Grand Rapids, Michigan Totally Explained

In 1836 John Ball, representing a group of New York land speculators, bypassed Detroit for a better deal in Grand Rapids. Ball declared the Grand River valley "the promised land, or at least the most promising one for my operations."
By 1838 the settlement had incorporated as a village encompassing an area of approximately three-quarters of a mile (1 km) . The first formal census occurred in 1845 which announced a population of 1,510 and recorded an area of four square miles. The city of Grand Rapids was officially created on May 1 1850, when the village of Grand Rapids voted to accept the proposed city charter. The population at the time was 2,686. By 1857, the city of Grand Rapids' boundary totaled 10.5 square miles (27 km²).

Furniture City

During the second half of the 19th century the city became a major lumbering center and the premier furniture manufacturing city of the United States. For this reason it was nicknamed "Furniture City". After an international exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Grand Rapids became recognized worldwide as a leader in the production of fine furniture. National home furnishing markets were held in Grand Rapids for about 75 years, concluding in the 1960s. Today, Grand Rapids is considered a world leader in the production of office furniture.
   The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad began passenger and freight service to Cedar Springs, Michigan on December 25 1867. This railroad expanded service from Grand Rapids to Muskegon, northern Michigan and into Indiana and Ohio over the next few decades.
   In 1880, the country's first hydro-electric generator was put to use on the city's west side. With the new century, the people of Grand Rapids numbered 82,565. In 1916 the citizens of Grand Rapids voted to adopt a home rule charter that abolished the old aldermanic systems and replaced it with a commission-manager form of government, one of the first in the country. That 1916 Charter, although amended several times, is still in effect.
   Grand Rapids was a home to the first regularly scheduled passenger airline in the United States when Stout Air Services began flights from Grand Rapids to Detroit (actually Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan) on July 31 1926.
   In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the United States to add fluoride to its drinking water.
   Downtown Grand Rapids used to host four department stores: Herpolsheimer's (Lazarus in 1987), Jacobson's, Steketee's (founded in 1862), and Wurzburg's. Like most downtown regional department stores, they suffered the same fate of falling sales, caused largely by the flight to the suburbs, and consolidation in the 1980s and 1990s.

Geography and climate

Grand Rapids sits on the banks of the Grand River, where there was once a set of rapids, at an altitude of above sea level. It is approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Lake Michigan. The state capital of Lansing lies about 60 miles (100 km) to the east-by-southeast, and Kalamazoo is about 50 miles (80 km) to the south.
Grand Rapids is divided into four quadrants which form a part of mailing addresses in the city. The quadrants are NE (northeast), NW (northwest), SE (southeast), and SW (southwest). Fulton Street serves as the north-south dividing line, while Division Avenue serve as the east-west dividing line separating these quadrants.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.3 sq mi (117.4 km²). 44.6 sq mi (115.6 km²) of it's land and 0.7 sq mi (1.8 km², 1.50%) of it's water (primarily the Grand River).

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F	62	69	78	88	92	98	100	100	93	87	77	69
Norm High °F	29.3	32.6	43.3	56.6	69.6	78.4	82.3	79.7	71.7	59.6	45.5	33.7
Norm Low °F	15.6	17.4	25.9	36.1	46.6	55.8	60.5	59	51	40.2	31.2	21.4
Rec Low °F	-22	-19	-8	3	22	33	41	39	27	18	5	-18
Precip (in)	2.03	1.54	2.59	3.48	3.35	3.67	3.56	3.78	4.28	2.8	3.35	2.7
Source: USTravelWeather.com (External Link)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 197,800 people, 73,217 households, and 44,369 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,431.2/sq mi (1,710.8/km²). There were 77,960 housing units at an average density of 1,746.5/sq mi (674.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.30% White American (62.5% non-Hispanic White), 20.41% African American, 0.74% Native American, 1.62% Asian American, 0.12% Pacific Islander American, 6.63% from other races, and 3.19% from two or more races. 13.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The city had a foreign-born population of 10.5%.
   There were 73,217 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.24.
   In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 13.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
   The median income for a household in the city was $37,224, and the median income for a family was $44,224. Males had a median income of $33,050 versus $26,382 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,661. 15.7% of the population and 11.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.4% are under the age of 18 and 10.4% are 65 or older.

Government and politics

Like the surrounding counties, the Grand Rapids area has traditionally been a stronghold for the Republican Party, but the city itself leans Democratic.
   The city is the center of the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Republican Vern Ehlers. Former President Gerald Ford represented the district from 1949 to 1974. Ford died on December 26, 2006 at his home in Palm Springs, California, and was buried on the grounds of his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids on January 3, 2007.
   Grand Rapids (including the suburbs of Ada, East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker, and Kentwood) also serves as the home business base of one of the largest past political funders of the national Republican Party, Richard and Helen De Vos, and former Ambassador to Italy, Peter Secchia.
   However, despite Grand Rapids' reputation for conservatism, the city tends to elect Democrats. Both of its representatives in the Michigan State House of Representatives are Democrats, and in the past two presidential elections Democratic candidates Al Gore and John Kerry won the majority of votes in the city of Grand Rapids.

Commission-Manager plan

Under Michigan law, Grand Rapids is a home rule city and adopted a city charter in 1916 providing for the Commission-Manager form of municipal government. Under this system, the political responsibilities are divided between an elected City Commission and a hired full-time City Manager. Two part-time Commissioners are elected to four-year terms from each of three wards, with half of these seats up for election every two years. The part-time Mayor is elected every four years by the city at large, and serves as chair of the Commission, with a vote equal to that of a Commissioner. The races—held in odd-numbered years—are formally non-partisan, although the party and other political affiliations of candidates do sometimes come up during the campaign period. The Commission sets policy for the city, and is responsible for hiring the City Manager and other appointed officials (External Link

Mayor

George Heartwell was elected mayor of Grand Rapids after long-serving mayor John H. Logie declined to run for re-election in 2003. Logie felt the position should be made full-time, but to avoid the question becoming a referendum on whether he should hold the job full-time, he announced that he wouldn't run for re-election. The voters decided to keep the position part-time, and Heartwell was elected.
Heartwell assumed office on January 1 2004. Prior to being mayor, Heartwell was a City Commissioner for the third ward, 1992-1999. Heartwell currently serves as President and CEO of Pilgrim Manor Retirement Community. He was Director of the Community Leadership Institute at Aquinas College, where he also was a professor in the Community Leadership undergraduate study program. Mayor Heartwell is an ordained minister for the United Church of Christ, and served for 14 years at Heartside Ministry, a program for the homeless in Grand Rapids. He was previously the president of Heartwell Mortgage Corporation (External Link

).
In August, 2007, Mayor Heartwell was re-elected to a second mayoral term in Grand Rapids. He won the primary election with 51% of the vote.

Economy

Grand Rapids has long been a center for furniture and automobile manufacturing; however, the presence of both industries has declined in the region along with manufacturing in general. American Seating, Steelcase and Herman Miller, major manufacturers of office furniture, are based in the Grand Rapids area.
   In 1880, Sligh Furniture Company started manufacturing furniture. In 1881, the Furniture Manufacturers Association (FMA) was organized in Grand Rapids, it was apparently the first furniture manufacturing advocacy group in the country. Also Since 1912, Kindel Furniture Company, and since 1922, the Hekman/Woodmark Furniture Company, have been designing and manufacturing traditional American furniture in Grand Rapids. All of these companies are still producing furniture today.
   More recently the city has had some success in developing and attracting businesses focusing on the health sciences, with facilities such as the Van Andel Research Institute (primarily focused on cancer research), Grand Valley State University's Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences (undergraduate and graduate medical programs, doctorate program in Physical Therapy), and Michigan State University's planned medical school, adjacent to GVSU's Cook-DeVos Center and Spectrum Health's Butterworth Hospital.This year, several million dollars will be spent on new hospitals, medical reaserch centers and health facilities.
   The Grand Rapids area is also home to a number of well known companies that include; Alticor/Amway (a consumer goods manufacturer and distributor), Foremost Insurance Company (a home and auto insurer), Meijer (a Supercenter chain), Smiths Industries (an Aerospace products company), Wolverine World Wide (a designer and manufacter of shoes, boots and clothing), and Universal Forest Products (a building materials company).
   The city is also known as a center of Christian publishing, home to Zondervan, Baker Books and Eerdmans Publishing.
   The surrounding area is noted for its fruit production. Due to its close proximity to Lake Michigan the climate is considered prime for apple, peach, and blueberry farming.
   In recent years, the convention business has seen an increase following the construction of the DeVos Place Convention Center.

Education

Grand Rapids is home to several colleges and universities. Aquinas College, Calvin College, Kuyper College, and Cornerstone University are private, religious schools, each with a campus within the city. Grand Rapids Community College maintains a campus downtown and facilities in other parts of the city and surrounding region. Grand Valley State University continues to develop its presence in the city with an expanding downtown campus, begun in the late 1990s on the west bank of the Grand River. Ferris State University has a growing campus downtown, including the Applied Technology Center (operated with GRCC) and the prestigious Kendall College of Art and Design. Thomas M. Cooley Law School, a private institution, has a campus in Grand Rapids. Davenport University, a state-wide educational institution, has its main campus in Grand Rapids. Western Michigan University has a long-standing graduate program in the city, with facilities downtown and in the southeast. Clinical Pastoral Education is also offered at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in nearby Cutlerville, Michigan.
K-12 public education is provided by the Grand Rapids Public Schools as well as a number of charter schools.
As of 2006, there's an active movement among community leaders to have Michigan State University open a new medical school in Grand Rapids.(External Link

). Michigan State University West Michigan Medical School will be MSU's second fully accredited four-year medical school, and will be located in Downtown Grand Rapids.

Culture

Beginning with the installation of Alexander Calder's abstract sculpture La Grande Vitesse, the city has been host to the annual Festival of the Arts downtown since 1970, known to locals simply as Festival. During the first weekend in June, several blocks of downtown surrounding the Calder stabile in Vandenberg Plaza are closed to traffic. Festival features several stages with free live performances, food booths selling a variety of ethnic cuisine, art demonstrations and sales, and other arts-related activities. Organizers bill it as the largest all-volunteer arts festival in the United States. Vandenberg Plaza also hosts various ethnic festivals that take place throughout the summer season.
   Summer concludes with Celebration on the Grand the weekend after Labor Day featuring free concerts, West Michigan's largest fireworks display and food booths. Celebration on the Grand is an all volunteer event to celebrate life in the Grand River valley.
   In Grand Rapids in 1973, Main Street America celebrated mainstream art, as the city hosted Sculpture off the Pedestal, an exemplar of public sculpture exhibitions, which assembled 13 world-renowned artists, including Mark di Suvero, John Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Robert Morris, John Mason and Stephen Antonakos, in a single, citywide celebration. Sculpture off the Pedestal was a public/private partnership, which included financial support by the National Endowment for the Arts, educational support from the Michigan Council for the Arts and in-kind contributions from individuals, business and industry. Fund-raising events, volunteers and locals housing artists contributed to the public character of the event.
   In mid-2004, the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) began construction on a new, larger building for its art museum collection, which opened in October, 2007 at 101 Monroe Center NW. The new building site faces downtown's Ecliptic by Maya Lin at Rosa Parks Circle.

Sites of interest

Grand Rapids is the home of John Ball Park, Belknap Hill, and the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the final resting place of the 38th President of the United States. Significant buildings in the downtown include the DeVos Place Convention Center, Van Andel Arena, the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and now the JW Marriott Hotel

. The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts

is located downtown, and houses art exhibits, a movie theater, and the urban clay studio.
   Along the Grand River are symbolic burial mounds which were used by the Hopewell tribe, a fish ladder, and a riverwalk which includes a monument to fluoridation.
   Grand Rapids is also home to the Van Andel Museum Center. Founded in 1854, it's among the oldest history museums in the United States. The museum's sites currently include the main site constructed in 1994 on the west bank of the Grand River (home to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, the Voight House Victorian Museum, and the City Archives and Records Center, which was the site of the museum and planetarium prior to 1994. The museum has, in the past few years, played host to a handful of notable exhibitions, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and . The museum is set up as a non-profit institution owned and managed by the Public Museum of Grand Rapids Foundation. The City also has many intriguing places to visit, such as Heritage Hill, the first historic district to be founded in the United States. Heritage Hill, a neighborhood east of downtown, is one of the largest Urban Historic Districts in the country, with over 1000 Victorian homes. Of particular significance is the Meyer May House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1908 was commissioned by local merchant Meyer May who operated a men's clothing store (May's of Michigan). The house is now a free museum owned and operated by Steelcase who restored the property in the 1980s.
   Grand Rapids is home to a myriad of theatres and stages, including the newly-reconstructed Civic Theatre (also known as the Meijer Majestic), the city's largest theatre DeVos hall, and the convertible Van Andel Arena. Further east of downtown is the historic Wealthy Street Theatre.
   In Grand Rapids Township, the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park combine of world-class botanical gardens and artwork from such sculptors as Mark di Suvero, Alexander Calder, Edgar Degas, and Auguste Rodin. The Gardens' amphitheatre plays host to numerous concerts each summer, featuring such eccelctic acts as Jonny Lang, The Pointer Sisters, Lyle Lovett, Cowboy Junkies, and B.B. King. As Michigan's second most popular destination (after The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn), the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is rapidly gaining national renown.

Printed Media

The Grand Rapids Press is the daily newspaper, while the "Advance" group of weekly papers provides more community-based news. Gemini Publications

is a niche, regional publishing company that produces the weekly newspaper Grand Rapids Business Journal

, the magazines Grand Rapids Magazine

, Grand Rapids Family

and Michigan Blue

, and several other quarterly and annual business-to-business publications.

Television

The Grand Rapids area is home to several television stations, and is the second largest television market in Michigan. Stations serving the area include WWMT (CBS, actually licensed to Kalamazoo), WOOD (NBC), WZZM (ABC), and WXMI (Fox). Other stations include WOTV, an ABC affiliate licensed to Battle Creek, WZPX (ION), and WTLJ (TCT). WXSP, is a low-powered MyNetworkTV affiliate. With the merger of UPN and The WB Television Network into The CW Television Network WXSP lost its affiliation with UPN, the CW is now carried on a separate digital broadcast by WWMT. WGVU is the area's PBS member station, along with satellite station WGVK. Grand Rapids Internet Television

produces local, independent programming available on-line only.
The city has two public access televisions, GRTV

and LiveWire

that offer independent programming and news for the city. These two outlets are both produced by the Community Media Center

, a cooperative of public access, nonprofit media affiliates. Two Educational Access Channels and a Governmental Access Channel, the Grand Rapids Information Network (GRIN)

are also available on cable. Similarly, the website Media Mouse (External Link

) provides internet-based progressive independent media. GRNow (External Link

) is also another online site providing independent media.

Radio

The Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area has a diverse variety of radio stations.

88.1 WYCE Grand Rapids- Folk/Blues/Jazz/Rock/World Beat
88.5 WGVU Allendale - Public/NPR/Jazz/Blues "West Michigan Public Radio"
88.9/90.3 WBLU/WBLV Grand Rapids/Muskegon - Classical "Blue Lake Public Radio"
89.1 WIDR Kalamazoo - College "Your Station for Radio Evolution"
89.3 WGNB Zeeland - Religious "Moody Broadcasting Network"
89.9/88.3 WAYG/WAYK Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo - Contemporary Christian "Way FM", Commercial Free
90.7 W214AY Walker - Religious "Calvary Satellite Network"
91.3 WCSG Grand Rapids - Religious "Family Friendly, Commercial Free"
92.3 WZUU Allegan - Classic Rock "92.3 the Zoo"
92.5 WLAW Newaygo - Country
92.7 WYVN Saugatuck - Classic Hits "92.7 the Van"
93.7 WBCT Grand Rapids - Country "B-93" WBCT: America's most powerful radio station (320,000 watts)
94.5 WTNR Holland - Country "Thunder 94-5"
95.3 WBCK Battle Creek - Talk Radio"
95.7 WLHT Grand Rapids - Adult Contemporary "W-Lite"
96.1 WMAX Holland - Hot Adult Contemporary (Modern AC-leaning) "96.1 Max FM"
96.5 WFAT Portage - Classic Hits "96.5 WFAT"
96.9 WLAV Grand Rapids - Classic Rock "97 LAV"
97.9 WGRD Grand Rapids - Alternative "Grand Rapids' Rock Alternative"
98.5/95.5 WNWN/W238AL Coldwater/Portage - Country "Win 98.5"
98.7/98.3 WFGR/WLCS Grand Rapids/North Muskegon - Oldies "Oldies 98"
99.3 WJQK Zeeland - Contemporary Christian "JQ99 FM"
100.1 WBCH Hastings - Country "World's Best Country Hits"
100.5 WTRV Walker - Adult Contemporary "The River"
100.9 WQXC Otsego - Oldies "Cool 101"
101.3 WBFX Grand Rapids - Classic Rock "101 The Fox"
101.7 WMRR Muskegon - Classic Rock "Total Rock 101.7"
102.1 WMUK Kalamazoo - Public/Variety "Kalamazoo Public Radio"
102.9 WFUR Grand Rapids - Religious "Christian Radio"
104.1 WVGR Grand Rapids via Ann Arbor - Public/News-Talk "Michigan Radio" WVGR: Broadcasts with 108,000 watts and in mono
104.5 WSNX Muskegon - Contemporary Hits "Continuous Hit Music"
104.9 WBXX Battle Creek - Adult Contemporary "Soft Rock 104.9"
105.3 WHTS Coopersville/Grand Rapids - Hot AC/Adult CHR "Hot 105.3" WHTS
105.7 WOOD Grand Rapids - Adult Contemporary "Star 105.7" WOOD: broadcasts with 265,000 watts
106.3 WSCG Lakeview - Classic Country "Classic Hit Country 106.3"
106.5 WQLR Kalamazoo - Adult Contemporary "Q-106.5 FM"
106.9 WMUS Muskegon - Country "107 MUS"
107.3 WKLQ Greenville - Active Rock "West Michigan's Pure Rock"
107.7 WRKR Portage - Rock "The Rocker"
107.9 WSHZ Muskegon - Adult Contemporary "Star 108"
1140AM WJNZ Grand Rapids - Urban Adult Contemporary (Tom Joyner Morning Show/The Pulse Of The City/Talk Show).
1300AM WOOD Grand Rapids Talk
1340AM WBBL Grand Rapids Sports
1480AM WGVU Kentwood - Public/NPR/News- Talk "West Michigan Public Radio"
1230AM Grand Rapids Talk
640AM Grand Rapids Sports,Health,Urban Talk

Sports

Several professional sports teams call Grand Rapids home:

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Championships
West Michigan Whitecaps	Baseball	Midwest League	Fifth Third Ballpark	Championship Series winners: 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007; Best regular season record: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2006
Grand Rapids Griffins	Ice Hockey	American Hockey League	Van Andel Arena	IHL Joseph Turner Memorial Cup Runner-up: 2000; IHL Fred A. Huber Trophy (regular season champion): 2001
Grand Rapids Rampage	Arena Football	Arena Football League	Van Andel Arena	ArenaBowl XV Champions and best regular season record: 2001

Transportation

Public bus transportation is provided by the Interurban Transit Partnership, which brands itself as The Rapid. Transportation is also provided by the DASH buses: the "Downtown Area Shuttle". These provide transportation to and from the parking lots in the city of Grand Rapids to various designated loading and unloading spots around the city.
Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926, between Grand Rapids and Detroit. Amtrak provides direct train service to Chicago from the passenger station via the Pere Marquette line.
Several major highways serve the city, including:

M-11

M-37

M-44

M-44 Connector

M-45

Interstate 96

Interstate 196 (Gerald R. Ford Freeway)

Interstate 296 (unsigned)

U.S. Highway 131

U.S. Highway 131 Business (Grand Rapids)

M-6 (Paul B. Henry Freeway)

Sister cities

Grand Rapids has city partnerships with the following cities:

Omihachiman, Japan

Bielsko-Biala, Poland

Perugia, Italy

Ga District, Ghana

Notable current/former residents

Martin J. Allen, Jr. Chairman Emeritus, Gerald R. Ford Foundation

Gillian Anderson, lead actress, The X-Files

Paul Assenmacher, Major League Baseball player

Terry Barr, professional football player

Johnny Benson Jr., NASCAR driver

Paul Collins, African-American Artist

Ray Bentley, Buffalo Bills linebacker and commentator

Jeffrey Brown, comic book artist

Roger B. Chaffee, Apollo 1 astronaut

DeBarge family, recording artists

Richard DeVos co-founder, Amway and Owner, Orlando Magic of NBA

Vernon J. Ehlers U.S. Congressman

Katie Feenstra, WNBA Center Detroit Shock

Betty Ford, First Lady of the United States

Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States

Arnold Gingrich, founder Esquire Magazine

Al Green, singer

Clarence Green, Opened First Paine Weber Jackson Curtis Office - NYSE Brokerage Firm

John A. Hannah, Michigan State College (MSU) President

Mark Hekman

, professional mountain biker

Adina Howard, recording artist

H. Wayne Huizenga, owner, Miami Dolphins

Chris Kaman, basketball player

Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of and A Perfect Circle

Stanley Ketchel, former undisputed World middleweight boxing champion

Anthony Kiedis, lead singer, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Jack Lousma, Skylab/Shuttle astronaut

Buster Mathis, Jr., heavyweight boxer

Floyd Mayweather, Jr., five time division champion boxer

Floyd Mayweather Sr., boxer

Andy Richter, television entertainer

L. William Seidman, an American economist and financial commentator.

Del Shannon, recording artist

William Alden Smith, U.S. Senator, in 1912 was Chairmen of Committee investigating the sinking of Titanic.

Tony Tucker, heavyweight boxer

Edwin F. Uhl, United States Assistant Secretary of State 1893-1896

Chris Van Allsburg Author of Childrens Books - Polar Express, Zathura & Jumanji.

Jay Van Andel, co-founder, Amway

Arthur H. Vandenberg, U.S. Senator

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