Alto is an unincorporated community in Bowne Township

Bowne Township, Michigan

Bowne Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,743.-Communities:* Alto is an unincorporated village that is located primarily in this township....

, Kent County

Kent County, Michigan

-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It is situated on Platt Lake Creek, at the intersection of Bancroft Avenue and 60th Street, just west of M-50

M-50 (Michigan highway)

M-50 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. Although designated as an east–west highway, it is nearly a diagonal northwest-southeast route...

 about two miles south of exit 52 off I-96

Interstate 96

Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...

. Alto was founded in 1845 by Daniel Skidmore. A post office opened in September 1851 with Daniel C. McVean as the first postmaster. It was a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad and was named by Lucy Skidmore McVean for being the highest point of land along the railroad between Detroit and Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

.

Alto is situated at 42°51′24"N 85°22′49"W on the boundary between section 33 of Lowell Township

Lowell Township, Michigan

Lowell Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 5,219...

 and section 4 of Bowne Township

Bowne Township, Michigan

Bowne Township is a civil township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,743.-Communities:* Alto is an unincorporated village that is located primarily in this township....

, although it lies mostly within Bowne. The Alto ZIP code

ZIP Code

ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 49302 serves most of Browne Township as well as portions of Lowell Township to the north, Cascade Township to the northwest, and Caledonia Township

Caledonia Township, Kent County, Michigan

The Charter Township of Caledonia is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,964 at the 2000 census.-Communities:*The Village of Caledonia is within the township on M-37 in the southeast part of the township....

 to the west. It also serve a very small area of Campbell Township in Ionia County

Ionia County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 61,518 people, 20,606 households, and 15,145 families residing in the county. The population density was 107 people per square mile . There were 22,006 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...

 around the community of Elmdale.

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. Alto was also a station on the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western Railroad. It was named by Lucy Skidmore McVean for being the highest point of land along the railroad between Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

 and Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

.