The Advocate magazine named Grand Rapids one of the Gayest Cities in America more than a decade ago, in a feature exploring the “peer capita queerness of some less expected locales.” Grand Rapids has…
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Grand Rapids is home to many locally owned and operated LGBTQIA+ businesses. The city is now a destination to live and work for people of all ages and identities as more inclusive businesses open…
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Experience Grand Rapids wants every visitor to our region to feel welcome and accommodated. That includes travelers with all different types of abilities. In 2018, we teamed with Disability Advocates…
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Grand Rapids historian Kevin Finney estimates that indigenous peoples lived in the greater Grand Rapids area for 11,000 years before the first European settlers arrived in 1650. Little is known about…
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As is the case with many American cities, the unique character of Grand Rapids was shaped largely by successive waves of European settlers. Dutch immigrants had a particularly outsized impact - Grand…
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As is the case with many American cities, the unique character of Grand Rapids was shaped largely by successive waves of European settlers. Germans, Poles, Italians, English, Irish and French…
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Few African Americans came to West Michigan until after the Civil War, fleeing Jim Crow discrimination in the southern states. Even then, the numbers were relatively small. It wasn't until the Great…
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The Latino, or Hispanic, community in Grand Rapids dates back as far as the 1920s, when a small number of young men from Mexico came here to work in railroad jobs. Almost a century later, this…
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In 2010, approximately 2% of Grand Rapids residents claimed Asian-only descent. The city’s Asian population jumped by 30% over the next decade, with the southeast suburb of Kentwood leading the way:…
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You don’t have to travel the world to experience global cultures. West Michigan hosts a variety of fun, educational and entertaining festivals that give visitors a glimpse into the diverse backgrounds…
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