10 Things to Love about Grand Rapids
Michael Weitzman • November 23, 2015
Ask a Grand Rapids real estate agent what’s to love about Grand Rapids , and you’ll be lucky to get him to stop at 10! Here are just a sampling of items that make other people’s lists as well as mine.
- Great Jobs Outlook: A great jobs market can create an extra sense of employment security for the whole community. Grand Rapids is rated 4th on Forbes.com’s list of overall Best Cities for Finding Jobs (2014), and 3rd for mid-sized cities.
- Happy People: And workers are happy here too! Forbes.com also ranked Grand Rapids as #7 in Happiest Cities to Work in Right Now (2013).
- Great Place to Visit: It’s always nice to live somewhere that your friends and family would like to visit on its own, and Grand Rapids was ranked #1 Top U.S. Travel Destination according to Thelonelyplanet.com (2014).
- Great Place for Families: Grand Rapids and nearby areas are fantastic for family activities, schools, and neighborhoods, so it’s no surprise to see Grand Rapids’ #1 ranking on Forbes.com’s Best Cities for Raising a Family (2012).
- Exciting Reputation: Life is more interesting if you live in or near an exciting place like #9 on movotoblog.com’s list of “America’s Most Exciting Midsized Cities (2014). Their list was compiled based on criteria like diversity, age, park acreage, museums, theaters, and music venues.
- Beer Destination: For beer drinkers, you’ll have a lot of exploring to do in Beer City USA. Grand Rapids was ranked #1 in the Beer City USA Poll (2012-2013) as well as USA Today (2014).
- Art Destination: As home of the Largest Art Competition in the World – ArtPrize (2009-2015) – Grand Rapids has become an art destination.
- Security: Whether you live in the city or nearby, there’s comfort in knowing Grand Rapids was identified as #2 Most Secure Metro in the U.S. by State Farm Insurance (2014).
- Great Economy: Grand Rapids’ economy is so great, in fact, that the Brookings Institution named it 69th Fastest Growing Economy in the World (2014), and 9th Fastest Growing Economy in the U.S. (2015). The Manhattan Institute also ranked Grand Rapids #3 on its list of top metropolitan areas in terms of economic performance (2014).
- Health Care: Due to the proximity of several great hospitals and the competition among them, Grand Rapids ranked #9 in Livability.com’s Most Affordable Health Care Cities (2014). That can make a big difference for anyone, and particularly if you are considering places to retire and live comfortably.
Whether you make your home right in Grand Rapids or in one of the selection of nearby suburbs, or if you’re just thinking of relocating to Grand Rapids , you can still benefit from the advantages of a diverse city, a booming economy, and a vibrant metro area. Want to learn more? Contact The Sprich Group when you’re ready to find a new Grand Rapids home.
Photo: Frances Schermers ( some rights reserved )
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