Sparta is a village in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,140 at the 2010 census. The village resides in Sparta Township.HistoryThe 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, meaning land of the fair women. The village was platted in 1867 and incorporated in 1883.During World War II, Sparta was host to a German prisoner of war camp. The POWs were put to work as farmhands because many of the farmhands from the town had left to go fight in the war. The prisoners were treated relatively well, and later even wrote letters to the owner of the farm they worked on saying such things as, "I like to think back on the nice time we could spend on your farm."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.Music in SpartaIn the early to late 1960s, Sparta was home to Fenton Records, an independent record company and recording studio. The label recorded many local bands, as well as other Michigan garage bands. Due to the limited runs of the records, Fenton vinyl 45rpms are highly collectable, often selling for hundreds of dollars each. Many of the records were recently compiled on a CD called Scream Loud!!!: The Fenton Records Story (Way Back Records)
