Wayland is located in Allegan County, north of Plainwell off of US 131 (part of the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan metropolitan area).
Wayland was first settled back in 1836 when a Colonel Isaac Barnes built a sawmill here. One of his sons, George, became a state representative to the area as well as the first postmaster in 1844.
Today, Wayland has grown into a moderate sized suburban community adjacent to the Grand Rapids area. It has several small to mid-sized manufacturing facilities and factories, in addition to its local small businesses and stores.