On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Solon Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #636 of 701 in Michigan. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Solon Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Solon Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Solon Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Velzy, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cedarfield Mobile Home ParkSolon CenterWhite Creek Country Estates Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
North Kent AirparkairportVelzy Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Solon Township
Cedar SpringsSolon Township
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Solon Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Solon Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Solon Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,496 at the 2020 census, a notable increase from 5,974 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is located about 15 miles (24 km) north of the city of Grand Rapids.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,974 to 6,496 (+9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Solon Township, 1890 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Solon Township.
1985Cedar Springs sheet · 1:100,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Solon Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Solon Township
Nobody well known was born in Solon Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Solon Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #636 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Solon Township?
6% of Solon Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1997.
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).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
