said:
they aren't boring so long as we keep the Ohioans out......
we are #5 on the Trinity list....
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My parents were from the Grand Rapids area. We drove up every single year, till I moved out at age 19, to visit the grands. I wish I could say that I have happy memories of the place but I don't. In the 60s and early 70s it was like most industrial American cities -- filthy, smog- and crime-ridden, and smelly n uglier than roadkill in July.

My husband informs me that GR has had quite a renaissance and is a tech hub as well. So we're thinking of driving down next summer and spending a few days visiting. What would you recommend for us, to not miss and to avoid? I'm willing to give her another look.
 
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Cypress said:
Top notch school, as far as I could tell. I was just a little stressed out about being so far from the ocean!
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You would have only been an hour away from Lake Michigan! The whole grea Lakes region is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Often exceeding either coast in beauty. These may seem like bold words but are non the less true but a drive across rt. 2 in Wisconsin puts the PCH to shame we’re scenic beauty is concerned.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Oh I can see that for sure. That part of Illinois is just a corn and soybean wasteland. He escaped as soon as he could too!
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Well if you just drive through on the highway sure but there’s plenty of Woodlands and river valleys that might change your perspective if you get off the danged highway.

I often hear coastal folks belittle the Midwest and Sure it’s not exactly the most awe inspiring scenery in the agricultural intensive regions but it’s also some of the finest land in the world which explains why the Great Lakes Region is the second largest population center in the nation and produces more economically, culturally, industrially, scientifically and technologically than the Pacific Coast region does which comes as quite a surprise to people who haven’t studied technology transfer and many don’t realize that the population of the Great Lakes region is comparable to the North East region and is significantly larger than the Pacific Coast region.
 
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ThatOwlWoman said:
My parents were from the Grand Rapids area. We drove up every single year till I moved out at age 19 to visit the grands. I wish I could say that I have happy memories of the place but I don't. In the 60s and early 70s it was like most industrial American cities -- filthy, smog- and crime-ridden, and smelly n uglier than roadkill in July.

My husband informs me that GR has had quite a renaissance and is a tech hub as well. So we're thinking of driving down next summer and spending a few days visiting. What would you recommend for us, to not miss and to avoid? I'm willing to give her another look.
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depends on what interests you.......you could come during the world's largest art festival.........or the comedy week.......it's the Beer capital of the world so you could visit the craft breweries......walk the Medical Mile.......or the Frederik Meijer Gardens......there's the new Outlet Mall......the Gold Coast (Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven) to enjoy the beach.....
 
PostmodernProphet said:
depends on what interests you.......you could come during the world's largest art festival.........or the comedy week.......it's the Beer capital of the world so you could visit the craft breweries......walk the Medical Mile.......or the Frederik Meijer Gardens......there's the new Outlet Mall......the Gold Coast (Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven) to enjoy the beach.....
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You can also take your chances with their Ubber Drivers...do you feel lucky?
 
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