Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home of the main campus of

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enrol ...

, a four-year public university, well known for its College of Pharmacy and the Michigan College of Optometry, as well as its

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I hockey team, the Bulldogs, and their Division II football and basketball teams.

History

Big Rapids was settled in 1855 by brothers George and Zera French. It became the seat of Mecosta County in 1859. The village was platted in 1859. It was incorporated as a city in 1869.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Like most of the central Michigan area, it lies on the ancient sea bed and has a sandy subsoil which lies above an iron ore base. The

Muskegon River Muskegon River is a river in the western portion of the lower peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The river source is located at Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, flowing out of the North Bay into neighboring Missaukee County. The river ...

runs through Big Rapids, passing both

and the local middle school on its way to Lake Michigan. Numerous small lakes are within a few miles of the city.

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 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 Save A Lot Food Stores Ltd. is an American discount supermarket chain store headquartered in St. Ann, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. It is a subsidiary of Onex Corporation with about 900 independently owned and operated stores across 32 st ...

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 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, 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 multiple 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.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

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: 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 geographical ...

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 hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 6.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.7% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 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.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 10,849 people, 3,388 households, and 1,473 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,654 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.57%

, 10.63%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

, 0.73% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.50% from

, and 2.30% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.83% of the population. There were 3,388 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.5% were non-families. 35.7% 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 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.2% under the age of 18, 51.0% from 18 to 24, 17.3% from 25 to 44, 9.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.4 males. Ferris State University has a high number of male students, accounting for this anomaly. The median income for a household in the city was $20,192, and the median income for a family was $28,629. Males had a median income of $30,341 versus $19,770 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $10,719. About 19.2% of families and 35.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

This

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorological ...

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 is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

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 freezing ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Notable people

Matt Borland Matthew T. Borland (born September 2, 1971) is an American NASCAR crew chief. He last worked at Germain Racing as the crew chief for the No. 13 Chevrolet, driven by Ty Dillon in the NASCAR Cup Series. Starting his career as a crew chief for Ryan N ...

, NASCAR crew chief * Justin Currie, NFL player; raised in Big Rapids * May Erlewine, a musician from Big Rapids * Ben Hebard Fuller, Major General and Commandant of the Marine Corps; born in Big Rapids *

Clint Hurdle Clinton Merrick Hurdle (born July 30, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and manager. Hurdle played for the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals, and managed the Colorado Rock ...

, outfielder with four

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams; manager of the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates; 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 Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first ordained female Methodist ministers in the United States. Early life Shaw ...

, a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the nineteenth century; lived in Big Rapids as a young woman * Daisy Tapley, an African American classical singer; born in Big Rapids

Education

* Big Rapids Public Schools * Crossroads Charter Academy *

* St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School * St. Mary's Catholic School

References

External links

Big Rapids official websiteBig 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