Grand Rapids has a lot of people in the metro area, imo their down town is generally better. But I do like how you said ann arbor is more bougie, and grand rapids is more everyman. But grand rapids is still nice, not dirty, just not feeling exclusively expensive. Still great stuff, probably less variety in cuisine (ann arbor has egyptian, ethiopian, middle persian, arab, thai, lous, indian, irish, german, french, new-age, americana diner classics, and that's just what comes to mind.) but still REALLY good food (especially european/american, in Grand Rapids), and for better prices usually. Even though the stores feel exclusive in A2, the people aren't as much as the stores imply, usually. In my experience, Ann Arborites are surprisingly friendly most of the time, as long as you introduce yourself with a smile. The Blind Pig also has had a lot of A and B list acts pass through, and so does Rackham & Hill auditoriums, and Angell Hall. imo, ann arbor has one of the best education systems in the country, granted, that is *just my opinion.* However, we have Mac Open, one of the best public schools (flagship lottery school, but Bach and Angell districts are comparable, no A2 school is bad though, do your own research) in michigan. We have Community high, which wins Latin, Mock Trial, musical, theater and journalism awards AT LEAST once a decade. It also allows you to enroll in university classes for high school credit, so you can get into field-specific classes in high school. We also have WCC, which is one of the better trade schools, especially for welding. We also have an EXTENSIVE private school system, with steiner (k-12), secular (k-12), catholic (k-12), lutheran and non-denominational christian k-8. As well as charter schools, if you want your kid exposed to people from different communities (rural and urban of all flavors) What show is that at 5:08? Ann Arbor has some really nice amenities that are ALWAYS improving. We have a ton of neighborhood parks, and in the summer there's almost always an event happening downtown with free concerts and sometimes even movies, the Art Fair is the most famous nationally, but Top of the Park is the locals favorite, free movies at night on a projector outside, acrobatic, dance, theater and musical performances all evening long, and it lasts for a couple weeks or a month in early summer. For 120k people, we have 3 water parks and 1 beach/large dock on the river. There's a "cascade" of shutes of water on the river wide and deep enough for people in canoes and inner tubes, 3 canoe liveries and 1 band shell. We also have Shakespear in the Arb (the arb is a famous and very well maintained nature preserve/arboretum owned by the U of M, right next to their hospital). There's also going to be a 300 person, 20 ft tall, glass walled, heated pavilion in a park by the river next to the soon to be out-door ice skating rink. We also have 2 ice skating rinks that are subsidized (or 1 right now and 1 in fall 2024). We also have the B2B trail, which already connects ann arbor with Ypsi (closest neighboring city), but will also connect a2 to Dexter by 2025, and chelsea sometime in the next 5 years, for HUNDREDS of miles of 10 ft wide designated biking trails, along the river, primarily through parks and protected forests, always nearby to food and water. They're even considering closing some of the downtown streets to give restaurants and pedestrians more room for business. I would love a comparison of the best mass transit in each michigan city, and if you're interested, the cities/metro's plans for further transit development, be it air, rail, car, bike or walking. But, you're also not an urbanist YT channel.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am applying for jobs currently in MI and know this may be a decision I have to make in the near future. I feel like there are so many pros to both places. I am a single 28 year old young professional looking for a hip place to live with a lot going on, I love music/art, I'm liberal, definitely a hippie type. I love nature and grew up going to Lake Erie which is a huge pull to GR with proximity to the lake. I've been to A2 numerous times and love it but am worried about being surrounded only by college kids; on the contrary I've been to GR and LOVED Eastown but I'm nervous GR may be too conservative and family oriented. Any thoughts or perspective on this would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks again man.
The college vibe is alive in AA but the city is so much more than that. It's a great city with a lot of nature, parks, and events happening all the time. I would visit and see for yourself. Reach out with any question 👉 info@trulivingroup.com
Ive lived in both towns. Prefer A2 bc it’s more liberal, albeit smaller. Love downtown, same stores for decades. Love UM offerings for arts. Yes, finding housing can be hard- look after students move out in spring. GRap is so extra Calvinist conservative, and yes, often racist, that it was oppressive, imo. Winter in Grand Rapids is colder and a ton of wet snow. Yep there are venues. I moved to Los Angeles 😎
