Filmed on Monday, July 3 2023, I drive around downtown Grand Rapids, MI to see what's going on.

The first permanent EuropeanAmerican settler in the Grand Rapids area was Isaac McCoy, a Baptist minister.

Shortly after, Detroitborn Louis Campau, known as the official founder of Grand Rapids, was convinced by fur trader William Brewster, who was in a rivalry with the American Fur Company, to travel to Grand Rapids and establish trade there.

In 1826, Campau built his cabin, trading post, and blacksmith shop on the south bank of the Grand River near the rapids, stating the Native Americans in the area were "friendly and peaceable". Campau returned to Detroit, then returned a year later with his wife and $5,000 of fur to trade with the Odawa and Ojibwa.

In 1835, many settlers arrived in the area with the population growing to about 50 people, including its first doctor, Dr. Wilson.

John Ball, representing a group of New York land speculators, bypassed Detroit for a better deal in Grand Rapids traveling to the settlement in 1836. Ball declared the Grand River valley "the promised land, or at least the most promising one for my operations".

By 1837, the village had grown quickly to about 1,200 residents, and the first formal census in 1845 recorded a population of 1,510.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, the city became a major lumbering center, processing timber harvested in the region. Logs were floated down the Grand River to be milled in the city and shipped via the Great Lakes. The city became a center of fine wood products as well. By the end of the century, it was established as the premier furnituremanufacturing city of the United States.

Due to its flourishing furniture industry, Grand Rapids began being recognized as "Furniture City".

In 1881, the Furniture Manufacturers Association (FMA) was organized in Grand Rapids; making it the country's first furniture manufacturing advocacy group.

In 1911, 8,500 people were employed by 47 furniture factories in Grand Rapids, constituting a third of the entire workforce. April 19th of that year, workers began a four month long general strike. Government reports revealed that while Grand Rapids lead the industry in product output, its furniture workers were paid lower wages than in other areas.

The strike resulted with substantial changes to the governmental and labor structure of the city. Some workers who participated in the strike were blacklisted by companies and thousands of dissatisfied furniture workers emigrated to higher paying regions.

Today, office furniture manufacturers such as American Seating, Steelcase, Haworth, and Herman Miller are based in and around the Grand Rapids area. The Kindel Furniture Company and the Hekman Furniture Company have been designing and manufacturing furniture in Grand Rapids since 1912 and 1922 respectively.

The Grand Rapids area is also known for its automobile and aviation manufacturing industries, with GE Aviation Systems having a location in the city.

Supercenter chain Meijer is headquartered in the Grand Rapids area, employing 10,340.

Grand Rapids was the childhood home of U.S. President Gerald Ford.

As of the 2020 census, 198,917 people lived in the city, up from 188.040 in 2010.

The city's racial makeup was 64.6% White, 20.9% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.7% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 15.6% of the population.

The median household income was $55,385 and the per capita income was $29,060. 18.6% of the population lived below the poverty line.

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