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–Not graded
History · Northview

Half of Northview’s homes were built after 1977

Most of Northview was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Northview’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Northview are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19183 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1972. Watch Northview change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Northview’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Northview’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Northview on the map, 1918 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Northview. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Northview on the 1918 USGS mapNorthview on the 1967 USGS mapNorthview on the 1972 USGS map1918Cedar Springs sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Northview.

The story so far

Northview, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Northview yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Northview is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,301 at the 2020 census. The community is located mostly within Plainfield Township with a very small portion extending into Grand Rapids Township to the south. The community is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and borders the city of Grand Rapids to the south.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 14,541 to 15,301 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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People over time

Northview, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00020002020Peak: 15,301

Between 14,541 and 15,301 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Northview’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Northview

Nobody well known was born in Northview itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Richard GrenellAmerican politician · b. 1966
S
Sean LewisAmerican soccer player · b. 1992
A
Avery E. FieldAmerican photographer · b. 1883
B
Benny McCoyAmerican baseball player · b. 1915
B
Brian HydeAmerican distance runner · b. 1972
H
Howard Henry PeckhamAmerican historian · b. 1910
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Plainfield TownshipIts storyC−Grand Rapids TownshipIts storyC+Cannon TownshipIts storyC+Ada Township1 historic placeB−Forest Hills2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Northview’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.