City Town Info

Grand Rapids, MI


  • Overview
  • Almanac
  • People
  • Local
  • Schools
  • Comments

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Introduction to Grand Rapids, Michigan

Incorporated as a village around 1838, Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan with a population of about 200,000. There are roughly 1.3 million people within the greater Grand Rapids metropolitan area, making it the second largest metropolis in the state as well.

Located on the Grand River in western Michigan, Grand Rapids lies 30 miles east of Lake Michigan. Its founding father, Louis Campau, was an astute businessman who dealt in real estate after establishing a trading post with the Ottawa Indians in 1827. More than 2000 years ago, the mound building Hopewell Indian tribe inhabited the area. The city's most famous son is President Gerald R. Ford.

Grand Rapids experiences all four seasons. Summer and winter temperatures are moderated by Lake Michigan. However, the lake-effect contributes to an average annual snowfall of 64.4 inches. July average daily high and low temperatures are 82.3 and 60.5 degrees Fahrenheit. January average daily high and low temperatures are 29.3 and 15.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Three Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Grand Rapids - Universal Forest Products, Spartan Stores, and Steelcase, the latter carrying on a tradition of quality furniture making. Another notable company is Bissel, Inc. Also within the county is Alticor, the parent of Amway. Approximately a dozen colleges and universities are located in the area.

Arts and Leisure

Grand Rapids boasts a complete array of arts and culture. Since 1970, a three day extravaganza showcasing the arts, called Festival, takes place during the first complete weekend in June. There is an extraordinary amount of sculpture within the metropolis. Outdoor works of art associated with three world famous artists include:

  • La Grande Vitesse, an enormous red-orange stabile by Alexander Calder.
  • Ecliptic, a park by Maya Lin, including an oval amphitheater that becomes an ice skating rink in winter.
  • American Horse, a 24 ft tall bronze by Nina Akamu. This is a modern day interpretation of a concept of the same scale which Leonardo Da Vinci came very close to creating. It is located in the Fredrik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

Other cultural attractions include:

  • The Grand Rapids Art Museum
  • The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
  • The Fredrik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
  • Opera Grand Rapids
  • The Grand Rapids Symphony
  • The Grand Rapids Civic Theater
  • The Circle Theater
  • The Broadway Theater Guild
  • The Wealthy Street Theater

Some institutions for history and leisure are:

  • The Public Museum of Grand Rapids
  • The Van Andel Arena
  • DeVos Place
  • The Gerald R. Ford Museum
  • The John Ball Park Zoo

Professional sports teams in the area include:

  • The Griffins of the American Hockey League
  • The Rampage of the Arena Football League
  • The Flight of the International Basketball League
  • The West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team playing in the Midwest League, and affiliated with the Detroit Tigers

Contact Accredited Schools With Online Options

devry
  • Lots of Locations
  • Business/Accounting
  • Computers & IT
  • DeVry University Online

University of Phoenix
  • Online or On Campus
  • Business/MBA
  • Teaching
  • Nursing & Medical Admin

ITT Tech
  • Lots of Locations
  • Technician Programs
  • Criminal Justice
  • ITT Tech Online

Kaplan
  • Attend Online
  • Nursing
  • Education
  • Legal Studies

High Points

Grand Rapids strengths, compared to Peers (similar size places nationally) or State (other places in Michigan):

CategoryTrophy
Racial Diversity
(vs. State)		Top 1%trophyGrand Rapids Racial Diversity
Public Transportation Use
(vs. State)		Top 4%trophyGrand Rapids Public Transportation Use
Short Commute Times
(vs. Peers)		Top 11%Grand Rapids Short Commute Times

Comparative Profile of Grand Rapids, MI

Comparing Grand Rapids to similar size places nationwide (Peers) and to other places in Michigan (State):

Ratings range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).


The People

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Children Under 5 Years Old99
Racial Diversity710
Senior Citizens73
Male Share of the Population68
Well-Paid Single Men67
Well-Paid Single Women56
Female Share of the Population53
Age of the Population21

Families

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Average Household Size68
Portion of People Married42

Wealth

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
People in Middle Class or Better63
People Above Poverty52
College Educated Adults58
Median Family Income55

Commute & Sprawl

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Short Commute Times98
Walking and Biking to Work78
Working at Home66
Public Transportation Use410

Housing

CharacteristicCompared
to Peers		Compared
to State
Affordability of Rents83
Affordability of Property Taxes77
People Living Alone66
Seasonal and Vacation Housing43
Studio & One-Bedroom Rentals38
Housing Recently Built23

Detailed pages on related topics: Grand Rapids colleges • Grand Rapids travel • Grand Rapids mortgage and property.

You are visiting:
All States > Michigan > Grand Rapids

Study Online in Grand Rapids

Strayer University
  • Online and On Campus
  • Business/Accounting
  • Computers & IT
  • Homeland Security

Walden University
  • 100% Online
  • Business/MBA
  • Education Degrees
  • Human Services & Counseling

Additional Details

Grand Rapids CareersGrand Rapids Careers
Grand Rapids career and employment information.
Grand Rapids CollegesGrand Rapids Colleges
Grand Rapids colleges and trade schools.
Grand Rapids Hotels & TravelGrand Rapids Hotels & Travel
Grand Rapids hotels, landmarks, tourism, transportation.
Grand Rapids MortgageGrand Rapids Mortgage
Grand Rapids property, mortgage, and real estate.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Places Similar to Grand Rapids

We've crunched the numbers to create PlaceMatch™, which compares thousands of cities and towns to find the places most similar to each.

Find places similar to Grand Rapids

Historic Grand Rapids

photo

Court House between 1900 and 1910

Select a photo to view (Source):

Court House between 1900 and 1910

Michigan Soldiers' Home between 1900 and 1910

Central High School between 1905 and 1920

Additional Resources


Large City Map

Info for Grand Rapids Government Officials

Are you an official in the Grand Rapids government or quasi-government agency such as the chamber of commerce, visitors bureau or economic development council? If so, visit our information page for government officials to see how CityTownInfo can support you.

Spread The Word

Webmasters & Bloggers: Please link to this page on Grand Rapids. Just copy the HTML below and paste it into your web page or blog.


Copyright © 2004-2010. All Rights Reserved. Moving Traffic, Inc., operator of CityTownInfo.com, is not a broker or a lender, and all offers for loans or mortgages found on this site are made solely by the advertiser.