Jenison is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in Ottawa County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The community is located within Georgetown Charter Township. The population of the CDP was 17,213 as of the 2000 census. The current estimated population for the entire Jenison ZIP code, 49428, is 26,156. The geographical boundaries of the ZIP code are larger than that of the CDP. It is a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

in proximity to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

.Wise, David.
Mole-in-Training: How China Tried to Infiltrate the CIA
" '' Washingtonian''. July 7, 2012. Retrieved on April 24, 2016.

History

The area that Jenison occupies was first inhabited by Peoria and Odawa indigenous peoples, and later populated by white settlers in 1836 as a lumber site along the Grand River. Jenison gained its name from the Jenison family's sawmill, which opened in 1864. A post office called Jenisonville was established in 1872, and the name was changed to Jenison in 1887.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the community has a total area of , of which is land and (0.85%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 17,211 people, 5,975 households, and 4,863 families residing in the community. The population density was . There were 6,065 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the community was 98.84%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.49%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.53% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population. There were 5,975 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.6% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.24. In the community, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the community was $56,426, and the median income for a family was $61,957. Males had a median income of $46,738 versus $28,204 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the community was $21,021. About 1.8% of families and 2.5% 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 ...

, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Major highways

* *

Major roads

* Baldwin Street * Bauer Road * Cottonwood Drive * Chicago Drive * Rosewood Street

Schools

The majority of the community is in Jenison Public Schools. A small portion is in the Hudsonville Public School District. Jenison Public Schools facilities include: * Jenison High School * Jenison Junior High School * Bursley Elementary School * Bauerwood Elementary School * Pinewood Elementary School * Sandy Hill Elementary School * Rosewood Elementary School * El Puente Elementary School * ECC, Early Childhood Center - Michigan State University Partnership(former Maplewood Elementary School) *Jenison International Academy - Online School Private: * Jenison Christian School

Notable people

* Caleb Baragar, professional baseball player for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

* David Brandt, retired player in the National Football League * Mark Dewey, retired Major League Baseball pitcher * Kevin DeYoung, pastor, author * Paul Grasmanis, retired player in the National Football League *

Richard Grenell Richard Allen Grenell (born September 18, 1966) is an American diplomat, public official, and former public relations consultant who has served as Ambassadors of the United States#Special envoys, representatives, and coordinators, special presid ...

, diplomat and ambassador * Benny McCoy, retired Major League Baseball infielder * Andy Ponstein, ARCA driverWelcome to Andy Ponstein - Home
* Glenn Duffie Shriver, convicted of attempted espionage.

References

External links

Georgetown Charter Township Grandville-Jenison Chamber of Commerce
*
Jenison Christian SchoolGeorgetown Little League
* {{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Ottawa County, Michigan Census-designated places in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Ottawa County, Michigan Populated places established in 1836 1836 establishments in Michigan Territory