Before you can learn more about the cities in Michigan, you should have some knowledge of the total land area of this state. There are 96,716 square miles, or 250,493 square kilometers of land area in Michigan. Its land is fairly densely populated, with an average of 174 people per square mile and 67.1 people per square kilometer. This makes Michigan a fairly dense state, ranking 18th in population density among all the U.S. states.
Michigan's most populous city is Detroit, which is home to approximately 713,862 people in the 2010 census. However, the 2015 estimates put the population of the city at 677,000. It's in this city that many of the state's demographic problems lie. The city's population peaked at 1.85 million in 1950, and has decreased by over a million people since then. Many people are moving out of the city and into the suburbs, but Detroit remains the state's largest city.
Grand Rapids and southeast Michigan will see an increase in population, with an expected loss of about 33,000 jobs in metro Detroit. Many long-time residents of these communities have reported seeing gentrification creeping into their neighborhoods. They've moved to other areas for a better job market and higher living standards. Their first move was to Grand Rapids, where they bought a house in the Boston Square neighborhood. The couple has two kids.