Ada is in
Kent County, and in the
West-Southwest Region. You can locate Ada just east of Grand Rapids between
Grand Rapids and
Belding along Highway 21 on the banks of the Grand River near the Thornapple River. Ada is part of the
Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan metro area.
The town of Ada was the site of a trading post set up by Rix Robinson from Massachusetts in 1821 - whom many consider to be the first settler to the western Michigan area. The Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad built a station here in 1853, which led to the further development and stabilization of the town during and after the lumber era.
