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{{short description|County in Michigan, United States}}{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

factoids
county	Kent County | state = Michigan | flag = Flag of Kent County, Michigan.svg | seal = Seal of Kent County, Michigan.svg | seal size = 75 | founded year = 1831 (created)1836 (organized) | founded date = March 2 | seat wl = Grand Rapids | largest city wl = Grand Rapids | area_total_sq_mi = 872 | area_land_sq_mi = 847 | area_water_sq_mi = 25 | area percentage = 2.9% | census yr = 2020 | pop = 657,974 | density_sq_mi = 766 | district = 2nd | district2 = 3rd | time zone = Eastern | web = www.accesskent.com | ex image = File:Kent County, Michigan Courthouse.jpg | ex image cap = Kent County Courthouse | named for = James Kent

Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974,WEB, State & County QuickFacts,weblink United States Census Bureau, August 28, 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110706012616weblink">weblink July 6, 2011, making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Detroit area. Its county seat is Grand Rapids.WEB,weblink June 7, 2011, Find a County, National Association of Counties, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110531210815weblink">weblink May 31, 2011, The county was set off in 1831, and organized in 1836.WEB,weblink Clarke Historical Library, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Kent County, January 19, 2013, It is named for New York jurist and legal scholar James Kent,BOOK,weblink The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, Washington, DC, Government Printing Office, Gannett, Henry, 1905, 173, who represented the Michigan Territory in its dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip.Kent County is part of the Grand Rapids–Kentwood Metropolitan Statistical Area and is West Michigan's economic and manufacturing center. It is home of the Frederik Meijer Gardens, a significant cultural landmark of the Midwest. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the county's primary location for regional and international airline traffic.

History

The Grand River runs through the county. On its west bank are burial mounds, remnants of the Hopewell Indians who lived there.BOOK, Beld, Gordon G., 2012,weblink Grand Times in Grand Rapids: Pieces of Furniture City History, 17–19, The History Press, 9781609496296, Google Books, In the 18th century the Odawa migrated to this area and established multiple villages along the Grand River valley.BOOK, History of Kent County, Michigan, December 1881, Chas. C. Chapman & Co., Chicago, Illinois,weblink October 2, 2016, University of Michigan Libraries, November 26, 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161126083755weblink">weblink live, By the 19th century there were estimated to be over 1000 Odawa.BOOK, Simon-Tibbe, Dorothy, Wilderness to Wyoming, Branz, Bill, White, Kelly, Franklin Press, Inc., 2009, 9780578028583, 1, Wyoming, Michigan, en, The fur trade became an important industry in the valley during the early 19th century. After the War of 1812, Rix Robinson and Louis Campau were the earliest traders in the area.BOOK, Fuller, George Newman, 1916,weblink Economic and Social Beginnings of Michigan, 423, Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford, Internet Archive, In 1826, Campau established a trading post in Grand Rapids. In 1831, he bought land and platted the town. Campau is considered the town's "father".BOOK, History and Directory of Kent County, Michigan, Containing a History of Each Township, and the City of Grand Rapids; the Name, Location and Postoffice Address of All Residents Outside of the City: A List of Postoffices in the County; a Schedule of Population; and Other Valuable Statistics,weblink November 21, 1870, Daily Eagle Steam Printing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 114–136, NEWS,weblink How a feud between the city's founding fathers shaped Monroe Center and downtown Grand Rapids, Garret, Ellison, MLive, May 22, 2014, NEWS,weblink History in bronze: Influential figures immortalized at 12 sites so far in Grand Rapids, Garret Ellison, MLive, August 11, 2013, One year later, government surveyor Lucius Lyon purchased land north of Campau's property. Campau surveyed and platted the village following Native American trails and Lyon had platted his property in an English grid format, which meant there were two adjoining villages, with different platting formats. Campau later merged the villages under the name of Grand Rapids.In 1831, it was set off from Kalamazoo County.BOOK, Purkey, Thomas H., 1986,weblink Soil Survey of Kent County, Michigan, 2, United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service, Google Books, In 1838, Grand Rapids was 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.

Geography

File:Rockford Dam (82979021).jpeg|thumb|250px|Rockford Dam in Rockford, MichiganRockford, MichiganAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of {{convert|872|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|847|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|25|sqmi}} (2.9%) is water.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131113024015weblink">weblink dead, November 13, 2013, United States Census Bureau, September 26, 2014, August 22, 2012, 2010 Census Gazetteer Files, Kent County's highest point is Fisk Knob Park,WEB,weblink Fisk Knob,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161105161220weblink">weblink November 5, 2016, Grand Valley State University, Kent County Parks, in Solon Township, at 1048 feet.{{google maps |url =weblink |title = Highest Point in Kent County }}

Rivers

• Grand River, flows through the county from its eastern border to the west, and after passing through Ottawa County, empties into Lake Michigan at Grand Haven. It has three tributaries in Kent County, listed in order of convergence:
• Flat River, enters the county from the east, and joins the Grand from the north, in Lowell.
• Thornapple River, enters the county from the south, and joins the Grand in Ada.
• Rogue River, enters the county from the north, and joins the Grand in Belmont.

Trails

These hiking and biking trails run through the county:

• North Country Trail, runs north–south the length of the county, passing through Cedar Springs, Grattan and Lowell. Lowell is the trail's half-way point, and the national headquarters of the North Country Trail Association is located here.
• Thornapple Trail, begins in Kentwood and runs southeast through Dutton and Caledonia.
• White Pine Trail begins in Comstock Park and runs northeast through Belmont, Rockford, Cedar Springs, and Sand Lake.
• Kent Trails (which is singular in spite of the 's') runs north–south from John Ball Park in Grand Rapids to 84th Street in Byron Township, with an extension that runs east/west along 76th Street and north–south from 76th Street to Douglas Walker Park on 84th street.
• The Frederik Meijer Trail, which, as of November 2008, was incomplete, runs east/west mostly along the M-6 freeway and will connect the Kent Trails and the Thornapple Trail when completed.
• Cannon Township Trail runs through Cannon Township in the eastern part of the county from Cannon Township Center on M-44. It runs along M-44 then south near Sunfish Lake Road, turning east through the Cannonsburg Cemetery, and ends at Warren Townsend Park near Cannonsburg.

Adjacent counties

File:13 Mile (85521817).jpeg|thumb|250px|13 Mile Road in the rural Courtland Township ]]

• Newaygo County - north
• Montcalm County - northeast
• Muskegon County - northwest
• Ionia County - east
• Ottawa County - west
• Allegan County - southwest
• Barry County - southeast

Demographics

{{US Census population|1840= 2587|1850= 12016|1860= 30716|1870= 50403|1880= 73253|1890= 109922|1900= 129714|1910= 159145|1920= 183041|1930= 240511|1940= 246338|1950= 288292|1960= 363187|1970= 411044|1980= 444506|1990= 500631|2000= 574335|2010= 602622|2020= 657974|estyear=2023|estimate=661354

PUBLISHER=UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU, April 4, 2024, |align-fn=center

PUBLISHER = UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU

PUBLISHER = UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LIBRARY

PUBLISHER = UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU

PUBLISHER = UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU, September 26, 2014, 2010–2019}}As of the 2020 United States Census,WEB,weblink United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census website, May 9, 2024, there were 657,977 people living in the county. 72.3% were non-Hispanic White, 10.8% Black or African American, 3.5% Asian, 0.7% Native American, and 3.3% of two or more races. 11.3% were Hispanic or Latino.File:Downtown Grand Rapids from River House.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids]]As of the 2010 United States Census,WEB,weblink United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census website, May 24, 2016, there were 602,622 people living in the county. 76.1% were non-Hispanic White, 10.2% Black or African American, 2.4% Asian, 0.7% Native American, 4.5% of some other race and 2.6% of two or more races. 9.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).As of the censusWEB,weblink United States Census Bureau, January 31, 2008, U.S. Census website, of 2000, there were 574,335 people, 212,890 households, and 144,126 families living in the county. The current estimated population is 604,323. The population density was {{convert|671|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 224,000 housing units at an average density of {{convert|262|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the county was 83.13% White, 8.93% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 1.86% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.34% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 7.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.19.6% reported being of Dutch ancestry; 14.9% German, 13.1% English, 7.4% Irish, 7.1% Polish and 5.5% American ancestry according to the 2010 American Community Survey.WEB,weblink 2010 Data Release – Data & Documentation – American Community Survey – U.S. Census Bureau, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151027070217weblink">weblink October 27, 2015, 90.0% spoke only English at home, while 6.0% spoke Spanish.There were 212,890 households, out of which 35.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.20.The age distribution of the county was as follows: 28.30% were under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 19.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.70 males.The median income for a household in the county was $45,980, and the median income for a family was $54,770. Males had a median income of $39,878 versus $27,364 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,629. 8.90% of the population and 6.30% of families were below the poverty line. 10.20% of the population under the age of 18 and 7.50% of those 65 or older were living in poverty. Transportation Air service Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR). Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926, between Grand Rapids and Detroit at the former location. Bus service Public bus transportation is provided by the Interurban Transit Partnership, which brands itself as "The Rapid." Transportation is also provided by the DASH buses: the "Downtown Area Shuttle." These provide transportation to and from the parking lots in the city of Grand Rapids to various designated loading and unloading spots around the city. Railroad Amtrak provides direct train service to Chicago from the passenger station via the Pere Marquette line. Freight service is provided by CN, CSX Transportation, and by a local short-line railroad, the Grand Rapids Eastern Railroad. Highways {{jct|country=USA|I|96}} {{jct|country=USA|I|196|name1=Gerald R. Ford Freeway}} {{jct|country=USA|I|296}} (concurrent with US 131) {{jct|country=USA|US|131}} {{jct|state=MI|M|6|name1=Paul B. Henry Freeway, South Beltline Freeway}} {{jct|state=MI|M|11}} {{jct|state=MI|M|21}} {{jct|state=MI|M|37}} {{jct|state=MI|M|44}} {{jct|state=MI|M|45|name1=Lake Michigan Drive}} {{jct|state=MI|M|46}} {{jct|state=MI|M|50}} {{jct|state=MI|M|57}} {{jct|state=MI|M|121}} County-designated highways {{jct|state=MI|CDH|A-45}} {{jct|state=MI|CDH|B-72}} Economy These corporations are headquartered in Kent County, in the following communities: Acrisure, Grand Rapids Amway, Ada American Seating, Grand Rapids Bissell Homecare, Walker Buell Motorcycle Company, Cascade Township Gill Industries, Grand Rapids Gilson Graphics, Grand Rapids Gordon Food Service, Wyoming Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids Hart & Cooley, Grand Rapids Meijer, Walker Old Orchard, Sparta Perrigo, Grand Rapids Pridgeon & Clay, Grand Rapids Spartan Stores, Byron Township Steelcase, Grand Rapids Universal Forest Products, Grand Rapids Township Wolverine Worldwide, Rockford X-Rite, Kentwood Zondervan, Cascade Township Government The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are the responsibility of individual cities and townships. Elected officials Prosecuting Attorney: Chris Becker (Republican) Sheriff: Michelle LaJoye-Young (Republican) County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Lisa Posthumus Lyons (Republican) County Treasurer: Peter MacGregor (Republican) Drain Commissioner: Ken Yonker (Republican) County Commission or Board of Commissioners: 21 members, elected from districts (12 Republicans, 9 Democrats), Stan Stek (Republican) serves as board chair.WEB,weblink Republicans maintain majority on Kent County Board of Commissioners, mlive.com, November 9, 2022, en-US, May 9, 2023, Circuit Court: 10 judges (non-partisan) Probate Court: 3 judges (non-partisan) (information as of 2022 election)In 1996, Kent County prosecutors were responsible for charging James King, a College student who was beaten by police. James King was acquitted of all charges. Politics {{PresHead|place=Kent County, Michigan|source=WEB,weblink Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, David, Leip, uselectionatlas.org, April 2, 2018, }}{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|165,741|187,915|8,375|Michigan}}{{PresRow|2016|Republican|148,180|138,683|24,031|Michigan}}{{PresRow|2012|Republican|155,925|133,408|4,873|Michigan}}{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|148,336|149,909|5,554|Michigan}}{{PresRow|2004|Republican|171,201|116,909|2,781|Michigan}}{{PresRow|2000|Republican|148,602|95,442|6,274|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1996|Republican|121,335|85,912|16,132|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1992|Republican|115,285|82,305|44,963|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1988|Republican|131,910|73,467|1,465|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1984|Republican|137,417|66,238|1,365|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1980|Republican|112,604|72,790|20,896|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1976|Republican|126,805|59,000|2,828|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1972|Republican|104,041|67,587|3,833|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1968|Republican|85,810|61,891|12,149|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|66,830|86,860|269|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1960|Republican|95,477|61,313|506|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1956|Republican|94,969|48,871|642|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1952|Republican|79,647|47,221|1,447|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1948|Republican|53,669|43,205|1,902|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1944|Republican|54,163|43,679|1,274|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1940|Republican|53,131|48,196|749|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|36,633|44,823|3,848|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1932|Republican|42,186|41,601|2,936|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1928|Republican|56,573|18,229|508|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1924|Republican|45,207|7,982|5,819|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1920|Republican|40,802|14,763|2,610|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|16,095|20,364|1,444|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1912|Progressive|6,498|9,412|16,016|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1908|Republican|16,576|11,445|1,880|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1904|Republican|20,254|6,430|1,593|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1900|Republican|17,861|13,775|962|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1896|Republican|17,053|13,582|749|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1892|Republican|12,388|11,533|2,829|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1888|Republican|12,811|11,864|1,254|Michigan}}{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|9,007|9,639|1,045|Michigan}}{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|8,313|5,115|3,113|Michigan}}Historically, Kent County, like West Michigan as a whole, was a stronghold for the Republican Party. For most of the 20th century, it was rather conservative for an urban county. The GOP only lost the county in four presidential elections from 1888 to 2004, two of which saw the Democratic Party win over 400 electoral votes nationwide. However, the Democrats have received increased support since the 2000s, with Grand Rapids and nearby suburbs supporting the Democratic Party while more rural areas support the Republican Party.NEWS, Tavernise, Sabrina, Gebeloff, Robert, Lee, Christopher, Are the Suburbs Turning Democratic?,weblink January 23, 2020, The New York Times, October 25, 2019, NEWS, Burnett, Sara, Eggert, David, Trump's return to west Michigan comes amid Democratic gains,weblink January 23, 2020, Associated Press, March 28, 2019, Grand Rapids also normally sends Democrats to the state legislature.In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama narrowly carried the county, receiving 49.34% of its votes to Republican John McCain's 48.83%.WEB,weblink Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections, State Data, It was the first time the county had supported a Democrat for president since 1964, and only the fourth time since 1884. By comparison, George W. Bush had taken almost 59 percent of the county's vote in 2004.In 2012, the county returned to the Republican camp as Mitt Romney won 53.0% of the vote to Obama's 45.35%.WEB,weblink Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - State Data, Four years later, Republican Donald Trump won the county with 47.66% of the vote, to 44.61% for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, while Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party received 4.58%.WEB,weblink Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - State Data, In 2020, Joe Biden received nearly 52% of the votes in the county, the largest vote share for a Democratic candidate since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Biden is only the third Democrat since 1916 to win a majority of the county's vote. By comparison, Obama only won the county by 1,573 votes in 2008 for 49.7 percent of the vote.Kent County is one of only thirteen counties in the United States to have voted for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and Biden in 2020.{{efn|The other twelve are Butte County, California; Teton County, Idaho; Kendall County, Illinois; Kent County, Maryland; McLean County, Illinois; Tippecanoe County, Indiana; Leelanau County, Michigan; Carroll County, New Hampshire; Rockingham County, New Hampshire; Marion County, Oregon; Grand County, Utah; and Albany County, Wyoming.|name=|group=}}Today, the county is considered a bellwether politically.{{citation |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/06/opinion/biden-trump-bellwether-counties-.html |work= The New York Times |title= The 10 Bellwether Counties That Show How Trump Is in Serious Trouble |author= David Wasserman |date= October 6, 2020 }} In 2018, Gretchen Whitmer became the first Democratic governor to win the county after James Blanchard's 1986 landslide re-election.WEB, 2018 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Michigan,weblink Ballotpedia, WEB, 1986 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Michigan,weblink Ballotpedia, Also during the same cycle, incumbent Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow narrowly carried the county by 0.3 points, only the second time (following Carl Levin in 2008) since Donald Riegle in 1982 the county supported a Democrat for Senate.WEB, 2018 Senatorial General Election Results - Michigan,weblink Ballotpedia, WEB, 2008 Senatorial General Election Results - Michigan,weblink Ballotpedia, WEB, 1982 Senatorial General Election Results - Michigan,weblink Ballotpedia, Despite the county's bellwether status at the federal and state level, it remains very Republican downballot. The GOP still holds most county-level offices, as well as a majority on the county commission.In the House of Representatives, the bulk of the county has been located in Michigan's 3rd congressional district since the 1993 redistricting cycle. That district had previously been the 5th congressional district from 1873 to 1993.WEB, Voteview {{!, District View|url=https://voteview.com/district/Kent%20County,%20MI|access-date=October 16, 2020|website=voteview.com}} The current Representative for the district is Democrat Hillary Scholten. Until Scholten took office in 2023, the city had been represented by a Republican for all but 35 months since 1913. The only Democrat to represent the city in this time was Richard Vander Veen, first elected in a 1974 special election following the district's long-time Representative Gerald Ford's ascension to Vice President. Vander Veen was ousted by Republican Harold S. Sawyer in 1976, and the GOP held the seat without interruption until Scholten's win in 2022. Further underlining how Republican the county has historically been, the Democrats representing Grand Rapids-based districts in the state legislature were typically the only elected Democrats above the county level until 2023.A sliver of northern and eastern Kent County, including Cedar Springs and Lowell, is in the 2nd congressional district, represented by Republican John Moolenaar. Communities File:Kent County, MI census map.png|thumb|right|300px|U.S. Census data map showing local municipal boundaries within Kent County. Shaded areas represent incorporated cities.]] missing image! - Kent-1885-twp-co.jpg - A Public Land Survey System survey of Kent County in 1885, showing 24 named townships and sectional subdivisions Cities {{div col|colwidth=18em}} Cedar Springs East Grand Rapids Grand Rapids (county seat) Grandville Kentwood Lowell Rockford Walker Wyoming {{div col end}} Villages Caledonia Casnovia (partial) Kent City Sand Lake Sparta Charter townships {{div col|colwidth=18em}} Caledonia Charter Township Cascade Charter Township Gaines Charter Township Grand Rapids Charter Township Lowell Charter Township Plainfield Charter Township {{div col end}} Civil townships {{div col|colwidth=18em}} Ada Township Algoma Township Alpine Township Bowne Township Byron Township Cannon Township Courtland Township Grattan Township Nelson Township Oakfield Township Solon Township Sparta Township Spencer Township Tyrone Township Vergennes Township {{div col end}} Census-designated places Byron Center Cannonsburg Comstock Park Cutlerville Forest Hills Northview Other unincorporated communities {{div col|colwidth=18em}} Ada Alaska Alto Belmont Cascade Chauncey Dutton Englishville Parnell {{div col end}} See also Kent District Library List of Michigan State Historic Sites in Kent County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places listings in Kent County, Michigan Notes {{Notelist}} References {{Reflist}} Further reading BOOK, Walter, Romig, Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities, Great Lakes Books, 1973, 1986, Wayne State University Press, 978-0814318386, Detroit, External links {{Commons category}} Official Website of Kent County, Michigan Official GIS Map of Kent County, Michigan History and Genealogy of Kent County, Michigan Kent County Open Government Project - A non-partisan resource for comparing tax rates, school districts, and local government transparency across Kent County WEB,weblink Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Kent County, January 19, 2013, {{Geographic Location|Centre = Kent County, Michigan

Newaygo County, Michigan>Newaygo County

Montcalm County, Michigan>Montcalm County

Ionia County, Michigan>Ionia County

Barry County, Michigan>Barry County|South =

Allegan County, Michigan>Allegan County

Ottawa County, Michigan>Ottawa County

Muskegon County, Michigan>Muskegon County}}{{Kent County, Michigan}}{{West Michigan}}{{Michigan}}{{Authority control}}{{Coord|43.03|-85.55|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MI_source:UScensus1990}}