REGION 8 NOTES
July/August 2004
Ionia County Profile
Continuing our efforts to inform people of Region 8’s various communities, we developed the following profile of Ionia County. The intent is to provide a description of the diverse opportunities that exist within West Michigan.
Ionia County is a rural county located in the west central portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula. The 2000 Census shows Ionia County’s population at 61,518. This is nearly an 8 percent increase from 1990. The 2003 population estimate for Ionia County is 63,573. The City of Ionia is the largest community within the county, with 10,569 residents. The City of Belding, with 5,877 residents, and the City of Portland, with 3,789 residents, are located in opposite corners of the County. Ionia County also has seven villages, ranging in population from 317 (Clarksville) to 1,326 (Saranac). The County has 16 townships, ranging in population from Orange Township with 1,040 residents to Boston Township with 4,961.
While much of Ionia County is rural, it also contains a variety of attractions including a thriving retail and service area centered on the historic downtown areas of its cities. The County also has numerous outdoor recreation opportunities, including Bertha Brock Park, Greenview Point and the Ionia Recreation Area. The Grand River, which meanders through the middle of the County, provides recreation through boating and sport fishing.
The County and the City of Ionia also host the Ionia Free Fair, the largest free fair in the country. The Fair, which will be running July 21st through July 31st of this year, can trace its history back to 1857, when the first Ionia District Fair opened its gates.
Ionia County is well served by transportation routes. The major north-south route is M-66, running through the heart of the County. The major east-west routes include I-96, running through the southern half of the County and M-21 through the center portion.
Recently, the City of Portland received statewide recognition when it received a “Cool Cities” grant. The catalyst project within the city is a boardwalk that will connect the pedestrian bridge over the confluence of the Grand and Looking Glass rivers. The boardwalk will run along the back of the commercial buildings on the 100 block of Kent Street. The grant will be used to leverage additional funding for the development of lofts in the buildings.
The Orchard View Industrial Park, located near the City of Ionia, is the County’s principle industrial park. The City of Belding also has a Renaissance Zone centered on the Belding Business Center. The Ionia County Economic Alliance addresses economic development in the County by providing services aimed at recruiting and maintaining businesses within the County. Major employers in Ionia include the Michigan Department of Corrections, Meijer Inc., Ionia County Memorial Hospital, and the Herbruck Poultry Ranch Inc.
In the last year, Ionia County started the process of implementing zoning across the entire county. The Countywide zoning will apply to all unzoned areas within the County. The Ionia County Planning Commission prepared and completed their final review of the Ionia County Zoning Ordinance Draft and forwarded it to the Ionia County Board of Commissioners with a recommendation to adopt it as presented. The issue will be voted on by the public in November 2004.
Currently, Greg Yeomans and Joe Marhofer represent Ionia County on the WMRPC Board. Diane Smith and Julianne Burns represent the County on WMRPC’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Committee. Any of these people can provide additional information about Ionia County’s unique features, or contact the West Michigan Regional Planning Commission (WMRPC) for additional information.
More information can also be found on these web sites:
Ionia County: www.ioniacounty.org
Ionia County Economic Alliance: www.icea-mi.org
The WMRPC Web Page
The West Michigan Regional Planning Commission’s web page, located at www.wmrpc.org, provides links and information about Region 8 and its communities.
The web page provides information about the WMRPC, our current projects, board members, focus areas, and services. Detailed Census data are also provided for the individual communities within Region 8 as well as the Region as a whole.
Numerous related sites are listed, including the official sites of Region 8 communities and other relevant outside agencies. Contact information for the WMRPC is also provided.
If you know of an important link that we are missing or need information regarding the web site, please give us a call or contact our webmaster at: webmaster@wmrpc.org
September Guest Speaker
September's scheduled guest speaker at the WMRPC Board Meeting is Dr. Soji Adelaja, John A. Hanna Distinguished Professor in Land Policy, at Michigan State University. Dr. Adelaja started at MSU this year and is studying Michigan's land use patterns and policies. Please let Dave Bee know if you are interested in attending the Board Meeting to make sure adequate seating is available.
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