You’ve heard that legends often contain a kernel of truth? Legends of Grand Rapids are no exception. I’ll repeat some of the tallest tales about our fair city, then share the truth behind the myths.
The City of Grand Rapids, as the second largest city in the state of Michigan, encompasses an area of approximately 45 square miles. It is located in west central Michigan, roughly 30 miles east of Lake Michigan. The Grand River, a major state waterway, runs through the city's center. The city's population is 197,800, per the 2000 census. Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County which boasts a population count of over 500,000, covering 856 square miles. Our metropolitan area has a population of over 1,000,000.
Over 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians, known for their large burial mounds, occupied the Grand River Valley. About 300 years ago, the Ottawa Indians moved into the area and lived in several villages along the river. When the British and French arrived, the Ottawa traded fur pelts for European metal and textile goods.
One French trader named Louis Campau established a trading post here in 1826. Although he was not the first permanent white settler (that distinction falls to a Baptist minister named Isaac McCoy who arrived in 1825). Campau became perhaps the most important settler when, in 1831, he bought what is now the entire downtown business district of Grand Rapids from the federal government for $90.
By 1838 the settlement had incorporated as a village encompassing an area of approximately three-quarters of a mile. The first formal census occurred in 1845 which announced a population of 1,510 and recorded an area of four square miles. In 1850, the burgeoning community was incorporated as a city with a population of 2,686. By 1857, the city of Grand Rapids' boundary totaled 10.5 square miles.
After an international exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Grand Rapids became recognized worldwide as a leader in the production of fine furniture. Today, Grand Rapids is considered a world leader in the production of office furniture.
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.
Two non-partisan commissioners are elected from each of the city's three wards while the mayor is elected at large by a majority of all voters. The comptroller is also elected 'at large' as well as a seven-member Library Board. The manager is hired by the commission to serve as the city's chief administrator, and is responsible for the coordination of all city departments and for the execution of policies and programs set by the commission.
Inexpensive, fertile land and abundant timber and mineral resources attracted settlers to the area, and by 1860 the population numbered 8,000, more than tripling in 10 years. By then, rail and telegraph had come to Grand Rapids, connecting the community to all parts of the country with travel from the eastern seaboard taking only two days.
Grand Rapids has a history of leadership. In 1881, the country's first hydro-electric plant came to life on the City's west side. Grand Rapids led the nation in 1945 when it became the first city in the United States to add fluoride to its drinking water. Grand Rapids lays claims to the first scheduled air service, and the first publicly-funded art installation.
Like the river it's named for, the City of Grand Rapids is vibrant, exciting, and diverse.
Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan and the 114th largest city in the United States (as of the 2000 census) The city population is 197,800. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Michigan.
As history is reported, over 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell indians occupied the Grand Rapids area called the River Valley. Then, around A.D. 1700, the Ottawa Indians displaced the Hopewells and settled several villages on the banks of the Grand River.
European missionaries and fur traders began settling the Grand Rapids area at the beginning of the 1800's The La Framboise family established one of the first Indian and European trading post on the western side of Michigan. The first permanent white settler in the Grand Rapids area was a Baptist minister named Isaac McCoy who arrived in 1825.
The official founder of Grand Rapids, Louis Campau, opened built his cabin, trading post, and blacksmith shop on the east bank of the Grand River near the rapids - circa 1826. Campau returned to Detroit, then came back a year later with his wife and $5,000 of trade goods to trade with the native tribes. In 1831 the federal survey of the Northwest Territory reached the Grand River and set the boundaries for Kent County, named after prominent New York jurist James Kent.
Campau became perhaps the most important settler when, in 1831, he bought 72 acres (291,000 m²) of what is now the entire downtown business district of Grand Rapids. He purchased it from the federal government for $90 and named his tract Grand Rapids. Rival Lucius Lyon, who purchased the rest of the prime land, called his the Village of Kent.
At this time, other european immigrants and others began moving to the area from New York and New England in the 1830s.
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 fledgling Grand Rapids had incorporated itself as a village, and encompassed 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.
At this the Federal Government left local matters to local residents and on May 1st 1850 the local residents voted and accepted a city charter to call their village - The City of Grand Rapids. At the population at the time was 2,686. By 1857, the city of Grand Rapids' boundary totaled 10.5 square miles (27 km²).
West Michigan is considered to be defined as KOMA - or the following counties:
Kent
Ottawa
Muskegon
Allegan
They comprise the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). This SMSA has joined the one-million strong category. Often the definition is expanded to include Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek areas and often includes in its northern boundries as far north as Ludington and White Cloud .
West Michigan is bordered on the west by Lake Michigan, the only Great Lake entirely within the United States. It produces most of the area's weather, and keeps our temperatures cooler in summer and warmer in winter.
Destination Medical Mile 
The City of Grand Rapids, as the second largest city in the state of Michigan, encompasses an area of 
Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan and the 114th largest city in the United States (as of the 2000 census) The city population is 197,800. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Michigan. 
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."
West Michigan is considered to be defined as KOMA - or the following counties: