Big Rapids is a mid-sized city with a big city savviness and small-town feel. Because Ferris State University – a college with more than 13,000 students – is located on the southern edge of town, Big Rapids is fortunate to have arts, culture and recreation opportunities that cities of its size rarely see. The University brings a new dimension of progressive ideas and community development to the area, and is a driving intellectual and economic force. The cultural center of Big Rapids is Artworks, a nonprofit organization that offers a variety of programming and is also an art center with an art gallery, gift shop, dance and pottery studios and space for other educational and cultural activities year-round.
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