Arts• La Grande Vitesse is the first public art work funded in part by the NEA. Show Eats• Stella's Lounge serves
America's Best Burger (GQ Magazine, 2012). Play• 28 public golf courses within 15 minutes of downtown make G.R. one of the top cities for per-capita public golf courses. History• Ottawa Indians were Grand Rapids' first inhabitants and in 1826 the city was settled by
French fur traders. Miscellaneous• G.R. is Michigan's 2nd largest city, with a metro-area population of 1.4 million.
From a great city the to the great lake, Grand Rapids is only 25 miles from Lake Michigan. Photo by Experience Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan with a population of about 199,000 in the city and a bit more than one million in the Metro Grand Rapids area. Grand Rapids is located on the banks of the Grand River that winds its way through downtown. Grand Rapids gets its name from the Grand River and the rapids that used to help the local furniture industry with the transport of logs. In the early 1900s flood walls were installed in the river to remove the rapids in order to help manage flooding. The Grand Rapids WhiteWater Project is now in the works to restore the river and the rapids. Grand Rapids is only 25 miles east of Lake Michigan and a 30-40 minute drive from the vibrant lakeshore communities of Grand Haven, Holland, Muskegon and Saugatuck/Douglas. Originally occupied 2,000 years ago by Hopewell Indians, the Grand River Valley also was inhabited by Ottawa Indians in the early 1700s. Later, Kent County was settled by European immigrants (beginning with fur traders, who set up trading posts along the Grand River) in the
1820s and became self-governing in 1836. The county is named after James Kent, attorney and author of "Commentaries on American Law." Grand Rapids became a village in 1838 and a city in 1850. Grand Rapids was a center for craftsmen, carpenters and woodworkers during the lumber boom of the 1880s, and became known as "America's Furniture Capital." At the height of the lumber boom, Grand Rapids was home to 44 furniture companies. Gerald R. Ford, 38th president of the United States, was raised
in Grand Rapids and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum is located here. The burial site for Gerald and Betty Ford is located on the Museum grounds. The Ford Museum was most recently updated in 2016 with the addition of an education center and renovation of the exhibits.
Betty FordOne of the most iconic couples, President Gerald Ford and Betty Ford spent their… West Michigan's major employment industries are Life Sciences, Food Manufacturing, Retail Trade, Construction, Professional/Scientific/Technical Services, Manufacturing, and Health Care and Social Assistance. Grand Rapids' top employers include Corewell Health, Meijer Inc., Trinity Health and Amway Corporation. Total hotel rooms: 10,300 Downtown total hotel rooms – 2,566 Grand Rapids is one of the Midwest’s hottest convention cities, hosting groups of all kinds from all areas
of the country. Grand Rapids has an infrastructure of a much larger city, offering a convention campus just 20 minutes from Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The campus includes a state-of-the-art convention center located in the heart of downtown, DeVos Place Convention Center, which offers over 250,000
square feet of space on a 13-acre riverfront site. There is a 162,000 square foot “Class A” exhibition hall, 40,000 square foot ballroom, 35,000 square feet of sub-dividable meeting space and 75-foot high Grand Gallery pre-function space. Also included in the campus is Van Andel Arena, a $75 million entertainment venue downtown Grand Rapids which is home to the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team and seats 12,000 for events, concerts, family shows, ice performances, seminars and conferences. These two facilities are connected via climate-controlled skywalk to three excellent hotels: the Amway Grand Plaza, Curio Collection by Hilton, JW Marriott Grand Rapids and Downtown Courtyard by Marriott, which together offer 78,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 1,210 guest rooms. Ten additional downtown hotels (1,300+ rooms) – including such brands as AC by Marriott, Canopy by Hilton, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hyatt Place and Residence Inn – are located within an easy walk (or free bus ride) of the convention center.
DeVos Place Convention Center
DeVos Place puts visitors right in the middle of everything happening in downtown Grand Rapids. This multi-purpose facility is unequaled in service and support. Its management team of SMG provides the same high caliber of meeting and…
Van Andel Arena
Located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Van Andel Arena provides the perfect balance of cosmopolitan flair and Midwest hospitality. This state-of-the-art 12,000-plus seating capacity arena is managed by ASM. It is connected via skywalk to the… The Gerald R. Ford International airport offers more than 100 daily nonstop flights to and from 30+ major market destinations. Photo by Experience Grand Rapids Gerald R. Ford International Airport, (616) 233-6000 or www.grr.org, is the second largest airport in Michigan. The airport offers more than 100 daily nonstop flights to and from 30+ major market destinations: Atlanta, Austin (seasonal), Baltimore/Washington, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago-Midway, Chicago-O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Destin/Fort Walton, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale (seasonal), Fort Myers (seasonal), Houston, Jacksonville (seasonal), Las Vegas, Los Angeles (seasonal), Miami (seasonal), Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York-LaGuardia, New York-Newark, Orlando International (seasonal), Orlando-Sanford, Philadelphia, Phoenix-Mesa, Phoenix- Sky Harbor International (seasonal), Portland (seasonal), Punta Gorda (seasonal), Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah/Hilton Head (seasonal), St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Tampa International (seasonal) and Washington-Reagan. Airlines include Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Discover the art of dining in Grand Rapids. Two unique factors help distinguish the culinary scene in Grand Rapids: we’re located in the middle of one of the world’s best growing regions and we’re home to one of America’s finest culinary schools, the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. Visitors can choose from hundreds of restaurants to fit any taste and budget.
What's great about Grand Rapids?Grand Rapids, named after the Grand River, is a populous city that's well-known for its history, furniture production, art, and culture.. Grand Rapids Public Museum. ... . Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. ... . Grand Rapids Art Museum. ... . The Gerald Ford Presidential Museum. ... . John Ball Zoo.. What is someone from Grand Rapids called?Grand Rapids, Michigan. Why do they call it Grand Rapids?Grand Rapids gets its name from the Grand River and the rapids that used to help the local furniture industry with the transport of logs. In the early 1900s flood walls were installed in the river to remove the rapids in order to help manage flooding.
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