Stops along the Grand River, and what each one ships
The Grand River strings West Michigan's plants together from Lowell to the lake, and each stop along it ships something different.
Five counties along the river
We follow the plants along the river and the roads beside it, from Kent into Ottawa, then up the lakeshore to Muskegon, with Greenville and Fremont at the edges.
| County | Towns | What it ships |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, Walker, Grandville, Byron Center, Cascade, Comstock Park, Rockford, Sparta | Automotive stamping, office furniture, plastics, food distribution, medical devices, apples |
| Ottawa | Jenison, Hudsonville, Zeeland, Holland, Grand Haven | Office furniture, auto parts, food processing, automation, pharmaceutical, battery storage |
| Muskegon | Muskegon, Norton Shores | Aerospace castings, foundries, automotive, food processing, defense |
| Montcalm | Greenville | Refrigeration equipment, potato and dairy farming |
| Newaygo | Fremont | Baby food processing, agriculture |
Not on the list? Send the request anyway and give the town; the metro is larger than these towns. Use the request page.
Downstream from Lowell
The Grand River rises in Hillsdale County and flows northwest to Lake Michigan, 252 miles in all, the longest river in Michigan. It passes Lowell, where the Flat River joins it, then Grand Rapids, Grandville and Jenison before reaching the lake at Grand Haven. Not every town here sits on the river. Wyoming lies south of it, Holland is on Lake Macatawa, and Muskegon is on its own lake and river.
How the towns relate
The river and the roads make three groups. The Kent County towns cluster around Grand Rapids and form the metro's core. The Ottawa County towns sit along the lakeshore and the lower river. Muskegon County sits farther up the shore, joined by I-96. Greenville and Fremont are single-industry stops at the edges.
Pallets move along the same lines. A truck leaving a Wyoming dock for Holland is on a different footing from one leaving for Fremont, and a request that names the town shows the distance at once. A town and a ZIP are enough to place most docks. For a township, add the street address. A Holland dock should name its county, Ottawa or Allegan, since the city spans both.
Where each trade's docks are
| If your dock is | Towns |
|---|---|
| A foodservice or grocery warehouse | Wyoming, Walker or Byron Center |
| A furniture or fixtures plant | Zeeland, Holland or Grand Rapids |
| A foundry or aerospace shop | Muskegon and Norton Shores |
| A fruit packing shed | Sparta or Comstock Park |
| A baby-food or farm-supply dock | Newaygo County or Montcalm County |
Ready to ask? Send us the request.