Grand Rapids, Michigan has been twinned with Perugia since 1993.
“Grand Rapids is the second largest city in the state and located on the west coast only 30 miles from Lake Michigan. It’s home to a variety of renowned art and historic sites including the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Frederik Meijer Gardens Sculpture Park, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
Grand Rapids also hosts one of the world’s largest art competitions, ArtPrize where the city becomes a canvas for artists from all over the world. Music to suit every taste flows throughout Grand Rapids ranging from local bands in restaurants to superstars at Van Andel Arena.
Nature lovers can enjoy beaches, bike trails, and Grand River activities while remaining close to the city. Grand Rapids is also renowned for farm-to-fork restaurants and has earned the title Beer City, USA because of the booming craft beer industry.
Grand Rapids values friendliness and a welcoming community for all visitors so they can have great experiences within the city. Grand Rapids has a lot to offer with a variety of interests and has all of the benefits of a big city with none of the hassle.
In the 19th century Grand Rapids became known as “Furniture City” because of the strong logging industry. Due to the city’s close proximity to Lake Michigan and the Grand River, Grand Rapids was able to easily transport logs for furniture making.
Today the furniture business in Grand Rapids continues to be important to the city’s economy. Other economic factors in Grand Rapids include the emerging health care industry.
Medical Mile includes facilities such as Spectrum Health, which is currently the largest employer in the city. Tourism is another economic driver in Grand Rapids and the industry counts for every 1 in 6 jobs.”
(Text by Experience Grand Rapids, Convention and Visitors Bureau)
Websites:
www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us City of Grand Rapids
www.experiencegr.com Convention and Visitors Bureau – Experience Grand Rapids
http://www.experiencegr.com/events/search-events/ Events Calendar
http://www.experiencegr.com/social-lounge/you-tube/ Video Page
https://grsistercities.org/ Grand Rapids Sister Cities International Web Site
http://bit.ly/2lCaQwu Scholarships at the University for Foreigners of Perugia