About Grand Rapids

Overview of the City

Grand Rapids sits along the banks of the Grand River in western Michigan, urban energy and natural beauty in perfect balance. As second-largest city in Michigan, it has a robust mix of long-rooted history and contemporary cultural allure. For several millennia, the Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe people made their homes along the river—a river abundant in resources. They were and are great friends with the river, our river. Grand Rapids' modern foundation was built on the lumber industry in the 1800s, which naturally evolved into furniture manufacturing—earning Grand Rapids its enduring nickname "Furniture City." That history is visible today in both preserved historic districts and the city’s continued excellence in design.

Evolution of the City

Grand Rapids today is transformed into a model of urban sustainability, while it honors its past as an industrial city. The city has diversified, going beyond furniture, into healthcare, automotive manufacturing, consumer goods, and technology. It is anchored by Spectrum Health, one of Michigan's biggest employers, in a burgeoning healthcare sector that includes advanced research facilities and other specialized medical centers. What impresses me even more about Grand Rapids is the enthusiasm with which it has embraced green initiatives. Surrounded by over 1,200 acres of parkland, the downtown area boasts LEED-certified buildings. And there are all kinds of community-wide sustainability initiatives throughout the city.

Arts & Culture

Grand Rapids channels its creative spirit during ArtPrize, which is the largest public art competition in the world. This event transforms the public spaces of downtown Grand Rapids into an open gallery, where over 1,500 pieces of art are on display. What makes this art competition so democratic is that public votes determine who the winners are, making this a very participatory art event that aligns well with the Grand Rapids cultural protocol.

Food & Drink Scene

The culinary landscape of Grand Rapids exhibits the kind of global influences and deep local roots that you find in the best American cities. After all, the city has only recently embraced the kind of post-industrial renaissance that has made many Midwest cities more livable. Its culinary ambitions have become much clearer in the past decade or so. They are backed by the abundant agricultural bounty of western Michigan. The city’s Downtown Market serves as a culinary hub where visitors can sample everything from artisanal cheeses to Vietnamese street food. That's not to mention the myriad of farm-to-table dining options that downtown has to offer.

Outdoor Recreation

Grand Rapids is always touched by nature; the Grand River runs right through downtown, and the breathtaking coastline of Lake Michigan is just 30 minutes to the west. Grand Rapids is every bit an outdoor paradise as it is a Midtown and downtown one, an art and culture one. Kayakers can launch in the river's only urban section right downtown, while the well-to-do cyclist has an extensive trail network to traverse that leads both into and out of the city. When the colors of the leaves pop against a sky that is sometimes sunny, sometimes gray, but always beautiful, you know it is autumn in Grand Rapids.

Education and Innovation

Such institutions as Grand Valley State University, Calvin University, Aquinas College, and Davenport University make the presence of even more vibrant academic and learning environments than that of Grand Rapids part of the educational milieu. In fact, it is a kind of ingenious stroke of authority that makes what is very much a local narrative—one that these dress shirts claim to transcend—an almost national one. It is no coincidence that these colleges are also at the forefront of something very much needed of late: the drive toward innovation.

Community & Inclusivity

One of the most effective ways to understand the essence of Grand Rapids is to think of the robust community sense that prevails there and the cooperative way its citizens behave with each other and with their local government. The city enjoys the very lavish fruits of a philanthropic class that showers a lot of its good money on a lot of good causes, from hospitals for kids to hospitals for public artists. This culture of giving very much extends through the community; volunteerism almost seems like a full-time job for some people, and the set of neighborhood associations that exists ranges from the ones you hardly recognize to the ones that have the very nature of an achievement society. The community holds several festivals throughout the year that might be called neighborhood or community events, yet each one takes places in a public forum and tends to be a public event. These events range from a very large public celebration of the city for its Hispanic heritage, to a public event in honor of its very impressive Polish heritage.

Closing Summary

The best of Michigan embodies Grand Rapids. The city is hard at work yet full of creativity. It yields to tradition yet is brave enough to innovate. And it's connected to the beauty of the natural world and the possibilities of urban life. Grand Rapids is not a single-industry town anymore, but a resilient community that's diversified and delightful. There's no better place to kayak at sunset, and I'll bet there's no place to sample craft beer that holds a candle to Grand Rapids. But it seems to me that the biggest reason Grand Rapids is world-class is that it's a city of artists. I don't know how the Grand Rapidians do it, but it seems to be true of every neighborhood I've been in, as well as the downtown.

Helpful Grand Rapids Resources

City of Grand Rapids 300 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (616) 456-3000 For permits, city services, and general information

Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital 100 Michigan St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (616) 391-1774

Mercy Health Saint Mary's 200 Jefferson Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (616) 685-5000

Consumers Energy (Gas & Electric) Emergency: (800) 477-5050 Customer Service: (800) 477-5050