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East Grand Rapids, Michigan
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East Grand Rapids, Michigan
East Grand Rapids is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census[update], the population was 11,371.
The city is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, including Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township, but the city is administered autonomously.
Originally part of Paris Township, East Grand Rapids was first settled in the early 1830s by the Reed Family from New York City, New York. Miss Sophia Reed and Miss Euphemia Davis opened a school in 1834 near Reeds Lake. This involved construction of some school houses. Another schoolhouse was constructed in 1835 near Reeds Lake in the Grand River Valley, with Francis Prescott as one of its teachers. Residents voted to establish the Village of East Grand Rapids in 1891. The village was incorporated into a home rule city in 1926 when the population was approximately 1,300.
East Grand Rapids saw tourism from the Grand Rapids area for its geography and facilities. Reeds Lake attracted visitors as early as the 1870s as a destination for day trips and summertime activities. Two bathing beaches were located on Reeds Lake. Manhattan Beach on the north shore was established in 1884 and Rose's Bathing Beach on the west shore was established in 1901. They hosted boat launches, a bathhouse, restaurants, and resorts. Four steamboats owned by the Poisson family operated excursion rides on the lake starting in 1882.
Visitors to East Grand Rapids initially traveled by foot, stagecoach, or horse and buggy. In the mid-1870s, horse-drawn cars became available. Passengers would board in downtown Grand Rapids and transfer onto the Grand Rapids & Reeds Lake Railway. By 1877, a steam locomotive replaced the horse cars. Electric streetcars came into use in the early 1890s. They were replaced by buses as a mode of transportation in 1935. Interurban also brought residents from nearby cities to Reeds Lake.
The village's amusement park, Ramona Park, opened in 1897, a creation of the Grand Rapids Street Railway Company in order to increase use of their services. The park included amusement rides, games, concession stands, and two large pavilions where activities from theater to roller skating were hosted. Ramona Park closed in 1955 due to disrepair and dwindling demand. The land was eventually repurposed for apartments and a shopping center.
In 1974 East Grand Rapids came to national attention as the legal domicile of Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, however, as a serving Congressman and Vice-President, Ford had resided in the District of Columbia area for the previous twenty-five years.
A local developer completed a new retail center as part of a $50 million project, which is also intended to include offices and multi-floor condominium buildings spread over a 4-acre (16,000 m2) tract. In 2006, the City of East Grand Rapids performed a $3 million refurbishing of Wealthy Street with new paving, lighting, and decorative features. A new 27,700 ft2 (2573.41 m2) library was opened in August 2006 at the site of the previous library on Reeds Lake, next to the Grand Rapids Yacht Club.
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East Grand Rapids, Michigan
East Grand Rapids is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census[update], the population was 11,371.
The city is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, including Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township, but the city is administered autonomously.
Originally part of Paris Township, East Grand Rapids was first settled in the early 1830s by the Reed Family from New York City, New York. Miss Sophia Reed and Miss Euphemia Davis opened a school in 1834 near Reeds Lake. This involved construction of some school houses. Another schoolhouse was constructed in 1835 near Reeds Lake in the Grand River Valley, with Francis Prescott as one of its teachers. Residents voted to establish the Village of East Grand Rapids in 1891. The village was incorporated into a home rule city in 1926 when the population was approximately 1,300.
East Grand Rapids saw tourism from the Grand Rapids area for its geography and facilities. Reeds Lake attracted visitors as early as the 1870s as a destination for day trips and summertime activities. Two bathing beaches were located on Reeds Lake. Manhattan Beach on the north shore was established in 1884 and Rose's Bathing Beach on the west shore was established in 1901. They hosted boat launches, a bathhouse, restaurants, and resorts. Four steamboats owned by the Poisson family operated excursion rides on the lake starting in 1882.
Visitors to East Grand Rapids initially traveled by foot, stagecoach, or horse and buggy. In the mid-1870s, horse-drawn cars became available. Passengers would board in downtown Grand Rapids and transfer onto the Grand Rapids & Reeds Lake Railway. By 1877, a steam locomotive replaced the horse cars. Electric streetcars came into use in the early 1890s. They were replaced by buses as a mode of transportation in 1935. Interurban also brought residents from nearby cities to Reeds Lake.
The village's amusement park, Ramona Park, opened in 1897, a creation of the Grand Rapids Street Railway Company in order to increase use of their services. The park included amusement rides, games, concession stands, and two large pavilions where activities from theater to roller skating were hosted. Ramona Park closed in 1955 due to disrepair and dwindling demand. The land was eventually repurposed for apartments and a shopping center.
In 1974 East Grand Rapids came to national attention as the legal domicile of Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, however, as a serving Congressman and Vice-President, Ford had resided in the District of Columbia area for the previous twenty-five years.
A local developer completed a new retail center as part of a $50 million project, which is also intended to include offices and multi-floor condominium buildings spread over a 4-acre (16,000 m2) tract. In 2006, the City of East Grand Rapids performed a $3 million refurbishing of Wealthy Street with new paving, lighting, and decorative features. A new 27,700 ft2 (2573.41 m2) library was opened in August 2006 at the site of the previous library on Reeds Lake, next to the Grand Rapids Yacht Club.
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