Grand Rapids

About Grand Rapids

Located in Kent County, Grand Rapids lies just east of Lake Michigan along the Grand River. The county seat has a diverse population of around 200,000 residents. Furniture City and the newer moniker Beer City are a couple of nicknames that have stuck.

Grand Rapids has also become a powerhouse in healthcare, from medical research to education. Home of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Grand Rapids has vibrant nightlife, thriving arts organizations, great schools, and excellent public transportation. Its riverside parks offer beautiful views, tranquil settings, and year-round recreational opportunities.

Grand Rapids History

The earliest inhabitants were Native Americans of the Anishinaabe: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadmi people. French-Canadian settlers began arriving as early as 1808, and by 1826 founder Louis Campau operated a trading post and blacksmith shop on the Grand River. Grand Rapids became a city in 1850, and soon after its earliest industry of gypsum mining flourished. History buffs have plenty of architecture, cemeteries, bridges, and museums to assist in further exploring Grand Rapids’ past.

Working in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids has had several nicknames related to local innovation and industry. After gypsum mining faded, it was for furniture manufacturing and more recently artisan beer. But it’s also renowned for healthcare, medical research, and medical and pharmacological education. It’s so important to the city that Grand Rapids even has an area known specifically as Medical Mile. By far its largest employer is Corewell Health, while manufacturing and distribution remains strong in furniture, aviation products, vacuums, groceries, and garments. Careers in education are another vigorous pathway for working in Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids Downtown

Live music, Griffins hockey games, eateries, performing arts venues, and museums galore animate Downtown Grand Rapids. La Grande Vitesse is an outdoor sculpture by revered artist Alexander Calder that the city commissioned in 1967. That was just the beginning, as now impressive public art can be found throughout the town’s parks and neighborhoods. The plaza where the Calder stands is a gathering spot for many annual events. Public art meets architecture at the Ecliptic at Rosa Parks Circle by Maya Lin, famous for designing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. Besides sports and culture, locals and visitors frequent the Downtown Market in Heartside for foods galore as well as meetups. Heartside is a lively arts community at the south end of Downtown with murals, galleries, art walks, studios, nightclubs, and even an Italian piazza for gathering.

Grand Rapids Neighborhoods

Dozens of neighborhoods with unique characteristics add up to numerous choices for a place to settle in Grand Rapids. Yet walkability, local breweries, and great green spaces seem to describe them all, as does a strong community spirit whether you rent or own. Here are just a few to check out:

East Hills has sub-neighborhoods and several business districts, and is home to the historic Wealthy Theatre, originally built for vaudeville but now screening films and hosting live performances. East Hills is in the center of four other distinct neighborhoods: Midtown, Eastown, Baxter, and Heritage Hill.

Heritage Hill is nationally known as the largest metropolitan historic district in the country. With 1300 dwellings built from the 19th through the beginning of the 20th centuries, it’s a coveted place to live, shop, and take architectural walking tours to see the array of styles.

Belknap Lookout, named for the first commissioner of the Boy Scouts, offers fabulous river and city views, outdoor stairs to climb, and Belknap Park to explore.

Eastown is a very well-established neighborhood, as well as diverse and extremely walkable. Century-old houses are being renovated, while longtime residents stay put and college students fill the rentals as they usually have.

Things to do in Grand Rapids

There are wonderful parks all along the Grand River, including Millennium Park, Riverside Park, and John Ball Park where the beloved John Ball Zoo is located. Outdoor enthusiasts can bike in the parks or head out on the White Pine Trail. Paddling spots abound on Grand River