10 Reasons to Love Lansing
Aug 19, 2010 Print This Post
Recently, Kiplinger rated Lansing as one of the Top 10 Great Cities for Young Adults. This put us in the same category as Chicago, New York City, Portland, and Washington DC. For a lot of people, this was kinda a shocker.
“Seriously, Lansing?” was what I heard over and over when I told people about the article.
But even as someone who grew up here and wanted to get away as soon as I could, I am growing to love this city. I asked people on Twitter and Facebook to tell me why Lansing is great and here are their top ten responses (in no order with a little commentary from me).
Integrated
I actually hear this one quite a bit from people who move in from other cities. While there are definitely neighborhoods with different feels, there’s quite a bit of integration. In most parts of town, there are nice houses and not so nice houses, a broad range of races, people of different economic status all kind of on top of each other. Even where I live in Holt, you are always within a few minutes from some huge houses and some trailer parks. This sounds weird to some people, but it creates an integrated living experience. I’m also noticing a lot more bi-racial marriages, but maybe that’s just because I tend to notice that particular thing.
Affordable
The cost of living is cheap here, period. Your money can go a lot longer than in most other places. You can live better on less (remember that when hunting for jobs).
Friendly
I just got back from Seattle where I tried to smile at people while walking down the street. Nobody would make eye contact with me. The people in Lansing are a lot more friendly to strangers. They smile, nod, and every once in awhile hold doors for people. My sons and I are on a mission to make the last one something we’re known for.
Easy to Get Around
You can pretty much get anywhere in town in under 25 minutes.
Festivals
For a smallish city, we have a lot of festivals. Off the top of my head, I can think of the Silver Bells Festival, Moonlight Film Festival, East Lansing Arts Festival, Common Ground Music Festival, Lansing JazzFest. I’m sure there are more.
Churches
There are a lot of different styles of churches around town. Granted, I would like to see more and hope to start more, but there are some really great faith communities in town, including a dozen or so new churches in the last 5 years.
Higher Education
Lansing has 5 medical schools, 2 law schools (including the country’s largest), a community college and MSU. Add to that extension universities for Davenport, CMU, WMU, and others and you have a lot of education options.
Shopping
Little places like the Lansing City Market, the Holt Farmer’s Market, Lamb’s Gate Antiques, and Elderly Instruments make our city unique. You can find these shops all over town.
Eating
From hole in the wall places like Sawyer’s Pancake House to upscale places like Enso’s, we have a decent selection of places to eat. You don’t have to settle for fast food.
Stuff To Do
No one ever thinks their own town has anything to do, but Lansing boasts quite a bit. We have the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, the Lugnuts, Hawk Island Park, Burchfield Mountain Biking Trails, Impression 5 Museum, Potter Park Zoo, and many more.
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