SE Grand Rapids News

Grand Rapids may have been left out of 24/7 Wall Street’s recent list of 50 Best Places to Live in the U.S., but that hasn’t stopped Kent County Republican Party Chair Joel Freeman from considering it a desirable place.

“Having grown up just outside of Grand Rapids, it was not difficult for my wife and I to decide to start our family in Grand Rapids,” Freeman told SE Grand Rapids News.

24/7 Wall Street named Grand Rapids in Minnesota, not Michigan, as one of the 50 Best Places. Cities were chosen and ranked based on a variety of factors, including the ratio of median home value and median income, average cost of goods and services in the area, unemployment rate, poverty rate, mortality rate, average travel time to work, crime rates, and the amount of venues such as restaurants and movie theaters per capita.

“Grand Rapids, located in northern Minnesota, is one of several cities in the state to rank on this list,” the list states. “With a staggeringly low unemployment rate of just 0.6 percent, virtually anyone in the city who wants a job can get one. Grand Rapids residents also benefit from a low cost of living, as goods and services in the city are about 8 percent less expensive on average than they are nationwide. Quality of life in Grand Rapids is also supported by easy access to a wide range of amenities. The city has a far greater than typical concentration of restaurants, bars, hotels, fitness centers, museums, and movie theaters on a per capita basis.”

Freeman said the criteria used for the list is the exact reason why his family choose to locate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“The quality of life, cost of living and consistent economy make Grand Rapids (Michigan) very attractive to other young families,” Freeman said. “And you can't beat that Lake Michigan shoreline.”

Michigan cities that were named to the 50 Best Cities list were Traverse City and St. Joseph.