Big Rapids, Michigan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Big Rapids is a city and the
seat of government The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation's Capital city, capital is also seat of its governmen ...
of Mecosta County, Michigan, United States. The population was 7,727 at the 2020 census, down from 10,601 in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
. The city is surrounded by Big Rapids Charter Township but they are completely separate jurisdictions. Big Rapids is home of the main campus of Ferris State University, a four-year public university.


History

Big Rapids was settled in 1855 by brothers George and Zera French. As the village of Leonard, at the intersection of Elm and Stewart streets, it became the seat of Mecosta County on February 11, 1859, but local lumbermen knew the site as Big Rapids. On September 29, 1859, the Leonard post office was renamed Big Rapids. Big Rapids was platted on November 3, 1859, surrounding the courthouse site of Leonard. The unincorporated community of Big Rapids was first cited on June 10, 1861, rather than Leonard, when the Mecosta County board of supervisors mentioned their seat of government, and in 1865 was consistently cited throughout the year. Big Rapids was incorporated as a city in 1869.


Geography

Big Rapids is in northwestern Mecosta County in central Michigan. It is north of
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 ...
and south of
Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...
, both via U.S. Route 131. The city sits along the Muskegon River, which passes Ferris State University and the local middle school on its way southwest to
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
. As with most of the area, Big Rapids lies on an ancient sea bed and has a sandy
subsoil Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. Like topsoil, it is composed of a variable mixture of small particles such as sand, silt and clay, but with a much lower percentage of organic matter and humus. The su ...
which lies above an iron ore base. 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 city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.56%, are water.


Government

The city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.


Transportation


Major highways

* * * *


Bus

* Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between
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 ...
and Petoskey, Michigan. The southbound bus stops in Big Rapids at 2:35 pm, and the northbound bus stops in Big Rapids at 6:03 pm. Since August 1, 2014, buses stop in the Save-A-Lot parking lot across the street from the Racquet & Fitness Center. *Public dial-a-ride bus service is provided by the Big Rapids Dial-A-Ride.


Airports

* Roben-Hood Airport is located north of the Big Rapids business district and provides services to businesses and general aviation throughout the Midwest. * Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the nearest international airport, located roughly one hour south of Big Rapids near Grand Rapids.


Cycling and hiking

The Fred Meijer White Pine Trail, a multi-use trail from Grand Rapids to Cadillac, passes through Big Rapids.


Demographics


Population decline

Big Rapids' population peaked in the 1980s. Since the 1980s, Big Rapids has lost over 46% of its population. There are a number of reasons for the decline, one being the decline in enrollment at Ferris State University. Quality of life concerns have also played a role. Mecosta County (like most rural areas) struggles with poor education, lack of high-paying jobs, and high rates of
substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
.


2020 census

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 2020, there were 7,727 people, 3,085 households, and 1,044 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 3,590 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83%
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 ...
, 5.8%
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 ...
, 0.5% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 7.2% 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 residents of any race were 5.1% of the population. There were 3,085 households, of which 22.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.5% 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, 10% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 66.2% were non-families. 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age of the city was 22 years. 12.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 51.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.6% were from 25 to 44; 10.7% were from 45 to 64; and 7.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.7% male and 46.3% female.


2010 census

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 2010, there were 10,601 people, 3,330 households, and 1,323 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 3,623 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.0%
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 ...
, 6.8%
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 ...
, 0.7% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.5% 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 residents of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 3,330 households, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.9% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 60.3% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 21.8 years. 12.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 54% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.9% were from 25 to 44; 11.2% were from 45 to 64; and 6.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.


Climate

This climatic region has large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Big Rapids has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.


Notable people

* Matt Borland, NASCAR crew chief * Justin Currie, NFL player; raised in Big Rapids * May Erlewine, musician * Ben Hebard Fuller, major general and Commandant of the Marine Corps; born in Big Rapids * Clint Hurdle, outfielder with four MLB teams; manager of the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
and
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
; born in Big Rapids * James Hynes, novelist; grew up in Big Rapids * Tom Shanahan, a sportswriter and author; grew up in Big Rapids * Anna Howard Shaw, a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the nineteenth century; lived in Big Rapids as a young woman * Daisy Tapley, African American classical singer; born in Big Rapids *
Virginia Van Wie Virginia Van Wie (February 9, 1909 – February 18, 1997) was an American amateur golfer, best known for winning three U.S. Women's Amateurs, 1932–34. The Illinois-born golfer was the daughter of wealthy parents and learned the game at the Bever ...
, Women’s Golf Champion, Women’s Golf Hall of Fame, made a home in Big Rapids in her later years


Education

* Big Rapids Public Schools * Crossroads Charter Academy * Ferris State University * St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School * St. Mary's Catholic School


References


External links

*
Big Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau
* {{authority control 1855 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1855 Cities in Mecosta County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Micropolitan areas of Michigan