Car Hire in Grand Rapids, United States of America
Grand Rapids is a city in west central Michigan and also seat of Kent County, at rapids within the Grand River. Grand Rapids is a leading commercial, transportation, along with manufacturing hub of western Michigan that first achieved fame for the production of furniture. Manufactures today include office furniture, automotive parts, footwear as well as leather products, machinery, hardware, home care products, tools, plastics, printed materials, home appliances, as well as processed foods. Commercial air transportation is through Kent County International Airport.
Grand Rapids is the seat of Davenport College of Business (1866), Calvin College (1876), Aquinas College (1922), Kendall College of Art as well as Design (1928), Cornerstone College (1941) along with an associated seminary, Grace Bible College (1945), along with a community college. The Ford Presidential Museum, housing objects associated with the personal life of the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford, opened in 1981. The
Grand Rapids Public Library has a notable collection of books to the subject of furniture, and in the Furniture Museum are exhibits showing the history of furniture and furniture design. The Public Museum of Grand Rapids includes among other historical tourist attractions re-created sections of a working furniture factory from the early 20th century. Grand Rapids also is well-known for its display of a 13-m (43-ft) high sculpture in metal by American artist Alexander Calder set within the downtown Vandenberg Center.
The Heritage Hill Historical District contains numerous remarkable homes in an array of architectural styles. A planetarium and a zoo are found in the city. Other cultural activities include an opera, symphony, ballet, and also professional theater, each June thousands are drawn to the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts, which highlights performing as well as visual arts. Members of the Hopewell culture were among the earliest residents of the Grand River valley, an occupation marked by large burial mounds. By the time of the first exploration by Europeans, the Ottawa people had built numerous villages at the area. The presence of the villages attracted a Baptist mission in 1825, as well as in 1826 a fur trader, named Louis Campau, found a trading post around the site of present-day Grand Rapids. By the time Grand Rapids incorporated as being a city in 1850, furniture manufacturing had already begun, utilizing waterpower from rapids within the Grand River (from which the city drew its name) and also abundant local hardwoods along with softwoods.
A furniture display on the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 brought national recognition to Grand Rapids. Around the end of the 19th century, the city was the primary furniture producer at the United States and also came to be known as the Furniture Capital of America. Around the 20th century a number of furniture manufactures moved to southern states in search of cheaper labor. Since the city's economy has since diversified into various other fields, it remains a noted producer of office furniture.
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