Much has changed since the 1820's when Rix Robinson first established his fur trading post at the confluence of the Grand and Thornapple rivers and laid the foundation for modern day Ada. Or has it?
Sure Ada has a booming residential market, big plans to dress up the village center, and the global headquarters of the multi-billion dollar Amway Corporation.
But the community's wild and wooded character, and its prime location outside the busy county seat of Grand Rapids, continues to attract entrepreneurs, residents, and visitors. The challenge in the coming decades is to maintain the high quality of life that's stood for nearly 200 years.
For more information on Ada visit the Rapid Growth:
City Guide
| April 24, 2008 | RG TV: Progressive Women's Alliance |
| April 3, 2008 | Grooming the Green Collars |
| March 27, 2008 | An Interview with Richard Florida |
| January 31, 2008 | Got the Write Stuff? |
| January 24, 2008 | Got Beer? |
| November 15, 2007 | RG TV: Campaigning for the Great Lakes |
| October 4, 2007 | Breaking the Mold |
| August 2, 2007 | A City as a Work of Art |
| August 2, 2007 | Fresh Food Fever |
| July 26, 2007 | Beat Down Economics |
| July 12, 2007 | The Two Worlds of Ada |
| June 14, 2007 | The Beautiful Solution to Water Pollution |
| June 14, 2007 | A Little Traveling Music, Please! |
| June 7, 2007 | Public Works Party |
| May 24, 2007 | Have Shredder, Will Travel |
| May 24, 2007 | A Greener Gas Tax |
| May 10, 2007 | The Green Imperative |
| May 3, 2007 | Wild West Michigan |
| April 5, 2007 | Sustaining the Seas |
| March 29, 2007 | Campaigning for Conservation |
| March 29, 2007 | Postcards from the Future |
| March 22, 2007 | The Winds of Politics |
| March 15, 2007 | Learning Curve |
| March 8, 2007 | Get Your Irish Up |
| March 1, 2007 | Moonshine Math |
| February 22, 2007 | Finding the Pollution Solution |
| February 22, 2007 | A Family Affair |
| February 8, 2007 | Living for the City |
| February 8, 2007 | Get the Power |
| February 1, 2007 | From Hope to Tech Help |
| January 28, 2007 | A Philadelphia Story |
| January 25, 2007 | Foreign Force |
| January 18, 2007 | You GROW Girl |
| January 11, 2007 | Why Isn't Stanford Ovshinsky a Billionaire? |
| December 21, 2006 | Season's Greetings from Rapid Growth |
| December 14, 2006 | Flying with Angels |
| November 30, 2006 | An Economy of Apples |
| November 16, 2006 | The Color of Money: Diversity Improves Economy |
| November 9, 2006 | Car Talk |
| November 2, 2006 | What Makes a City Smart |
| October 26, 2006 | If You've Got It, Flaunt It |
| April 29, 2008 | Vanpooling gets green light from MDOT |
| April 25, 2008 | Wind turbines a possibility on two Great Lakes |
| April 24, 2008 | Tourism funding increase may become longterm investment |
| April 22, 2008 | Med tech firm announces 3,300 new jobs in southwest MI |
| April 17, 2008 | Finally, the Michigan House acts to promote energy innovation |
| April 15, 2008 | State film incentives bring stars, economic boost to a city near you |
| April 14, 2008 | High percentage of GVSU grads land Michigan jobs |
| April 11, 2008 | MichBio Funding Workshop demystifies funding options for biotech companies |
| April 6, 2008 | New York Times prints Michigan's good news |
| April 6, 2008 | Ada wireless technology company beefs up for product debut |
| April 3, 2008 | Aquinas’s sustainability degree goes post-grad |
| March 27, 2008 | Michigan's energy leaders call for incentives and a renewable portfolio standard |
| March 25, 2008 | West Michigan companies named to 101 Best and Brightest |
| March 20, 2008 | Steelcase goes to TX for wind power |
| March 19, 2008 | New Kent County animal shelter just one of many changes on campus |
| March 18, 2008 | Meijer Gardens breaks ground on $7.6M in improvements |
| March 17, 2008 | Lieutenant Governors Association adopts Great Lakes Compact |
| March 16, 2008 | State tourism could get $40M boost to market winter getaways |
| March 13, 2008 | Hollywood's coming to town—and bringing jobs with it |
| March 11, 2008 | Eight Michigan health systems form coalition to improve services, costs |
| March 6, 2008 | Grand Rapids IT company aggressively hiring web designers |
| February 28, 2008 | Michigan works to connect investors with inventors, build the knowledge economy |
| February 26, 2008 | Granholm urges lawmakers to pass energy package |
| February 25, 2008 | State's natural resources worth $1.6B annually study says |
| February 25, 2008 | Literacy Center's success draws national spotlight |
| February 22, 2008 | Partnership leads to online resource for West Michigan Tech Jobs listings |
| February 19, 2008 | Entrepreneurship 101 a growing trend, colleges say |
| February 18, 2008 | Cascade manufacturer evolves into wind energy |
| February 18, 2008 | Economic leaders target talent growth |
| February 18, 2008 | Ada Township buys 96 more acres of parkland |
| February 17, 2008 | Manufacturing in West Michigan rides tide of change |
| February 14, 2008 | Michigan's tourism industry gets $60M boost from state |
| February 8, 2008 | Michigan House streamlines driver's license rules to grow foreign talent |
| February 7, 2008 | Economist says better days ahead for MI manufacturing |
| February 7, 2008 | Michigan entrepreneurs ready to change state's image |
| February 4, 2008 | Swedish tech company finds home in Grand Rapids |
| January 29, 2008 | Granholm urges state to invest in change |
| January 28, 2008 | Muskegon residents support sustainable water use laws |
| January 27, 2008 | Green infrastructure gets new leadership in West Michigan |
| January 25, 2008 | MI Senate calls for 10 percent renewable energy by 2015 |
| January 22, 2008 | Ada Township requests ideas for Fulton Street bridge design |
| January 21, 2008 | Design industry key to growing West Michigan's knowledge economy |
| January 21, 2008 | New alliance aims to promote diversity in construction industry |
| January 18, 2008 | Massachusetts company buys leading Grand Rapids foam plastic manufacturer |
| January 14, 2008 | Metro Health Development could mean thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue |
| January 7, 2008 | Outside investors sink $150M in West Michigan properties |
| December 18, 2007 | Ada brings new parks director online |
| December 17, 2007 | One-third of West Michigan companies surveyed plan to hire IT staff in 2008 |
| December 10, 2007 | Diversification keeps local autoworkers employed making medical devices |
| December 7, 2007 | Holiday shoppers buy local and benefit neighborhood businesses |
| December 4, 2007 | Cultural diversity is key to West Michigan's economic development strategy |
| December 3, 2007 | $100K needed for study of Greater Kent County transit needs |
| November 30, 2007 | NY Times touts GVSU classical CD as one of the year's best |
| November 29, 2007 | Advocates move Michigan's financial literacy curriculum forward |
| November 8, 2007 | 400 African American actors, artists, and Christian leaders collaborate on audio series |
| November 6, 2007 | Michigan lawmakers reject President's veto of bill to enhance Great Lakes |
| November 5, 2007 | Calvin lands grant to teach engineering students entrepreneurship |
| November 1, 2007 | Medical Device Consortium opens doors for new members |
| October 26, 2007 | Seattle streetcar ready to roll in December |
| October 24, 2007 | Scottsdale studies streetcar to expand transportation choices |
| October 24, 2007 | 80 US cities studying, building, or expanding streetcar systems |
| October 24, 2007 | Young professionals will gravitate to Cincinnati streetcar |
| October 23, 2007 | Streetcar back on track in New Orleans |
| October 22, 2007 | Grand Rapids poised to put Michigan on transit map |
| October 22, 2007 | Grand Rapids company returns from bankruptcy, possibly with dozens of jobs |
| October 18, 2007 | Saipan welcomes WWII photos from West Michigan family |
| October 17, 2007 | Streetcar sought to solve Cincinnati budget crunch |
| October 11, 2007 | West Michigan seeks - and scores - top young science talent |
| September 30, 2007 | Metro Health's eco-design saves energy while hospital pampers patients |
| September 27, 2007 | Making medical devices brings opportunities to area manufacturers |
| September 17, 2007 | WIRED on the move |
| September 13, 2007 | Alternative Energy manufacturing could bring big bucks to W MI |
| September 13, 2007 | Great Lakes key economic competitiveness, according to D.C. think tank |
| September 10, 2007 | West Michigan Sports Commission off to a running start |
| September 10, 2007 | Ada company reinvents how people sit |
| August 31, 2007 | Grand Rapids own Gerald Ford commemorated on US postage stamp |
| August 30, 2007 | Proposed bill increases funding for state's tourism industry |
| August 27, 2007 | Farmland prices rise as ethanol production takes off |
| August 20, 2007 | 10,000 enroll in renewable energy program for homes and businesses |
| August 15, 2007 | Housing and auto markets predicted to improve in 2008 |
| August 13, 2007 | Pure Michigan campaign lures tourists to Great Lakes State |
| August 7, 2007 | Diversity and racism hot topics for KISD conference |
| August 3, 2007 | Local bridges are safe, but some need repair |
| July 23, 2007 | A “Third Place” for everybody |
| July 12, 2007 | Great Lakes stewardship key to competitiveness, mayors say |
| July 9, 2007 | Visitors bureau closes in on 300 DeVos Place bookings |
| June 25, 2007 | Businesses benefit from green design |
| June 23, 2007 | Recycling made easier in Kent County? |
| June 21, 2007 | W MI business professionals stick around |
| June 16, 2007 | Real estate companies join forces to expand |
| June 15, 2007 | Spartan Stores buys 20 Felpausch supermarkets |
| June 14, 2007 | |