Welcome to Big Rapids
Welcome to Big Rapids: When I am asked what is unique and attractive about Big Rapids, I must always start with Ferris State University. Founded by Woodbridge Ferris in 1884, FSU is not your normal liberal arts college. It began with the vision of a practical education designed to get students a job. Many of the early students were folks looking to find work after the timber industry began to fade in Northern Michigan. This vision of Woodbridge continues to this day. How many Universities have degree programs in heavy equipment operation, automotive mechanics, or heating and air conditioning, golf or tennis programming? Big Rapids is a place where practical people live! This ‘down to earth’ orientation plays itself out in involvement in the community. While located in small town of 10,800 people, the college educated talents of the population result in great activism. Perhaps no better illustration is the month-long Festival of the Arts in February. EVERY day, during what would otherwise be a pretty long cold and sometimes difficult month, community members gather to learn photography, instrument playing or landscaping. They may also join in an audience to hear the symphony, listen to singing group or instrumentalists. They may participate in a reading, or hear a professional relate the experiences of his/her career. Someone recently quipped, “We have begun to look forward to February every year. This is how practical people form community. Big Rapids is blessed to be located along the Muskegon River. This pleasant cold water stream creates both the recreation and the beauty of the region. Fishermen relish the sport of trout, pike and walleye which are caught here. Tubers come by the 1000s to float down the rapids in summer. The practical people here in 2001, decided to make the River their own and began construction of a walk/bike path at the water’s edge. The Riverwalk trail now extends three miles through town and is the most visited site in the region, mainly by local residents. Wildflowers abound. Spring, summer and fall colors are breathtaking along the paths. It is not unusual to see deer and other animals in the woods or near the water’s edge. Practical people like to create advantages for their children. It is no surprise that the local high school has earned a ‘Blue Ribbon’ designation for academic excellence in Michigan. Yet it excels not only in scholarship, but has great success in sports and arts as well. A new high school campus was built in 1996, and continues to attract students from other districts as a ‘school of choice’ because of its reputation in these fields and breadth of course offerings. A large Charter School is also located in downtown Big Rapids. This 800 student school is highly competitive in the market place, sending 80% of its graduates to college, while also winning league sporting and artistic honors. In 2003, the people of Mecosta County passed an $11,000,000 levy to fund a new Operating Room/Emergency Room addition to the Mecosta County Medical Center. This addition has energized the medical community and catapulted the center to the forefront of medical care. Recruiting physicians to a state of the art facility became easier and in 2007, when MCMC was designated as one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States! Practical people see great value in caring for one another. The BIG EVENT is one of the connections between the students of Ferris and the Community. Every spring students volunteer to go into the homes of selected residents and complete practical cleanup activities such as window washing, painting, leaf raking. Hundreds of students participate to give back to the community. Another social beneficiary, the ‘Dump and Run’ program, gives students the opportunity to get rid of leftover food, clothes, furniture and supplies at the end of the spring term. The active Churches in the area network with Ferris to find needy community members to be the recipients of these goods. Many other acts of kindness may be experienced by residents as a result of civic and church giving. The vision of Woodbridge Ferris to create a practical university dedicated to a practical education has become the practical vision of the community. I believe that a visit here would excite that vision within you as well. I know that living here would change your vision in a practical way for the remainder of your life…. We welcome one and all – for both personal visits, and virtual touring opportunities. Stephen J. Sobers - City Manager |
