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Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state o Michigan and thecounty
seat o Washtenaw County. It is the states seventh
largest city with a population o 114,024 as o the 2000Census, o
which 36,892 (32%) are university or col-lege students. Te city,
which is part o the Detroit-AnnArbor-Flint, MI CSA, is named aer
the spouses o thecitys ounders and or the stands o trees in the
area.Ann Arbor was ounded in January 1824 by John Allenand Elisha
Rumsey, both o whom were land specula-tors. On May 25, 1824, the
town plot was registered withWayne County as Annarbour. Te city
became the seato Washtenaw County in 1827, and was incorporated as
avillage in 1833. Te town became a regional transporta-tion hub in
1839 with the arrival o the Michigan Central
Railroad, and was chartered as a city in 1851. During the1960s
and 1970s, the city gained a reputation as a centeror liberal
politics. During the 20th century, the economyo Ann Arbor underwent
a gradual shi rom a manu-acturing base to a service and technology
base, whichaccelerated in the 1970s and 1980s.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is home to the University o Michigan, es-
tablished in 1837. As the dominant institution o higherlearning
in the city and one o the top public universities
in the world, the university provides Ann Arbor with adistinct
college-town atmosphere. Te university shapesAnn Arbors economy
signicantly as it employs about30,000 workers, including about
7,500 in the medicalcenter. Te citys economy is also centered on
high-tech-
nology, with several companies drawn to the area by
theuniversitys research and development money, and by itsgraduates.
On the other hand, Ann Arbor has increasinglyound itsel grappling
with the efects o sharply risingland values and gentrication, as
well as urban sprawlstretching ar into the outlying
countryside.
Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions and events are spon-sored by
the University o Michigan. Several perormingarts groups and
acilities are on the universitys campus,
as are museums dedicated to art, archaeology, and naturalhistory
and sciences (see Museums at the University oMichigan). Regional
and local perorming arts groupsnot associated with the university
include the Ann ArborCivic Teatre; the Arbor Opera Teater; the Ann
ArborSymphony Orchestra; the Ann Arbor Ballet Teater; theAnn Arbor
Civic Ballet (established in 1954 as Michi-gans rst chartered
ballet company); and PerormanceNetwork, which operates a downtown
theater requentlyofering new or nontraditional plays.
Museums and Libraries
Te Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, located in a renovat-ed and
expanded historic downtown re station, contains
more than 250 interactive exhibits eaturing science
andtechnology. Multiple art galleries exist in the city, nota-bly
in the downtown area and around the University oMichigan campus.
Aside rom a large restaurant scene inthe Main Street, South State
Street, and South UniversityAvenue areas, Ann Arbor ranks rst among
U.S. cities inthe number o booksellers and books sold per capita.
TeAnn Arbor District Library maintains our branch outletsin
addition to its main downtown building; in 2008 a newbranch
building replaced the branch located in PlymouthMall. Tis new
branch is called the raverwood Branch,and opened on June 30, 2008.
Te city is also home to the
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
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Annual Events
Sunday Morning by Carl Milles in Ann ArborSeveral annual events
many o them centered on per-orming and visual arts draw visitors to
Ann Arbor. One
such event is the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a set o our concur-rent
juried airs held on downtown streets, which began in1960. Scheduled
on Wednesday through Saturday in thethird week o July, the airs
draw upward o hal a millionvisitors. One event that is not related
to visual and perorm-ing arts is Hash Bash, held on the rst
Saturday o April,ostensibly in support o the reorm o marijuana
laws. It hasbeen celebrated since 1971.
Customer Service Center
(Located diagonally across the street
rom City Hall)
City Center Building, 1st Floor
220 East Huron
Ann Arbor, MI 48104(734) 994-2700
Fax: (734) 994-1765
E-mail: [email protected]
WelcometoAnn
Arbor
