Grand Rapids travel guide — Grand Rapids tourism and travel information

Grand Rapids travel guide

about Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, also known as the Furniture City or the Second City of Michigan, is a city in the United States. It is the county seat of Kent County, Michigan, in the southwestern region of the state. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 197,800.

Grand Rapids geography

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.

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) of it is water. The total area is 1.50% water.

Grand Rapids history

The Grand Rapids area was first settled in the 1820s by missionaries and fur traders, who generally lived in reasonable peace alongside the Ottawa tribespeople who had their settlements near the Grand River.

The official founder of Grand Rapids itself was Louis Campau, who arrived in November 1826 to trade with the Indians. Yankee immigrants and others began immigrating from New York and New England in the 1830s.

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.

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. The city also became a center of Dutch immigration in the 19th century.

In 1881, the country's first hydro-electric plant was put to use on the city's west side. In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the United States to add fluoride to its drinking water.

Near cities to Grand Rapids

• Kalamazoo travel guide 74 km
• Battle Creek travel guide 82 km
• Lansing travel guide 95 km
• Elkhart travel guide 150 km
• Saginaw travel guide 150 km
• South Bend travel guide 150 km
• Bay City travel guide 160 km
• Flint travel guide 160 km
• Ann Arbor travel guide 170 km
• Racine travel guide 170 km

Near webcams to Grand Rapids

• Mears - Silver Lake webcam 99 km
• Lake Michigan Cam webcam 110 km
• Howell - Downtown webcam 150 km
• Milwaukee webcam 180 km
• Muskegon Lake webcam 200 km
• Chicago webcam 200 km
• Chicago - Sears Tower webcam 200 km
• John Hancock Center webcam 200 km
• Michigan Avenue webcam 200 km
• Chicago - Lake Front webcam 200 km

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Grand Rapids travel services

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Grand Rapids travel books

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