Kent County, Michigan

Kent County
County
Kent County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°02′N 85°33′W / 43.03°N 85.55°W / 43.03; -85.55
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	March 2, 1831 (created) 1836 (organized)[1]
Named for	James Kent
Seat	Grand Rapids
Largest city	Grand Rapids
Area
• Total	872 sq mi (2,260 km2)
• Land	847 sq mi (2,190 km2)
• Water	25 sq mi (60 km2)  2.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	657,974
• Density	766/sq mi (296/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	2nd, 3rd
Website	www.accesskent.com

Kent County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 657,974,^[2] making it the fourth most populous county in Michigan, and the largest outside of the Detroit area. Its county seat is Grand Rapids.^[3] The county was set off in 1831, and organized in 1836.^[1] It is named for New York jurist and legal scholar James Kent,^[4] who represented the Michigan Territory in its dispute with Ohio over the Toledo Strip.

Kent County is part of the Grand Rapids–Kentwood Metropolitan Statistical Area and is West Michigan's economic and manufacturing center. It is home of the Frederik Meijer Gardens, a significant cultural landmark of the Midwest. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the county's primary location for regional and international airline traffic.