Beaverton: where two rivers meet
Beaverton began as Grand Forks at the Tobacco and Cedar river confluence and still works as a small gateway to water and woods.
Beaverton sits at the spot where the Tobacco and Cedar rivers come together. That’s why the early settlers called it “Grand Forks.” Like most towns around here, it began with the lumber business. A Canadian lumber company, Ross & Sons, founded the town around 1890. They named it after their hometown of Beaverton, Ontario.
Today it’s a small, friendly city near the top of Wixom Lake. It works as a gateway to the lakes and state forest to the north and east. Beaverton has its own school district and a walkable little downtown along M-18.
If you want a quiet small town with the water and the woods close at hand, this is one — the rivers meet right in town.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: June 4, 2026.