The tribe later split, with the Chippewas settling in the northern lower peninsula, the Pottawatomies staying south of the Kalamazoo River and the Odawa staying in central Michigan. Later, a tribe from the Ottawa River traveled to the Grand River valley, fighting three battles with the Prairie Indians who were established in the area. Over 2000 years ago, people associated with the Hopewell culture occupied the Grand River Valley. Ford Freeway are named after him.Ī 1772 engraving showing Odawa attire of the period.įor thousands of years, succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples occupied the area. President Gerald Ford, who is buried with his wife Betty on the grounds of the Gerald R. Grand Rapids was the childhood home of U.S. The city and surrounding communities are economically diverse, based in the health care, information technology, automotive, aviation, and consumer goods manufacturing industries, among others. Other nicknames include 'River City' and more recently, 'Beer City' (the latter given by USA Today and adopted by the city as a brand). A historic furniture manufacturing center, Grand Rapids is home to five of the world's leading office furniture companies and is nicknamed 'Furniture City'. Situated along the Grand River approximately 25 miles (40 km) east of Lake Michigan, it is the economic and cultural hub of West Michigan, as well as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest. Grand Rapids is the central city of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, which has a population of 1,087,592 and a combined statistical area population of 1,383,918. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,893 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S.

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