Sparta Map
Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,159 at the 2000 census. The village resides in Sparta Township.
The Sparta area was first settled in 1844, with the township formally organized in 1846. The first settler in what is now the village was Jonathan Nash in 1846. Calling the place Nashville, he built a sawmill on Lick Creek. Subsequently, he changed the name of the creek to Nash Creek. Seeing as there was already a Nashville in Michigan, the state legislature suggested Sparta. The village was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1883.
In recent years due to the growth of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area the town has developed a more suburban flair as subdivisions of tract homes have been built in large numbers over the last decade.
Nearby cities include Walker, Ravenna, Coopersville, Grant, Sand Lake.