Nearby Communities in the 1890s

We largely built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. Over time, we will continue to add communities that we find during our research.

If it applies, we indicate whether a community no longer exists and is now historic.<1>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Big Rapids had a population of 5,303 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Big Rapids had a population of 10,408 people.

The following communities are listed based on their distance from Big Rapids, with the one closest to Big Rapids listed first.

Paris
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Paris is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paris <2>
Stanwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanwood
- Stanwood is located in Mecosta County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanwood <2>
Rodney
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodney have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Rodney is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodney <2>
Hawkins
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkins
- Hawkins is located in Newaygo County
Chippewa Lake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippewa Lake
- Chippewa Lake is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chippewa Lake <2>
Woodville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Woodville is located in Newaygo County
Hersey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hersey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hersey
- Hersey is located in Osceola County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 347 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hersey <2>
Borland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borland
- Borland is located in Mecosta County
Reed City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed City
- Reed City is located in Osceola County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,374 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reed City <2>
Big Prairie
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Prairie
- Big Prairie is located in Newaygo County
Morley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
- Morley is located in Mecosta County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 495 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morley <2>
Altona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altona have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altona
- Altona is located in Mecosta County
Mecosta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mecosta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecosta
- Mecosta is located in Mecosta County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mecosta <2>
Chase
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chase
- Chase is located in Lake County
- Former names for Chase:
- Green Dell
- Grendale
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chase <2>
Rustford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rustford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rustford
- Rustford is located in Mecosta County
Sylvester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sylvester have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvester
- Sylvester is located in Mecosta County
Orono
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orono have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orono
- Orono is located in Osceola County
Brohman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brohman
- Brohman is located in Newaygo County
- Former names for Brohman:
- Dingman
- Otia
White Cloud
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Cloud
- White Cloud is located in Newaygo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,383 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Cloud <2>
Evart
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evart have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evart
- Evart is located in Osceola County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,886 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Evart <2>
Nirvana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nirvana
- Nirvana is located in Lake County
Alleyton
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alleyton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleyton
- Alleyton is located in Newaygo County
Remus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remus
- Remus is located in Mecosta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Remus <2>
Ashton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
- Ashton is located in Osceola County
Lilley
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilley
- Lilley is located in Newaygo County
Bitely
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitely
- Bitely is located in Newaygo County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bitely <2>

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Big Rapids: www.ci.big-rapids.mi.us/

The official website for Mecosta County: www.co.mecosta.mi.us/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>	We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Big Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>	While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>	The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.