Forbes Magazine Says Grand Rapids is The Best in America!

We have many things to be proud of in Grand Rapids: Great continued growth, a stable economy, educational opportunities, the medical destination our city has become, are among many.

COREWELL HEALTH/HELEN DEVOS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

National publications have, over the course of a few years, named Grand Rapids the best place to raise a family, best place to start a business, etc. And Forbes is now saying more nice words about Grand Rapids.

The Forbes article just published has dubbed Grand Rapids “the best right-size city in America.”

Forbes said: "Located in the heart of the manufacturing Midwest, Grand Rapids, Michigan may be an unlikely candidate to be one of the best places to live, work, study, retire and raise a family. But the city of 200,000 (metro over 1 million) appears in more top lists than any of its size and stands up competitively with any major metro."

 

WOOD-TV reported that Forbes said Grand Rapids doesn’t try to be the biggest city but instead knows how to play to its strengths, Forbes senior contributor Goldie Chan wrote in a Wednesday article. She says other cities can use Grand Rapids as a model for growth.

GRAND RAPIDS PUBLIC MUSEUM

Rather quietly, Grand Rapids has continued a nicely paced quality growth.

The Forbes article highlights the range of companies in the area, from Acrisure to MillerKnoll to Amway. They highlight the role of community leaders in projects like the Van Andel Arena and the planned Acrisure Amphitheater; which will open in 2026 as one of the largest such structures nationwide – bigger than Chicago’s waterfront Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park – and a $108 million, 8,500-seat downtown soccer stadium. The article points out one of Grand Rapids' core strengths is the community’s willingness to “have hard conversations” and work toward solutions.

FREDERIK MEIJER GARDENS AND SCULPTURE PARK

Chan said; “In an era where people now have more flexibility to work from anywhere, Grand Rapids’ bet on its potential as a city 30+ years ago is truly paying off!”