Grand Rapids, Michigan
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| Grand Rapids, Michigan | |
| Nickname: "Furniture City" | |
 | |
| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Kent |
| Mayor | George Heartwell |
| Area | |
| - City | 45.3 mi² / 117.4 km² |
| - Land | 44.6 mi² / 115.6 km² |
| - Water | 0.7 mi² / 1.8 km² |
| Elevation | 242 m |
| Population | |
| - City (2000) | 197,800 (city proper) |
| - Density | 4,434 mi² / 1,710.8/km² |
| - Metro | 1,306,768 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Website: http://www.grand-rapids.mi.us | |
- "Grand Rapids" redirects here. For other uses, see Grand Rapids (disambiguation).
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 197,800. The Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area (CombdSA) has a population of 1,315,319. It is the county seat of Kent County, Michigan6. It is the second largest city in the state (following Detroit) and is the principal city in the region of West Michigan.
Contents |
[edit] History
Over 2,000 years ago, the Hopewell Indians occupied the Grand River Valley. Around 1700 A.D., the Ottawa Indians moved into the area and founded several villages along the Grand River.
The Grand Rapids area was first settled by Europeans near the start of the 19th century by missionaries and fur traders, who generally lived in reasonable peace alongside the Ottawa tribespeople, trading their European metal and textile goods for the fur pelts. Joseph and Madeline La Framboise established the first Indian/European trading post in West Michigan, on the banks of the Grand River near what is now Ada. After the death of her husband in 1806, Medaline La Franboise carried on, expanding fur trading posts to the west and north. La Framboise, a mix of French and Indian descent, later merged her successful operations with the American Fur Company and retired, at age 41, to Mackinac Island. The first permanent white settler in the Grand Rapids area was a Baptist minister named Isaac McCoy who arrived in 1825.
In 1826 Detroit-born Louis Campau, the official founder of Grand Rapids, built his cabin, trading post, and blackmith shop on the east bank of the Grand River near the rapids. Campau returned to Detroit and 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 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. Yankee immigrants and others began immigrating from New York and New England in the 1830s.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| <tr><td align="center"> 1850</td><td align="right">2,686</td><td align="right">1860</td><td align="right">8,085</td><td align="right">201.0%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1870</td><td align="right">16,507</td><td align="right">104.2%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1880</td><td align="right">32,016</td><td align="right">94.1%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1890</td><td align="right">60,278</td><td align="right">88.3%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1900</td><td align="right">87,565</td><td align="right">45.3%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1910</td><td align="right">112,571</td><td align="right">28.6%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1920</td><td align="right">137,634</td><td align="right">22.3%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1930</td><td align="right">168,592</td><td align="right">22.5%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1940</td><td align="right">164,292</td><td align="right">-2.6%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1950</td><td align="right">176,515</td><td align="right">7.4%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1960</td><td align="right">177,313</td><td align="right">.5%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1970</td><td align="right">197,649</td><td align="right">11.5%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1980</td><td align="right">181,843</td><td align="right">-8.1%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 1990</td><td align="right">189,126</td><td align="right">4.0%</td></tr><tr><td align="center"> 2000</td><td align="right">197,800</td><td align="right">4.4%</td></tr> | ||
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).
[edit] 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 city also became a center of Dutch immigration in the 19th century.
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<ref name="hydro">Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program: History of Hydropower. U.S. Department of Energy (September 9, 2005).</ref>. 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 (later Lazarus), Jacobson's, Steketee's (founded in 1862), and Wurzburg's. While these stores are long gone their memory still lives on. 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.
[edit] Geography
Image:Grand River, Grand Rapids.jpg Grand Rapids sits on the banks of the Grand River, where there was once a set of rapids, at an altitude of 610 feet 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.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 117.4 km² (45.3 mi²). 115.6 km² (44.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi², 1.50%) of it is water (primarily the Grand River).
[edit] Demographics
As of the census of 2000<ref name="census">Grand Rapids QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. U.S. Census Bureau.</ref>, there were 210,800 people, 73,217 households, and 44,369 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,710.8/km² (4,431.2/mi²). There were 77,960 housing units at an average density of 674.3/km² (1,746.5/mi²). 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.
[edit] Government and politics
Like the surrounding counties, Grand Rapids has traditionally been a stronghold for the Republican Party, giving clear majorities to its candidates for most county, state, and federal legislative seats. 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.
Grand Rapids (including the suburbs of Ada and East Grand Rapids) 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 moderate Republicans (at least by national standards).
[edit] The 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 reponsibilities 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 [1].
[edit] George Heartwell, current 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 would not 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. He is Director of the Community Leadership Institute at Aquinas College, where he is also 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 [2].
- See also: List of mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan
[edit] 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. Both American Seating and Steelcase, major manufacturers of office furniture, are based in Grand Rapids.
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 new Cook-De Vos Medical Training Facility, and Michigan State University's planned medical school (supplementing its facility in East Lansing).
The convention business has seen an increase following the construction of the DeVos Place Convention Center.
[edit] Education
Grand Rapids is home to several colleges and universities. Aquinas College, Calvin 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.
K-12 public education is provided by the Grand Rapids Public Schools.
As of 2006, there is an active movement among community leaders to have Michigan State University open a new medical school in Grand Rapids.[3]. Michigan State University West Michigan Medical School will be MSU's second fully accredited four-year medical school, this facility will be located in Downtown Grand Rapids.
[edit] Culture
Image:Van Andel Museum Center.jpg Beginning with the installation of La Grande Vitesse, the city has been host to an annual festival of the arts downtown, known to locals simply as Festival. During the first weekend in June, several blocks of downtown surrounding the Calder stabile next to City Hall 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. Also in Vandenberg Plaza are various country-specific ethnic festivals that occur 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. COTG 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. The new building site is several blocks from the present museum, facing downtown's Ecliptic by Maya Lin at Rosa Parks Circle.
[edit] 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.
Rapid Growth is a weekly online magazine with news about growth and investment in Grand Rapids including neighborhoods guides.
GRNow, Grand Rapids Michigan's local restaurant, event, entertainment and neighborhood guide.
A complete directory of media outlets and their contract information is maintained by the Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy.
[edit] 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), WOOD (NBC), WZZM (ABC), and WXMI (Fox). Other stations include WOTV, an ABC affiliate licensed to Battle Creek, WZPX (Pax), and WTLJ (TBN). WXSP, is a low-powered MyNetworkTV affiliate. With the merger of the UPN and The WB Television Network into The CW Television Network WXSP lost it's affiliation with UPN, the CW is now carried on a separate digital broadcast by WWMT. WGVU is the area's PBS member station. 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 GRCMC, the Grand Rapids 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 [4] provides internet-based progressive independent media. GRNow [5] is also another online site providing independent media.
[edit] Radio
The Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area has a diverse variety of radio stations.
- 88.1 WYCE Grand Rapids- Folk/Jazz/Rock/World Beat
- 88.5 WGVU Allendale - Public/NPR/Jazz "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"
- 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 WBXX Battle Creek - Adult Contemporary "Soft Rock 95.3"
- 95.7 WLHT Grand Rapids - Adult Contemporary "W-Lite"
- 96.1 WMAX Holland - Classic Hits/Hot Adult Contemporary "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 - 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 WWKN Marshall - Classic Rock "SuperRock 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
- 1230AM Grand Rapids Talk
- 640AM Grand Rapids Sports,Health,Urban Talk
[edit] Sites of interest
Grand Rapids is the home of John Ball Park, Belknap Hill, and the Gerald R. Ford Museum. The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park is a major botanical garden and outdoor sculpture park. The DeVos Place Convention Center and Van Andel Arena are also located in the city. The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is located in the center of the city, and houses art exhibits, a movie theater, and the urban clay studio. Ancient burial mounds used by the Hopewell tribe are a short distance down-river from downtown, but the site is not accessible to the public.
Grand Rapids is also home to the Public Museum of Grand Rapids. Founded in 1854 it is among the oldest history museums in the United States and is still regarded as one of the best local history museums. The museum's sites currently include the main site at the Van Andel Museum Center which is also home to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium (constructed in 1994), as well as the Veen Observatory in Lowell, Michigan, Voight House Victorian Museum and the City Archives and Records Center--which is the pre-1994 site of the museum and Chaffee plantarium (the original planetarium wing has been demolished). The Van Andel Museum Center is located at a scenic location downtown on the banks of the Grand River, just south of the Ford Museum, Norton Indian Mounds and Fish Ladder and across the river from the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel and DeVos Place Convention Center. The museum has, in the past few years, played host to a handful of notable exhibitions, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and The Quest for Immortality: the Treasures of Ancient Egypt. Like the Detroit Zoological Society, the museum is currently in the process of transferring ownership from a public, city-owned institution to a non-profit institution owned and managed by the Public Museum of Grand Rapids Foundation.
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 & operated by Steelcase who restored the property in the 1980's.
[edit] Sports
Several professional and nonprofessional sports teams have called Grand Rapids home:
| Logo | Club | Sport | League | Venue | Championships | ||
| West Michigan Whitecaps | Baseball | Midwest League | Fifth Third Ballpark (former Old Kent Park) | Championship Series winners: 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006; Best regular season record: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2006 | ||
| Grand Rapids Rampage | Arena Football | Arena Football League | Van Andel Arena | ArenaBowl XV Champions & best regular season record: 2001 | ||
| Grand Rapids Griffins | Ice Hockey | American Hockey League (former International Hockey League member) | Van Andel Arena | IHL Joseph Turner Memorial Cup Runner-up: 2000; IHL Fred A. Huber Trophy (regular season champion): 2001 | ||
| Image:Iblflight.gif | Grand Rapids Flight | Basketball | International Basketball League | Ford Fieldhouse | |||
| Image:WMF.gif | West Michigan Force | Football | Mid Continental Football League | Jenison High School | MCFL Champions: 2006 | ||
| Image:MLFA thunder.gif | Grand Rapids Thunder | Football | Minor League Football Association | Red Hawk Stadium, Cedar Springs | Great Lakes Champions: 2005 | ||
| Image:Westmichiganedge.jpg | West Michigan Edge | Soccer | USL Premier Development League | Forest Hills Central High School | |||
| Image:GrandRapidsPacers.gif | Grand Rapids Pacers | Men's Wheelchair Basketball | National Wheelchair Basketball Association - Division II, Lake Michigan Conference | National Tournament Champions (open division): 1987 | |||
| Image:GrandRapidsJrPacers.jpg | Grand Rapids Junior Pacers (former Kentwood Junior Pacers) | Men's Wheelchair Basketball | National Wheelchair Basketball Association - Juniors' Division, Juniors' Midwest Conference | National Tournament Champions: 1995, 1997; Runners-up: 1996, 2001 | |||
| Image:GrandRapidsHoops.gif | Grand Rapids Hoops/Mackers/Hoops (former team) | Basketball | Continental Basketball Association/International Basketball Association/Continental Basketball Association | Welsh Auditorium/Van Andel Arena/DeltaPlex | CBA Finals Runners-up: 1993, 2003; CBA Eastern Division Champions: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996; IBL Finals Runner-up & East Division Champions: 2001 | ||
| Image:Grand Rapids Owls.gif | Grand Rapids Owls (former team) | Ice Hockey | International Hockey League | Stadium Arena | Joseph Turner Memorial Cup Runner-up & Fred A. Huber Trophy (regular season champion): 1979 | ||
| Image:GrandRapidsTackers.gif | Grand Rapids Tackers (former team) | Basketball | Mid-West Professional Basketball League/North American Basketball League/Continental Basketball Association | Rogers High School/Civic Auditorium/Godwin Heights High School | MWPLB Champions & best regular season record: 1964; NABL Champions: 1965, 1968; NABL Runner-up & best regular season record: 1966; NABL Western Division Champions: 1968; CBA Championship Playoff winners: 1973, 1974; CBA Runner-up: 1971; CBA Eastern Division Champions: 1973; CBA best regular season record: 1974 | ||
| Image:GrandRapidsRockets.jpg | Grand Rapids Rockets (former team) | Ice Hockey | International Hockey League | The Stadium | Joseph Turner Memorial Cup Runner-up: 1951, 1952, 1953; J.P. McGuire Trophy (regular season champion): 1951, 1952 | ||
| Image:GrandRapidsChicks.gif | Grand Rapids Chicks (former team) | Baseball | All-American Girls Professional Baseball League | Play-Off Champions: 1947, 1953 |
The Fifth Third River Bank Run is run every year in June. It features a 25k race, 5k race, 5k community walk, 25k wheelchair race, 25k hand cycle race. It was founded in 1977, and is a USA Track & Field Certified Road Race.
High schools of the Grand Rapids Public Schools, the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and the Grand Rapids Christian Schools participate in the Grand Rapids City League. Other area schools Jacob Stephens participate in the Ottawa-Kent Conference, one of the largest high school sports conferences in the state.
[edit] Transportation
Public bus transportation is provided by the Interurban Transit Partnership, which brands itself as The Rapid. Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). Amtrak provides direct train service to Chicago.
Transportation is also provided by the DASH buses. These buses are 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.
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
[edit] Sister cities
Grand Rapids has city partnerships with the following cities:
- Image:Flag of Japan (bordered).svg Omihachiman, Japan
- Image:Flag of Poland (bordered).svg Bielsko-Biala, Poland
- Image:Flag of Italy.svg Perugia, Italy
- Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ga District, Ghana
- Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Zapopan, Mexico (in process)
[edit] Notable current/former residents
The people listed below were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and its surrounding metropolitan area, including Barry County, Michigan, Ionia County, Michigan, Kent County, Michigan, Newaygo County, Michigan, and Ottawa County, Michigan:
- Mathias Alten, painter
- Gillian Anderson, lead actor, The X-Files
- George Andrie, professional football player
- Paul Assenmacher, Major League Baseball player
- Terry Barr, professional football player
- Steve Belkin, owner, Atlanta Spirit, L.L.C. (Atlanta Hawks of NBA)
- Johnny Benson, NASCAR driver
- Ray Bentley, Buffalo Bills linebacker and commentator
- Owen Bieber, President of the United Auto Workers
- Willie "Willie The Kid" Buckley, Atlantic Records hip hop artist
- John H. Butler, Phd., educator, lightweight boxer, Golden Gloves champion 1952
- Roger B. Chaffee, Apollo 1 astronaut
- Jim Cash, screenwriter, credits include the film Top Gun
- Rex Cherryman, stage and film actor
- Lisa Childs, author
- Frederick Stuart Church, painter
- Paul Collins, painter
- the DeBarge family, recording artists
- Meindert De Jong, children's author
- Richard DeVos co-founder, Amway and Owner, Orlando Magic of NBA
- Brian Diemer, bronze medalist, steeplechase, 1984 Summer Olympics
- Vernon Ehlers, U.S. Representative
- Christina Fong, violinist and violist
- Betty Ford, First Lady of the United States
- Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States
- Arnold Gingrich, founder Esquire Magazine
- Al Green, singer
- Paul Henry, U.S. Representative
- Stephen Herdsman, former MLS player with the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids
- Adam Herz, "American Pie" screenwriter
- Adina Howard, recording artist
- H. Wayne Huizenga, owner, Miami Dolphins
- Luke Jensen and Murphy Jensen, men's doubles champions, 1993 French Open
- Robert Longfield, American composer and arranger
- Jack Lousma, Skylab/Shuttle astronaut
- Lucius Lyon, U.S Representative and U.S. Senator
- Chris Kaman, basketball player
- Stanley Ketchel, middleweight boxer
- Anthony Kiedis, lead singer, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Michael Markwick, painter
- Buster Mathis, Jr., heavyweight boxer
- Buster Mathis, Sr., heavyweight boxer
- Kevin Max, member of Christian rock band dc Talk and solo artist
- Floyd Mayweather, Jr., lightweight boxer
- Floyd Mayweather, Sr., boxer and boxing trainer
- Jeff Mayweather, boxer
- Roger Mayweather, lightweight boxer
- Greg Meyer, Boston Marathon winner
- Mustard Plug, recording artists
- Wally Pipp, professional baseball player
- Alvin Plantinga, author and professor
- Andy Richter, television entertainer
- Marvin Sapp, gospel recording artist
- Leonard Schrader screenwriter
- Paul Schrader, screenwriter and movie director
- Peter Secchia, U.S. Ambassador to Italy
- L. William Seidman, economist
- Del Shannon, recording artist
- William Alden Smith, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator
- Still Remains, recording artists
- Casey Stratton, recording artist
- Connie Sweeris and Dell Sweeris, table tennis players
- Todd Sweeris, table tennis player, 1996 Summer Olympics
- Edmund Cardinal Szoka, President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
- James Toney, heavyweight boxer
- Tony Tucker, heavyweight boxer
- Edwin F. Uhl, mayor of Grand Rapids 1890-1891, United States Assistant Secretary of State 1893-1896
- Chris Van Allsburg, children's book author and illustrator
- Jay Van Andel, co-founder, Amway
- Arthur H. Vandenberg, U.S. Senator
- Brian Vander Ark, lead singer, The Verve Pipe
- Peter Martin Wege, founder, Steelcase
- Whirlwind Heat, recording artists
- Nicholas Wolterstorff, author and professor
- Kim Zimmer, daytime television actor
- Mike Knuble, US Olympian & professional hockey player
- Paul Grasmanis, former NFL player
- Jimmy Jacobs, pro wrestler
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Official Website of the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Cook-De Vos Center for Health Sciences
- Van Andel Research Institute
- Grand Rapids Public Library
- GRNow
- Gerald R. Ford Museum
- Public Museum of Grand Rapids
- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
- Sculpture Grand Rapids
- The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts
- Rapid Growth Media
- G-RAD
- Live Grand Rapids Police Scanner
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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