Walker (Michigan)

Walker is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Grand Rapids. The population was 23,537 at the 2010 census.HistoryBefore incorporating as a city, it was known as Walker Township. The township was organized on December 30, 1837, the second to be organized in Kent County, and initially comprised all of the land in the county north of the Grand River. The earliest settlers of the township were Canadian immigrants. In 1867, a township hall was built. However, the area where the township hall was annexed into Grand Rapids in 1959.Walker was established as a city in 1962 to prevent further annexation of the area into Grand Rapids. At the time it was made a city, Walker had a population of 11,000.On May 22, 2012, nearby Kenowa Hills High School briefly obtained notoriety for having its School Principal Katharine Pennington chastise, then suspend, a group of 64 senior students for the act of riding their bikes to school for Senior Prank day. This was followed by an endorsement of the disciplinary action by the School Superintendent Gerald Hopkins.A 5,000 seat arena called The DeltaPlex currently resides on Turner Avenue and is home to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA G League.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.48sqmi, of which, 24.94sqmi of it is land and 0.54sqmi is water.