Western Michigan
Western Michigan, also known as West Michigan is a region of the U.S. State of Michigan. Its largest city is Grand Rapids. Other West Michigan cities include Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Muskegon, Holland, Ludington and Big Rapids. The twin cites of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph are sometimes classified as West Michigan, and sometimes categorized in a separate region with Michigan City, Indiana.
Business
Prominent West Michgan corporations include:
- Amway/Alticor/Quixtar, an Ada, Michigan multi-level marketing company.
- Gordon Food Service, a Grand Rapids food supplier
- Spartan Stores, a Grand Rapids grocery chain
- Borroughs, a Kalamazoo office equipment manufacturer.
- Steelcase, a Grand Rapids office equipment manufacturer.
- Herman Miller, a Holland office equipment manufacturer.
- Haworth, a Holland office equipment manufacturer.
- Kelloggs, a Battle Creek breakfast cereal producer.
- Meijer, a Grand Rapids hypermarket chain.
- Stryker, a Kalamazoo surgical equipment manufacturer.
- Gentex, a Zeeland auto-dimming automobile mirror manufacturer.
- Perrigo, a Allegan pharmaceutical company
- Wolverine Wolrdwide/Hush Puppies, a Rockford shoe maker
- Bissell, a Grand Rapids vacuum cleaner maker
Transportation
Major roads include:
- Interstate 96, running from Muskegon to Detroit
- Interstate 94, running from Billings, Montana to Port Huron, Michigan,
- U.S. Highway 131, running from Kalamazoo to Petoskey, Michigan
- Grand River Avenue, running from Grand Rapids to Detroit
- The S-Curve, a famously crooked strech of U.S. 131 in downtown Grand Rapids
Famous Present/Former Residents
- Former President of the United States Gerald R. Ford
- Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis
- Tool (band) and A Perfect Circle vocalist Maynard James Keenan
- X-Files actress Gillian Anderson
- Kelloggs founder W.K. Kellogg
