[malamute]

Originally Posted by mackinac81

I ALWAYS have one eye on GR. I'd move back there or Kzoo in a heartbeat.

People put GR and Western Michigan down because they aren't as "progressive" as the other parts of the state, certainly not as progressive as Detroit but at least there is still a work ethic.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by danielj72

GR used to be our states bright spot, but im afraid that the rest of the state is dragging it down too. More of that city looks like the division street ghetto than it used to.

Even if things are a bit down now, the core city is still worlds better than it was in the mid-80s when everything south of Heritage Hill was ghetto.

[Sparrow_temp]

People have weird ideas about what "progressive" means. I think the word has been co-opted by the political left and simply means "secular-progressive/liberal" now. Most places that get labeled progressive turn out to be moral cesspools. When I think of Detroit -- I think cesspool -- not progressive.

Detroit has been clinging to the auto industry and its past glory -- this is not progressive. GR and western MI have actually been progressive which is why they've been more economically successful.

Originally Posted by malamute

People put GR and Western Michigan down because they aren't as "progressive" as the other parts of the state, certainly not as progressive as Detroit but at least there is still a work ethic.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by danielj72

GR used to be our states bright spot, but im afraid that the rest of the state is dragging it down too. More of that city looks like the division street ghetto than it used to.

Huh? There is redevelopment going on in pretty much every quadrant of Grand Rapids. And have you been on South Division lately? Developers are even investing money THERE, of all places.

[michigan83]

94% retention rate of GVSU grads in West Michigan is more than just a "blip."

I think these numbers mean more than some of you are claiming.

I graduated from GVSU, and believe me, the students were not "all from Grand Rapids." My roommates in college were from Chicago, Hudson (southern MI) and the Lansing area. A lot of the students in my classes were "east siders," as they called themselves, meaning from the Detroit suburbs usually. I would be interested to know what the actual breakdown is in student population.

One of the most common things I heard while going there was, "I'm from the other side of the state, but I really like it here. Grand Rapids is super nice."

Interestingly, though, I ended up working in the Lansing area after I graduated! Would have liked to work in GR, but I've grown to appreciate Lansing/East Lansing somewhat too.

[alliteration]

I live in the Lansing area, but I work in GR area often enough. I think GR is one of the few progressive areas in the state, and definitely one of the better cities to live in. I don't really care for Michigan all that much, but if I were going to choose to live here, it would be between GR, AA, and TC. And from what I can tell, the city is undergoing vast changes for the better, unlike the rest of the state. My only complaint about the GR area is that the people are really pretty strange and not nearly as friendly as the people in the Lansing area.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

People have weird ideas about what "progressive" means. I think the word has been co-opted by the political left and simply means "secular-progressive/liberal" now. Most places that get labeled progressive turn out to be moral cesspools. When I think of Detroit -- I think cesspool -- not progressive.

Detroit has been clinging to the auto industry and its past glory -- this is not progressive. GR and western MI have actually been progressive which is why they've been more economically successful.

True. I think liberals use progressive instead of the word liberal so to them it means the same thing. Liberal policies didn't turn out so well for their cities (like Detroit) or states like California and so now they're turning to some "progressive" ideal instead which makes it easier for them to abandon the liberal cities and states with the very high taxes they created.