Grand River Avenue is the epitome of "cool." This street is known to East Lansing residents for its unique shopping, diverse restaurants and cultural opportunities. By the looks of it, our city is climbing the charts in the cool factor - so let's not stop now.

"Cool Cities: Making East Lansing a Magnet for Economic Growth and Opportunity" was approved by the city council and is part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's new plan to revitalize Michigan and its economy.

The advisory panel for the "Cool Cities" plan is working on making East Lansing more attractive to the 25-34 age group.

Although our city has many of the integral parts needed to be considered a cool city, it would have to overcome some obstacles to get people to stick around.

Job opportunities will have to increase if the committee wants to keep MSU graduates in the city. For those married couples and young families looking to stay cool, the city also needs to promote leisure activities that don't require a bar tab.

The U.S. Census Bureau found that factors such as weather and nightlife are causing many graduates to move either to the West or South. We all know that Michigan winters are cold and summers are humid. Since Michigan has such inconsistent weather, cities have a harder time keeping young residents.

Granholm's new ideas are trying to resuscitate Michigan's vibrancy and help stimulate the economy. As residents of East Lansing, we already have a leg up, because we are residents of a college town. But many other cities in Michigan deserve to be recognized by fellow Michiganians as well as tourists from across the country.

With the advisory panel meeting again soon, we hope students are encouraged to be a part of helping to make decisions on ways to improve East Lansing.

Not only would their inclusion be beneficial to the project, it would foster good community relations, because the ultimate goal is to attract people from the other side of Grand River Avenue.