Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids very quickly became Michigan’s second largest city, behind Detroit. There’s a lot to love here, but perhaps the best thing is that it’s a fast-paced, modern city. First, Grand Rapids is committed to sustainability. The city uses hybrid electric buses, the Rapid Central Station has a green roof, it’s home to the world’s first LEED-certified microbrewery, art museum and more, and is committed to eliminating net carbon emissions entirely by 2050.

Second, the city is an impressive agriculture hub, featured every day at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. The agribusiness industry has been growing steadily for the past decade and GR is a great place to find local, seasonal produce. Lastly, the city is a bustling hub of activity and culture for western Michigan. In addition to being the location of the yearly ArtPrize competition, there are countless museums, theaters, and gardens in the city. Finally, and maybe most importantly to some, it is nicknamed Beer City USA because its over 80 breweries, many of which offer world-class brews.

If you’ve never lived in the midwest you’re going to have a hard time adjusting to the weather in Grand Rapids. For what they lack in numerical heat, the summer makes up for in humidity. Whatever you do, do not start arguing with a local Michigander about the summers. They do not care if you’re from Florida, they will win the humidity argument. In the opposite season, the winters can be bru-tal. Lake Effect snow is no joke and the high precipitation the city sees turns to mountains of groan-inducing snow from November to sometimes March. If you’re not a fan of or are not used to the snow, it will be a hard adjustment.

Here are several cons a local notes about Grand Rapids: Harder to find good non-American/non-Americanized food (if you like Asian food/cooking you're going to have a hard time). Lack of diversity (Grand Rapids is very very white compared to Oakland County) with a more of the local population having a mentality of "my family is here so why go anywhere else" which is great for them but can make finding new friends to hang out with difficult

Standard of living and costs are about the same. Social life is what you make of it. There's definitely a bigger beer and bar scene here. Another nice perk of Grand Rapids is that it has it's own airport. Although it's definitely not as large as DTW, going through security is a breeze and usually only takes a few minutes. Plus the domestic flights that they do offer can be pretty cheap. Airport parking is also cheaper and easier.