West Michigan

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This article is about the geographic region of Western Michigan. For the university, see Western Michigan University. For the university's athletic program, see Western Michigan Broncos.
West Michigan
Michigan Regions.png
A broad definition of West Michigan.
LocationMichigan, United States
Map of the region, employing a narrow definition.

West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland area, or more broadly to most of the region along the Lake Michigan shoreline of the Lower Peninsula, but there is no official definition for it.

Definition[]

In general, "West Michigan" often refers to the area bounded by the cities of Muskegon (in the north), Grand Rapids (in the northeast), Kalamazoo-Battle Creek (in the southeast) and St.Joseph-Benton Harbor (in the southwest). However, definitions of the boundaries of the region vary widely; in some contexts, the term "West Michigan" is applied only to the counties of Allegan, Kent, Muskegon, and Ottawa, which together compose the Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Muskegon SMSA. Other definitions include the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek and Benton Harbor-St. Joseph regions, which can be considered distinct regions or parts of other regions such as Michiana, Southern Michigan, or Southwest Michigan,[1][2] 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 because of 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 sometimes included for classification purposes. Greenville, in Montcalm County's southwest corner, is closely tied economically with Grand Rapids, However, the northeastern corner, around Vestaburg and Edmore, has historically more closely associated with the cities of Mount Pleasant and Alma, which are almost universally reckoned as part of Central Michigan.

Geography[]

Municipalities[]

Grand Rapids at night in 2016 from the International Space Station. Grand Rapids is the largest city in western Michigan.

The following table contains the largest municipalities of West Michigan according to the 2010 Census. This defines the region fairly broadly, but not at its most broadly; if Battle Creek were included, it would be ranked fourth.

Rank Municipality County Population
1 Grand Rapids Kent 198,917
2 Wyoming Kent 76,501
3 Kalamazoo Kalamazoo 73,598
4 Kentwood Kent 54,304
5 Georgetown Charter Township Ottawa 54,091
6 Portage Kalamazoo 48,891
7 Muskegon Muskegon 38,318
8 Holland Charter Township Ottawa 38,276
9 Holland Ottawa/Allegan 34,378
10 Plainfield Charter Township Kent 33,535
11 Gaines Charter Township Kent 28,812
12 Walker Kent 25,132
13 Norton Shores Muskegon 25,030
14 Kalamazoo Charter Township Kalamazoo 21,918
15 Oshtemo Charter Township Kalamazoo 21,705
16 Allendale Charter Township Ottawa 20,708
17 Byron Township Kent 20,317
18 Muskegon Charter Township Muskegon 17,840
19 Park Township Ottawa 17,802
20 Cascade Charter Township Kent 17,134
21 Grand Rapids Charter Township Kent 16,661
22 Grandville Kent 15,378
23 Grand Haven Charter Township Ottawa 15,178

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.

Events[]

Attractions[]

Universities and colleges[]

  • Andrews University
  • Aquinas College
  • Baker College
  • Calvin University
  • Cornerstone University
  • Davenport University
  • Ferris State University
  • Grand Rapids Community College
  • Grand Valley State University
  • Hope College
  • Kalamazoo College
  • Kendall College of Art and Design
  • Kuyper College
  • Muskegon Community College
  • Western Michigan University

Business[]

Prominent West Michigan corporations include:

  • Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, in Grand Rapids

Transportation[]

Major airports[]

Railways[]

Major roads[]

Interstate highways[]

  • I-96, running from Muskegon to Detroit
  • I-196, splitting from I-96 in Grand Rapids and going west-southwest and merging with US 31 near Holland before intersecting I-94 near Benton Harbor
  • I-94, running from Billings, Montana to Port Huron, Michigan

US highways[]

  • US 12 Michigan Avenue and Chicago Road
  • US 31, running from Mackinaw City, Michigan to Mobile, Alabama
  • US 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 US 131 in downtown Grand Rapids

Michigan highways[]

  • M-6, also known as the South Beltline, bypasses Grand Rapids connecting to I-96 east of town and I-196 west of town
  • M-37, running from the southwest corner of Battle Creek at exit 92 on I-94 to the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand Traverse County.
  • M-43, a highway in southwestern and central Michigan from South Haven to Webberville
  • M-45 (Lake Michigan Drive), running east–west from Grand Rapids through Allendale and ending at Lake Michigan.
  • M-46, a cross-peninsular road, running across the entire mitten of the Lower Peninsula including the Thumb, from Port Sanilac on the Lake Huron shore, through Saginaw near Saginaw Bay, and on to Muskegon on the Lake Michigan shore.[4]
  • M-40 running North and South from Mottville, Michigan to Holland, Michigan.

Other[]

  • Eastern port of the Lake Express High Speed Car Ferry; Muskegon
  • The SS Badger in Ludington
  • The West Michigan Tourist Association promotes the region from a tourism standpoint[5]

Notable residents or former residents[]

More comprehensive lists are available at individual cities, villages, etc.

  • Justin Abdelkader, Detroit Red Wings forward
  • Gillian Anderson, actress
  • Jim Bakker, television evangelist
  • Johnny Benson, stock car driver
  • Dan Bylsma, NHL hockey coach
  • Roger B. Chaffee, NASA astronaut
  • Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings
  • Terry Crews, actor
  • Betsy DeVos, U.S. Secretary of Education
  • Debarge, music group
  • Thomas White Ferry, U.S. Senator
  • Nancy Anne Fleming, Miss America 1961
  • Gerald R. Ford, President of the United States
  • James Frey, writer
  • Frank Daniel Gerber, founder of the Gerber Products Company
  • Al Green, R&B/Gospel artist
  • Mark Grimmette, Olympics luger
  • Ernie Hudson, actor
  • Iggy Pop, punk rock icon
  • Tom Izzo, Michigan State Spartans Basketball coach
  • Derek Jeter, New York Yankees shortstop
  • Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers wide receiver
  • Maynard James Keenan, Tool and A Perfect Circle vocalist
  • W.K. Kellogg, Kellogg Company founder
  • Anthony Kiedis, Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist
  • Stanley Ketchel, Middleweight Champion boxer
  • Taylor Lautner, actor
  • Buster Mathis, heavyweight boxer
  • Floyd Mayweather, professional boxer
  • Nate McLouth, professional baseball player
  • Harry Morgan, actor
  • Jason Newsted, musician, Metallica
  • Mustard Plug, ska band
  • Pop Evil, hard rock band
  • Andy Richter, television entertainer
  • Del Shannon, musician
  • Sinbad, actor and comedian
  • Wayne Static, Static-X lead singer/guitarist
  • Bill Szymczyk, music producer for the Eagles, The Who, and others
  • Sojourner Truth, abolitionist
  • Vonda Kay Van Dyke, Miss America 1965
  • Brian Vander Ark, Verve Pipe frontman
  • Dick York, actor

Notes[]

  1. ^ "About the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission". Southwest Michigan Planning Commission [Metropolitan planning organization]. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council". www.swmichigan.org. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan". dioceseofgrandrapids.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  4. ^ "M-46 Endpoint Photos". state-ends.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  5. ^ "About The West Michigan Tourist Association - WMTA". wmta.org. Retrieved 23 March 2018.

See also[]

External links[]

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