I grew up in the neighborhood of Grandville, Michigan, which is a suburb of Grand Rapids, Michigan. My city is very small and close knit. A lot of people know one another through school, social events and church. Religion is a very big deal in my town as majority of the residents are Christian or Catholic. In my town alone, which has a population of about 15,000, there are at least 20 churches in a 10 mile radius from me. Although this main street in my town called Wilson there are 6 churches in a row, all less than a few blocks away from each other. My town is majority conservative white people, with more diversity in the neighboring towns than my own. After getting older and educating myself, I look back and see my hometown as kind of a bubble.
I think that there are many people who grow up in this bubble and don’t get to see what the best of the county or even the rest of Michigan is like. I think that this bubble of safety makes them comfortable, maybe even too comfortable. Many families in Grandville have been here for generations and never leave. Don’t get me wrong, Grandville is a really nice, safe, friendly city, but I think that it takes a privilege to live there that many don’t understand.
In Grandville, everything that one might need is accessible in town and if it’s not, Grand Rapids is only a 15 minute drive. We have elementary schools scattered all throughout the city, the high school is huge and very well funded, there is no shortage of grocery stores and park lie in every neighborhood. I always felt so safe in the city that I grew up in, but I also feel safe in the city I live in now, which is Detroit. And I think that the difference between me and the majority of Grandville, they would never feel safe living in a place like Detroit and that’s why the stay in their conservative suburban bubble. A place that specifically stands out to me is Wedgewood Park in Grandville.
I grew up going to the park with my mom and siblings all the time and I still visit it today. Wedgewood park has the cutest playground in the middle surrounded by a little creek that runs alongside the park, where kids play is as it contains clear, shallow water. On the edges of the park there’s a baseball field which hosts little league games. Next to the field lies next to some pickle ball and tennis courts, which boarder a small football field. In the middle of the park there is a large pavilion which contains many picnic tables, which are frequented by stay-at-home moms and their children.
In walking distance from this park is the Grandville Public Library. Although it’s not huge, this library has any book or movie that a kid may need. The library is known as the place where many of the events are hosted in the Grandville. From the weekly farmers market hosted every Wednesday during the summer to Blueberry Fest where vendors line the street selling their goods and services.
Something that stuck out to me from last year at Blueberry fest was an older army vet who was selling “Trump 2024” and “Don’t Tread on Me” hats and shirts to people walking by. But what surprised me more was the amount of people buying and looking at them and that’s when I knew that I needed to get out of this town.
