Grand Rapids Fact Sheet

Located in West Michigan, Grand Rapids is the state’s second largest city, with a population of 200,000. It is the seat of Kent County (population 681,000) and the heart of a metro area with more than 1.2 million residents.

Downtown Grand Rapids is located on the Grand River, Michigan’s longest river. The city is named for the rapids that once roared through downtown and facilitated the transport of logs used by the local furniture industry. Eliminated to help manage flooding in the early 1900s, the downtown rapids are now on the verge of returning, thanks to the Grand Rapids WhiteWater Project, which will restore the rapids and enhance opportunities for angling, wading canoeing and kayaking. Grand Rapids WhiteWater is one of seven downtown projects that together constitute one of the largest active riverfront developments in the U.S. – more than $1.2 billion in investment that is transforming the downtown experience for residents and visitors alike.

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. It less than three hours from Chicago by car and 2.5 miles from Detroit.

Grand Rapids and Kent County are situated on the ancestral land of the Anishnaabe: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Bodéwadmi people also known as the People of the Three Fires. European immigrants in the 1820s – beginning with fur traders, who set up trading posts along the Grand River – and was incorporated as a village in 1838. The village became a city on April 2, 1850.

Early Grand Rapids was a hub for craftsmen, carpenters and woodworkers during the lumber boom of the 1880s, and it became known as "America's Furniture Capital." At the height of the 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.

Grand Rapids celebrated its 175^th anniversary in 2025 and is gearing up to observe America’s 250^th anniversary in 2026.

Grand Rapids has been recognized as one of America’s fastest growing economies, the $2 U.S. Boomtown of the Future and a Top 10 Up-and-Coming North American Tech-Talent Market. Major industries include Manufacturing, Health Care, Retail, Construction and Education. The city’s Medical Mile is home to some of the most advanced health sciences facilities in the Midwest, and the area is on track to become a Midwest tech hub over the next decade. 

More than 130 international companies are located here, as well as four of Forbes’ Largest Private Employers. Top employers include Corewell Health, Trinity Health, Meritage Hospitality Group and Meijer, Inc.

There are 106 hotels with more than 11,000 hotel rooms throughout Kent County. Downtown Grand Rapids offers 2,500+ rooms in 13 hotels, including two AAA Four-Diamond hotels (the Amway Grand Plaza and JW Marriott).

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 compact convention neighborhood just 16 minutes from Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

It 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 neighborhood is Van Andel Arena, a $75 million entertainment venue downtown Grand Rapids which is home to three pro sports franchises – the Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team, Grand Rapids Gold basketball team and Grand Rapids Rise volleyball 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 1,202 guest rooms. Nine 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.

Meeting planners and their groups are serviced by Experience Grand Rapids, named the Midwest’s best Convention Bureau/Destination Marketing Organization in 2024 (Northstar Meetings Group Stella Awards) and honored with Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Awards in 2024 and 2025.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport, (616) 233-6000 or www.grr.org, is the second largest airport in Michigan. In 2024, it was honored by Airports Council International as the Best Airport of 2-5 Million Passengers in North America as well as the Most Dedicated Staff, Easiest, Most Enjoyable and Cleanest Airport. It is currently in the midst of a $600 million development project to further enhance the passenger experience.

The airport offers more than 140 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 Beach, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale (seasonal), Fort Myers (seasonal), Houston, Jacksonville, La Guardia, Lakeland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (seasonal), Miami (seasonal), Minneapolis-St. Paul, Myrtle Beach (seasonal), Nashville, New York-Newark, Orlando International, Orlando-Sanford, Philadelphia, Phoenix-Mesa, Phoenix- Sky Harbor International (seasonal), Portland (seasonal), Punta Gorda (seasonal), Raleigh-Durham, Sarasota-Bradenton, Savannah-Hilton Head (seasonal), St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Tampa International (seasonal), Washington-Reagan and West Palm Beach.

Airlines include Allegiant, American Airlines, Avelo, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country and United Airlines.

Grand Rapids holds the title Beer City USA, awarded by a national vote, and it’s a five-time winner in USA Today’s best beer city poll. Our Beer City Ale Trail boasting more than 40 breweries was named one of America’s 11 Best Food & Drink Trails. USA Today also named our city the Craft Beverage Capital of the US, thanks to the quality and ever-increasing number of our cideries, distilleries, meaderies, wineries and coffee roasters.

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.

Kent County is the apple capital of Michigan, perennially the 2nd or 3rd largest apple-producing state in the U.S. Nearly 80% of Michigan’s apples are grown here, primarily on The Fruit Ridge , a unique topographical feature that is one of the world’s finest growing regions. Our apple crop, which includes 50+ different varieties, fuels a thriving hard cider scene , celebrated annually during May’s Cider Week GR festival , and a robust processing and packaging industry. Kent County also grows an incredibly diverse array of fresh produce beyond apples, on family farms and orchards that sell their fresh-picked fruits and vegetables on site and at farmers markets throughout the region. Many farms host u-pick experiences , harvest festivals and other family-friendly activities.

• ArtPrize: The world’s most attended public art event launched in Grand Rapids in 2009 and continues to bring upwards of 800,000 visitors to see hundreds of global artists display their work all over downtown each fall. ArtPrize 2026 takes place Sept. 17 - Oct. 3.
• Christkindl Markt: This traditional European-style Christmas village celebrates the holidays with 60+ outdoor vendors, holiday food favorites and festive family fun. Nov. 19 - Dec. 23, 2025.
• World of Winter: America’s largest winter festival fills downtown with outdoor art, entertainment, games and activities for two months each year. World of Winter returns Jan 9 - March 1, 2026.
• LaughFest: America’s first community-wide festival of laughter brings some of the country’s hottest comic talents to town every March.
• Cider Week GR: A celebration of the area’s outstanding hard cider scene and the family apple orchards that supply it, held each May in conjunction with the Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition.
•  Restaurant Week GR: Launched in 2009, this annual November event offers special prix-fixe meals showcasing the region’s farm-to-table food culture.

• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: A tribute to the life and times of our 38^th President, who represented Grand Rapids in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949-1973.
• Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: USA Today’s Best Sculpture Park in America ... one of the world's 100 most visited art museums ... one of the Top 30 Must-See Museums on the planet. A breathtaking blend of art and nature.
• Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM): Collections range from Renaissance to Modern Art, with a special focus on 19th and 20th century European and American art.
• Grand Rapids Public Museum:  Michigan’s oldest museum tells the tale of our region and our world through interactive exhibits focusing on science, history and culture. The in-house Chaffee Planetarium immerses visitors in space exploration. The Museum is in the midst of a $50 million renovation that will enhance its indoor and outdoor space.  
• Heritage Hill Historic District: One of the nation's top old-house neighborhoods is just a five-minute walk from downtown Grand Rapids. Heritage Hill boasts Michigan's largest and finest collection of 19th and early 20th century houses. Nearly every style of American architecture, from Greek Revival to Prairie, is represented in the 1,300 buildings that date back to 1844.
• Frank Lloyd Wright Meyer May House: A meticulous restoration complete with original furnishings and faithfully executed reproductions, the Meyer May House provides the rare opportunity to experience a Prairie house exactly as Frank Lloyd Wright intended.
• Grand Rapids Children's Museum: Two floors of hands-on interactive exhibits for kids ages 2-10 are aimed at building young minds through play.
• Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives: Preserving and sharing the legacy of West Michigan’s Black community since 2015, “GRAAMA” moves to a 15x larger space by the end of 2025.
• Millennium Park: One of America’s largest urban parks, this 1,400-acre greenspace five minutes from downtown Grand Rapids offers nearly 18 miles of paved trails, six miles of river frontage, a six-acre beach, boat rental facilities and one of USA Today’s Top 10 splash pads.
• John Ball Zoo: A classic urban zoo two miles west of downtown Grand Rapids, John Ball Zoo is home to more than 2,200 animals from five continents. A new , state-of-the-art North American River Otter habitat debuts in 2026, to be followed by an expansive new African savannah environment in 2028.
• Robinette's Apple Haus: Century-old family farm offers apples and other fresh fruits in season, plus a cider mill, wine tasting, bakery, lunch counter, dining area, hayrides, mountain bike trails and more.
• Blandford Nature Center: Your premier nature getaway! 143 acres of woods, streams and meadows, 4 miles of trails open dawn to dusk daily.
• Grand Rapids Downtown Market: With 20+ restaurants and gourmet food shops and 25,000 sq. ft. of market space, the Downtown Market offers something to satisfy every appetite. Tasting Table named it one of 13 Must-Visit U.S. Food Halls in 2025.
• Seven major developments now in the works in downtown Grand Rapids include the outdoor Acrisure Amphitheater (open May 2026), Amway Soccer Stadium (spring 2027) and a massive, skyline-defining multi-use high-rise riverfront project at the gateway to downtown’s growing sports and entertainment district (in pre-planning and development).

• Grand Rapids Symphony
• Circle Theatre
• Grand Rapids Ballet Company
• Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
• Broadway Grand Rapids
• Opera Grand Rapids

• Grand Rapids Griffins - AHL primary affiliate of the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings; playing in Van Andel Arena.
• West Michigan Whitecaps - Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers; playing at LMCU Ballpark.
• Grand Rapids Gold - NBA G-League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets; playing at the Van Andel Arena.
• Grand Rapids Rise – Women’s volleyball team competing in the Pro Volleyball Federation league.
• AC Grand Rapids - MLS NEXT Pro soccer team playing its first season in the new Amway Soccer Stadium come spring 2027.

14 colleges and affiliate colleges located in Grand Rapids:

1. Aquinas College
2. Calvin University
3. Central Michigan University
4. Cornerstone University
5. Davenport University
6. Ferris State University
7. Grace Christian University
8. Grand Rapids Community College
9. Grand Valley State University
10. Kendall College of Art & Design
11. Kuyper College
12. Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
13. Secchia Institute for Culinary Education
14. Western Michigan University