Come On Newsweek – Get A Life!

I'm sure most of us are aware that Grand Rapids landed on Newsweek Magazine's list of Top 10 Dying Cities.

WHAT?!? Are they kidding?We have an incredibly vibrant area.  One of two or so "growth" areas in the state.  But, that's our metropolitan area, not just the city limits.  Talk about a narrow focus and needing something for an article.

In case you missed the Grand Rapids Press article by Julia Bauer, here it is.  I'd love to hear from you, too.

GRAND RAPIDS – Grand Rapids landed in tough company Friday, as one of the top 10 dying U.S. cities.

The No. 10 rank was a blow for a city trying hard to be cool. The latest massage of census data came from Newsweek magazine.

Who did we beat? No. 9 Flint, No. 8 South Bend, and No. 7 Detroit. No, duh.

The magazine began with the 30 cities over 100,000 population that logged the greatest decline in population. The data only goes to the city limits, so county or regional economies did not factor in.

To cull the list, Newsweek checked a second statistic: which cities lost the most young people, those under 18?

So that's how Grand Rapids became the 10th-most-dying city in the nation. Never mind GVSU's student body in Allendale. Or the bustling businesses in Kentwood or Cascade Township. Between 2000 and 2009, the city lost just over 2 percent in population and dropped more than 2 percent in its youth headcount. Its census as of 2009 was 193,710.

“Michigan dominates much of this list, with several cities experiencing significant declines in population as the state suffered high unemployment rates and above average foreclosures,” Newsweek reported. The decline of the auto industry was blamed for most of the pain.

In an online comment, a Grand Rapids fan criticized Newsweek for its narrow scope.

“Newsweek should have compiled its data on a (regional) or county level, not just the individual municipality,” the commenter wrote. “The Grand Rapids (region) has experienced population growth and billions in downtown investment this decade in spite of the state's well documented challenges.”

Cities on the dying list share both declining population and fewer young people. They include:

• Grand Rapids, down 2.1 percent; youth population dropped 2.2 percentage points

• Flint: down 10.8 percent; youth drops by 2.5 points;

• South Bend: down 3.9 percent; youth down 2.5 points

• Detroit: down 4.2 percent; youth off 2.6 points

• Pittsburgh: down 6.8 percent; youth down 2.7 points

• Cleveland: down 9.7 percent; youth off 3.1 points.

• Rochester, N.Y.: down 5.7 percent; youth down 3.1 points;

• Hialeah, Fla.: down 3.3 percent; youth off 3.1 points;

• Vallejo, Cal.: down 1.8 percent; youth down 3.2 points;

• New Orleans: down 26.8 percent; youth off 5.1 points.

The label of Dying City is hard to swallow, based on developments on the ground. Here's a half dozen big events that show Grand Rapids is very, very alive:

1. Just-opened Helen DeVos Children's Hospital;

2. A LaughFest this spring

3. Remember ArtPrize?

4. Record ticket sales at Van Andel Arena;

5. 50,000 tickets sold at both art museum's Diana exhibit and public museum's “Bodies.”

6. Meijer Gardens listed as one of world's most frequently visited museums;

What's not cool about that?

E-mail Julia Bauer: jbauer@grpress.com