Kentwood, Michigan

Kentwood
—  City  —
Location of Kentwood within Michigan
Coordinates: 42°52′N 85°38′W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Kent
Government
• Type	Commission
• Mayor	Richard Clanton
• Mayor Pro Tem	Michael Brown
Area
• Total	20.95 sq mi (54.26 km2)
• Land	20.90 sq mi (54.13 km2)
• Water	0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)  0.24%
Elevation	699 ft (213 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	48,707
• Estimate (2011)	49,184
• Density	2,330.5/sq mi (899.8/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	49508, 49512, 49546, 49548
Area code(s)	616
FIPS code	26-42820
GNIS feature ID	0629607
Website	http://www.ci.kentwood.mi.us/

Kentwood is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 48,707 at the 2010 census.

History

The city was incorporated in 1967 from what remained of Paris Township to prevent further annexation of land from the adjacent cities of Grand Rapids and Wyoming. The city was named after Kent County, which was named after jurist James Kent.

The city's first mayor was Peter M. Lamberts, who served in that post until 1979. Subsequent mayors have included Marvin Hoeflinger (1979–1981), Gerald DeRuiter (1981–1992), Bill Hardiman (1992–2002), Richard Root (2002–2012), and Richard Clanton (2012-present).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.95 square miles (54.26 km²), of which, 20.90 square miles (54.13 km²) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km²) is water. The city is bordered by Wyoming to the west, Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Township to the north, Cascade Township to the east, and Gaines Township to the south.

Demographics

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $48,335, and the median income for a family was $60,391. The per capita income for the city was $24,261. About 9.8% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 48,707 people, 19,741 households, and 12,345 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,330.5 inhabitants per square mile (899.8 /km²). There were 21,584 housing units at an average density of 1,032.7 per square mile (398.7 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.1% White, 15.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 6.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.5% of the population.

There were 19,741 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 34.3 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 11.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

Government

Voters in Kentwood elect a mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer to four-year terms. The next election for these offices will be held on November 3, 2013. The current mayor is Richard Clanton who is serving the remaining term of deceased Mayor Richard Root. The Mayor Pro Tem is selected by the City Commission; Michael Brown currently serves in this role.

The legislative body of Kentwood is the City Commission. Voters elect six city commissioners to four-year, staggered terms. On November 5, 2013, voters in each of the city's two wards will elect one commissioner, while another city commissioner will be elected by the city at-large. This will also be done on November 3, 2015. The mayor serves as a voting member of the City Commission and presides over Commission meetings. However, he does not have the power to veto a resolution or ordinance.

Public safety

Fire service

The Kentwood Fire Department has been serving the citizens of Kentwood since 1967. Initially a fully volunteer fire department, the KFD is now a combination fire department utilizing firefighters to carry out its objectives. A minimum of eleven career firefighters are on duty at all times, with at least three at each of the city's three strategically located fire stations. Every career member of the department is minimally licensed as an emergency medical technician, while several also hold Paramedic certification. Additional support is provided by a small number of paid-on-call firefighters. These members respond to provide extra manpower at structure fires and other large scale emergencies.

The department is led by Chief Brent Looman. The Kentwood Fire Department is headquartered at 4775 Walma SE, across from Kentwood City Hall. Station 2 is located at 4151 Embassy on the north end, and Station 3 is located at 5340 Eastern on the southwest side.

In 2009, the Kentwood Fire Department responded to 3,956 alarms.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement services are provided by the Kentwood Police Department. It is the mission of the Kentwood Police Department to assist the community in ensuring the safety, individual rights, and quality of life of all citizens. Currently, the department has seventy sworn officers and is led by Chief Richard Mattice. The Kentwood Police Department's Headquarters is co-located with the 62B District Court in the Kentwood Justice Center at 4742 Walma SE.

Major highways

Further information: Roads and freeways in Michigan

M-11 runs along 28th Street.
M-37 runs along East Beltline Avenue and Broadmoor Avenue to the south.
I-96 links with Muskegon and downtown Grand Rapids to the west and Lansing and Detroit, Michigan to the east.

While not within Kentwood city limits, two other highways both pass within one mile of Kentwood: US-131 in Wyoming and M-6 to the south. Since Kentwood is a suburb of Grand Rapids, many commuters will use one or both of these highways en route to and from work.

Schools

The main public school district in Kentwood is the Kentwood Public Schools, consisting of one high school, one freshman campus, three middle schools, ten active elementary schools, and one closed elementary school:

• East Kentwood High School
• Crossroads Alternative High School
• East Kentwood Freshman Campus
• Crestwood Middle School
• Pinewood Middle School
• Valleywood Middle School
• Bowen Elementary School
• Brookwood Elementary School
• Challenger Elementary School
• Discovery Elementary School
• Endeavor Elementary School
• Explorer Elementary School
• Glenwood Elementary School
• Meadowlawn Elementary School
• Southwood Elementary School
• Townline Elementary School
• Hamilton Elementary School (closed 2009)

Also included within Kentwood's city limits are the Forest Hills Public Schools and Kelloggsville Public Schools.

Churches

• Princeton Christian Reformed Church
• Kelloggsville Christian Reformed Church
• Pentecostals of Kentwood
• St. Mary Magdalen Roman Catholic Parish
• Kentwood Community Church
• Kentwood Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Breton Road Baptist Church

Trails

Kentwood has five trails:

• Paul Henry Rail Trail from 44th Street and Kalamazoo to 60th Street
• East-West Trail from Division Avenue to Kalamazoo Avenue
• Plaster Creek Trail
• M6 Trail
• Saddleback Trail

With the exception of the M6 Trail, proposals are being considered to expand each of these trails.

Library

Kentwood is located within the Kent District Library district. The Kentwood Branch Library opened in 2010 on Breton Avenue, next to Kentwood City Hall. Previously, the Kentwood Library had been located on Kalamazoo Avenue south of 44th Street.

Kentwood Mine

The Kentwood Mine is an underground gypsum mine in Kentwood, at 42.890°N 85.579°W / 42.890; -85.579 (Kentwood Mine). Opened in 1971 and closed in 2000, it was operated by Georgia-Pacific.

External links

• Interactive Map from GRNow