Tag Archives: national recognition

Ann Arbor ranks among top 10 places for new college graduates

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Ann Arbor is a hip town that Michigan college students are interested in calling home.  In fact, when we asked 3,800+ college students where they would likely to live after college – Ann Arbor was one of the top responses (mentioned the fourth most often).

Now, Ann Arbor is gaining recognition nationally as a top place for new college grads.  In an analysis done by renown urbanist Richard Florida (published by The Atlantic Cities), Ann Arbor is ranked eighth in a list of top places for new college graduates.

Excerpt:

To capture places that are open to smart 20-somethings, where you can not only build friendships and look for mates but create the personal and professional networks that are so crucial to both career and happiness, we added the share of adults who are college graduates along with the percentage of the population that has never been married. The eight variables we based our rankings on are:

  • Unemployment rate, via the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
  • Share of jobs in professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
  • Percent of adults with a BA and above, via the American Community Survey (ACS)
  • Average salaries and wages for professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
  • Rental share of housing (ACS)
  • Money left over after paying for housing (ACS)
  • Share of adults that have never been married (ACS)
  • Share of commuters who use public transit (ACS)

Here’s a link to the full article.

Grand Rapids tour stop: GRid70

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Note: We’re pretty excited about the two-day tour of Grand Rapids on April 19 and 20.  In the coming weeks, we’ll highlight each of our destinations and talk a little bit about what we’re hoping to accomplish/learn at each stop.

Today: GRid70

GRid70 is unlike almost any other workspace in Michigan.  Where else would you find design-oriented staff from major companies like Amway, Meijer, Steelcase and Wolverine Worldwide working in the same building, potentially sharing thoughts and brainstorming about how products could be made better?

GRid70 stands for Grand Rapids Innovation and Design at 70 Ionia (the street address), but it has represented much more for downtown Grand Rapids.  GRid70 was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal and is one of the biggest commitments of employees to downtown by the region’s largest companies.

One of the ideas behind GRid70 is that it will help attract top talent to these companies and the region.  It is believed that many want to work near creative people like them in an environment that is intellectually simulating.