Over the past 10 months, Rapid Growth has featured the places and spaces of GR in our Neighborhoods of GR series. Catch up with the amazing people, nonprofits, and businesses that have graced our pages.
Over the past 10 months, Rapid Growth has featured the places and spaces of GR in our Neighborhoods of GR series. Catch up with the amazing people, nonprofits, and businesses that have graced our pages.
Diverse. Hipster haven. Former streetcar thoroughfare. A lot of terms come to mind when considering Eastown, the often deemed liberal haven of an otherwise conservative Grand Rapids. It's old, it's new, it's crusty, and it's shiny all at the same time. Here, among relatively quiet streets, millennial homeowners are restoring century old houses, taking a break every now and then to sip a craft brew on their porches with neighbors who have lived here for generations. Meanwhile, college students from Aquinas, GRCC and GVSU take advantage of their rental homes' close proximity to restaurants and coffee shops.
Some people call it Southtown, but to longtime residents, it has always been and will always be the Southside. The 49507 zip code is expansive and for the most part is bordered by Franklin Street on the north, 28th Street on the south, U.S. 131 on the west, and Kalamazoo Avenue on the east. The Southside is home to Burton Heights, Madison Square, Alger Heights, Boston Square, Oakdale, and Ottawa Hills Neighborhoods.
According to the local Destination Marketing Organization,
Experience Grand Rapids, the Creston district, which is located in Grand Rapids’ Second Ward, showcases “strong, stable residential areas, thriving business districts, and the largest green space within the city of Grand Rapids.” Its local businesses include:
Creston Brewery,
Rezervoir Lounge,
Kingma’s Market, and the
Cheshire Kitchen.
The simple fact is, the growth and development of GR’s West Side shows no signs of stopping. Likewise, it’s no secret that this has caused a stir with the long-time residents of the community
West Grand Neighborhood Organization Executive Director Annette Vandenberg shines light on the hopeful synergy she sees between both new and old in this insightful Q&A.
Modern-day Midtown, with a population of just over 4,000, according to 2013
Community Research Institute figures, is bordered to the north by I-196, to the east by Fuller Street, to the south by Fulton, and to the west by Union. It's one of the oldest and most venerated neighborhoods in Grand Rapids and is just as tethered to historical events as its neighboring communities.
Photos by Adam Bird of Bird + Bird Studio.
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