Grand Rapids has received a lot of accolades over the last few years. We’re Beer City, USA (and will remain that way, since the magazine who named us Beer City has decided to discontinue the contest), we had an awesome Lip Dub video that went viral online, in 2012 Forbes listed us as the best city to raise a family, and this year, we've come in at number two on their list.

That’s right, less than four years after a Newsweek reporter referred to Grand Rapids as a “dying city”, Grand Rapids has proven that we are anything but.

Forbes took several factors into account when ranking the 100 largest metro areas in the country: median income, cost of living index, affordability, commuting, percent of people owning homes, crime, and education. The magazine noted that our public school system is supplemented by several charter schools in the area.

According to the magazine, 77% of the people living in Grand Rapids own their homes. That's the highest percentage of home-ownership in the country.

While Forbes only broke it down by the numbers, I’m sure most Grand Rapids residents would agree that this is, in fact, an awesome city to raise a family in.

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