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Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974, making it the fourth-most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of Metro Detroit. Its county seat is Grand Rapids. The county was set off in 1831, and organized in 1836. It is named for New York jurist and legal scholar James Kent, 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.
[edit] History
The Grand River runs through the county. On its west bank are burial mounds, remnants of the Hopewell Indians who lived there. The river valley was an important center for the fur trade in the early 19th century. After the War of 1812, Rix Robinson and Louis Campau were the earliest traders in the area. In 1826, Campau established a trading post in what is today Grand Rapids. In 1831, he bought land and platted the town. Campau is considered the town's "father". One year later, government surveyor Lucius Lyon purchased land north of Campau's property. Campau surveyed and platted the village following Native American trails[1] and Lyon had platted his property in an English grid format, which meant there were two adjoining villages, with different platting formats.[1] Campau later merged the villages under the name of Grand Rapids.[1] In 1831, it was set off from Kalamazoo County. In 1838, Grand Rapids was incorporated[1] 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. [edit] Timeline
[edit] Population History
[edit] CemeteriesCemeteries of Kent County, Michigan, United States [edit] Research TipsThe present extent of Kent County was historically divided into 24 land survey townships in a grid 4 (east-west) by 6 (north-south). (1885 map) Of those 24 townships, 21 remain as political townships. Wyoming Township became the City of Wyoming in 1959. Walker Township became the City of Walker in 1962. Paris Township became the City of Kentwood in 1967. [edit] External links
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