Back to towns in United States of America
Grand Rapids is a city in west central Michigan and seat of Kent County, at rapids on the Grand River. Grand Rapids is a leading commercial, transportation, and manufacturing hub of western Michigan that first achieved fame for the production of furniture. Manufactures today include office furniture, automotive parts, footwear and leather products, machinery, hardware, home care products, tools, plastics, printed materials, home appliances, and processed foods. Commercial air transportation is through Kent County International Airport. Grand Rapids is the seat of Davenport College of Business (1866), Calvin College (1876), Aquinas College (1922), Kendall College of Art and Design (1928), Cornerstone College (1941) and an associated seminary, Grace Bible College (1945), and a community college. The Ford Presidential Museum, housing objects associated with the personal life of the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, opened in 1981. The Grand Rapids Public Library has a notable collection of books on the subject of furniture, and in the Furniture Museum are exhibits showing the history of furniture and furniture design. The Public Museum of Grand Rapids includes among other historical attractions re-created sections of a working furniture factory from the early 20th century. Grand Rapids is also known for its display of a 13-m (43-ft) high sculpture in metal by American artist Alexander Calder set in the downtown Vandenberg Center. The Heritage Hill Historic District contains numerous spectacular homes in an array of architectural styles. A planetarium and a zoo are located in the city. Other cultural activities include an opera, symphony, ballet, and professional theater. Each June thousands are drawn to the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, which highlights performing and visual arts. Members of the Hopewell culture were among the earliest residents of the Grand River valley, an occupation marked by large burial mounds. By the time of the first exploration by Europeans, the Ottawa people had built several villages in the area. The presence of the villages attracted a Baptist mission in 1825, and in 1826 a fur trader, named Louis Campau, established a trading post at the site of present-day Grand Rapids. By the time Grand Rapids incorporated as a city in 1850, furniture manufacturing had already begun, utilizing waterpower from rapids on the Grand River (from which the city drew its name) and abundant local hardwoods and softwoods. A furniture display at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 brought national recognition to Grand Rapids. At the end of the 19th century, the city was the chief furniture producer in the United States and came to be called the Furniture Capital of America. In the 20th century many furniture manufactures moved to southern states in search of cheaper labor. While the city's economy has since diversified into many other fields, it remains a noted producer of office furniture.
|
