Wyoming

Wyoming is a city located in Kent County southwest of Grand Rapids. It is the second largest community in Western Michigan and the 14^th largest city in Michigan. It is home to 10 different types of industries, with manufacturing accounting for 30% (the largest in Western Michigan) producing auto parts, industrial machinery, commercial printing, plastics, food processing, electronics, tool and dies, concrete supplies, and fire engines. Other major industries include retail, education, health and social services.

The top employers include General Motors, Gordon Food Service, United Parcel Service, Consumers Energy, Delphi Corporation, Hope Network, Benteler Automotive, Michigan Turkey Producers, Gainey Transportation, the City of Wyoming, and Country Fresh. Wyoming is home to the headquarters of the Gordon Food Service, which recently expanded.

After the nearby city of Grandville allowed development of a new 6-anchor shopping complex, Rivertown Crossings Mall, and the related development, the city of Wyoming formed a Downtown Development Authority in 1999 in an effort to help support the city in keeping businesses in the area. The DDA has so far helped provide an improved look to the area they selected as their focus area, a three-mile-long downtown district on 28^th Street between Byron Center and Division, and has the ability to support future companies in coming into that area.

In 2002 the new Wyoming Public Library was built and is owned by the city but run by the Kent District Library System. It is a 48,950-square-foot facility with over 112,046 items. The library branch is also the highest attended in the Kent District system. The library currently has around 76% of the population holding a card to use the facility. The building houses the Wyoming Historical Commission that provides history of the city, and also houses the library for the blind. In 2005, the Wyoming-Kentwood Chamber of Commerce put together the 28th Street Metro Cruise. It currently spans 15 miles from its start in Grandville at Wilson and 28th to its end in Cascade Township. The cruise runs on Friday and Saturday on the last weekend of August.

The city has an extensive parks system, with 21 total parks that cover about 665 acres and offer a multitude of outdoor recreational activities. The Wyoming Parks and Recreation Department has been actively redeveloping parks in the city over the last decade, new equipment, splash pads, and new facilities including a small skate park. The most recent addition to the Wyoming Park System is the Dog Park located next to Marquette Park at the very northern edge of the city. Along with the parks is the Kent Trails system that converted abandoned rail lines to bike paths.