Grand Rapids deficiencies.

[mpchicago]

Parenting. We can come up with all kinds of things for kids to do related to school. But it starts and ends at home. Consistency, expectations, and accountability by parents can make all of the difference in the world.

And when I hear the argument that people are busy and that it is hard to raise kids: it is not supposed to be easy. It is not easy for anyone. Schedules get in the way, personal issues come up. We all have those problems. That is the reason that you have to be committed to your children 100%. If you are not demanding respectful behavior, if you are not totally aware of what your children are up to or who they are hanging out with, then you are failing.

Parents have to stop trying to be their child's friend and start being their parents first! That is what they need. Hold them accountable, demand results, offer counsel, show an interest in them. It will change their outlook on life. We cannot solve a problem by only attacking the symptoms (bad behavior, poor grades, etc.). We have to strenghten the foundation of each child. And that is at home.

(Whew! That felt good to say!

[Sailor]

It's worse for women because it's not as easy for them to date someone five to 10 years younger, but I don't think it's easy for men to meet someone here either.

[DSchoon]

Is that really true, that other cities have higher percentages of single people? I'm talking metros of similar size, ie Oklahoma City, Rochester NY, Birmingham AL, Hartford CT, Raleigh, etc.? I can't think of any metros our size that are all that glamorous/ripe for singles. No? But as you said, "stacked up against the top 50 markets", it would make sense. However, Grand Rapids is not in the top 50 metro areas population wise. I believe we're just outside of the biggest 50.

Right, #59: http://recenter.tamu.edu/data/popm/rankMSAs.html

I know our metro area is much younger than the national average, FWIW.

[MJLO]

GRPS is no worse than other "like" schools. I imagine the problem is for the cities growth it's a big deterent for families who don't want to privatize there childrens education.

[GRDadof3]

First off, I should say that my original post was aimed at singles, so it may have been a harsher criticism than the region deserves. I think it's a wonderful place for married people and families. I'm married and I very much enjoy living here...

We are a top 50 market, #39 or 36, depending on your media list, which I'd argue is a more appropriate social metric than metro area. By CSAs, The Right Place has us at #32, so I guess you can make the numbers dance any way you want to. Our area is much younger than the national average, but a lot of that is because good Dutch folks like my parents have five or more kids. We're the no. 13 market in population under 18. I think that might the skew the numbers a bit.

I think the question was how we compare to NYC, etc. If we're only talking about he JV markets, than I'll fold for lack of knowledge. My suspicion is that we don't stack up to Hartford, Oklahoma City or Raleigh for single people or social scene.

Statistically speaking, I'm not sure what measure I could use to prove this, especially because I'm not sure whether you can count a cohabitating couple as singles. Anecdotally, I can only think of one unattached person between 28-40 in my entire network of contacts, and she only got divorced three months ago.

On the totally different subject that this thread has devolved to: What is so bad about GRPS? Compared to schools with similar demographics, you can't really make a case against it.

[Parhelion]

To chime in on the 'singles' issue, people just marry waaay earlier in this metro area. I moved from the east side of the state, where most people I knew were single, and immediately found myself as the odd one out for being unmarried and under 30. It's not making or breaking my decision to live here, but it still weirds me out sometimes.

My biggest 'deficiency' stems from living and working downtown. The downtown area needs some help so it will become a destination spot. The GRAM and Rosa Parks Circle are a good focal point, but the city needs to provide some incentives for more retail and entertainment to make the downtown area more cohesive.

[PBJ]

To chime in on the 'singles' issue, people just marry waaay earlier in this metro area. I moved from the east side of the state, where most people I knew were single, and immediately found myself as the odd one out for being unmarried and under 30. It's not making or breaking my decision to live here, but it still weirds me out sometimes.

[highwayguy]

Yep, I'd agree with this. I had my 10 year reunion not too long ago and I was 1 of MAYBE 5 people never married yet.. I'm 29, single, and completely fine with it.. BUT I know people my age who are FREAKING out that they're not married yet. It's definitely a West Michigan thing. The joke in my High School was always that people go to Calvin or Hope to pursue a MRS. degree..

[FloridaSpartan]

Sounds about right. I work with two local college students who are both already married. But I'm still single, about the same age as PBJ, and fine with it for now.

The biggest "deficiency" in Grand Rapids, in my opinion, is the weather. Specifically, the snow. My mood has certainly become much more negative this afternoon with this hopefully brief return of winter weather. It's one of the few things about Grand Rapids that would cause me to move somewhere else.

[Par75]

The joke in my High School was always that people go to Calvin or Hope to pursue a MRS. degree..

[aowwt]

not to be the bearer of bad news but this just got listed in Yahoo news. Builders put headquarters up for sale is the news title and talks about the GR Home Builders Assoc putting thier headquarters up for sale. Its listed in the odd news section of yahoo but its not good press coverage for GR.

[DSchoon]

The biggest "deficiency" in Grand Rapids, in my opinion, is the weather. Specifically, the snow. My mood has certainly become much more negative this afternoon with this hopefully brief return of winter weather. It's one of the few things about Grand Rapids that would cause me to move somewhere else.

[Veloise]

Having endured many a Detroit-area winter...we get the winter wonderland effect. Over there, it's just slushy and grey.

And wherever the days of sunshine count comes from, it seems to be much brighter and cleaner here in the 616. Perhaps it's the lower amount of pollution.

Latest Hint from Veloise: plentyoffish.com, a free dating site. (Got on there, and shortly afterwards dumped all the expensive eharmony-match-cupid-yahoo ones. This one works.)

[Rizzo]

Having endured many a Detroit-area winter...we get the winter wonderland effect. Over there, it's just slushy and grey.

And wherever the days of sunshine count comes from, it seems to be much brighter and cleaner here in the 616. Perhaps it's the lower amount of pollution.

Latest Hint from Veloise: plentyoffish.com, a free dating site. (Got on there, and shortly afterwards dumped all the expensive eharmony-match-cupid-yahoo ones. This one works.)

[gvstudent]

On a positive note, Grand Rapids does not have the deficiencies of say a Flint or Saginaw in where the crime rate is out of control. It seems like nobody wants to invest in those cities. I think more development will pop up in the city when the medical mile is completed.

GR could use a major entertainment venue. Don't get me wrong, I love the museums, bars, and the minor league sports teams. But there needs to be something more that will attract people downtown throughout the week. As much as I dislike casinoes, I think Grand Rapids needs one. It can draw people downtown for entertainment purposes and possibly attract larger conventions. The casinoes seem to be working in Detroit-- err the Illitches.

[AlexPKeaton]

I recently learned that the lake effect actually makes West Michigan warmer than other northern regions. I know this might be a "duh" moment for a lot of readers here, but I was surprised by how much colder it is in Detroit or Wisconsin.