Hastings, Michigan is the county seat of Barry County, and its only city.
Hastings is mostly in Hastings Township, although a portion of the city extends west into Rutland Township. While Hastings is the only incorporated city, the county does include the villages of Freeport, Middleville, Nashville, and Woodland. Other incorporated cities and villages within twenty miles of Hastings are Vermontville, Clarksville, Lake Odessa, Caledonia, and Wayland.
The chief routes through the city are M-43 and M-37. M-43 enters the north-central region of the city, intersects M-37 downtown, where it turns west, running contiguous with M-37, exiting the city just south of Tyden Park. M-37 enters the central-south portion of the city. Other significant routes include State Road, which enters the city just north of Tyden Park, intersecting M-42 in the northern downtown area, exiting in the center-east.
The Thornapple River flows through the city from east to west, bearing a little to the north. Carter Lake is adjacent to the city in the northwest, and Algonquin Lake is just west of that. On the central-west edge of the city, approximately one-half of Tyden Park is within the city limits. Bounded by the river on all sides but the south, Tyden Park includes a walking trail, volleyball court, and a basketball court, as well as opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, or tubing in the river. Just south of Tyden Park, Fish Hatchery Park has facilities for baseball, softball, tennis, soccer, basketball, and horseshoes, as well as a playground and picnic area. Hastings Country Club is just north of Tyden Park.
Since first appearing on a census report with a population of 1,793 in 1870, Hastings declined slightly in 1940 and 1980, and is projected to decline very slightly in 2020; otherwise, its population has increased steadily, with 7,350 residents in 2010.
The city is named for Eurotas P. Hastings, who was president of the Bank of Michigan in 1836, when he sold his holdings in the region to Philo Dibble, Lansing Kingsbury, and Cornelius Kendall. At that point, the county seat had already been determined but there were no settlers in that part of the county yet. Dibble, Kingsbury, and Kendall were residents of Marshall and, after the purchase, they, along with Andrew L. Hays and Samuel Camp, organized the Hastings Company for the purpose of laying out a village on the land they had just acquired.
The Hastings Company began construction on a sawmill and hired Slocum H. Bunker to house the construction workers and mill hands. Bunker built a log boarding house and a saloon. Although he hadn't intended to remain in Hastings after the construction of the sawmill was completed, he stayed for several years, becoming the first settler in Hastings. Bunker's brother, Thomas, built a hotel in Hastings.
Simultaneously, the Hastings Company platted the business section of the village. Additions to the original plat were later laid out by men named Striker, Kenfield, Chamberlain, Grant, Dunning, and Bennett.
Other early settlers included Willard Hays, Abner C. Parmalee, Henry A. Goodyear, Philander Turner, Hiram J. Kenfield, and Levi Chase, who opened a tavern on the banks of the river. A post office was established on March 14, 1839, with Willard Hayes as the first postmaster. The town was formally designated as the county seat in 1855, was incorporated as a village in 1855, and as a city in 1871.
The focus of this category is on the city of Hastings, Michigan. Websites representing the city or any individuals, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events within the city are appropriate topics.
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Located in Hastings, Michigan, Barry County Christian School has been in operation since 1972, offering a K-12th-grade Christian educational curriculum. Each school day begins with devotions and prayer, and weekly chapel services are included, along with a full complement of academics, including mathematics, sciences, languages, social studies, fine arts, music, shop, and physical education, as well as a homeschool program that is available across the state.
https://bccsk12.com/
Serving the Hastings, Michigan area, the public school district operates four elementary schools, each serving Young-5 through the 5th-grade, as well as Hastings Middle School (6-8th-grades), and Hastings High School (9-12th-grades). The district also includes the Community Child Care facility, the Community Education & Recreation Center), and a virtual academy for online learning. The locations of each of its campuses are shown on a map, and schedules, policies, and contacts are included.
https://www.hassk12.org/
The Hastings, Michigan Master Plan is featured here, including plan drafts, review schedules, and an option for comments. The Master Plan includes the city council, planning commission, and the master plan steering committee, as well as a definition of a master plan, and its format, as well as discussion of the Hastings community, its downtown region, housing areas, industrial regions, and infrastructure, as well as the objectives and strategies developed during its Visioning activities.
https://www.hastingsmasterplan.com/
Bordering Hastings Charter Township on the north, east, and south, and Rutland Charter Township on the west, Hastings is the county seat of Barry County. The official municipal website posts meeting notices, agendas, and minutes, as well as a guide to city programs and services, and access to various forms, applications, reports, and other documents. Site visitors may also apply for a permit, locate properties on a GIS map, get transit services, find costs, and make payments.
https://hastingsmi.org/
Known for many years as Indian Landing, an Episcopal Methodist Mission was built there, on the Thornapple River, for both Native American and European-American settlers in 1849, and a log schoolhouse was built in 1853. In 1936, Irving Delos Charlton donated 310 acres to Barry County for a museum and recreation facility, named for his parents. An overview of the historic village and museum is provided, including a self-guided photographic tour, and a calendar of events and educational programs.
https://www.charltonpark.org/
Located in the 100-year-old former Hastings Press building at the corner of Church Street and State Street, the restaurant serves a menu of Italian dishes, fresh salads, soups, seasonal items, vegetarian dishes, gluten-free foods, and a variety of wines and alcohol, with a concentration on fresh ingredients. A calendar of special events, including wine dinners, is set forth, along with its location, hours of operation, and an overview of its dine-in, take-out, and delivery services.
https://www.seasonalgrille.com/
Broadcasting from Hastings, Michigan, WBCH Radio provides country music to Barry County and surrounding areas in West Michigan. Its office address, phone, and fax numbers are posted, and a mobile application allows its programming to be heard live. Station information, advertising opportunities, and employment opportunities are set forth, and its site includes area news and sports reports, weather forecasts, event notifications, obituaries, and a local business directory.
https://wbch.com/
