Grand Rapids, Grand Story
By John Bebow - April 17, 2008
Recession?
What recession?
Take one look at the construction cranes dominating the skyline of west Michigan's hub city and you get the hint that things seem to be going just fine there.
Now comes a brand-new stack of data from the Right Place economic development agency showing just how well Grand Rapids and west Michigan are adapting to the 21st Century global economy:
77.8 percent of west Michigan homes are owner-occupied, the highest level of any region in the country.
With 32 business building projects in 2006, Grand Rapids ranked second among the nation's medium-sized metros.
Of metros above one million people, west Michigan's 21-minute average commute time is lowest in the
nation.
Grand Rapids ranked in the top ten percent in a national ranking of "Best Cities for Dating." Really! That's due in part to a young and vibrant workforce. Workers aged 25-44 account for more than a quarter of the population -- a much younger ratio than in other aging Midwestern locales.
West Michigan is the 7th safest region in the country according to Risk & Insurance magazine.
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