| About Kent County Michigan |
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The Grand River, the largest in Michigan, runs through the County. On its west bank are burial mounds, remnants of the Hopewell Indians who once lived there. The valley of the river served as an important center for the fur trade in the early 1800s. As well as being the fourth largest population center in Michigan, Kent County is the economic and manufacturing center of West Michigan, with the Steelcase corporation based in the county. It is also the home of the Frederik Meijer Gardens, a significant cultural landmark of the Midwest. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is located within the county. Kent County, Michigan covers 856 square miles and is home to 596,666 people. The County is composed of twenty-one townships, five villages and nine cities.
SOURCES: The Kent County Michigan Website as well as Wikipedia |
Kent county was organized as a county by the territorial legislature on March
24, 1836 after it was set off from Mackinac County in 1831. In 1838, Grand Rapids incorporated as the county's first village. By
the end of the century, stimulated by the construction of several sawmills, the area was a significant center for agriculture, logging, and manufacturing furniture.