Allendale is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Ottawa County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 27,073 at the 2020 census. It is located within Allendale Charter Township, occupying approximately the northern two-thirds of the township, from the eastern boundary with the Grand River west along Pierce St., north along 75th Ave., then west along Lake Michigan Drive ( M-45) to the western boundary of the township. It is a part of the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan combined statistical area, and is an

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, due to its major commuter routes into the city ( M-45 and I-96). The ZIP code 49401 serves all of Allendale and many of the remnant portions of the township, as well as portions of Blendon Township to the south and Georgetown Township to the southeast. Allendale is named for the township. The township was organized in 1849, state senator Pennoyer changed the name to Allendale, after Agnes Allen, the first person on the tax roll in the area and the widow of Hannibal Allen, who was the son of Revolutionary War hero

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...

. Allendale is home to the main campus of

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (3.78%) is water.

Geographic features

Grand River (Michigan) The Grand River (Ottawa: ''owashtanong'', "Far-Flowing Water") is a river in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The longest river in Michigan, the Grand River rises in Hillsdale County, and flows in a generally northwesterly ...

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 11,555 people, 2,864 households, and 1,913 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 3,016 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.22%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.97%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.89% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.45% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.03% of the population. There were 2,864 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.36. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 43.1% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 9.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,671, and the median income for a family was $58,371. Males had a median income of $39,038 versus $25,146 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the community was $14,580. About 2.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

* Allendale Public Schools ** Allendale High School **New Options Alternative High School **Allendale Middle School **Oakwood Intermediate School **Springview Elementary **Evergreen Elementary * Allendale Christian School

Higher education

The main campus of

, founded in 1960, is located in Allendale on .

is the fastest growing university in the United States, both in population and physical size, as the university is continually building more facilities. The university is also ranked as one of the top up and coming schools in the Midwest. The university enrolls a total of just under 25,000 students on the Allendale campus and two campuses in the surrounding area, and offers over 200 areas of study, making it the largest university in the

region.

Parks

Monument honoring a Confederate Soldier located in the Garden of Honor at the Allendale Community Park

Slave_Child_kneeling_at_the_feet_of_a_Confederate_soldier

Allendale Community Park is a 40-acre park situated near the township office. It contains a Veterans Garden of Honor honoring U.S. soldiers. It contains nine statues representing veterans of U.S. wars. One of the statues, installed in 1998, depicting a Confederate and Union soldier standing back-to-back with a young slave crouched between them at their feet, has been controversial for seeming to honor the Confederacy. During the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests, riots, and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as Reactions to the mu ...

in 2020, the Allendale Township Board voted on June 30, 2020 to keep it.

Points of interest

On Campus

* Lubbers Stadium, home of Grand Valley State Laker football. * Cook Carillon Tower * The Meadows at Grand Valley State University * GVSU Fieldhouse

Off Campus

* Grand River * Bass River State Recreation Area * Placid Wake Park * Grand River Park

Local media

Newspapers

* Grand Valley Lanthorn

Radio

* WGVU-FM (88.5 FM Allendale/

) – GVSU Public Radio (

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

/Jazz) * WCKS "The Whale" – GVSU student run radio

Television

* WGVU-TV – GVSU

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

member station *GVBN – GVSU student run television station

Transportation

Mass transit

* The Rapid provides bus service to the

Allendale campus. The Laker Line connects the Allendale campus to Downtown Grand Rapids, and The Rapid operates additional shuttle services in Allendale, connecting to off-campus housing.

Major highways

References

External links

Allendale Charter Township
{{Coord, 42, 58, 20, N, 85, 57, 13, W, display=title, region:US_type:city(11555)_source:GNIS Grand Valley State University Populated places established in 1842 1842 establishments in Michigan Census-designated places in Ottawa County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Ottawa County, Michigan