Ada.
Why people choose it
Ada
River valleys, wooded estates and a village rebuilt around walking to dinner.
- 01
Two rivers meet here; frontage on the Thornapple is the local prize.
- 02
The rebuilt village is genuinely walkable — a rarity at this lot size.
- 03
Ravine and hardwood lots give privacy without a long commute.
- 04
Forest Hills schools serve most of the township.
Photographs
Ada, as it is.
Real photographs, freely licensed, credited to the people who took them. Nothing here was generated.
01The Ada Covered Bridge crossing the Thornapple River, seen from the downstream bank.
02The entrance to the Ada Covered Bridge, with the plank deck running through to the far bank.
03The paved riverside plaza at one end of the Ada Covered Bridge, with picnic tables and a lamp standard.
Things to do
Around the village.
Named places, not a mood board. Follow any of them through to the people who run it.
Historic bridge
01
Ada Covered Bridge
An 1867 Brown truss span over the Thornapple, now a pedestrian crossing.
Park
02
Roselle Park
160 township acres on Grand River Drive, with paved and mowed natural trails.
Nature preserve
03
Seidman Park
A Kent County park of more than 400 acres with nearly five miles of trails.
Park
04
Legacy Park
Opened in 2019 beside the Thornapple, with an amphitheater and open lawn.
Nature area
05
Grand River Natural Area
100 acres on the Grand, with a paved trail continuing into Cascade Township.
District
06
Ada Village Social District
A designated outdoor commons where adults may carry drinks between venues.
Market
07
Ada Farmers Market
Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through October, on Thornapple River Drive.
Trail
08
Ada Trail
Paved multi-use trail linking downtown Ada, Roselle Park and Seidman Park.
Hours, seasons and access change. Everything above links to the organization that runs it — check there before you drive out to Ada.
On the map
Where two rivers meet.
Ada rebuilt its village center in the last decade and became the place people leave the suburbs for. Wooded acreage and river frontage sit minutes from a downtown that was designed, not inherited — and the estate lots here are among the largest close to the city.
Water · Thornapple and Grand rivers
- County
- Kent
- Water
- Thornapple and Grand rivers
- Schools
- Forest Hills Public Schools
- Governed by
- Ada Township
Pins mark the center of Ada and any listings nearby. Approximate positions, not surveyed locations.
The market
Ada, last month.
Ada is not a city in the published data — it is a township or a lake, and no city-level figures exist for it. These are its county's, labelled as such.
- Median sale price
$365,000
Kent County · May 2026 (718 sales)
+1.4% year over year
- Median price per square foot
$225/sq ft
Kent County · May 2026 (718 sales)
+5.3% year over year
- Median days on market
6 days
Kent County · May 2026 (718 sales)
−1 day year over year
- Homes sold
718
Kent County · May 2026
−8.0% year over year
- New listings
1,007
Kent County · May 2026
−2.5% year over year
- Homes for sale
868
Kent County · May 2026
−10.6% year over year
Redfin Monthly Housing Market Tracker, All Residential. Published by Redfin on 2 June 2026 and read into this site on 5 August 2026. Monthly figures describe closed sales, not asking prices, and a single month in a small town moves on a handful of transactions — none of this is a valuation of any particular house.
Nearby
Closest to Ada.
Nothing listed in Ada this week.
Rennie works this market directly, and a good deal of what trades at the top of it never reaches a public search. Ask him what is actually available.
Ask Rennie about AdaBefore you buy
What to lookinto first.
Local conditions that change what a parcel is worth or what may be built on it. None of this is legal advice and none of it answers for a specific address — it is what to raise with the municipality, your attorney and your inspector before the offer, not after.
- 01Public utilities stop early
Ada buys treated water and wastewater treatment wholesale from the City of Grand Rapids, and those services are confined to the southwest of the township under an Urban Utility Boundary meant to discourage extension into rural areas. Outside that line, properties are on private wells and, in the Rural Preserve area, on-site septic. Confirm which side of the boundary a parcel sits on.
Ada Township master plan- 02Utility rates lean on one employer
The township's water system depends heavily on the Amway campus, and the 2023 master plan notes that Amway's declining water use is already pushing rates up for everyone else. Engineering estimates cited in the plan put the increase at roughly 50 per cent for water and sewer if Amway ended production in the township. A long-horizon risk, but a real one on a serviced parcel.
Ada Township master plan- 03River floodplain around the village
Ada Village sits at the lowest part of the township near the confluence of the Grand and Thornapple, and much of that area lies in floodplain. Many low-lying parcels near the Grand are inside FEMA's 100-year floodplain, and the 2023 master plan directs the township to update its regulations to FEMA's new data. Pull the current map for the parcel, not the neighborhood.
Ada Township master plan- 04Septic and well permitting
Where there is no public service, the Kent County Health Department issues the well and on-site sewage permits and runs a site evaluation to judge whether a parcel can support them. It also offers a real estate evaluation of an existing well and septic, often required before a sale. Permits and site evaluations are valid two years and are not transferable.
Kent County- 05The school district crosses township lines
Forest Hills Public Schools covers roughly 68 square miles and 18 buildings, far more ground than Ada Township alone. An Ada address does not by itself decide the district, nor which of the three high schools a child attends. Verify the assignment with the district before making an offer.
Forest Hills Public Schools
Check it at the source
Zoning, permitted uses, shoreline rules and school boundaries are set by the governing bodies below and can change. These are the offices that answer for Ada.