Walker

History

The area was first organized as Walker Township on December 30, 1837, the second to be organized in Kent County. It initially comprised all of the land in the county north of the Grand River. Shortly thereafter in 1838, part of the township was split off to form Ada Township. The earliest settlers of the township were Canadian immigrants. In 1867, a township hall was built. However, the area where the township hall was annexed into Grand Rapids in 1959. Walker was established as a city in 1962 to prevent further annexation of the area into Grand Rapids. At the time it was made a city, Walker had a population of 11,000. The city gained national attention when Gwendolyn Graham and Cathy Wood committed their murders as workers at a nursing home in Walker in 1987. In the late 1990s, a shopping mall was proposed by a developer based in Ada near the intersection of Four Mile Road and Walker, though this was opposed by residents who believed it would cause nearby students to skip school, increase crime with gang activity and that it may fail due to the upcoming opening of RiverTown Crossings.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.27%) is water. * runs along the north side of the city. * passes briefly through the northeastern part of the city. * runs south–north through the western edge of the city. * enters from the north of the city and then runs concurrently with I-96. * runs west–east briefly through the center of the city.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  35,093
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  31,632
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  29,103
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,153
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,437
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,147
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,848
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,752

Largest nearby schools

• Grandville High School
  High · GRANDVILLE · 1,767 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Wyoming High School
  High · WYOMING · 1,284 students · 22.1:1 ratio
• Northern High School
  High · GRAND RAPIDS · 1,134 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Northview High School
  High · GRAND RAPIDS · 1,092 students · 19.9:1 ratio
• Kenowa Hills High School
  High · GRAND RAPIDS · 933 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• Union High School
  High · GRAND RAPIDS · 922 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• East Grand Rapids High School
  High · GRAND RAPIDS · 914 students · 19.4:1 ratio
• City MiddleHigh
  High · Grand Rapids · 908 students · 23.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2015-05-02
  5 km S of Galesburg, Michigan