Welcome to Big Rapids ...
The city of Big Rapids is located in Mecosta County<1> and is the County Seat for Mecosta County.
The location of Big Rapids has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Big Rapids, you might consider that their post office opened in 1859.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Big Rapids has a population of 10,368 people<3> (see below for details).
Big Rapids is 910 feet [277 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Big Rapids lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Big Rapids: (231)
The ZIP code for Big Rapids: 49307<5>
Websites for Big Rapids ...
Official Website: www.ci.big-rapids.mi.us/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Big Rapids had an population of 10,368 people. This is a decrease of 2.2% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 4.43% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Big Rapids had a population of 10,601 people (which is 24.77% of the total population of Mecosta County). This makes Big Rapids the county's most populous community.
The population of Big Rapids represents 0.11% of the total population of Michigan (which has 9,883,640 people), making it the state's 87th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 10,601 people, the population of Big Rapids decreased 2.29% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 10,849 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Big Rapids.
Communities near Big Rapids ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Big Rapids.
- 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 <6>
- 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.<2> 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 <6>
- 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 <6>
- 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.<2> 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 <6>
- 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.<2> 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 <6>
- Barryton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barryton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barryton
- Barryton is located in Mecosta County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barryton <6>
- 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.<2> 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 <6>
- 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 <6>
- 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 <6>
- Hawkins
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkins
- Hawkins is located in Newaygo County
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Big Rapids. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Big Rapids.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Big Rapids. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Rapids.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Rapids. Our list includes 19 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Big Rapids.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Big Rapids ...
Looking for more information about Big Rapids? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Big Rapids, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Big Rapids.
Adding Big Rapids to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Big Rapids in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Big Rapids was on a map titled Road Map for Michigan (from Shell Oil, 1956).
We also found Big Rapids in the book titled .<7> From that list, the Big Rapids post office opened in 1859.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Big Rapids.
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> | If you're interested in how the shape of Michigan's counties, including Mecosta, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Big Rapids. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Big Rapids - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Big Rapids). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Big Rapids or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |