Anchored by the faculty, staff and annual student migration of one of the nation’s premiere research land grant universities, East Lansing is most characteristically collegial along the stretch of bars, restaurants, coffeeshops and bookstores on Grand River Avenue, north of the campus. Starting near the Frandor Shopping Center on the west, a lively student strip along Michigan Ave. continues eastward onto Grand River Ave., all the way to Okemos. Northward, the city’s bar-centered downtown feel transitions quickly to a charming mix of churches, public schools, libraries and homes that house area professors, business leaders, and students alike.