Forbes Names Grand Rapids One Of The Best Places To Raise A Family

Those of us who call Grand Rapids home know that it's an amazing place filled with great people. We also know that it's a great place to raise kids, and now we're getting national recognition for it!

Forbes has named Grand Rapids the best metro area in the US to raise a family. They say of Grand Rapids,

Income may be relatively low, but the cost of living is even lower. The local school system ranks in the top third in the country. Commuting to work is a breeze. The housing foreclosure mess didn’t leave Grand Rapids unscathed, chopping about 12% off area home values over the past few years. But that’s still quite modest compared to many other places. Almost 90% of Grand Rapids’ housing stock is affordable to a family at the median income level, the seventh-highest rate in the country. And the local crime rate falls well below the national average.

Forbes interviewed Mayor George Heartwell, who explained to them, "Even our most depressed neighborhoods are not blighted".

Grand Rapids beat out the likes of Boise, Provo (Utah), Youngstown (OH), and Raleigh (NC).