Michigan is perhaps the most overlooked state in the entire country.
Sure, it may not have the visually tiring concrete jungles of New York, the uber-liberal-technology-pundit demographic of post-millennials that has completely raided California, and it may not even have the expansive mountains and broad hills that many in the west call home in Colorado.
But you can’t deny that Michigan is one of the best places to live, as well as one of the most charming and, dare I say, magical states in the entire country.
Surely, fans of Michigan football have experienced this magic before should they ever find themselves ambling around Ann Arbor’s University of Michigan, the city’s ultra green arboretum, or simply observing the city in its downtown busy glory…likely while driving an eco-conscious Prius.
So let’s get to it…here are the ten best cities in the entire state of Michigan.
10. East Lansing
Home to the city that celebrates the Spartans, East Lansing sports Michigan State University, one of the best colleges in the country not just for football fans, but also for students wishing to attend a top school in any academic area.
Campus attractions that are open to all residents and tourists of the city include the W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, the oldest Botanical Garden in the entire country, as well as the astoundingly excellent Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, which seats over 7,000 patrons across four theatres & stages.
Let us also not forget how great the Michigan State University Pavilion is, a 100,000+ square foot complex regularly hosting trade shows, concerts, and even livestock displays.
Outside of the campus, the city is very culturally inclined, making it a great city to live in for both students and young professionals & families.
One of the most intriguing places in the entire city is the (SCENE) Metrospace, an alternative art gallery that exclusively displays modern art. You should definitely go if you are ever in East Lansing – as most events are free and open to the public, you don’t have much of an excuse to not imbibe yourself within the delights of this very cool spot tucked away in the state of Michigan.
East Lansing has another contemporary art gallery – the Saper Galleries. Equally worth checking out.
9. Rochester
If you aren’t familiar with the state of Michigan, you might be familiar with Rochester, as one of the most famous performing artists of all time, Eminem himself, claims Rochester his residency.
Rochester is widely regarded as one of the safest cities in the state of Michigan. On the safety specialty website Safewise, Rochester ranks in the top 15, making this city among the most desirable places to live in all of Michigan, especially for young families.
So why does Rochester rank so highly as a safe city? According to the city of Rochester’s city survey results, 99% of the residents decided that the city was an “excellent” place to live. The residents also ranked the city’s public safety service very highly, which is an unusual yet exceptionally honorable distinction that a city rarely receives from its own citizens.
Outside of safety and the presence of Marshall Mathers, one of the most notable things about the city of Rochester is its historic architecture. The Opera House, the Rollin Sprague Building, and the Rochester Grain Elevator are all notable gems in Rochester.
8. Ypsilanti
Purist “Michiganders” may scoff at the inclusion of Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor’s neighbor, on a list such as this. Make no mistake, Ypsilanti has come a far way since its younger days when it was a far less intriguing place to reside.
Ypsilanti is becoming known as the Brooklyn to Ann Arbor’s Manhattan. Essentially, Ypsilanti is the artistic, less expensive, and more “underground-artist friendly” locale than Ann Arbor, which appeals to a more high-class market with its prestigious University of Michigan.
Because of this, the local media has dubbed the city with the affectionate Hipsilanti moniker.
One of the best cities in Michigan for young people to live in, Ypsilanti also has fun festivities for the whole family. The Michigan ElvisFest, for example, is an annual two-day event celebrating the life and accomplishment of singer Elvis Presley. It is actually the largest Elvis-based festival in the country.
Interesting fact about Ypsilanti: Domino’s Pizza started there in 1960.
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