Aerial view of Midtown, Grand Rapids — Grand Rapids, Michigan
Midtown

A half-square-mile of 1920s bungalows and four-squares east of downtown, built out along a streetcar line that no longer exists.

Size: 0.56 sq mi; city boundary
Built: 1890–1930; brickyards, then the streetcar
Residents: 4,650; approximately · 2020 census

Midtown is outlined by I-196 to the north, Fuller Avenue to the east, Fulton Street to the south, and Union Avenue to the west. East of downtown between Fulton and Michigan Streets, wedged between Heritage Hill on one side and Eastown on the other.

What it’s like

Midtown is the part of the east side you can do on foot. The blocks are tight and the porches sit close to the sidewalk, and the commercial corners are inside the neighborhood rather than out on an arterial — so coffee, a butcher, a burger and a cocktail are a walk rather than a drive. The Fulton Street Farmers Market anchors the whole thing three days a week through the summer. Duplexes and small apartment buildings sit on the same streets as single-family houses, which is rare this close to downtown, and it keeps the sidewalks busy at more hours than a purely residential grid would.

Eat & drink

Black Napkin
The trendiest spot in town. Artisan burgers and sandwiches, expanding their location, constantly busy.
Buffalo Traders Lounge
High quality cocktails and an inviting outdoor space. A date night spot, and the place to grab a drink with friends after Van Andel, the amphitheater, or any concert venue in town.
Stovetop Roasters
Small, clean, relaxing and engaging. Great for coffee, even better for community.

Also here

Martha's Vineyard
Really the whole corner block is an artisan maker's dream — grocery, butcher, baker, coffee shop. The best non-farmers-market place to shop in town.
Fulton Street Farmers Market
Where farmers, creators and entrepreneurs go to build a business and sell high quality, naturally grown food. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, packed all summer.
Urban Exchange
A gem. High quality goods, a well curated store, friendly staff.

Midtown Green · Park

Getting around

Downtown: About a mile west along Fulton — a walk if you want it, five minutes if you don't.
Medical Mile: Michigan Street, on the Midtown side of I-196 — not across it.
The highway: I-196 runs the northern edge, so you are on it in a minute without it running through the middle of anything.
On foot: Grocery stores, a hardware store, coffee, bars, clothing shops, book shops and the farmers market are all inside the neighborhood. This is not a neighborhood that needs a second car.

The homes

Craftsman · early 1900sBenjamin Avenue and East Fulton
Four Square · early 1900sUnion and Paris
Colonial · early 1900sUnion and Paris
Bungalow · 1920s
Duplex and small apartment buildingsmixed throughout, not zoned to an edge

Early-twentieth-century Craftsman along Benjamin Avenue and East Fulton, brick four-squares and colonial revivals on Union and Paris, and the 1920s bungalows. Duplexes and small apartment buildings are mixed in throughout rather than zoned off to an edge.

Good to know

Small multifamily is everywhere

Duplexes and small apartment buildings are mixed through the residential streets rather than pushed to an edge — which matters if you are buying to live in one half, and matters if you would rather not be next to one.

There was clay under the farmland here, and the brickyards that worked it left the tightest blocks in the city — they still are. The longer story of how Grand Rapids got built.

Midtown