[skyl4rk]

Originally Posted by actinic

Lol, like West Michigan a bit?

Just picking the best cities in Michigan. They all happen to be west.

[BigLake]

This is a tallest midget contest... But probably (Ann Arbor, TC and maybe GR being the only standouts)...

Ann Arbor
Traverse City
Grand Rapids
Grosse Pointe
Birmingham
Holland
Grand Haven
Harbor Springs/Petoskey
Marquette

????

[actinic]

Originally Posted by skyl4rk

Just picking the best cities in Michigan. They all happen to be west.

Kalamazoo over Birmingham, Grosse Point, or Royal Oak? Tell me why.

[skyl4rk]

Originally Posted by actinic

Kalamazoo over Birmingham, Grosse Point, or Royal Oak? Tell me why.

I like walkability, bike-ability, living authentic downtowns, historic houses and buildings, interesting people (hard to define) and I like Lake Michigan beaches and harbors a lot. I prefer to avoid suburbs and car oriented development.

However, I have not spent much time in Birmingham, Gross Point or Royal Oak, I think I have been to each of these places maybe once or twice, so I have to plead ignorance. What I have seen in SE MI that I liked were Woodbridge/Midtown in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Ferndale and Wyandotte. Maybe Chelsea. But none of these places compete with the cities in my list.

Of course, these lists are all based on perspective and opinion and I don't mind if others rank them differently.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

I hate subjective "best of" lists. The criteria is always fuzzy and I question their statistical validity. They're usually not much more than click bait.

I think making any "best of" or "top 10" cities list is futile because different people have different needs when it comes to where they live. A single person in their 20s looking for a vibrant nightlife will likely be bored to tears in Novi, while a young family with children isn't going to care about the number of nightclubs in a given city.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Arthur Digby Sellers

I hate subjective "best of" lists. The criteria is always fuzzy and I question their statistical validity. They're usually not much more than click bait.

I think making any "best of" or "top 10" cities list is futile because different people have different needs when it comes to where they live. A single person in their 20s looking for a vibrant nightlife will likely be bored to tears in Novi, while a young family with children isn't going to care about the number of nightclubs in a given city.

Exactly. And when they use something like "crime rates?" Well Grand Rapids for instance is probably 20x larger than the city of Novi, and it's a CITY, so it will have an average crime rate higher than Novi. But you can find a lot of neighborhoods in GR that are just as safe if not safer than Novi as well.

Also, why do they rate some of these cities so high because their home values are "78% higher than the State average?" That's not necessarily a good thing. The one thing for certain is that you'll spend more. It doesn't mean it's a good investment.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by Tekkie

If we're doing lists, then here's mine.

1) Detroit - It's far from perfect, but it has all the major sports, some great music venues, good bars, and is relatively bicycle friendly. In 10 years, Detroit could be the next Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, or other up-and-coming mid-size city.

2) Ann Arbor - College town with lots of smart people, college sports, bars, and dining options. Also, it's very bicycle friendly, which gets points in my book.

3) Grand Rapids - Not nearly as large as Detroit or offering as many amenities, but as Michigan's 2nd largest city, it has a lot of cool offerings. It's also becoming a major micro-brew hub.

4) Royal Oak - What can I say, this is Metro Detroit's place to be for young professionals. And it keeps growing, with new lofts and entertainment options being added every few years.

5) Traverse City - Gorgeous small city off of Lake Michigan with a ton of amenities. Also, lots of great biking.

6) Birmingham - Kind of hoity-toity, but still a pretty nice downtown with lots of amenities. The main movie theater there is pretty cool.

7) Kalamazoo - Cool little college town that's relatively quiet.

8) Muskegon - Beautiful small town off of Lake Michigan.

9) Lansing - State capital with lots of amenities and somewhat of a college-town feel. It's also relatively quiet on the outskirts.

10) Ferndale - Basically Royal Oak, Jr., or Royal Oak for hipsters and gays. Small but thriving downtown.

This. ^^^

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by Mavigo

Wooo. My town is number nine and that Victorian mansion is across from the public library! But in all honesty, aside from Ann Arbor and some parts of Royal Oak and East Lansing, those are suburbs not actual cities and are synonymous with monotony and pedestrian inaccessibility. I would name this article "10 best suburban areas in Michigan", aside from Grand Rapids and maybe Traverse city, there really are no actual cities to live in in this state (Detroit, Flint and those other embarrassments don't count).

Last time I was there, Midland (the OP's list's #1) isn't the suburb or anything. Just cornfields between there and Bay City or Saginaw

[keithwand]

I would add Birmingham, Traverse City, Petoskey, charlevoix.
Heck, most towns Up North and NW!

[JoulesMSU]

6. Grand Blanc = your list is invalid. Nothing in the Flint area is "best [anything]" in Michigan.