Big Rapids, Michigan

Big Rapids, Michigan
—  City  —
Location of Big Rapids, Michigan
Coordinates: 43°41′56″N 85°28′52″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Mecosta
Area
• Total	4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2)
• Land	4.2 sq mi (11.0 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	925 ft (282 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	10,849
• Density	2,555.5/sq mi (986.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49307
Area code(s)	231
FIPS code	26-08300
GNIS feature ID	1619197

Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km²), of which, 4.2 square miles (11 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (3.42%) 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 runs through Big Rapids, passing both Ferris State University and the local middle school on its way to Lake Michigan. Numerous small lakes are within a few miles of the city.

Major highways

• US 131
• 
  BUS US 131
• M-20
• B-96

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,849 people, 3,388 households, and 1,473 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,555.5 per square mile (985.6/km²). There were 3,654 housing units at an average density of 860.7 per square mile (332.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.57% White, 10.63% Black, 0.73% Native American, 2.24% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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 for the city was $10,719. About 19.2% of families and 35.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Natives

• Big Rapids is the birthplace of former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Ben Hebard Fuller.
• It is also the birthplace of Clint Hurdle, a former baseball player for the Kansas City Royals and current manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• It is the hometown of the Commanding Officer of the USS Mesa Verde, Commander Larry Legree.
• American novelist James Hynes grew up in Big Rapids.
• Anna Howard Shaw, a prominent leader of the U.S. woman suffrage movement, lived, preached, and attended high school in Big Rapids before moving on to study divinity and medicine at Boston University.
• Film critic and G4 personality Chris Gore was born in Big Rapids.

Education

• Big Rapids Public Schools
• Crossroads Charter Academy
• Ferris State University
• St. Peter's Lutheran Church and School
• St. Mary's Catholic School

External links

• Big Rapids official website
• Big Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Big Rapids
• Your Big Rapids Real Estate Agent