Grand Rapids

History

Grand Rapids was originally called Gilead, and under the latter name was platted in 1833. To meet the challenges of keeping enough water in its canals in the 1840s, the state of Ohio built a large dam across the Maumee River at Gilead in 1845. Because the dam replaced a smaller dam that had been built to provide power to a mill and thereby restricted the water power provided to the mill, the outraged citizens of Gilead destroyed the dam. Following the destruction of the dam, a side cut canal was built that connected Gilead with the main canal. This caused an economic boom in Gilead and the village was incorporated as Grand Rapids in 1855. A post office called Gilead was established in 1837, and the name was changed to Grand Rapids in 1868. The village was incorporated in 1885. An ice jam led to a major flood in February 1959, resulting in extensive damage and displacing 130 residents.

Geography

Image:grandrapidsohio3.jpg|The Maumee River as seen from Grand Rapids Image:grandrapidsohio2.jpg|LaRoe's Restaurant, one of the oldest businesses in Grand Rapids According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,918
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  12,323
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,314
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,420
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,150
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,112
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  7,813
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  7,595

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-05-04
  8 km N of Maybee, Michigan
• M 3 — 2026-04-26
  7 km SSE of Amherstburg, Canada
• M 2.9 — 2024-12-29
  1 km SSE of Hicksville, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2024-03-18
  4 km WSW of Millbury, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2023-05-20
  3 km SSE of Walbridge, Ohio
• M 3.2 — 2020-08-21
  2 km SSE of Detroit Beach, Michigan