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
| December 18, 2008 | It's A Wonderful Bank |
| November 13, 2008 | West Michigan, On Horseback |
| August 21, 2008 | Always in Gear: The GR Fixie Scene |
| August 7, 2008 | Living la vida Locavore |
| June 19, 2008 | Michigan's Blue Bubble |
| June 12, 2008 | Decked Out |
| April 3, 2008 | Grooming the Green Collars |
| January 24, 2008 | Got Beer? |
| October 4, 2007 | Breaking the Mold |
| August 2, 2007 | Fresh Food Fever |
| August 2, 2007 | A City as a Work of Art |
| July 26, 2007 | Beat Down Economics |
| July 12, 2007 | The Two Worlds of Ada |
| June 14, 2007 | The Beautiful Solution to Water Pollution |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| November 17, 2008 | Ada tech company, Texas Instruments team up to develop new cordless technology |
| October 15, 2008 | Ada company blazes new trail, integrates wireless technology with kitchen appliance |
| August 8, 2008 | $20B Great Lakes cleanup lauded as economic driver by state lawmakers, researchers |
| August 7, 2008 | Policy conference to give region a voice for prosperity, jobs |
| August 2, 2008 | Housing bill may save Michigan homeowners from foreclosure |
| August 1, 2008 | Vote for Michigan! |
| July 19, 2008 | Michigan’s population growth of young adults outpaces nationwide average |
| July 18, 2008 | GVSU to offer Chinese studies major, doctoral of nursing practice |
| July 16, 2008 | Manufacturers’ demands for skilled workers outnumber college grads |
| July 15, 2008 | Perrigo plans to add 400 new jobs, keeps $10M plant expansion in Michigan |
| July 14, 2008 | Pure Michigan sells Great Lakes tourism to international market |
| July 12, 2008 | Wheelchair-bound vets soon to have access to century-old veterans’ park |
| July 10, 2008 | Michigan signs Great Lakes compact |
| July 10, 2008 | Ford International Airport adds non-stop international flights |
| July 8, 2008 | Governor signs Centers for Energy Excellence bill, Holland biofuel project could benefit |
| July 8, 2008 | Ada investigates formation of DDA |
| June 29, 2008 | New energy policy hits Gov. Granholm's desk |
| June 26, 2008 | Pure Michigan campaign drives record numbers of travelers to web site |
| June 23, 2008 | Michigan nears agreement on Great Lakes Compact |
| June 19, 2008 | $9.3B healthcare industry responsible for 147,000 West Michigan jobs |
| June 19, 2008 | Cascade Engineering names first distributor of residential wind turbines |
| June 19, 2008 | Film industry incentives pump $233M into state economy |
| June 11, 2008 | University of Minnesota presents study findings on E. coli in Lake Superior fish |
| June 11, 2008 | Gas travel incentives include waterfront destinations with sun and fun |
| June 10, 2008 | Battle Creek editorial calls for action on Great Lakes restoration plan |
| June 10, 2008 | Ohio joins Great Lakes Compact to sustain robust regional water supplies |
| June 10, 2008 | NY group launches boat tour to encourage Obama, McCai |