Have you ever wondered what one of the largest suburbs/cities in the greater Grand Rapids area is? Today we are going to break down the location, geography, businesses, recreational activities, and more associated with Kentwood, Michigan. 

Where is Kentwood, Michigan?

Kentwood is on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Southeast Corridor and it is about 15 minutes from the downtown district. To the west, you’re right along Breton Road; to the south, you get 60th Avenue; over to the east, you’re going over to Patterson Avenue.; and to the north, you’re stretching all the way up in the Cascade, Forest Hills area, right around that Forest Hills Avenue/Lake bordering East Grand Rapids and Forest Hills, so it is quite a large geographical area.

The thing to note about Kentwood is its convenience and accessibility. There is I-96, which touches the east part of Kentwood, M-6 running right around the south corridor, and M-37, which is technically East Beltline, Broadmoor, running right up north and south. Then, some of the major streets that we’ve all heard is 28th Street, which runs east and west, and is one of the major retail districts, along with 44th Street.

Kentwood borders the Gerald R. Ford Airport which is worth mentioning. The accessibility to the airport in this location is really important. Kentwood is about 20 square miles from a geographical standpoint with a population of roughly 55,000. Kentwood was founded in 1967, making it a relatively new community. All of these areas used to be the city of Wyoming and the city of Grand Rapids combined. In 1967, Kentwood came in, named after Kent County, and said, “We want our own community.” 

Parks and Recreation

Let’s move on to some recreational opportunities and activities in Kentwood. Kentwood has roughly 15 parks in the community, two trails, and two trailheads that cover 410 acres of beautiful common space to get out and enjoy. Within these 15 parks, there are eight picnic and community shelters, making it a great spot for large family gatherings or birthday parties. There are also 13 miles of non-motorized trails which connect with the Kent County Trail System. One of the most notable trails in Kentwood is the Paul Henry Trail, a beautiful paved trail that stretches from the 44th Kalamazoo area all the way up to the 60th and Wing Avenue area. A great resource to check to know about all the recreation opportunities in Kentwood is the Kentwood Parks & Recreation Department. 

One thing to note is that Kentwood is not known for a lot of water. There are some parks and some ponds, but as far as some of these community suburbs, you don’t see many lakes or rivers. 

Businesses in Kentwood

We always like to break down some of the local businesses in each area we highlight and one thing to understand about Kentwood is Kentwood is definitely known for its retail businesses. The reason for this is that 28th Street stretches into a portion of Kentwood and contains Woodland Mall. Around the Woodland Mall area, there are plenty of other retail businesses such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, and anything you need from a retail perspective. If you are looking at shopping for cars, that’s going to be on the 28th Street and 32nd Street corridor.

Kentwood is known for manufacturing and its industrial space. You’re going to find Steelcase, Haworth, another furniture company, and Lacks Industries. If you cruise down Patterson Avenue around the 36th Street area, that’s where you’ll find a ton of industrial space and industrial businesses that go along with that manufacturing. 

Kentwood, Michigan Schools

Kentwood has a large school district. The actual district borders are a little bit different than the city borders. So while the city borders stretch a little bit farther north, the school district actually stretches farther south across M-6 over to 131. It’s quite a large district.

Within the district, there are 9,300 students. Kentwood is known as one of the largest schools in the state of Michigan and the largest school in West Michigan. As far as the high school goes, there’s about 2,000 students between 10th and 12th grade. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19 students to one teacher, and it’s voted the number one most diverse school in the entire state of Michigan, which is awesome. 

There are 10 elementary schools, three different middle schools, one freshman center, and one large high school. Within Kentwood, as far as activities, with a school of this size, there are numerous opportunities for club sports, band, robotics, or anything your child may be interested in. In fact, it’s one of the best schools in Michigan for athletes, coming in at number three in the entire state. 

Real Estate in Kentwood

What can you get in Kentwood when it comes to buying a home? The average price point, as of summer 2023 is hovering around $305,000, which is just a little bit shy of the Kent County average of $350,000. Kentwood is more of a suburb, so there isn’t a lot of farmland. Farmland is going to be a little bit more Caledonia, Alto area. A lot of the homes in Kentwood were built in the 40s and 50s, with some newer developments such as Bailey’s Grove around the corner. There are a of condos and new construction, so you can pretty much get whatever you want from a housing perspective.

Hopefully, this helps you understand all that Kentwood, Michigan has to offer. Whether you are looking to move to the area or are relocating to West Michigan, our team is happy to help answer any questions you may have about living in Grand Rapids.