Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 20,201, founded in 1853.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Cascade Township grades A overall, 61st among Michigan's 697 graded towns. Its public schools beat 97% of Michigan towns on state tests and graduation. The median household earns $136K and residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $472K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Grand Rapids metro’s $83K median household income. 68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cascade Township, where Michigan’s towns sit at 26% and U.S. towns at 29%. Cascade Township has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Thornapple River Drive Bridge and Whitney Tavern Stand. Only 3 of the 666 Michigan towns we compare have a higher median rent than Cascade Township.
Where Cascade Township beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge Elementary School | PK–4 | 472 |
| Thornapple Elementary School | PK–4 | 361 |
| West Michigan Aviation Academy | 9–12 | 600 |
17,134 counted in 2010 and 19,667 in 2020; an estimated 20,201 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Michigan), ordered by how far Cascade Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and 2 maps from 1918 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cascade Township, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Cascade Township.
Cascade Township has schools in the top 5% of Michigan, draws workers from Grand Rapids and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Michigan.
Its A+ ranks #8 of the 699 Michigan towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $473K.
Its public schools are run by the Forest Hills Public Schools. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is West Michigan Aviation Academy, with 600 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 472 | A+ |
| West Michigan Aviation AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 600 | A |
| Thornapple Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 361 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MI on state tests and graduation
31,801 jobs are based in Cascade Township, 4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 23,306 in 2011 to 31,801.
27% of Cascade Township workers work from home. Since 2011, Cascade Township has added 8,495 jobs, to 31,801 in 2021. The average trip to work in Cascade Township is 19 minutes.
| Cascade Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 10% | 11% |
| Median household income | $136,000 | $77,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.6% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2021 · ACS
Its widest gap with Michigan is tooth loss: 6.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 10.2% statewide. Against the 3,946 U.S. towns with household incomes like Cascade Township’s, it is healthier than 73%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Cascade Township. Cascade Township beats the Michigan average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 9.8% of adults smoke cigarettes in Cascade Township.
| Cascade Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.8% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Cascade Township | MI |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.2% | 10.2% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.2% | 8.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
23 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Cascade Peace Park, at 201 acres with 4.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Cascade Township’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Cascade Township | Michigan towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cascade Peace Park | 4.2 mi | 201 |
| 2. Cascade Burton Park | 2.9 mi | 80 |
| 3. Cascade Township Park | 1.5 mi | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 2009, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cascade Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cascade Township has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 78 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cascade Township. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
8 mi Park & preserveNorth Country Trail
8 mi MuseumFrederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park
7 mi Theme parkRamona Park10 mi TheatreAcrisure Amphitheater
12 mi Zoo & aquariumJohn Ball ZooGerald R. Ford Presidential Museum: Staff of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Public domain · North Country Trail: Huron-Manistee National Forests, Public domain · Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: User Jeffness on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Ramona Park: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0 · John Ball Zoo: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0
8 within 15 miles of the center of Cascade Township
About 3 of every 100 Cascade Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Michigan.
Where Cascade Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2021
2 places in Cascade Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Charter township in Michigan, United States
Cascade Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 19,667 at the 2020 census. The township is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is located just east of the city of Grand Rapids. The township is the location of Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Cascade Township.
| Town | MI rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade Township | #61 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
| Ada Township | #34 | A | C− | — | A+ | A+ |
| Kentwood | #453 | C+ | C+ | D | B | B |
| Forest Hills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Caledonia Township | #10 | A+ | B− | — | A+ | A− |
| Lowell Township | #63 | A | C | — | A | A− |
| Grand Rapids Township | #43 | A | C− | — | A+ | A |
Cascade Township, Ada Township, Caledonia Township, Lowell Township and Grand Rapids Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Forest Hills isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cascade Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Cascade Township grades A overall, better than 91% of U.S. towns and #61 of 697 in Michigan. It grades A for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
