Michigan, the state of lakes and the auto industry, was knocked to its feet in the Great Recession but is now slowly regaining its footing. The Grand Rapids metro area, hometown to the late President Ford and the second-largest metro in Michigan after Detroit, is a good symbol of the modest uptick. Median home prices have risen from $92,600 at the end of 2010 to $101,700 one year later. Lender Processing Services, a mortgage and consumer loan processing company, last year named Michigan a leader in the housing recovery.
Grand Rapids is home to strong medical and health sciences industry, as well as several furniture manufacturers. In 2010, the city was also named 鈥渢he "most sustainable midsize city in the U.S.鈥� by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Civic Leadership Center.
