Ada Township, Michigan

Ada, also known as Ada Village, is an unincorporated community within the township. It is located on M-21, about east of Grand Rapids. Ada contains its own post office with the 49301 ZIP code that serves the majority of the township. Ada was settled as early as 1821 when Rix Robinson built a trading post near the area to trade furs with a local Ottawa village. Forest Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) that occupies the majority of the township for statistical purposes. The CDP occupies (or 88.90%) of the township. Forest Hills also occupies a large portion of Cascade Township to the south and is the largest and most-populated CDP in the state. ==History==

At the turn of the 19th century, the land that would become Ada was a village of the Grand River Band of Ottawa, led by Nebawnaygezhick. During the early colonial settlement of Michigan, Rix Robinson, the first permanent colonial settler of Kent County, married Sebequay ("River Woman"), the sister of Nebawnaygezhick, at Ada. Lucius Lyon, an early settler, first visited Robinson's settlement in 1826. Convinced that the land would become valuable, Lyon purchased large tracts from early settlers. He oversaw development of the land, including the construction of a saw mill. Both Lyon and Robinson are considered the founders of Ada. Reports conflict concerning when the township was organized. Information provided by the township website indicates that Robinson was elected as the township's first supervisor, but other sources indicate it was organized on April 2, 1838, and that Sydney Smith was elected the first supervisor and that Robinson was the second, elected in 1841 and again in 1844. The village was named after Sydney Smith's daughter, Ada Smith, who was the first non-Native American child born in the village. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which (2.86%) is covered by water. The Grand and the Thornapple Rivers pass through the township. Major highways • runs west–east through the southern portion of the township. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, the township had a population of 14,388 people. The racial makeup was 86.3% non-Hispanic White, 0.3% Black or African American, 4.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American, and 5.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.0% of the population. 2000 census As of the 2000 census, 9,882 people, 3,263 households, and 2,802 families resided in the township. The population density was . The 3,384 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 95.57% White, 0.47% African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.07% of the population. Of the 3,263 households, 47.1% had children under 18 living with them, 78.7% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.1% were not families. About 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.30. In the township, the age distribution was 32.6% under 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $83,357 and for a family was $87,972. Males had a median income of $61,795 versus $36,288 for females. The per capita income for the township was $37,840. About 1.1% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under 18 and 2.8% of those 65 or over. ==Education==

The Forest Hills Public Schools district serves most of the township, while Lowell Area Schools serve a smaller portion in the northeastern section. Forest Hills Central High School and Forest Hills Eastern High School are located in Ada Township. The Grand Rapids Supplemental School is a part-time Japanese school (hoshū jugyō kō) that holds its classes at Forest Hills Central High School. == Notable people ==

• Kreigh Collins (1908–1974) – cartoonist • Dick DeVos (born 1955) – businessman • Helen DeVos (1927–2017) – businesswoman • Richard DeVos (1926–2018) – co-founder of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic • Kevin Grady (born 1986) – college football player • Adam Grinwis (born 1992) – professional soccer player • Lauren Kozal (born 2000) – professional soccer player • Kirk O'Bee (born 1977) – professional road racing cyclist • Steve Pestka (born 1951) – politician • Rix Robinson (1789–1875) – first settler of Kent County, pioneer, fur trader, and politician • Jay Van Andel (1924–2004) – co-founder of Amway • Barton H. Watson (1960–2004) – founder of CyberNET Engineering and mail fraudster • Kathleen Weathers – president of the Ecological Society of America and ecologist ==Images==

File:Ada Covered Bridge.jpg| File:Ada MI GrandRiver DSCN9684.JPG| File:Ada Dam, Thornapple River.jpg| ==References==