Western Michigan
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- This article is about the Western Michigan region. For the university, see Western Michigan University
Western Michigan, also known as West Michigan, is a region of the U.S. State of Michigan.
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[edit] Definition
Definitions of the boundaries of the region vary widely; in many contexts, the term "West Michigan" is applied only to the counties of Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa, which comprise the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland SMSA. Other definitions include the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph and Kalamazoo-Battle Creek regions, which are often considered distinct regions or parts of other regions such as Michiana or Southwestern Michigan[1][2][3], in the case of Benton Harbor-St. Joseph. The northern boundary of the region is also poorly defined; the population density, land use, economic and cultural character, and physical geography most often associated with West Michigan fades in northern Muskegon and Kent Counties, however areas as far north as Ludington and White Cloud may be included due to their close economic ties to the cities to the south. Other areas, such as Montcalm County in the northeast corner of the region, are transitional areas that straddle Michigan regions but are included for classification purposes. In the case of Montcalm County, the area around Greenville in the county's southwest corner is closely tied economically with Grand Rapids, while the area around Vestaburg and Edmore in the northeastern corner of county are more closely associated with the cities of Mount Pleasant and Alma, which are included in almost any definition of Mid-Michigan.
[edit] Cities and Villages
The following table contains the 10 largest incorporated cities of West Michigan according to the 2000 Census. This list holds for nearly every geographic definition of West Michigan. If Battle Creek were included, it would be ranked fourth.
| Rank | City | County | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Rapids | Kent | 197,800 |
| 2 | Kalamazoo | Kalamazoo | 77,145 |
| 3 | Wyoming | Kent | 69,368 |
| 4 | Kentwood | Kent | 45,255 |
| 5 | Portage | Kalamazoo | 44,897 |
| 6 | Muskegon | Muskegon | 40,105 |
| 7 | Holland | Ottawa/Allegan | 35,048 |
| 8 | Norton Shores | Muskegon | 22,527 |
| 9 | Walker | Kent | 24,812 |
| 10 | Grandville | Kent | 16,263 |
Five of the above cities, Wyoming, Kentwood, Portage, Norton Shores, and Walker, are former suburban townships that incorporated in the 1960s in order to prevent annexation by an adjacent city. The presence of these cities in the top ten reflects both the large geographic area of these cities, as well as the long and continuing growth of suburban areas in West Michigan.
[edit] Attractions
- Kalamazoo Air Zoo
- Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
- Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
- Grand Valley State University
- Holland State Park, busiest state park in Michigan
- Muskegon Air Show
- Tulip Time Festival in Holland
- Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon
- Western Michigan University
[edit] Business
Prominent West Michigan corporations include:
- Amway/Alticor/Quixtar, an Ada, Michigan multi-level marketing company.
- Gerber Products Company, a Fremont baby food manufacturer
- Gordon Food Service, a Wyoming food supplier
- Spartan Stores, a Cutlerville grocery chain
- Borroughs, a Kalamazoo office equipment manufacturer.
- Steelcase, a Grand Rapids office equipment manufacturer.
- Herman Miller, a Zeeland office equipment manufacturer.
- Haworth, a Holland office equipment manufacturer.
- Howard Miller a Zeeland manufacturer of longcase clocks
- Kelloggs, a Battle Creek breakfast cereal producer.
- Meijer, a Walker hypermarket chain.
- Stryker, a Kalamazoo surgical equipment manufacturer.
- Gentex, a Zeeland auto-dimming automobile mirror manufacturer.
- Perrigo, a Allegan pharmaceutical company
- Wolverine Worldwide/Hush Puppies, a Rockford shoe maker
- Bissell, a Walker vacuum cleaner maker
- Foremost Insurance, a Farmers Insurance Group company
[edit] Transportation
Major roads include:
- Interstate 96, running from Muskegon to Detroit
- Interstate 196, splitting from Interstate 96 in Grand Rapids and going west-southwest and merging with U.S. Highway 31 near Holland before intersecting Interstate 94 near Benton Harbor.
- Interstate 94, running from Billings, Montana to Port Huron, Michigan,
- U.S. Highway 31, running from Mackinaw City, Michigan to Mobile, Alabama
- U.S. Highway 131, running from north of Middlebury, Indiana to Petoskey, Michigan
- Grand River Avenue, running from Grand Rapids to Detroit
- The S-Curve, a famously crooked stretch of U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids
- M-6, also known as the South Beltline, bypassing Grand Rapids connecting to Interstate 96 east of town and Interstate 196 west of town.
[edit] Famous Present/Former Residents
- Famous Actor Terry Crews
- Abolitionist Sojourner Truth
- President of the United States Gerald R. Ford
- Stock car driver Johnny Benson
- Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis
- Tool and A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan
- X-Files actress Gillian Anderson
- Kellogg Company founder W.K. Kellogg
- Static-X lead singer/guitarist Wayne Static
- New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter
- Actor Tim Allen
- Project runway finalist Danial Vosovic
- Verve Pipe frontman Brian Vander Ark
