Alto

Alto is an unincorporated community in Bowne Township, Kent County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on Pratt Lake Creek, at the intersection of Bancroft Avenue and 60th Street, just west of M-50, about two miles south of exit 52 off I-96. The annual Alto Harvest Festival is held in September of each year. Alto was founded by David N. Skidmore in 1845. A post office was established in September 1851, with Daniel C McVean as the first postmaster. It was also a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad. Alto is located on the boundary between section 33 of Lowell Township and section 4 of Bowned Township. The Alto ZIP code 49302 serves most of BOWNe Township as well as portions of Lowell and Cascade Township to the north and west. It also serves a very small area of Campbell Township in Ionia County around the community of Elmdale. Alto and Caledonia Elementary Schools serves Alto, while Lowell andCaledonia Middle School and Lowell High School serve the entire district. The town is home to the Kent District Library, which operates a public library in the town of Alto and the surrounding areas. The library is located in a building that was built in the early 1900s on the site of a former post office. It has a collection of more than 2,000 books, many of which date back to the 18th century.

Geography

Alto is situated on Pratt Lake Creek, at the intersection of Bancroft Avenue and 60th Street, just west of M-50, about two miles south of exit 52 off I-96. The Alto ZIP code 49302 serves most of Bowne Township as well as portions of Lowell Township, Cascade Township, and Caledonia Township to the west. It also serves a very small area of Campbell Township in Ionia County around the community of Elmdale. It is located at 42°5124N 85°2249W on the boundary between section 33 of Lowell and section 4 of BOWNe Township, although it lies mostly within Bownes. The town has a population of 1,000, with the majority of its residents living in the Alto area. It has a ZIP code of 49302, which is located in the town of Alto, Michigan. The city's population is 1,100, with most of its population living in Bownede Township. The population of Alto is 2,200, and the ZIP code is 49302. It was founded in 1881 and was named after the town's first postmaster, William "Bill" Alto, who was born in the area. The current mayor of the town is John "Jack" O'Brien, who has been in office since 1978. The community has a history of being heavily involved in local politics, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, when the Republican Party was in power in Michigan.

History

Alto was founded by David N. Skidmore in 1845. A post office was established in September 1851, with Daniel C McVean as the first postmaster. The annual Alto Harvest Festival is held in September of each year. This tradition started in 1970. Alto was also a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad. It was named for being the highest point of land along the railroad between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Detroit, Michigan. The town is now home to the Alto High School, which was founded in 1851. The school is located in the town of Alto and has a junior high, high, and high school. The high school has a football team and a track and field team, which started in the late 1960s. The senior high team is known as the Alto Rams, and the junior high football team is named after the town's football team. It is located on the Michigan Turnpike, which runs from Grand Rapids to Detroit. It has a high school, Alto High, and a senior high, which began in the early 1970s. It also has a post office, Alto Elementary, and an elementary school, which were founded in the mid-1970s. There is also a college, Alto College, which opened in the 1980s. Alto is home to a number of colleges, including Michigan State, Michigan, Michigan Tech, Michigan State University, and Michigan Tech. The Alto High school is also known for its football team, the Alto Drill Team.

Education

Lowell and Caledonia Area Schools operates area public schools. The district includes Alto and Calingonia Elementary and Middle Schools. Lowell High School is the only high school in the district. It is located in the town of Alto. The school district was formed in the 1950s. It was once known as the "Alto School District" It is now called the "Caledonia School District," after the town where it was founded. It has been in the same location since the 1960s.