Lansing, 1 of 10 Great Cities for Young Adults?

Greater Lansing earned a spot on the recent Kiplinger list of 10 Great Cities for Young Adults. It’s an impressive accolade to celebrate.

The Lansing metro area, with its 453,000 population, was by far the smallest community recognized; the other nine all had populations in the millions.

Kiplinger’s report noted that, as a smaller city, Lansing has fewer employment options than some larger cities on the list, such as Austin, Texas, with its 1.7 million population or Chicago, with its 9.5 million.

Still, in most other categories, Lansing fared just fine.

Average income here is $41,000. That’s above both Salt Lake and Kansas City, Mo., and tied with Austin, Houston, and Charlotte, N.C. Average rent? Lansing shines at $630 per month. Only Salt Lake and Kansas City are comparably affordable.

The percentage of young adults in the population is a crucial measurement, especially for young professionals seeking a social and business network that lets them build the quality of life they want.

Lansing ranked third highest with 26.9 percent, behind only Austin (30 percent) and Salt Lake (28 percent). Trailing the pack? Charlotte, N.C. (21 percent).

Making this list is an important psychological boost to Greater Lansing, where some residents are frankly a bit quick to lump the community in with downtrodden rustbelt cities.

Yes, Lansing does have a manufacturing sector that is smaller than it was in the past – a sector anchored by GM facilities that are state-of-the-art for the company and the industry.

Yes, state government faces financial challenges as it recovers from the recession – but it is still a rich source of professional employment for skilled workers who are eager to make a difference.

And Greater Lansing is part of the University Research Corridor, an academic and technology partnership linking Michigan State University, University of Michigan and Wayne State University. The URC partnership deserves recognition as an economic driver similar to that accorded the North Carolina Research Triangle.

There are good qualities to Greater Lansing. Indeed, there are exceptional qualities to Greater Lansing, including its cadre of creative, energetic young professionals. For those who doubt that, it’s time to shift their thinking.

An LSJ editorial

Ladies Night with the Lugnuts!

A night just for the Ladies! Friday, July 30th the Lansing Lugnuts will host a special night for Lansing Ladies! The night will include free massages, speed dating, and a chance to win a date with a Lansing Lugnut player! Fireworks will be celebrated after the game, donated by LAFCU. The night begins at 7:05 p.m. sharp! Visit www.lansinglugnuts.com for more details.

Going “Over the Edge” in Lansing

On June 5, 2010, The Team Lansing Foundation held it’s inaugural Over the Edge Event. Over the Edge gives participants the opportunity to make an “extreme rappel” down the 23-story Boji Tower in downtown Lansing. With a unique view of downtown Lansing and the State Capitol Building this event was one you didn’t want to miss. The event funds go directly to the Team Lansing Foundation.

Below is a view of the Capitol building from the top of the Boji Tower, where participants were part of the Be a Tourist in Your Own Town event.

Photo Credit | NOISE • June 3, 2010

Common Ground is Here!

Workers hustled Sunday afternoon near Lansing’s new City Market, piecing together the skeleton of the Common Ground Festival’s east stage.

On the other side of the river, the west stage was already in place, flanked by video screens and surrounded by a perimeter of tents being stocked with food, drinks, merchandise and more.

Throw in a new attraction – riverboat gambling – and a favorable weather report, and Lansing is ready for the 11th annual, weeklong music extravaganza. Headliners range from “American Idol” star Adam Lambert to Alice Cooper, Tesla, Ludacris and more.

“Yeah, heck yeah, we’ll be ready,” said Malinda Barr, Common Ground’s media coordinator, who was zipping from one side of the river to the other in a golf cart Sunday.

The new riverboat, which has room for 125 people and will feature poker, blackjack and roulette, makes sense as a way to make the Grand River an integral part of the festival, Barr said.

“We’ve been looking for ways to utilize the river from the get-go,” she said. Like the golf games at the festival, proceeds benefit the Burcham Hills Foundation.

Barr said ticket sales have been good, and 80,000 to 90,000 people are expected throughout the weeklong festival. Tickets remain for all nights.

The audience area at the west stage can accommodate 10,000 to 11,000 people, while the east stage has room for 7,000 to 8,000 spectators.

Spectators on the east side also will get an up-close-and-personal look at the new Lansing City Market.

“It’s a lot of visibility and a lot of exposure for the new market,” Barr said.

Amanda Snook, marketing manager for the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority, said she’s excited about this year’s lineup.

“There’s a whole lot of everything,” she said. “My favorite, personally, is to see the up-and-coming bands. A lot of the groups that we’ve seen over the past few years who were just breaking the ice with their careers have now become Top 40 Billboard stars.”

Today – when the east stage is dark – is likely to have the biggest threat of showers or thunderstorms, said Mark Sekelsky, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Grand Rapids office. There’s less risk Tuesday, with a dry Wednesday, risk of storms on Thursday and a dry weekend.

It’s expected to be hottest Thursday, when afternoon temps could climb into the low 90s. Otherwise, concert-goers expect daytime temps in the 80s with overnight lows in the 60s.

Article Credit:
Kathleen Lavey • klavey@lsj.com •
Lansing State Journal

Check Out What’s New!

Bustling with people meandering from booth to booth, the Lansing City Market held its grand opening Saturday nearly four months after its doors opened to the public.

 Organic and local produce were the main sellers, with other unique items such as homemade soap up for grabs.

The 4,000 to 5,000 people coming to the market was a good turnout for the event, said John Hooper, the market’s manager. Typically, only about 1,000 people come to the market on a Saturday, he said.

“I knew we were going to get a lot of people in here today,” he said.

Shoppers exploring the new market.

The new market officially opened in January. The 11,000-square-foot, $1.6 million market at the corner of Cedar and Shiawassee streets replaces the facility that opened in 1938 on the same corner.

That market was razed earlier this year to make room for East Lansing developer Pat Gillespie’s mixed-use Market Place development. The $18 million to $24 million project will include retail, office and residential space. Gillespie hopes to start construction by the end of the year and open the first residential building by late 2011.

The city-owned market is run by the Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority.

Lansing resident Molly Guerin, who said she’s a regular at the market, said she likes the offering of local produce at the market.

“Locally produced is important and I like to support small businesses,” she said. “This is a good place for local culture to have an outlet.”

With bushels of leeks, carrots and greens at his stand, Kevin Nichols of Dimondale-based Bella Harvest said his produce is locally grown and isn’t on the shelves for long periods of time, like vegetables found in mainstream grocery stores.

“These were harvested last night,” he said while pointing to some greens at his stand. “You don’t get any fresher than that.”

State Journal reporter Melissa Domsic contributed to this report.

Lansing State Journal.

www.lsj.com

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