Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan, and the largest city in West Michigan. It is on the Grand River about 30 miles (48 km) east of Lake Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city's population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 1,005,648, and the combined Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland statistical area had a population of 1,321,557. Grand Rapids is the seat of Kent County government.
A historic furniture manufacturing center, Grand Rapids is home to five of the world's leading office furniture companies, and is dubbed City Furniture . The more common modern nickname of River City refers to a named landmark river. Cities and surrounding communities are economically diverse, based in the areas of health care, information technology, automotive, aviation, and consumer goods manufacturing industries, among others.
Grand Rapids is the childhood home of US President Gerald Ford, who is buried with his wife Betty in the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in town.
Video Grand Rapids, Michigan
History
Native American settlement
For thousands of years, indigenous cultures succeeded in occupying the area. More than 2000 years ago, people associated with Hopewell's culture occupied the Grand River Valley. Then, a tribe from the Ottawa River went to the Grand River valley, fought against three battles with the Indian Prairie set up in the area. The tribe was split, with Chippewas settling down on the lower northern peninsula, Pottawatomies lived south of the Kalamazoo River and Ottawa lived in central Michigan.
In the late 1600s, Ottawa, which occupied the area around the Great Lakes and spoke with one of the Algonquian languages, moved to the Grand Rapids area and set up several villages along the Grand River. The Ottawa was founded on the river, which they called O-wash-ta-nong, or far-away-water because of the length of the river, where they "raised corn, melons, pumpkins and nuts, which they added game forest and fish from river ".
In 1740, a Ottawa man who came to be known as Head of Noonday and became the future chief of Ottawa, was born. Between 1761 and 1763, the Pontiac Chief visits the area each year, gathering more than 3,000 indigenous people and asking them to volunteer against England in Detroit, which will culminate in the Pontiac War. The Potawatomi invaded Ottawa in 1765, trying to take the Grand River area but was defeated. In the late 1700s, there were an estimated 1,000 Ottawa in the Kent County area.
European-American settlement
After the territories that France established in Michigan, Jesuit missionaries and merchants went to Lake Michigan and its tributaries. At the beginning of the 19th century, European feather merchants (mostly Canadians and MÃÆ'Â © tis) and missionaries set up posts in the area between Ottawa. They generally live in peace, European metal trade and textile goods for fur skins.
In 1806, Joseph and his wife Madeline La Framboise, who is MÃÆ'Ã… © tis, traveled by canoe from Mackinac and established the first trading post in West Michigan in Grand Rapids currently on the banks of the Grand River, near what is now Ada Township. They speak French and Roman Catholic. They both might speak Ottawa, the language of Madeline's ancestors. After the murder of her husband in 1809 while on his way to Grand Rapids, Madeline La Framboise runs a trading business, expanding the feather trade post to the west and north, creating a good reputation among the American Fur Company. La Framboise, whose mother is Ottawa and a French father, then combines a successful operation with American Fur Company. In 1810, Noonday's Chief erected a village on the western side of the river with about 500 Ottawa.
Madeline La Framboise postped the trading post to Rix Robinson in 1821 and returned to Mackinac. That year, Grand Rapids was described as the home of a Ottawa village of about 50 to 60 huts on the west side of the river near the 5th Ward, with Kewkishkam being the village head and Noonday's Chief head of Ottawa.
The first permanent European-American settler in the Grand Rapids area is Isaac McCoy, a Baptist minister. General Lewis Cass, who commissioned Charles Christopher Trowbridge to establish missions for Native Americans in Michigan, ordered McCoy to set up a mission in Grand Rapids for Ottawa. In 1823, McCoy, as well as Paget, a Frenchman who brought an American native disciple, went to Grand Rapids to organize the mission, although the failed negotiations with the group returned to Carey's mission for Potawatomi on the St. Joseph..
In 1824, Rev. Baptist missionaries L. Slater traveled with two settlers to Grand Rapids to do the work. The winter of 1824 proved difficult, with the Slater group having to supply and return before spring. Slater then established the first settler structure in Grand Rapids, a log cabin for himself and a log school. In 1825, McCoy returned and set up a mission office. He represents settlers who start arriving from Ohio, New York and New England, the Yankee state of the Northern Tier.
Not long after that, Louis Barau, born in Detroit, known as the founder of the official Grand Rapids, was convinced by feather merchant William Brewster, who was in competition with the American Fur Company, to travel to Grand Rapids and establish trade there. In 1826, Campau built his cabin, trading post, and blacksmith shop on the east bank of the Great River near the rapids, stating that Native Americans in the area were "friendly and peaceful". Campau returned to Detroit, then returned a year later with his wife and $ 5,000 merchandise to trade with Ottawa and Ojibwa, with the only currency being feathers. Mr. Campau's older brother, Touissant often helps him with trade and other tasks at hand.
In 1831, a federal survey of the Northwest Region reached the Great River; he set boundaries for Kent County, named after leading New York jurist James Kent. In 1833, a land office was established in White Pigeon, Michigan, with Campau and fellow settlers Luther Lincoln looking for land in the valley of the Grand River. Lincoln bought the land in what is now known as Grandville, while Campau became the most important settler when he bought 72 acres (291,000 m²) from the federal government for $ 90 and named his treaty Grand Rapids. Over time, evolved as the main business district in the city center today. In the spring of 1833, Campau sold Joel Guild, who traveled from New York, a plot of land for $ 25.00, with the Guild building the first order structure in Grand Rapids, which is now where McKay Tower stands. The Guild then becomes a postmaster, with letters sent on a monthly basis from Gull Lake, Michigan to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids in 1833 was only a few acres of land cleared on each side of the Grand River, with oaks planted on bright sandy ground, standing between what is now Lyon Street and Fulton Street.
In 1834, the settlement became more organized. Rev. Turner has established a school on the east side of the river, with children on the west side of the river taken to school every morning by Native Americans with a boat that will drive them across the river. Various events took place in the framework of the Council's framework, including the city's first marriage, involving her daughter Harriet Guild and Barney Burton, as well as the first city-gathering of nine voters. It was also this year that Campau began building his own frame building - the largest at the time - near the current Rosa Parks Circle.
In 1835, many settlers arrived in the area with the population growing to about 50 people, including his first doctor, Dr. Wilson, supplied with equipment from Campau. Lucius Lyon, a Yankee Protestant who later became a Campau rival arrived in Grand Rapids who bought the rest of the main land and called his plot Kent Village. When Lyon and his partner N. O. Sergeants returned after their purchase they arrived with a group of men carrying shovels and carryers, with the aim of building a refinery race. The troops arrive with trumpet music, surprising the settlement with Noonday's Head offering Campau's help to push back the posse Convincingly they are occupiers. Also in that year, Pdt. Andrew Vizoisky, a native Hungarian who was educated at Catholic institutions in Austria, arrived, leading a Catholic mission in the area until his death in 1852.
That year, Campau, Rix Robinson, Pdt. Slater and husband of the daughter of Chief Noonday, Meccissininni, went to Washington, D.C. to talk about the purchase of Ottawa land on the west side of the river with President Andrew Jackson. Jackson was initially unimpressed with Meccissininni, although Meccissininni, who often gets a white habit, asked Jackson for clothing similar to what the president wore. While then wearing a suit made similar to Jackson, Meccissininni also unknowingly mimicked Jackson's hat, putting a piece of grass in it, which impressed Jackson as it symbolized his wife's death.
John Ball, representing a group of New York land speculators, passed through Detroit for a better deal in Grand Rapids that traveled to the settlement in 1836. The ball declared the valley of the Grand River "the promised land, or at least the most promising for my operation". That year, the first steamers were built on the Great River named Gov. Mason , even though the ship was destroyed two years later in Muskegon. Yankee migrants (mainly English-speaking) and others began migrating from New York and New England to the 1830s. The ancestors of these men included not only the British colonists but the people of mixed ethnic Holland, Mohawk, French Canada, and the French Huguenot descendants of the colonial period in New York. However, after 1837, the region experienced a poor period, with many French people returning to their hometown, with poverty striking the area for the next few years.
The first Grand Rapids newspaper, The Grand River Times , printed on April 18, 1837, describes the village attribute, stating:
"Although still young in its improvement, the location of this village has long been known, and is rewarded for its natural advantages.This is where Indian traders have long made their big depots."
The Grand River Times goes on, saying the village has grown rapidly from some French families to about 1,200 residents, the Grand River is "one of the most important and fun to be found in the country", and depicts Native American culture which changed in the area.
Merge and growth
In 1838, the settlement was incorporated as a village, and covered about three quarters of a mile (1 km). The first official census in 1845 recorded a population of 1,510 and an area of ​​4 square miles (10 km 2 ). The city of Grand Rapids was founded on April 2, 1850. It was officially established on May 2, 1850, when the village of Grand Rapids chose to accept the proposed city charter. The population at that time was 2,686. In 1857, the city of Grand Rapids' area of ​​10.5 square miles (27 km 2 ). In October 1870, Grand Rapids became the desired location for immigrants, with about 120 Swedes arriving in the United States traveling and creating "colonies" in the area within a week.
In 1880, the country's first hydro-electric generator was used on the western side of the city. Grand Rapids is an early hub for the automobile industry, since the Austin Automobile Company operated here from 1901 to 1921.
In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the United States to add fluoride to its drinking water. Downtown Grand Rapids, when the business center, is used to host four department stores: Herpolsheimer's (Lazarus in 1987), Jacobson's, Steketee's (founded in 1862), and Wurzburg's. Shopping is a community event. Like many old towns, this business suffers as residents move to the suburbs of the postwar era with federal subsidies on highway construction. In addition, retail changes in buying habits affect business. Consolidated department stores took place here and nationally in the 1980s and 1990s.
Grand Rapids is famous for its bridges.
Economic history
Gypsum mining
An outcropping of gypsum, where Plaster Creek enters the Grand River, is known to Native Americans in the area. Pioneer geologist Douglass Houghton commented on these findings in 1838. Settlers began to mine these outcrops in 1841, initially in an open pit, but later underground mines as well. Gypsum is a local soil for use as land amendments known as "stucco soils."
The Alabastine Mine near Wyoming, Michigan, was originally excavated in 1907 to provide gypsum for plastering and wall coverings, especially alabastine favored by architects of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The mine has been converted into a storage facility primarily used for computer servers and document storage Kent County.
City Furniture
During the second half of the 19th century, the city became a major timber center, processing timber harvested in the area. Logs are thrown into the Grand River to be dug in town and sent through the Great Lakes. The city became the center of fine wood products as well. By the end of this century, the city was founded as a major furniture manufacturing city in the United States. It was nicknamed "The City of Furniture" and exhibited many of its products at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. "After the international exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876, Grand Rapids became famous worldwide as a leader in fine furniture production."
This event in Philadelphia, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of people, helped spark the Colonial Revival movement in American furniture. "Grand Rapids furniture" became a proverb for well-made reproductions of American and British styles in the 18th and early 19th century. Furniture companies include William A. Berkey Company and his successors, Baker Furniture Company, Williams-Kimp, and Widdicomb Furniture Company. The Grand Rapids Furniture Record is a trading paper for the municipal industry. The industry provided jobs for many new immigrants from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the Polish neighborhood developed on the western side of the city.
The furniture maker was established in 1931 to improve the design and workmanship of Grand Rapids furniture. The national home furnishing market was held in Grand Rapids for about 75 years, ending in the 1960s. By then, the furniture-making industry had shifted to North Carolina.
Although local work in industry is lower than at its historic peak, Grand Rapids remains a leading city in office furniture production. It incorporates trends to use steel and other manufacturing materials in furniture, with ergonomic design for chairs, computer stations, and other furniture.
Maps Grand Rapids, Michigan
Geography
Topography
Grand Rapids was developed on the banks of the Great River, where there was once a set of rapids, at an altitude of 610 feet (186 m) above sea level. The ship can navigate in the river until the line this fall, stop because of the rapids. The river valley is flat and narrow, surrounded by rolling hills and steep cliffs. The plain became more farther from the river. The countryside around the metropolitan area consists of mixed forest and agricultural land, with a vast garden area to the northwest. It is about 25 miles (40 km) east of Lake Michigan. The state capital of Lansing lies about 60 mi (97 km) to the east-by-southeast, and Kalamazoo about 50 mi (80 km) to the south.
The Grand Rapids is divided into four quadrants, which make up part of the mailing address in Kent County. Quadrants are NE (northeast), NW (northwest), SE (southeast), and SW (southwest). Fulton Street serves as the north-south dividing line, while the Avenue Division serves as the east-west dividing line that separates this quadrant.
According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ​​45.27 square miles (117.25 km 2 ), where, 44.40 square miles (115.00 km 2 ) of soil and 0.87 square miles (2.25 km 2 ) is water.
Climate
Grand Rapids has a humid continental climate (KÃÆ'¶ppen Dfa ), with very warm and humid, winter and snowy summers, and short and light spring and fall springs.
Though located in the middle of the continent, the city is experiencing some maritime effects due to its location in eastern Lake Michigan, including a large number of cloudy days in late fall and winter, delayed warming in the spring, cooling delayed in falling, moderate during winter and snow lake effect. The city averages 75.6 in (192 cm) of snow a year, making it one of the most snowy cities in the United States. This area often receives rapid and sudden snowstorms, resulting in significant amounts of snowfall.
The months of March, April, October, and November are temporary months and the weather can vary wildly. March has experienced a record high of 87Ã, Â ° F (31Ã, Â ° C) and a record low -8Ã, Â ° F (-22Ã, Â ° C). The average of the last frost date in spring is May 1, and the average first snowfall in the fall is October 11, giving the planting area of ​​162 days. The city is located in the 6a hardiness zone of the plant, while the remote area is 5b. Some western periphery is much closer to the Lake Michigan isolation effect located in zone 6b. Warm or hot summers, and heat waves and severe weather outbreaks occur during typical summers.
The average temperature of this area is 49Ã, Â ° F (9Ã, Â ° C). The highest temperatures in the area were recorded on July 13, 1936, at 108 ° F (42 ° C), and the lowest recorded on February 14, 1899, at -24 ° F (-31 ° C). During the average year, sunlight occurs in 46% of the daytime hours. At 138 pm, the temperature dips to below 32 Â ° F (0 Â ° C). On average, 9.2 days a year has temperatures that meet or exceed the 90 ° F (32 ° C) mark, and 5.6 days in a year has a low point of 0 ° F (-18 ° C) or colder.
In April 1956, the western and northern parts of the city and its suburbs were hit by hard tornadoes that locally damaged F5 and killed 18 people.
With the Great River flowing through the city center, it has been prone to flooding. From March 25-29, 1904, more than half of the city's population on the western side of the river was actually under water, more than twenty-five hundred houses, affecting fourteen thousand people, completely surrounded. On the 28th, the river was listed at 19.6 feet (6.0 m), more than two feet (0.61 m) above its previous high point. More than a hundred years later, from April 12-25, 2013, the river again flooded, reaching 21.85 feet (6.66 m) on the 21st, causing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
Cityscape
The city skyline shows Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, formerly Pantlind, which reopened in 1981 after extensive renovations by Marvin DeWinter & amp; Associates. This work includes the addition of a 29-story glass tower that offers panoramic views of the city, the river, and the surrounding area. The original architect of Pantlind Hotel, Warren & amp; Wetmore, inspired by the work of Scottish neoclassical architect Robert Adam. In its heyday, this hotel is rated as one of the top ten US hotels. The hotel has several famous restaurants in Grand Rapids, such as Cygnus. The hotel is owned by Amway Hotel Collection, a subsidiary of Alticor, the Amway company.
Other major leading buildings include the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, the first JW Marriott Hotel in the Midwest. This is the theme of the sister cities of the city of Grand Rapids: Omihachiman, Japan; Bielsko-Bia? A, Poland; Perugia, Italy; Ga District, Ghana; and Zapopan, Mexico. When the first hotel opened, the Amway Hotel Company hired photographer Dan Watts to travel to each of the twin cities and photograph them for the property. Each floor of the hotel features photography from one of the city, which is unique to that floor. Cityscapes from these five cities alternately alternately, up to 23 floors.
The tallest building in town, which contains the photo above, is River House Condominiums. Completed in 2008, 34-story condominium tower (123.8 m) and stands as the highest residential building in the state of Michigan.
Culture
In 1969, the abstract sculpture of Alexander Calder, La Grande Vitesse , translated from French as "big speed" or looser as a "big rapids", was installed in the city center at Vandenberg Plaza, a designed arrangement re Grand Rapids City Hall. This is the first public artwork in the United States funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The statue is informally known as the "Calder", and since its installation the city has hosted the annual Art Festival in the area around the statue, now known informally as the "Calder Plaza". During the first weekend in June, several city center blocks that surround Stable Calder at Vandenberg Plaza are closed for traffic. The festival features several stages with free live performances, food outlets selling a variety of ethnic cuisine, art and sales demonstrations, and other art activities. Organizers collect it as the largest volunteer art festival in the United States. Vandenberg Plaza also hosts various ethnic festivals throughout the summer.
The summer ends with Celebration on the Grand the weekend after Labor Day, featuring free concerts, fireworks shows and food outlets. 'Celebration on the Grand' is an event that celebrates life in the valley of Grand River. Every October, the city celebrates Polish culture, based on history on the west side of the city, with Pulaski Days.
In 1973, Grand Rapids hosted the Sculpture off the Pedestal, an outdoor exhibit of a common statue, assembled by 13 world-renowned artists, including Mark in Suvero, John Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Robert Morris, John Mason, Lyman Kipp and Stephen Antonakos, in one festival, the whole city. Sculpture off the Pedestal is a public/private partnership, including financial support by the National Endowment for the Arts, educational support from the Michigan Council for the Arts, and in-kind contributions from individuals, businesses and industries.. Local fundraising events, volunteers and local artists contribute to the public character of the event.
On November 10, 2004, the premiere of the film The Polar Express was held in Grand Rapids. It was adapted from a children's book by writer and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, who lives in the city. The main characters in the book (and the movie) also live in Grand Rapids and the movie was made in town. The Meijer Gardens makes a Polar Express look, as part of the larger Christmas Around the World exhibit.
In mid-2004, the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) began construction of a new, larger building for its collection; opened in October 2007 at 101 Monroe Center NW. The new building site overlooks the Maya Ecliptic Ecliptic statue, at Rosa Parks Circle. The museum was completed in 2007. This is the first new art museum to gain LEED level gold certification by the US Green Building Council.
The first ArtPrize, the largest art competition in the world determined by public voting, takes place in Grand Rapids from September 23 to October 10, 2009. The event was founded by Rick DeVos, grandson of Amway Corp founder Richard DeVos, who offered $ 449,000 in cash prizes. A total of 1,262 artists exhibited their work for two weeks, and a total of 334,219 votes were given. The first prize, including a $ 250,000 cash prize, fell to the Brooklyn painter, Ran Ortner. ArtPrize 2010 was held from 22 September to 10 October 2010, with work by 1,713 artists on display. First prize awarded to Grand Rapids artist Chris LaPorte.
In 2012, Grand Rapids is tied up with Asheville, North Carolina, for "Beer City USA". The competition is held by voting online for cities across the United States. Leading breweries in areas such as B.O.B's Brewery, Brewery Vivant, Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids Brewing Co., Hideout, HopCat and Schmohz have created the culture needed to win awards. In 2013, Grand Rapids is the only winner of "Beer City USA", taking the prize with more votes than the one combined for second place Kalamazoo, Michigan, and third place Asheville, North Carolina.
Tourism
Grand Rapids is home to the John Ball Zoological Garden, the Belknap Hill, and Gerald R. Ford Museum. She and former First Lady Betty Ford are buried on the site. Major downtown buildings include DeVos Place Convention Center, Van Andel Arena, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, and JW Marriott Hotel. The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is centrally located, and houses art exhibitions, cinemas, and urban clay studios.
Along the Grand River is a mound of reconstructed ground cemeteries, built by the prehistoric Hopewell tribe; fish ladders, and river banks.
Grand Rapids is home to the Van Andel Museum Center. Founded in 1854, it is one of the oldest historical museums in the United States. The museum's current site includes its main building, built in 1994 on the west bank of the Grand River (home to the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium); Victorian Voigt House Museum, and Town Archives and Records Center. The last was held museum and planetarium before 1994. Since the end of the 20th century, the museum has hosted many famous exhibits, including one in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt. Nonprofit, owned and run by the Grand Rapids Foundation Public Museum.
Heritage Hill, a neighborhood just east of the city center, is one of the largest urban historic districts in the country. The first "neighborhood" of Grand Rapids, which has 1,300 homes dating from 1848 and represents over 60 architectural styles. Most important is the Meyer May House, a Prairie-style house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1908. Assigned by local merchant Meyer May, who operates a men's clothing store (May's of Michigan).
The house is now owned and operated by Steelcase Corporation. Steelcase manufactures furniture for the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wisconsin, which is also designed by Wright and is recognized as a landmark building. Because of that bond, Steelcase bought and restored the property in the 1980s. Restoration has been heralded as one of the most accurate and complete of any Wright restoration. The house is used by Steelcase for special events and is open to the public for touring.
Grand Rapids is home to many theaters and stages, including the newly reconstructed Civic Theater (also known as Meijer Majestic), the largest theater in town; DeVos Hall, and Van Andel Arena convertible. Further east of the city center is the historic Wealthy Theater. Studio 28, the first megaplex in the United States, is located in Grand Rapids; reopened in 1988 with a seating capacity of 6,000. Megaplex ceased operations on November 23, 2008. The Grand Rapids Company also has many theaters around West Michigan.
At Grand Rapids Township, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park combine 125 acres of world-class botanical gardens and artwork from American sculptors such as Mark in Suvero and Alexander Calder, and French artist Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin. Amphitheater Gardens' plays host to various concerts every summer, featuring acts such as Jonny Lang, The Pointer Sisters, Lyle Lovett, Cowboy Junkies, and B.B. King. The Gardens is mentioned in the book Patricia Schultz 1,000 Places to See Before You Die .
In 2014, Grand Rapids was named the No. 1 tourist destination. 1 US by Lonely Planet. Other important destinations in the Top 10 list of Lonely Planets include Yosemite National Park, Boston, Massachusetts, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2016, The New York Times ranked the 20th Grand Rapids on the list of 52 Places to Go in 2016, with Grand Rapids being shown among other cities such as Abu Dubai, Bordeaux, and Mexico. City.
Entertainment and performing arts
Grand Rapids has a number of popular concert venues where many bands have performed, including Orbit Room, DAAC, Intersection, DeVos Performance Hall, Van Andel Arena, Royce Auditorium at St Cecilia Music Center, Hills Fine Arts Center, Pyramid Schemes, and Deltaplex.
The Schubert Men's Guild in Grand Rapids is considered the oldest independent male choir in America. Founded by Henry C. Post on November 19, 1883, the choir continues to perform a variety of music.
The Grand Rapids Symphony, founded in 1930, is the largest performing arts organization in Grand Rapids with a list of about 50 full-time and 30 part-time musicians. In addition to its own concert series, the orchestra under the music director Marcelo Lehninger accompanies production by Grand Rapids Ballet and the Grand Rapids Opera, which features over 400 performances a year.
Grand Rapids Barbershop Chapter Great Lakes Chorus is a barbershop harmonic choir that is all male, including a quartet. This is one of the oldest chapters in the Barbershop Harmony Society (formally known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, or SPEBSQSA). The Grand Rapids chapter was held on November 1, 1939, for a quartet singer; it was credited for holding the first community-approved quartet contest in the "Michigan District" (now Pioneer District) in March 1941. In 1944, Grand Rapids Chapter was credited with having the first International Quartet champion, "The Harmony Halls." In 1947, the Great Lakes Chorus (later called Grand Rapids Chorus) was founded. In 1953 the first International Choir Competition was held, and Great Lakes Chorus took First Place, "International Convention Championship Chorus" first, under the direction of Robert Weaver. The chorus is still very active as a non-profit hunt for community, competition, and performances that are contracted.
Grand Rapids Ballet Company was established in 1971 and is the only professional ballet company of Michigan. The ballet company is located on Ellsworth Avenue in the Heartside neighborhood, where it moved in 2000. In 2007, the company expanded its facilities by adding the LEED-certified Peter Wege Theater.
The Grand Rapids Opera, founded in 1966, is the longest-running professional company in the country. In February 2010, the opera moved to a new facility in the Fulton Heights neighborhood.
A January 21, 2011 Newsweek article mentions Grand Rapids as a "dying city" due to a decline in population from 2000 to 2009. Director Rob Bliss and producer Scott Erickson filmed a powerful 5,000 people community response. The Grand Rapids LipDub, released May 26, is the world's first lipstick video; film critic Roger Ebert described it as "the greatest music video ever made". This video holds the world record for biggest lip replacement for two years and has garnered over 5 million views on YouTube; PRNewswire rewards its producers, "Earnie Awards" for Best Use of Video in Social Media.
Grand Rapids is also home to the Art Prize, the largest art exhibition in the US Art Prize started in 2009 with over 200,000 visitors and has since doubled the number of visitors received each year. Artprize receives many international visitors every year and is still growing with more than 1,500 entries from 48 countries in 200 places by 2015.
Sports
Some professional and semi-pro sports teams call the Grand Rapids area home:
The Whitecaps won the six-time Series Championship (1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2015) and had the best regular season record of six times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2017).
The Griffins won the IHL Fred A. Huber Trophy (regular season winner) in 2001, and AHL Calder Cup Champions in the 2012-2013 and 2016-2017 seasons.
The Grand Rapids FC women won the Women's Football United States national championship in the 2017 season.
The Grand Rapids Blazers won the English Premier League Championship in 1961.
Mantan tim olahraga profesional termasuk Grand Rapids Rampage, Grand Rapids Hoops (Grand Rapids Mackers), Grand Rapids Flight, Grand Rapids Owls (1977-80), Grand Rapids Rockets, dan Grand Rapids Chicks, Grand Rapids Blazers, Grand Rapids Shamrocks
Every year, the Fifth Third River Bank is held in downtown Grand Rapids. It draws participants from all over the world; in 2010 there were more than 22,000 participants. The Grand Rapids Marathon is held in downtown Grand Rapids in mid-October, usually on the same weekend as the Detroit Marathon.
Amateur sports organizations in the region include the Grand Derby Rugby League Big Roll, the Grand Rapids Rowing Association, the Grand Rapids Rugby Club, and the West Motorsports Sports Association of Michigan. The West Michigan Sports Commission is the host organizing committee for the Michigan State Inauguration held in Grand Rapids from June 25-27, 2010.
Media
The Grand Rapids Press is a daily newspaper, while Advance Newspapers publishes a group of weekly newspapers providing community-based news. Gemini Publication is a niche, a regional publishing company that produces the weekly newspaper Grand Rapids Business Journal ; Grand Rapids magazine , the Grand Rapids Family and Michigan Blue ; and several other quarterly and annual business-to-business publications. Two free monthly entertainment guides are distributed: REVUE, which includes music and art, and RECOIL, that includes music and offers Onion -syle satir. The Rapidian is an online citizen based journalism project funded by grants from the Knight Foundation and the local community foundation. These are reprinted or quoted by other local media outlets.
Grand Rapids, combined with Kalamazoo and nearby Battle Creek, was ranked in 2010 as the 41st largest television market in the US by Nielsen Media Research. The markets are served by stations affiliated with major American networks including: WLLA (channel 64, Independent), WOOD-TV (channel 8, NBC), WOTV (channel 41, ABC), WZZM-TV (channel 13, ABC), WXMI ( channel 17, Fox), WXSP-CD (channel 15, MyNetworkTV) and WWMT-based Kalamazoo (channel 3, CBS), along with surrounding stations based off Muskegon and Battle Creek. WGVU-TV is a PBS member station in the area.
The Grand Rapids area is served by 16 AM radio stations and 28 FM stations.
Economy
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Spectrum Health is the largest company in West Michigan, with 25,600 staff and 1,700 doctors by 2017. The Meijer Health Center at Spectrum Health, Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion, and Butterworth Hospital, the first-rate trauma center, is located in Grand Rapids Medical Mile, which has world-class facilities that focus on health sciences. These facilities include the Van Andel Research Institute, the Grand Valley State University Cook-DeVos Health Sciences Center, and the University of Michigan Medical Center Health Center at Secchia Center, along with the Pharmacy Faculty of Ferris State University. Nearly a billion dollars have been invested in the Spectrum Health Cancer Pavilion, Helen DeVos Spectrum Health Hospital, and an extension to the Van Andel Institute. These facilities have attracted many health sciences businesses to the area.
Grand Rapids has long been a center for furniture manufacturing. Manufacturers of office furniture such as American Seating, Steelcase (and its subsidiaries Coalesse and Turnstone), Haworth, and Herman Miller are based in and around the Grand Rapids area. In 1881, the Furniture Manufacturers Association (FMA) was held in Grand Rapids; making it the first furniture manufacturing advocacy group in the country. The Kindel Furniture Company and Hekman Furniture Company have been designing and manufacturing furniture in Grand Rapids since 1912 and 1922.
The Grand Rapids region is also known for automobile and aviation manufacturing industries, with GE Aviation Systems having locations in the city.
The Grand Rapids area is home to a number of well-known companies including: Alticor/Amway (manufacturer and distributor of consumer goods), Bissell (manufacturer of floor and floor cleaning products), Highlight Industries (industry leader in stretch wrapping equipment), SpartanNash (distributor food and grocery chain), Leading Insurance Company (line-specific insurance company), Meijer (regional supercenter chain), GE Aviation (formerly Smiths Industries, aerospace products company), Wolverine World Wide (designer and manufacturer of shoes, boots and clothing) , MC Sports, Inc. (regional sports retail network), Universal Forest Products (building materials company), and Schuler Books & amp; Music, one of the largest independent bookstores in the country.
The city is known as a Christian publishing center, home to Zondervan, Baker Books, Kregel Publications, Eerdmans Publishing, and Our Daily Bread Ministries.
The surrounding area is noted for its fruit production. Because of its proximity to Lake Michigan, the climate is considered excellent for apple, peach, and blueberry farming.
In 2010 Grand Rapids was named "the most sustainable medium-sized city in the US" by the Chamber of Commerce of the US Civil Leadership Center and Siemens Corp. Grand Rapids was selected over the finalist cities of Davenport, Iowa and Hoover, Alabama.
Demographics
census 2010
At the 2010 census, there were 188,040 people, 72,126 households, and 41,015 families living in the city. Population density is 4,235.1 people per square mile (1,635.2/km 2 ). There are 80,619 units of homes with an average density of 1,815.7 per square mile (701.0/km 2 ). City racial makeup is 64.6% White (59.0% Non-Hispanic White), 20.9% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Island, 7, 7% of other races, and 4.2% of two or more races. Hispanic or Latino population of any race is 15.6% of the population.
There were 72,126 households 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 16.4% had non-husbands female households present, 5.0% had a home male ladder without wife presence, and 43.1% not family. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone 65 or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.20.
The average age in the city is 30.8 years. 24.7% of the population is under 18 years of age; 14.5% between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.6% are from 25 to 44; 21.2% is from 45 to 64; and 11.1% are 65 years old or older. The urban gender structure is 48.7% male and 51.3% female.
census 2000
There were 73,217 households where 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 15.8% had non-husbands female households, and 39.4% were not family. 30.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.0% have someone living alone 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 27.0% below 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% 65 years or older. The average age is 30 years. For every 100 women, there are 95.8 men. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there are 92.5 men.
The average income for households in the city is $ 37,244, and the average income for families is $ 44,224. Men have an average income of $ 33,050 compared to $ 26,382 for women. The per capita income for the city is $ 17,661. 15.7% of the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total people living in poverty, 19.4% are under the age of 18 and 10.4% are 65 years of age or older.
Ethnicity
According to the 2007 US Society Survey, the largest group of Grand Rapids ancestors reported (excluding "America") were German (23.4% of the population), the Netherlands (21.2%), Ireland (11.4%), 10.8%), Poland (6.5%), and France (4.1%) inheritance.
In the last few decades, Grand Rapids and its suburbs have seen their growing Hispanic community. Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population in Grand Rapids grew from 25,818 to 29,261, an increase of more than 13% in a decade.
Religion
Grand Rapids has a significant population of the Dutch Reformation. The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) has many followers in Grand Rapids; its denominational offices are located on the southeast side of the city. CRCNA has more than 230 trials and nearly 100,000 members in Michigan in 2010. The denominations are concentrated in the western part of the state, where large numbers of immigrants from the Netherlands are settled; the majority of whom are followers of the Reformed faith, have taken part in the Secession of 1834. In 2012, the Christian Reformed Church in North America has nearly 1,100 congregations and over 250,000 members nationwide. The Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan Area has 149 Christian Reformed Churches with 77,389 members.
The Reformed in America Church (RCA) has about 154 congregations and 76,000 members mainly in Western Michigan, highly concentrated in the cities of Grand Rapids, The Netherlands, and Zeeland. The main office of denominations is also in Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids-Wyoming metropolitan area has 86 trials with nearly 49,000 members.
The Protestant Reformed Church in America (PRCA) traces its roots to the First Protestant Reformed Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan) whose pastor is Herman Hoeksema, the founder of the church. The majority of the Classia East PRA churches, about 13 congregations, are located around Grand Rapids.
United Reformed Churches in North America has 12 hearings in the Grand Rapids area; these congregations formed the Classis of Michigan. The Reformed Congregations' largest church and church is located in Grand Rapids. The Dutch Reformed Congregation in North America has two churches. The PC (USA) has 12 trials and 7,000 members in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming Metropolitan statistical area, the United Church of Christ also has 14 congregations and 5,400 members.
Grand Rapids is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, founded on May 19, 1882 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese consists of 176,098 Catholics in West Michigan, 102 parishes, and four secondary schools: Catholic High School, Grand Rapids; Muskegon Catholic Central High School, Muskegon; St. Patrick High School, Portland; and West Catholic High School, Grand Rapids. David John Walkowiak is the bishop of Grand Rapids today.
The West Michigan Annual Conference Office The United Methodist Church is located in the East Hills Neighborhood of Grand Rapids. The West Michigan Annual Conference represents over 400 local Methodist churches in the western part of the lower peninsula with about 65,000 members in total. Grand Rapids is also home to the United Methodist Community House, whose mission is to improve the ability of children, youth, adults and families to succeed in diverse communities. In 2010, United Methodist Church had 61 trials and 21,450 members in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan area.
Government and politics
Under Michigan law, Grand Rapids was the home town of government and adopted the city charter in 1916 providing the form of city council-managing authorities. Under this system, political responsibility is shared between selected City Commissions, Selected City Supervisors and a full-time City Manager hired. Two part-time commissioners are elected for a four-year term from each of the three environments, with half of these seats for election every two years. Competitions - held in odd numbered years - are not formally partisan, although political parties and other candidates' political affiliations sometimes appear during the campaign period. The Commission establishes policies for the city, and is responsible for hiring City Managers and other designated officials. The selected City Supervisor verifies the financial and budgetary policies followed and prepares the annual financial statements. The city levies a 1.5 percent income tax on residents and 0.75 percent for nonresidents.
Mayor
The part-time mayor is elected every four years by the city in general, and serves as chairman of the Commission, in a voice equivalent to a Commissioner. The mayor, despite a weak mayor per government system, spends about 20 per week on mayor activities from serving on various supervisory boards and attending conferences.
The three-John mayor John H. Logie refused to run for re-election in 2003. Logie felt the position should be made full-time, but to avoid questioning into a referendum whether he should hold a full-time job, he announced that he would not run for re-election. Voters retained a part-time position, and George Heartwell succeeded him in January 2004. In 2014, a narrowly-approved ballot initiative set a boundary of two conditions to the mayor and city commissioner, preventing Heartwell from searching for a fourth term. Commissioner Rosalynn Bliss, also can not run for another position in that position, then elected mayor, received a clear majority in August 2015 primer.
Politics
Like the surrounding area, the Grand Rapids area has traditionally been a fortress for Republicans, but the city has supported Democratic candidates.
The city is the center of the 3rd Congress District, currently represented by Republicans Justin Amash. Former President Gerald Ford represented the district from 1949 to 1973 and was buried in the courtyard of his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids. The city and its suburbs are home to several major donors to the national Republican Party, including the DeVos and Peter Secchia, former ambassador to Italy.
The right city tends to choose Democrats. Both representatives in the Michigan State House are Democrats, and in the last seven presidential elections, Democratic candidates Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton win the majority or plurality of votes in the city. from Grand Rapids. The last Republican candidate for President to bring the city is George H.W. Bush in 1988.
Education
K-12 public education is provided by Grand Rapids Public Schools as well as a number of charter schools. Grand Rapids is home to the oldest high school Catholic school in the United States, the Catholic High School. The National Heritage Academies, which operates charter schools in several states, have its headquarters in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids is home to several colleges and universities. Private and religious schools: Aquinas College, Calvin College, Cornerstone University, Grace Bible College and Kuyper College each have campuses within the city. Calvin Theological Seminary Seminaries, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary are located in Grand Rapids. Thomas M. Cooley Law School, a private institution, also has campuses in Grand Rapids. Northwood University, a private university with its main campus in Midland, Michigan, has a satellite campus located in downtown near the "medical mile." Vocational schools for profit, Davenport University, a private, non-profit, multi-location university with 14 campuses across the state, has its main campus outside of Grand Rapids.
As for public tertiary institutions, Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) manages downtown campuses and facilities in other parts of the city and surrounding areas.
Grand Valley State University, with its main campus located near Allendale, continues to expand its presence in the city center by expanding the Pew campus, starting in 1980 on the west bank of the Grand River. The downtown campus currently consists of 67 hectares (27 ha) in two locations and is home to 12 buildings and three rented spaces.
Ferris State University has a thriving campus in the city center, including the Center for Applied Technology (operated by GRCC) and the Kendall College of Art and Design, an earlier private institution that is now part of Ferris. Ferris State also has a branch of the College of Pharmacy located downtown on medical mile. Western Michigan University has an old graduate program in the city, with downtown and downtown facilities. The Van Andel Institute, a cancer research institute founded in 1996, is also on medical miles; the institute set up a graduate school in 2005 to train PhD students in cellular, genetic, and molecular biology.
Grand Rapids is home to the Secchia Center medical school building, a $ 90 million, seven-story, 180,000 square feet (17,000m 2 ) facility, on Michigan Street and Division Avenue, part of Grand Rapids Medical Mile. This building is home to the Grand Rapids Campus at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. The campus trains medical students through their four years of medical education. Advanced facilities include clinical examination rooms, simulation rooms, classrooms, offices and student areas.
Famous people
Transportation
Transport history
Highway
The first road repaired to the city was completed in 1855. This road is a private highway built from Kalamazoo via Wayland. It was the main route for freight and passengers until about 1868. This road connects to the outside world via the Michigan Central Railroad in Kalamazoo.
Railroad
The first railroad to the city is the Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad, which began operating in 1858. In 1869, Lake Shore and the Michigan Southern Railway connected with the city. Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad started passenger and delivery services to Cedar Springs, Michigan, on December 25, 1867, and to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1870. The train expanded service to Muskegon in 1886. The Grand Rapids, Newaygo and The Lake Shore Railroad completed the line to White Cloud in 1875. In 1888, Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad connected with Grand Rapids.
Air transport
Grand Rapids is home to one of the first regular airline passengers scheduled in the United States when Stout Air Services embarked on a flight from the old Grand Rapids airport to Detroit (Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan), on July 31, 1926.
Main highway
I-96 extends along the north and northeast sides of the city, connects with Muskegon to the west and Lansing and Detroit, Michigan, eastward I-196 , also named Gerald R. Ford Freeway, runs east-west through the city, connects to I-96 just east of Grand Rapids and I-94 in Benton Township I-296 , an unsigned route that runs simultaneously with US $ 131 between I-96 and I-196
BSÃ, I-196 , spurring I-196 business following part of Chicago Drive
US $ 131 splits north-south through town, connects with Kalamazoo to south and Cadillac to north
Bus. US 131 , business circle crossing downtown Grand Rapids
M-6 is Paul B. Henry Freeway running along the south side connecting I-96 and I-196 > M-11 runs along Ironwood/Remembrance Road, Wilson Avenue, and 28th Street
M-21 is Fulton Street to east
M - 37 follow Alpine Avenue to the north, I-96, East Beltline Avenue and Broadmoor Avenue to the south
M-44 is East Beltline north of I-96
> Conn. M-44 walk along Plainfield Avenue M-45 follow Lake Michigan Drive westward towards Allendale and Lake Michigan M-121 following Chicago Drive southwest of Grand Rapids to Holland
A-45 is Old US $ 131 south of 28th Street
Transit masses
Bus
- Bus public transport is provided by Interurban Transit Partnership, which calls itself as The Rapid . Transportation is also provided by the DASH bus: "Downtown Area Shuttle." It provides transportation to and from the parking lot in the city of Grand Rapids to the various designated drop-offs around the city. The Greyhound Bus Terminal in this area is integrated into Rapid Central Station, facilitating transfers between Greyhound and local buses. In August 2014, Silver Line opened, Michigan's first Rapid Transit Bus line, an express bus line designed to function like a light rail system. There are plans in the work to add more express routes, secondary stations, trams and special (exclusive) special paths.
- In the Summer of 2012, Megabus started services from Grand Rapids to Chicago, Detroit, East Lansing, Indianapolis, and Columbus. Service discontinued in January 2017.
- Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus services of various frequencies between Grand Rapids and Petoskey, Michigan, between Grand Rapids and Benton Harbor, Michigan, and between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan with intermediate stops.
Air
Commercial air services to Grand Rapids are provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). Eight passenger airlines and two cargo airlines operate more than 150 daily flights to 23 nonstop destinations across the United States. International service is used to operate to Toronto, Canada. The airport was formerly named Kent County International Airport.
The first regular air service scheduled in the United States is between Grand Rapids and Detroit (actually Dearborn Ford Airport) on a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids, which began July 26, 1926.
Rel
Amtrak provides direct train service to Chicago from the passenger station via Pere Marquette line . The shipping service is provided by CSX, Grand Elk Railroad, Marquette Rail, and Grand Rapids Eastern Railroad.
Twin Cities
Grand Rapids has a city partnership with the following cities:
- Omihachiman, Japan
- Bielsko-Bia? a, Polish Parral, Chile, Chile
- Perugia, Italy
- Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
- Ga East & amp; Western District, Ghana
See also
- Geography Michigan
- List of Michigan related topics
- List of people from Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Michigan census statistics region
- Haskelite Manufacturing Corporation
Note
References
Further reading
External links
- Grand Rapids travel guides from Wikivoyage
- Official website
- Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention & amp; Visitor Bureau
- The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce
- Grand Rapids Historical Commission Online Archive
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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