There's a renaissance taking place in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Midwest’s office furniture-making capital, with its bustling downtown and revitalized surrounding neighborhoods, has leveraged an infusion of creative 20- and 30-somethings to become a focal point for healthcare, information technology, and more recently, craft beer production.
While not releasing its century-old Furniture City moniker, Grand Rapids has more prominently embraced and promoted its designation as Beer City USA by Examiner.com, now a ubiquitous local tagline that unites a lineup of roughly three dozen area craft breweries.
Not bad for Michigan’s second largest city, which sits roughly three hours northeast of Chicago (by car) and is getting used to poaching visitors to the Windy City who seek hoppy excellence in a condensed and eminently walkable area.