The City of East Grand Rapids, Michigan, in Kent County, is surrounded by Grand Rapids except for the east, where it borders Grand Rapids Charter Township.
An inner suburb of Grand Rapids, other nearby cities include Kentwood, Wyoming, Grandville, Walker, and Lowell. Although it doesn't touch the city, M-37 is a north-west highway that runs just east of the city, nearly touching it in the northeast. I-96 passes north and east of the city, a couple of miles outside of its borders. A major route to and from the city is Lake Drive, which enters the city in the northwest and exits in the southeast, running through the center of town, where it connects with M-37. Others include Breton Road and Robinson Road SE, the latter of which forms the northern boundary of the city.
Reeds Lake, a 265-acre freshwater lake, is almost entirely within the borders of East Grand Rapids, in the northeast. While most of its shore is bordered by large homes, the west end of the lake includes a park, library, and municipal offices. To the west of Reeds Lake is Fisk Lake, a 26-acre freshwater lake that is entirely within the city. It receives water from Reeds Lake and drains into the Grand River by way of Coldbrook Creek. Surrounded by single-family homes, Fisk Lake is almost entirely hidden from public view.
East Grand Rapids is an affluent community. Although the city experienced significant population growth from 1900, the first year it appears on a census report, to 1970, it has declined slightly every decade since, although it is projected to increase by more than ten percent when the 2020 census comes out.
The founding of East Grand Rapids dates back to the 1930s, when Lew and Ezra Reed came to the area from New York, bringing their families. Miss Sophia Reed and Miss Euphemia Davis opened a school near Reeds Lake in 1834. The following year, a schoolhouse was built nearby, with Francis Prescott as teacher.
East Grand Rapids was incorporated as a village in 1891, becoming a city in 1926.
Reeds Lake soon became a popular summer destination for people from Grand Rapids, who spent summer days picnicking, swimming, and boating. By the 1870s, a lakeside pavilion on the west shore of the lake hosted orchestras and plays. Early visitors came by foot, stagecoach, or by horse and buggy. In the mid-1870s, the Grand Rapids and Reeds Lake Railway, a horse-drawn rail car, connected Grand Rapids with Reeds Lake. Later, the horses were replaced by a steam locomotive, and electric streetcars were introduced in the 1890s. They were replaced by buses in 1935.
Reeds Lake became the site of Ramona Park, an amusement park owned and operated by the Grand Rapids Street Railway. It Operated from 1897 to 1955. The Ramona Park Theatre Pavilion featured plays, musicals, Vaudeville acts, burlesque, silent films, and talkies. Local and nationally-known entertainers would often appear at the theater, which was dismantled in 1949. Regularly scheduled steamboat excursions on Reeds Lake began in 1882 and continued to 1955. At one time, there were four steamboats in operation.
Although several homes in East Grand Rapids are more than a hundred years old, its major home construction booms were in the 1920s and 1950s.
Named for the flickering gas lamps that line its streets, Gaslight Village is in the heart of the city, currently including a mix of more than fifty restaurants, shops, and professional services.
The focus of this guide is on the City of East Grand Rapids. As such, appropriate resources include websites representing the city itself, as well as any individuals, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events within the city.
 
 
Recommended Resources
The Gaslight Village boutique sells clothes, clothing accessories, and gifts hand-curated by the owners. Its location, hours of operation, and contacts are published on the site, and customers are invited to sign up for exclusive and private sales and special offers. A photo gallery highlights the shop and some of its products, and its brands are discussed. Also included is an introduction to the proprietors, with biographical and business information.
https://blackbirdeast.com/
Located on Lake Drive Southeast, EGRHS is a public secondary school in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, designated as an International Baccalaureate World School. Its academic and athletic programs are highlighted, including its online learning programs, counseling services, and other resources. The EGR PTO (Parent-Teachers Organization) and Boosters Club are highlighted, and a school calendar, staff directory, newsletter, and announcements are published to the site.
https://egrhs.egrps.org/
East Grand Rapids Public Schools
The municipal public school district offers a PK-12th-grade curriculum through Breton Downs Elementary School, Lakeside Elementary School, Wealthy Elementary School, East Grand Rapids Middle School, and East Grand Rapids High School, each of which is featured here, including school calendars, parent-teacher organizations, announcements, and a directory of faculty and staff. Announcements, policy documents, reports, and demographics are included.
https://www.egrps.org/
East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation
Created as a private, non-profit, organization in 1983, the Foundation is solely dependent upon tax-deductible donations from the community to fulfill its mission of providing financial support for education beyond the district, including enhancements to teaching and learning that are not covered by the regular school budget. Its history, mission, and an overview of its grants, teacher awards, scholarships, and community service, and distinguished alumni awards.
https://egrsf.org/
Settled in the early 1830s, East Grand Rapids was incorporated as a village in 1891, and as a city in 1926. The official municipal website publishes community news, a community calendar, and employment opportunities. Viewers may also find property information, city council agendas and minutes, as well as live-streaming of city commission meetings. Resident services, and city government boards, commissions, and departments are posted.
https://www.eastgr.org/
Offering a guide to the Gaslight Village commercial district of East Grand Rapids, Michigan, links to businesses and services within the area are posted, and shown on a map, as well as a calendar of events. The site was created and maintained by the Gaslight Village Business Association, formed as an organized business league in 1974. The GVBA strives to support local businesses and attract customers to the area. Membership information and contacts are included.
http://gogaslight.com/
The East Grand Rapids High School sports and athletics program is featured here, by season (fall, winter, spring, and year-round), and by sport, including freshman, junior varsity, and varsity, with game dates, facilities, locations, and scores. A calendar of events is published to the site, along with player requirements and other policy information, an overview of the athletics program, season passes, live-streaming of games, photos, video, and other resources.
https://egrathletics.org/
Formed in 1923 and located in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, St. Stephen is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, serving the Catholic community of East Grand Rapids and southeast Grand Rapids. Its history, clergy, pastors, parish missions, and a photo archive are presented, along with a calendar of events, and information about its adult formation and catechism classes, liturgy, sacraments, family ministries, and educational ministries.
https://www.ststephenparish.com/
Founded in 1925, St. Stephen offers a PK-8th-grade parochial school education through a preschool for three and four-year-olds, a full and half-day elementary school for students in kindergarten through the eighth grade, and a 6-8th-grade middle school, including an accelerated program and a program for children with learning disabilities. The location, schedules, academics, curriculum, tuition, financial aid, and support services are featured.
https://www.ststephenschoolgr.com/
Stepping Stones Montessori School
Serving the East Grand Rapids, Michigan community, the private school offers a variety of programs, including an Infant/Toddler (12-weeks to 36-months) program, Children’s House (3-6 years), Elementary Level I (6-9-years), Elementary II (9-12-years), and River Ridge Farm (12-15-years), as well as before and after-school programs, a distance learning program, and assistance with transitioning to traditional school. Its admissions policies and contacts are posted.
https://www.steppingstonesgr.org/
Located on Wealthy Street Southeast in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, the restaurant specializes in Chinese cuisine. Directions and a map indicate its location, customer favorites are posted on the site, and a full menu is available in PDF format. Its location, hours of operation, telephone number, social media, and a contact form are posted, and orders may be placed online. A profile of the business is included, along with an introduction to the proprietors.
http://www.wokandmortar.com/