The Madison Area is a Grand Rapids neighborhood with a population of 7,810. Living in the Madison Area offers residents a dense, suburban feel. In the Madison Area, there are also lots of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks.

The history of the Madison Area is unique and brings a fun identity to the area. In 1855, the Kent County Agricultural Society bought forty acres to be utilized as a fairgrounds. Known as Madison Square, it became the first outlying shopping center and emerged as a full-fledged neighborhood shopping area in the mid-1880s due to a boom in homebuilding.

The Madison Area is made for walking the street. It features Pleasant Park, a 2.4-acre park that provides a playground and sledding hill for the community. Another park in the Madison Area is Alexander Park.

This park is classified as a mini-park as it is less than an acre big. However, this park does provide a playground, picnic tables, and a grassy area for all kinds of activities.

Wealthy Street shopping is the trendiest part of town, featuring a perfect mix of specialty shops, galleries, coffee houses, and restaurant venues.

One of the local’s favorite coffee shops is Outside Coffee Company. A beautiful outdoor coffee shop with fire pits, hammocks, and the best variety of specialty coffee and teas. Other hot spots on Wealthy Street are Donkey Taqueria, the Winchester, and Elk Brewery.

The neighbors and residents love the Madison Area because of its historic charm, walkability, restaurants, diversity, park, and its close proximity to downtown. It makes the Madison Area a great option for any home buyer looking for a friendly neighborhood within close proximity to everything they could ever need.