I Love Ionia, and Here’s Why

A few weeks ago, I relayed a link that declared East Grand Rapids the happiest city in Michigan. The trouble was, it also listed Ionia as one of the most miserable in Michigan.

But they're not, and they went out of their way Tuesday to show me why.

Cathy Hoppaugh, a real estate agent, and a lifelong Ionia resident was the first to take exception to the story. She also shared it to her friends in Ionia, and the reaction was instant, driving the hits on the post to all time highs.

So she took it upon herself to invite me to lunch in Ionia, and I accepted, partly because I never say no to a free lunch, and partly because Cathy was earnest in her community pride. Ionia, she told me, is a pretty good place.

And to be honest, experience told me she was right. During my last stint in West Michigan at 104.5 FM (back when it was known as Sunny FM), I knew Ionia to be the home of the Free Fair, and back then the Fair brought in some pretty big acts during their summer run. Def Leppard and the New Kids on the Block were among the shows the Fair brought in during my time at Sunny. A summer evening spent at the Fair going to a show and riding The Zipper could hardly be called 'miserable'.

So I headed out to meet with Cathy, who had gathered a group of community leaders at Olivera's, a popular sports bar across from the Fairgrounds. There was Tina from the Chamber of Commerce, Dan Belice (the Mayor), Cathy's son Boomer, who works at a local bank, Halina, who runs the restaurant, Troy from the Public Safety Department and another Tina, who was a local business woman. Becca from the Free Fair joined us later.

"Why did you publish that article?" I was asked shortly after arriving for lunch at Olivera's, which is right across from the Fairgrounds.

Fair question. I found the contrast between happy and miserable in that short of a distance (35 miles) along a main road (M-21) in West Michigan to be interesting, so I went with it. The criteria on which the web site determined 'Happiness' was sketchy at best, and I admitted as much on the air. For instance, percentage of married couples is a weird criteria for happiness, because the assumption there is, 'if you're married then you're happy'. Try running that one by my ex-wife.

Still, it hurts when your community is pointed out as being 'miserable', especially when you know for a fact that it isn't.

So thanks to Cathy and her friends for inviting me out to talk about their town. The very fact that so many people took the time out of their day to come out and say hello and prove to me that Ionia is a great place to raise a family, have a business and live a good life makes me safe in the knowledge that there isn't a whole lot of misery in Ionia.

It also taught me a couple of things:

1) Community pride is never a bad thing. Being proud of where you live is a strong quality which means you'll always go the extra step to make your town a better place. It's a quality that while not unique to Michigan, runs strong here.

2) In a world where it's becoming okay to just talk to each other over a computer, it's nice to see someone take the time out to meet face to face. I can now say I know people in Ionia, which I couldn't before.

Thanks for the great meal, the gift bag, the I LOVE IONIA t-shirt, the Sozo coffee, the mug and the hair care products. But more importantly thanks for the great conversation about city government, college football, NKOTB concerts, and Ionia!