Kentwood, Michigan

Kentwood is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 48,707 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous suburb of Grand Rapids and the 25th most populous city in Michigan.

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), and Richard Root (2002–Present).

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.0 square miles (54.5 km²), all land. 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 the census of 2000, there were 45,255 people, 18,477 households, and 11,529 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,150.6 per square mile (830.5/km²). There were 19,507 housing units at an average density of 927.0 per square mile (358.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.87% White, 13.09% African American, 0.46% Native American, 5.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.42% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.88% of the population.

Of the 18,477 households, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,812, and the median income for a family was $55,615. Males had a median income of $40,544 versus $27,632 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,463. About 5.0% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

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 Root. The Mayor Pro Tem is selected by the City Commission; Richard Clanton currently serves in this role.

The legislative body of Kentwood is the City Commission. Voters elect six city commissioners to four-year terms. On November 8, 2011, 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 5, 2013, concurrent with the other aforementioned officials. The mayor serves as a voting member of the City Commission and presides over Commission meetings.

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 South West 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
runs along 28th Street. runs along East Beltline Avenue and Broadmoor Avenue to the south. 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 two high schools, 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

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. Now closed, it was formerly operated by Georgia-Pacific.