Located on the sugar sand shores of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Grand River, Grand Haven is an active resort town and the epicenter of West Michigan's Water Wonderland. Grand Haven State Park is regularly rated one of the nation's top beaches. And the city features more than 100 miles of bike trail, 2 Great Lakes lighthouses, a busy waterfront boardwalk, and an extensive fleet of charter fishing boats. The city has felt the pain of Michigan's deindustrialization. But the community also is acting aggressively to reinvest in the urban core, leverage traditional assets such as a distinct quality of life, and position itself to compete in the 21st century. With the Big Lake on the front doorstep, it's hard to imagine anything but success.
Venture capital in the United States tends to target the coasts, raising a disadvatage for entreprenuers and good ideas in the Midwest. The Grand Angels aim to fill the void in west Michigan with money and advice to help promising local startups get up and running.
Farmland in west Michigan typically is more valuable for building superstores and subdivisions than growing fruits and vegetables. But, with increasingly more mouths to feed in heavily populated places like China, a growing crop of thinkers questions whether that's the best way to put the region's unique landscape to work in the global economy.
Kent County is becoming more diverse. Asians and Hispanics are moving here, and the result is a more robust economy and a place more interesting to educated, mobile people.
The car is king in Grand Rapids. And road trips and Sunday drives are great American past times. But for daily transit needs, just getting conveniently from point A to point B, there has to be a better way. Is Grand Rapids ready?
The use of green roofs in the US increased by 81% in 2005. A local manufacturer has invented a pre-grown green roof that is expected to set trends in the nursery and construction industries.
UpBeat Audio is boomin'. The Nunica company is a model for how high-tech companies can arrive, and thrive anywhere.
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