Neff Zone December 4 2004

Print Edition: December 4, 2004

CADILLAC IS NOW OFFICIALLY COOL AND CUTTING EDGE

A while back I wrote about Cadillac’s involvement in Michigan’s Cool Cities program and I suggested some things that would make Cadillac a cooler place. But, you know, the best thing about living in Cadillac is that it’s already pretty cool. My downstate friends, the flatlanders, envy me because I live where they aspire to vacation.

Now comes word that Cadillac is even more cool than any of us realized and we’re so cutting edge the federal government has had to invent a new word to describe us – Micropolitan. The feds describe the new Micropolitan cities as having populations of between 10,000 and 49,999 that are "too urban to be called rural and too rural to be called urban." I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I sort of like my "in" status of being a Micropolitanian. Excuse me!

Some of the "micro-cool" (that’s a new Micropolitanian term) things about Cadillac are self-evident: Two lakes, Jazz in the Park, First Night, year-round recreation, the beautiful forests. However, there are all sorts of micro-cool things that we Cadillac Micropolitanians don’t think much about because they are right in front of us on a daily basis.

The McKellop Walkway along Lake Cadillac, for example, is micro-cool beyond belief. It’s the I-75 of community interaction. I love strolling its length, admiring the flowers, checking out the Sound Garden, watching the kids on the swings, seeing what’s going on at the Rotary Pavilion and City Dock, and chatting with fellow walkers from all over the county. It’s a place where Cadi-Micros (another new term) come together to smile.

Is there a better place in Michigan to watch a high school football game than Veteran’s Memorial Stadium? Sitting in the stands on a crisp fall evening with the leaves in full color and the twinkling lights of Cadillac reflecting off Lake Cadillac is about as good as it gets. I’ve been in high school stadiums all over the state and there’s nothing else like it.

It’s really micro-cool that we have two senior citizen complexes in the center of town. I love the fact that our seniors are in the middle of the action and that we get to see them bopping around town. Having a dash of experience adds immeasurably to the texture of life in our city.

Also in the center of town is our stately Post Office building. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had conversations with fellow Cadi-Micros on the steps of the Post Office. This is a magnet that brings people into town. (It’s always a good day when you go to the Post Office and find out you’re not on any of the wanted posters in the lobby.)

Having a centrally-located library is an additional micro-plus (new term) because it reinforces the idea that knowledge is a vital part of our city’s core.

Like other downtowns in Michigan, Cadillac’s is undergoing a transition. I like what I see, though, with all the unique shops, restaurants, and coffee spots. All of these encourage what I call the "meander factor," a place where people walk in and out of stores and leisurely explore. This is the right concept for downtown and it’s micro-cool that the City and the merchants are working together to develop a vibrant town center.

Adding to this is Eric Wotila’s project to develop several Internet hot spots (places where people can access the Internet on their laptops) in downtown. This is a growing trend all across the country and a wonderful selling point in attracting business travelers and vacationers. Eric even has Cadillac on a national hot spot registry (http://www.wififreespot.com/mich.html), so we’re part of the high tech "who’s who." How micro-cool is that! (FYI, Grand Rapids recently allocated $19,000 to gauge the feasibility of making the whole city a giant wireless hotspot. Something Cadillac’s leaders should think about?)

Micro-cool on the Net front, too, only 29% of the state’s cities and counties have official websites, but Cadillac and Wexford are two of the elite (cadillac-mi.net and wexfordcounty.org). These sites brim with governmental information, a huge plus for our locality.

As I take my daily walks around town, I often stop to watch one of the many home renovations taking place. It’s very cool to watch fellow Cadi-Micros improve (and in some cases transform) their homes, something that’s going on in virtually every neighborhood in the city. Amazing what a little elbow grease and imagination can accomplish.

And just to prove that sometimes the most obvious things are the ones we tend to overlook, good micro-buddy (new term) Woodie Durham reminded me the other day to look down during my walks. "Most people in Cadillac never think about the great job the city has done over the years in upgrading the sewer and water systems and resurfacing streets" he told me. "It’s just an ongoing process that gets little fanfare, but the continual improvements have really made a difference in Cadillac." Woodie’s right. Most people would not think of buried mains and blacktop as being "micro-cool," but to my way of thinking a clean flush and a smooth ride are micro-cooler than clogged pipes and potholes any day of the week.

All in all, Cadillac is a micro-dandy (new term) place to live. It’s about time we got the recognition we deserve.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to: neffzone@yahoo.com