The best response to a compliment is a polite and humble “Thank you.” So, as a Lansingite, I say “thank you” to Kiplinger for labeling Lansing as on of the nation’s “10 Great Cities for Young Adults.”
I think Lansing is swell, too, for various ages. But ... I hope Kiplinger made its call for the right reasons.
I think Lansing is swell, too, for various ages. But ... I hope Kiplinger made its call for the right reasons.
In its slide show, it provides a variety of basic info about the area. Then, it reports, “Home to five medical schools ...?
Five? Where did that come from? MSU has a human medicine school and a school for osteopathic medicine. That’s two.
I called Kiplinger today about this and was told that the five figure includes veterinary and nursing programs. So, if you throw in the vet and nurse programs at MSU and the nursing program at LCC, I guess you get to five. I can’t say, though, that I think of veterinary education when I see the phrase “medical schools.”
That’s a quibble. Kiplinger did identify attributes that make Lansing attractive: A low cost of living, especially for housing. Traffic is light here (and if you don’t believe me, go visit fellow Kiplinger honoree Austin, Texas, for a taste of real traffic). MSU and LCC and Cooley Law School keep a steady flow of young people moving in, some of whom end up making mid-Michigan their permanent home.
Greater Lansing was knocked for its “long winters” (check out the heat index in the southern tier of the country today), the unemployment rate and “unimpressive” public transportation.
I happen to think mass transit is fine in Lansing, but I’ll grant we are no match for Chicago, New York, Washington or Portland, Ore., on that score.
One of the frustrations in covering and writing about life in the region is the often-encountered attitude that Lansing is undesirable. My anecdotal experience is that such views are held most strongly by those who haven’t lived elsewhere. They have no real point of comparison.
Lansing has issues, certainly. Any large community does. But when you start putting matters into context, Lansing does just fine.
