Grand Rapids–One Of The Country’s “Emerging Downtowns”

More accolades coming in for our area! Grand Rapids, already the top place in America to raise a family and Beer City USA, now our downtown is getting props too! With the help of the new City Market, a resurgence in bars and food, and Artprize, downtown Grand Rapids is now one of Forbes Magazines "Emerging Downtowns"

The article "Downtowns: What's Behind America's Most Surprising Real Estate Boom" Grand Rapids is compared to places like Denver and Louisville.

Here's what the mag says about The Furniture City

"Since the mid-1990s, the small Michigan city has drummed up billions in public-private funding. Investments have yielded the Van Andel Arena, the new $60 million home of the Grand Rapids Museum, a $220 million convention center, and $1 billion in new hospitals and new headquarters for Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. Rockford Construction has converted more than a dozen abandoned warehouses and office buildings into 400,000 square feet of updated residential, retail and office space. This summer will welcome the $30 million Downtown Market, a year-round culinary marketplace, spanning 130,000 square feet and the city plans to build a rapid transit bus line that will more easily cart people from the suburbs to Grand Rapids' downtown."

Way to stay classy Grand Rapids. I just wonder when the big influx of people will hit the area after all this great press. Maybe we can just keep this our little secret.