The city of Grand
Rapids Michigan celebrates its many diverse cultural heritage's
with Celtic, Hispanic, Irish, Italian, German & Polish
festivals
The great
Grand
Rapids land grab
City founder, Louis Campau in 1831 bought 72 acres along the
Grand River which today makes up the heart of downtown Grand
Rapids. Campau was able to buy the land from the state for
$1.25 an acre, or the grand sum of $90.
While
you’re in Grand Rapids Michigan,
do a little bargain shopping at one of the
hundreds of fine stores and shops spread throughout
the city. Find a rare antique treasure for your home
or a new custom business suit for work. It’s
all there for you to enjoy every day.
The city and surrounding area has four major malls
with more than 700 stores to browse through. Or, if
you prefer to visit quaint little shopping districts
with eclectic wares, there are a number of delightful,
small, tree-lined neighborhood shopping districts
offering everything from vintage clothing
to the latest in fashions.
Do try to make a visit to Eastown and Gaslight Village
a part of your day while visiting Grand Rapids.
Christian
publishing giant Grand
Rapids is the home to Zondervan Publishing,
one of the largest international Christian communication
and publishing houses in the world. A division
of Harper Collins Publishers, Zondervan has
distributed more than 160 million copies of
the New International Version of the Bible world
wide.
Sports
of Grand Rapids Michigan
For
spectator sports, Grand Rapids just about has it all.
From national championship arena football teams, to
minor league hockey and baseball to championship college
football, basketball and more.
Want the thrill of fast paced football and hockey,
the city has the national championship Grand
Rapids Rampage arena football teams and the Grand
Rapids Griffins Hockey team. The city also boasts
the Detroit Tigers Class A baseball team the West
Michigan Whitecaps which won the Midwest League Championship
in 2004. All local teams offer up-close action at
reasonable prices.
The
region is also the home to the Grand Valley State University
football team
which won back-to-back NCAA Division II national championships.
Locally, Calvin College is also the winner of two NCAA
division III men’s basketball titles and Cornerstone
University has a NAIA men’s basketball championship.
Other great sporting events in the Grand
Rapids area include the International Hot Rod Association’s
Northern National Championships, the Vintage Sports
Car Drivers Association Vintage Grand Prix Au Grattan
and the U.S. Sand Nationals drag racing.
And,
if half-court basketball is your thing
as a participant or observer, Grand Rapids Michigan,
is also the home of the annual “Gus Macker Downtown
Jam” 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the city’s
Calder Plaza.
There’s no doubt, what ever your taste in sports,
you’ll find fun and excitement in major sporting
events around the Grand
Rapids Michigan area.
Statistics
on the Grand Rapids area The
average median family income in the Grand Rapids
area is $46,000 a year. Home ownership costs are
about $1,050 a month for mortgage, insurance and
taxes while while rental costs in the area average
about $560 a month. The Kent County area, which
Grand Rapids is part of, has an estimated 2,600
new houses built each year.
Festivals
and events
Grand
Rapids Michigan, and neighboring communities
offer up a wonderful array of annual festival and
and
events
to choose from throughout the year from the annual
Tulip Time Festival in
Holland, Michigan
to Art in Park. Just a few of the many events open
to the public throughout the year are Kent County’s
Bluegrass Festival and the Festival of Arts in downtown
Grand Rapids in June. Two area film festivals, cherry
and blueberry fests and fishing derbies. There’s
even a Dell Shannon Days festival.
Grand
Rapids hosts annually the
“Michigan Pride Celebration” for Gay and
Lesbians in June, the “Cat Fanciers Cat Show”
at the Grand Rapids DeltaPlex and Expo Center, “Thunder
on the Grand” power drag boat racing on the Grand
River, the annual Muskegon
Air Fair, and an annual winterfest.
Want more? There’s also the “Soul of the
City Celebration” to celebrate black culture.
The city of Grand
Rapids Michigan, also celebrates its many diverse
cultural heritage's with Celtic, Hispanic, Irish, Italian,
German and Polish festivals. Visit
Grand Rapids Michigan, & enjoy it all
Big
on biking and running Grand
Rapids and the West Michigan area are big on cycling
and foot races. The region hosts an average of
seven biking and running events each month from
May through October. Events range from mountain
bike downhill racing to the annual River Bank
Marathon through downtown Grand Rapids. Annual
summer events also include Iron Men and Women
running, biking and swimming triathlons.
e
hundreds of fine stores and shops spread throughout
the city. Find a rare antique treasure for your home
or a new custom business suit for work. It’s
all there for you to enjoy every day. 
Want the thrill of fast paced football and hockey,
the city has the national championship 
and
