Ada Township ( ) is a

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...

of Kent County in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The population was 14,388 at the 2020 census. The majority of the township is included in the Forest Hills census-designated place, which is used only for statistical purposes. Ada Township is part of the

Grand Rapids metropolitan area The Grand Rapids metropolitan area is a triangular shaped Metro Triplex, in West Michigan, which fans out westward from the primary hub city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the other two metro hubs of Muskegon and Holland. The metropolitan area ...

and is about east of the city of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. The township is the corporate home of Alticor and its subsidiary companies Amway North America and

Amway Amway (short for "American Way") is an American multi-level marketing (MLM) company that sells health, beauty, and home care products. The company was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos and is based in Ada, Michigan. Amway and it ...

Communities

Ada, also known as Ada Village, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

within the township. It is located on

M-21 M21 or M-21 may refer to: Transportation * M21 (New York City bus), a New York City Bus route in Manhattan * M-21 highway (Michigan), a road connecting Flint and Grand Rapids * M21 (East London), a Metropolitan Route in East London, South Africa ...

, about east of

. Ada contains its own post office with the 49301 ZIP Code that serves the majority of the township. Ada was settled as early as 1821 when

Rix Robinson Rix may refer to: Places * Rix, Jura, a commune in France * Rix, Nièvre, a commune in France People * Rix (surname) * Rix Robinson (1789–1875), Michigan pioneer Other uses * ''Rix'', a Gaulish word meaning "king"; cognate with the ancient ...

built a trading post near the area to trade furs with a local

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

village. Robinson made the first land purchase here in 1833, and a settlement developed along the

Thornapple River The Thornapple River (Ottawa: ''Sowanquesake'', "Forked River") (GNIS ID #) is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 tributary of Michigan's longest river, the ...

. A post office was established in 1837. Both the township and village settlement were named for Ada Smith, the daughter of the first postmaster. The settlement was given a station on the

Detroit and Milwaukee Railroad Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

(later part of the

Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway The Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway is a defunct railroad which operated in the US state of Michigan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Itself the product of several consolidations in the 1870s, it became part of the Grand Tr ...

). A

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

was recorded in 1857. Forest Hills is an unincorporated community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) that occupies the majority of the township for statistical purposes. The CDP occupies (or 88.90%) of the township. Forest Hills also occupies a large portion of Cascade Township to the south and is the largest and most-populated CDP in the state.

History

At the turn of the 19th century, the land that would become Ada was a village of the Grand River Band of Ottawa, led by Nebawnaygezhick. During the early colonial settlement of Michigan, Rix Robinson, the first permanent colonial settler of Kent County, married Sebequay ("River Woman"), the sister of Nebawnaygezhick, at Ada. In 1821, Robinson purchased a former

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

trading post at the junction of the

Grand Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and commu ...

and Thornapple rivers from

Madeline La Framboise Magdelaine La Framboise (1780–1846), born Marguerite-Magdelaine Marcot,David A. Armour, "MARCOT, MARGUERITE-MAGDELAINE," in ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography,'' vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed September 11, 2 ...

, on behalf of

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...

. Land north of the Grand River was not available for purchase by European-American settlers until after the United States signed the 1836 Treaty of Washington with regional tribes. Following the treaty, Robinson purchased hundreds of acres around the mouth of the Thornapple for the Ottawa to continue living on. There are conflicting reports concerning when the township was organized. Information provided by the township website indicates that Robinson was elected as the township's first supervisor. However, other sources indicate it was organized on April 2, 1838, and that Sydney Smith was elected the first supervisor and that Robinson was the second, elected in 1841 and again in 1844. A village was platted in 1858 at the mouth of the Thornapple River, but it developed slowly and never incorporated. The township originally included Townships 5, 6, and 7 North, Range 10 West and was split off from

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

and Kent Townships. Boundaries changed in 1840 to split off Caledonia Township (Township 5 North, Range 10 West) and in 1848 Cascade Township (the part of Township 6, Range 10 West lying south of the Grand River). In 1843, State Legislature approved the board of supervisors to aid in construction of bridge across the Grand River near its junction with the

. Land was appropriated in 1848 to aid in finishing this bridge. In 1846, a state road was authorized by the State of Michigan Legislature from

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

to the unincorporated village of Ada. The Ada Covered Bridge was constructed across the Thornapple in 1867. Listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, it is one of nine covered bridges that remain standing in the state. The town board was authorized by act of Michigan Legislature in 1867 to borrow money for building and repairing this bridge. An earlier act in 1848 appropriated lands for building and repairing a bridge near the mouth of the Thornapple on the Cascade Road. In 1877, voters authorized raising $3000 for purchasing a bridges across the Grand River.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (2.86%) is water. The Grand River and the Thornapple River pass through the township.

Major highways

* runs west–east through the southern portion of the township.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 9,882 people, 3,263 households, and 2,802 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 3,384 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the township was 95.57% White, 0.47% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population. There were 3,263 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.30. In the township the population was spread out, with 32.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median

income Income is the consumption and saving opportunity gained by an entity within a specified timeframe, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. Income is difficult to define conceptually and the definition may be different across fields. For ...

for a household in the township was $83,357, and the median income for a family was $87,972. Males had a median income of $61,795 versus $36,288 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $37,840. About 1.1% of families and 1.9% 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 t ...

, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Forest Hills Public Schools district serves most of the township, while

Lowell Area Schools Lowell Area Schools (LAS) is a school district headquartered in Lowell, Michigan. In addition to sections of Kent, its boundary includes sections of Ionia County Ionia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 ...

serves a smaller portion in the east.

Forest Hills Central High School Forest Hills Central High School is located in Ada Township, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools system. The district also includes Forest Hills Eastern High School (FHE) and Forest Hil ...

and

Forest Hills Eastern High School Forest Hills Eastern High School, commonly referred to as Forest Hills Eastern (FHE), is a State school#United States, Public Day School attended by students between the grades of 9 and 12 (ages approximately 12 to 18). The School is located in Ad ...

are located in Ada Township.Contact Us
" Forest Hills Central High School. Retrieved on April 6, 2015. "Central High School 5901 Hall Street SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546" The Grand Rapids Supplemental School is a part-time Japanese school (''

hoshū jugyō kō , or are supplementary Japanese schools located in foreign countries for students living abroad with their families. ''Hoshū jugyō kō'' educate Japanese-born children who attend local day schools. They generally operate on weekends, after scho ...

'') that holds its classes at Forest Hills Central High School.List of supplementary lessons in North America (as of April 15, 2013)
Retrieved on May 5, 2014. "Forest Hills Central High School 5901 Hall St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 U.S.A."

Images

File:Ada Michigan Covered Bridge downstream underside DSCN9708.JPG, File:Ada MI GrandRiver DSCN9684.JPG, File:Ada Michigan ThornappleRiver Dam DSCN9695.JPG,

References

External links

Ada Township official website

Ada Business Association

Ada Historical Society

Forest Hills Public Schools
{{authority control Townships in Michigan Townships in Kent County, Michigan Grand Rapids metropolitan area Populated places established in 1858 1858 establishments in Michigan