Grand Rapids Living
The growing metropolis of Grand Rapids is a recreational
wonderland located on the Grand River in southwestern Michigan
approximately two hours from both Chicago and Detroit.
From the mound-building Hopewell Indians to the
entrepreneurship of the early furniture industry, the city has
evolved into a vibrant city with a high quality of life. Home
to more than 200,000…..
…..residents,
the Michigan city is a study in diversity with numerous
cultural destinations, affordable housing in unique historical
neighborhoods, a thriving business community and every form of
recreational entertainment imaginable.
Grand Rapids, Michigan real estate options are available in an
array of sizes, prices and styles. Single-family homes start
at well under $100,000 and can exceed $1 million for luxury
homes. Condominiums and townhouses are available for well
under $100,000 and range up to the high $600,000s.
Approximately 26,700 students in grades K-12 are represented
by the Grand Rapids School.....
.....District.
More than 12 colleges and universities offer degree programs,
among them is Grand Valley State University, which is
expanding its downtown campus.
Greater Grand Rapids is a paradise for outdoor recreation. The
city's proximity to beautiful Lake Michigan, with its
white-sand beaches, is conducive to boating, sailing, fishing
and camping. Michigan also has the most public golf courses in
the nation and Grand Rapids boasts the highest percentage of
golfers per capita in the U.S. Armchair athletes embrace the
fierce competition of professional sports: Force volleyball,
Griffins hockey, Rampage arena football and West Michigan
Whitecaps Class A minor league baseball.
The soul of Grand Rapids is apparent in the rich diversity of
its museums, theater, annual ethnic festivals and numerous
cultural venues. Each year, citywide ethnic and arts festivals
celebrate the heritage of the city's ethnically diverse
population from the Hispanic, African-American and Italian
food and cultural events to German Oktoberfest and Polish
Pulaski Days. The Grand Rapids Symphony, Ballet, Jewish
Theater, Civic Theater and the Broadway Theatre Guild are
popular cultural destinations. Other area highlights include
the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Gerald R. Ford
Museum, the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, John Ball Zoo and
the Blandford Nature Center.
Numerous Indian tribes occupied the Grand River Valley
including the Hopewell Indians, known for their large burial
mounds, and the Ottawa Indians, who traded fur pelts for
European metal and textile goods when the British and French
arrived in the area. The first permanent settler in Grand
Rapids was a Baptist minister named Issac McCoy. The most
important settler, however, was Louis Campau, who bought what
is now the entire downtown business district from the federal
government for $90. The city was incorporated in April 1850
and Grand Rapids quickly became renowned for its budding
furniture industry.
Even today, Grand Rapids is considered a world leader in the
production of office furniture, although the city is
economically diverse and also has industrial machinery, metal,
food, paper, plastics, printing products and information
technology industries. In fact, Entrepreneur magazine recently
named Grand Rapids one of the "Best Cities for Entrepreneurs."
Some of the major employers in Grand Rapids include Meijer
Inc, Spectrum Health Hospital, General Motors Corporation and
two leading companies in office furniture production,
Steelcase, Inc. and Herman Miler, Inc.
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