Welcome to Grand Rapids ...
The city of Grand Rapids is located in Kent County<1> and is the County Seat for Kent County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Grand Rapids, you might consider that their post office opened in 1846.
When the people of Grand Rapids refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Grand Rapidian<2>
A typical abbreviation for Grand Rapids: Grand Rpds.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Grand Rapids has a population of 200,917 people<3> (see below for details).
Grand Rapids is 740 feet [226 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Grand Rapids lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Grand Rapids: (616)
The ZIP codes for Grand Rapids: 49501-49510, 49512, 49514-49516, 49518, 49523, 49525, 49530, 49544, 49546, 49548, 49550, 49555, 49560, 49588, 49599<5>
Websites for Grand Rapids ...
Official Website: www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us/
Junior League: www.juniorleaguegr.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Grand Rapids had an population of 200,917 people. This is an increase of 6.85% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 1.58% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Grand Rapids had a population of 188,040 people (or 31.2% of the total population of Kent County). This makes Grand Rapids the county's most populous community.
The population of Grand Rapids represents 1.9% of the population of Michigan (which has 9,883,640 people), making it the state's 2nd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 188,040 people, the population of Grand Rapids decreased 4.93% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 197,800 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Grand Rapids.
Communities Also Named Grand Rapids ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Michigan communities named Grand Rapids: This one is located in Kent County and the other is located in Ontonagon County.
Beyond Michigan, there are 9 communities that are also named Grand Rapids - they are located in British Columbia, Manitoba, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio (2) and Oregon.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Grand Rapids.
Communities near Grand Rapids ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Grand Rapids.
- Kentwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kentwood have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentwood
- Kentwood is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51,719 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kentwood <7>
- Grandville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandville
- Grandville is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15,749 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grandville <7>
- Hudsonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsonville
- Hudsonville is located in Ottawa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,391 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudsonville <7>
- Rockford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockford have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
- Rockford is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,395 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rockford <7>
- Sparta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Sparta is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,409 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <7>
- Coopersville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopersville
- Coopersville is located in Ottawa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,393 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coopersville <7>
- Lowell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Lowell is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,196 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowell <7>
- Cedar Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Springs
- Cedar Springs is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,743 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cedar Springs <7>
- Middleville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleville
- Middleville is located in Barry County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,510 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middleville <7>
- Caledonia
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Caledonia is located in Kent County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,885 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Caledonia <7>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Grand Rapids. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Grand Rapids.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Grand Rapids. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Grand Rapids.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Grand Rapids. Our list includes 137 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Grand Rapids.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Grand Rapids ...
Looking for more information about Grand Rapids? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Grand Rapids, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Grand Rapids.
Adding Grand Rapids to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Grand Rapids in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Grand Rapids was in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
We also found Grand Rapids in the book titled Table of U.S. Post Offices in the United States (Jan. 1851).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Grand Rapids.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Grand Rapids: www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us/
The official website for Kent County: www.accesskent.com/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Michigan's counties, including Kent, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Grand Rapids refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Grand Rapids may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Grand Rapids. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Grand Rapids - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Grand Rapids). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Grand Rapids or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Grand Rapids includes: 49501, 49502, 49503, 49504, 49505, 49506, 49507, 49508, 49509, 49512, 49514, 49515, 49518, 49523, 49525, 49530, 49544, 49546, 49548, 49550, 49555, 49560, 49588 & 49599. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |