The Potawatomi and Ottawa Native Americans lived in the area for centuries and used the river as a trade route into the interior of Michigan.

A fur trading outpost called Gabagouache was first established by Madeline La Framboise and her husband Joseph.

A trading post was established here about 1821 by the American Fur Company,[5] but the first permanent resident was a Presbyterian minister, William Montague Ferry, who founded in 1834 the first area church.

[7] In the mid-to-late 19th century, Grand Haven developed as a logging, lumber mill, and shipping town, as well as a shipbuilding center.

In August 2006, Eagle-Ottawa Leather Co., which developed from the 1838 Sheldon Tannery, announced it would close its local operations that year.

Given the importance of shipping and water trade to the city, the Grand Haven Lighthouses were built in 1839 on the south pier, to mark the most navigable channel into the river.

Nelson teamed up with Eddie Bentz to rob the People's Saving Bank on the corner of 3rd St. and Washington Ave. Bullet holes can still be found in some of the neighboring brick buildings.

The Grand Haven port community is an active beach resort with boating, fishing, sailing, biking, skating etc.

The city has over 100 miles (160 km) of bike trails, a state beach, boardwalk, two lighthouses, a pier, wharf, large charter fishing fleet and a Great Lakes port, where it imports limestone, slag, cement and coal while exporting sand.

Grand Haven is a destination point for residents of inland cities of West Michigan, as well as many from the other side of the state.

Grand Haven State Park contains beaches which, in summer, water temperatures reach the low 70s°F (2013 had 19 days in the 70s),[16] bringing tens of thousands of visitors as a boon to the local economy.

The waterfront locations bring tourists from all over the state and region for activities which include, boating, sailing, jet skiing, tubing, and wind surfing.

After it was sunk by a U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, the citizens of Grand Haven raised more than $1,000,000 in bonds to build a replacement cutter bearing the same name; several pieces of wreckage remain displayed on the city's waterfront.

Grand Haven is home to the Midwest Miniatures Museum located in a historic mansion near downtown that displays hundreds of works of world-renowned miniaturists, with scale-models from numerous time periods.

These include a large section of beach on Lake Michigan, a ski hill, and multiple boat launches.

[20][21] Grand Haven has been one of many technology leaders in West Michigan and throughout the country, having been featured in the national media, including on ABC, in PCWorld, ComputerWorld and Forbes magazine.

In 2004, the city started offering wireless internet service for residents, businesses and visitors for payment on varying cost-time scales.