The city of Grand Rapids is over 200,000 residents for the first time, according to census figures released this week.

The Grand Rapids metropolitan area outpaced the rest of the state in population growth, with the city and its suburbs gaining close to 38,000 residents in the past five years.

The city alone grew up just over one half of one percent, picking up over 1100 residents to go over the 200,000 mark.

Outside of the city, Byron Center, Allendale, GR Township and Georgetown Township were the communities that led the suburban growth, with each growing by over two percent.

The estimated figures were released Thursday morning by the U.S. Census Bureau.

"The city of Grand Rapids is very healthy in terms of its trajectory," Aaron Renn, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute who has compared it with other mid-sized Midwestern cities told the Detroit News. "It's really a region that is doing well."

The Detroit News published a searchable database if you would like to see how your town fared.

 

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