Mecosta County (pop. 42,798) is west of Isabella County. The county was named for Mecosta, a 19th-century Potawatomi chief who was born in the area.

The county has about 85 lakes.

School Section Lake

The county seat of Mecosta County is the city of Big Rapids (pop. 10,601).

Fairman Building (1880), Big Rapids

Big Rapids has a 2.6-mile Riverwalk along the Muskegon River.

Bridge across the Muskegon

Big Rapids is the home of Ferris State University, which was founded in 1884 by Woodbridge Nathan Ferris as Big Rapids Industrial School. The state took over the school in 1950.

It has about 14,000 students.

Ferris State is the home of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.

Founded in 2012

Clint Hurdle, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was born in Big Rapids in 1957.

His family moved to Florida when he was 4 years old.

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