Ferris State University

Big Rapids is a city and the county seat of Mecosta County, Michigan The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. . The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home of the main campus of Ferris State University, a four-year public university, well known for its College of Pharmacy and the Michigan College of Optometry, as well as its NCAA Division I hockey team, the Bulldogs, and their Division II football and basketball teams.

The Fairman Building is a commercial building located at 102-106 South Michigan Avenue in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The Nisbett Building is a commercial building located at 101 South Michigan Avenue in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Crossroads Charter Academy is a tuition-free K-12 public charter school located in Big Rapids, Michigan in Mecosta County.

The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan, displays a wide variety of everyday artifacts depicting the history of racist portrayals of African Americans in American popular culture. The mission of the Jim Crow Museum is to use objects of intolerance to teach tolerance and promote social justice.The Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia has a collection of over 10,000 objects, primarily created between the 1870s and the 1960s. It also includes contemporary objects. The museum is named after Jim Crow, a song-and-dance caricature of black people that by 1838 had become a pejorative expression meaning "Negro". When at the end of the 19th century American legislatures passed laws of racial segregation directed against blacks, these statutes became known as the Jim Crow laws.The museum demonstrates how racist ideas and anti-black images were pervasive within American culture. It also displays artifacts related to contemporary forms of racism, stories about African American achievements, and the Civil Rights Movement.

The Michigan College of Optometry is a college affiliated with Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan that specializes in optometry. It is the only college of optometry in Michigan. The school was established in 1974 by legislation in response to a documented need for optometrists in the state. Currently, each admitted class consists of 38 students and there is a low faculty-to-student ratio.

The Robert L. Ewigleben Ice Arena ( AY-və-glay-bən) is a 2,493-seat hockey arena in Big Rapids, Michigan. It is home to the Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey team of the WCHA. The building is attached the FSU Sports Complex, which also includes Wink Arena, a volleyball court, a studio ice rink, offices, concessions and meeting space. The ice arena also hosts the local high school and Big Rapids area junior hockey association. The arena is named for Dr. Robert L. Ewigleben, the former school president who was responsible for the building of the arena as well as the inception of Division I ice hockey at the school in 1979.Its infamous student section is known as the "Dawg Pound", which has been known to find out the names of opposing goalies' mothers, which is used in a "colorful" chant. Though in recent years their impact has lessened as the team struggles. In March 2008, the Ferris State Board of Trustees approved a $3.3 million renovation project for the arena, which will included a new playing surface, new boards and upgrades to the locker rooms. The renovation was scheduled to be completed by September 2008.

Big Rapids Township is a charter township of Mecosta County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 3,249. The city of Big Rapids is located within the township, but is administratively autonomous.

Big Rapids High School (BRHS) is a public high school in Big Rapids, Michigan. It is the sole comprehensive high school in the Big Rapids Public Schools district, serving grades 9-12.

Roben–Hood Airport (IATA: WBR, ICAO: KRQB, FAA LID: RQB) is a public airport located two miles (3 km) northwest of the central business district of Big Rapids, a city in Mecosta County, Michigan, United States. It is owned by the City of Big Rapids. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility.Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Roben–Hood Airport is assigned RQB by the FAA and WBR by the IATA.The airport hosts a regular airshow featuring antique aircraft and activities.

WWBR (100.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Big Rapids, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1964 under the WBRN-FM call sign. Rob & Louise are the Morning show hosts.

WBRN (1460 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Big Rapids, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1953. WBRN formerly rebroadcast on FM translator W299BE at 107.7 MHz in Big Rapids, which made WBRN the first AM station in Michigan to add an FM translator. The March 2008 addition of W299BE had formerly simulcast sister station WYBR; it now carries WWBR. WBRN carries a mostly syndicated talk radio format affiliated with the Premiere Networks talk lineup on weekdays (Michigan's Big Show with Michael Patrick Shiels, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show and Coast to Coast AM) and Fox News Radio on weekends.