Grand Rapids Quick Facts

The City of Grand Rapids, the second largest city in the state of Michigan was founded in 1850, and 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. Grand Rapids is the county seat of Kent County which  covers aprox. 856 square miles.

The area is rich in Native American history being inhabited by the Hopewell Indians over 2,000 years ago, and the Ottawa Indians who moved into the area about 300 years ago and lived in several villages along the river.

• The name Grand Rapids comes from the rapids of the Grand River.
• Grand Rapids is the birthplace of the United States airline industry. On July 31, 1926, Miss Grand Rapids took off for Detroit from Cassard Field, the original Grand Rapids Airport. The inaugural flight of Stout Air Services was the first regularly scheduled passenger flight in the United States.
• Kent County is Michigan’s largest apple-producing county. It is also a major producer of peaches, celery, carrots, onions, corn, wheat and Christmas trees.
• On July 7, 1909, the world’s first professional baseball game under electric lights was played before a crowd of 4,500 at Ramona Park Athletic Field near Reeds Lake.
• Louis Campau, a French trader, set up a trading post here in 1826. He purchased land from the federal government - for $90 - that would become Grand Rapids' downtown district.
• The city boasts more than 2,000 acres of parklands.