Downtown Grand Rapids' vibrant nightlife and proximity to the arts and culture scene draws suburbanites – some with children – to live in the city. For some, walking and biking to work, shopping and dining have negated the need for a second car.
According to excerpts from the story:
While his sons lack for a front or back yard in which to play ball, Chad Reul said there's plenty for them to do in downtown Grand Rapids.
So he's gone urban.
"We go to all the festivals, the events, the restaurants," said Reul, who, with a business partner, bought a dilapidated three-story 1912 former boardinghouse on North Division Avenue and converted the upper floors into condominiums. A church leases the first floor.
His two boys, Ian, 12, and Lucas, 8, "love being over at the (Grand Rapids Public) library, and we do a lot of walking. It's a little nontraditional, but it's worked out very well for us." In large cities, such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, raising children amid downtown hustle and bustle is the norm. The lifestyle is coming into its own in Grand Rapids.
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