Area Code 616

Where Is Area Code 616?

Area code 616 serves the west-central portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Brought into effect on January 1, 1947, area code 616 was one of the original area codes in Michigan. Michigan originally had three area codes and area code 616 was by far the largest, covering as much territory as area codes 313 and 517 combined. Due to an increase in population and telephone use, area code 616 was split in 1961 to form area code 906. In 1999, area code 616 was split again to form area code 231. Due to the proliferation of pagers and cell phones, area code 616 was split yet again in 2002 to form area code 269.

Grand Rapids is a city in area code 616 that is located on the Grand River about 30 miles east of Lake Michigan. Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan, the largest city in West Michigan, and the county seat of Kent County. Grand Rapids was given the nicknames of Furniture City and River City; the nickname Furniture City comes from the fact that the city is a historic furniture-manufacturing center and the nickname River City refers to the landmark river. The city has a humid continental climate, meaning warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Grand Rapids is also prone to flooding since the Grand River flows through the center of the city. The city has a population of 188,040 and the racial makeup of the city is 59.0% White, 20.9% Black, 15.6% Hispanic, and 1.9% Asian (2010 Census). The crime rate in Grand Rapids is much higher than the national average while the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation. The economy is based around multiple sectors including health care, information technology, automobile manufacturing, aviation manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing. The city is home to five of the world’s top office furniture companies including American Seating and Steelcase. Points of interest in Grand Rapids include the John Ball Zoological Garden, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, and the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

When it comes to the economy, the manufacturing sector in Wyoming is the largest in West Michigan. The top three employers in the city are Metro Health Hospital, Gordon Food Service, and Consumers Energy. When it comes to recreation, the city has 21 parks that offer a multitude of activities; a lot of the parks have been rebuilt with new equipment and facilities. In addition to the parks is Kent Trails, a fifteen-mile rail trail.

Holland is a city in the western portion of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Holland is the largest city in Ottawa County and is located near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa. The city has a population of 33,051 and the racial makeup of the city is 80.0% White, 22.7% Hispanic, 3.6% Black, and 3.0% Asian (2010 Census). Just like Grand Rapids and Wyoming, Holland is not a safe city to reside in due to the high crime rate. Dutch Americans founded the city and therefore many of the citizens are of Dutch American heritage. While the Dutch heritage serves as a part of the city’s cultural identity, it also helps benefit the economy as well. Every year in May, Holland hosts the Tulip Time Festival; tulip festivals are held in cities that were founded or inhabited by Dutch settlers. The Tulip Time Festival attracts about one million tourists each year and some of the big name acts in the past have been Christina Aguilera, O-Town, and Bill Cosby. Other means of tourism include many public beach accesses along the shoreline. Points of interest in Holland include Windmill Island Gardens, Nelis’ Dutch Village, Holland State Park Beach, and Tunnel Park. Holland is also home to the world’s largest pickle factory, which was opened in 1897 by the H.J. Heinz Company.

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