Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. stateof Michigan and the county seat ofWashtenaw County. It is the state’sseventh largest city with a popula-tion of 114,024 as of the 2000 Census,of which 36,892 (32%) are universityor college students. The city, which ispart of the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MICSA, is named after the spouses ofthe city’s founders and for the standsof trees in the area.Ann Arbor was founded in January1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey,both of whom were land specula-tors. On May 25, 1824, the town plotwas registered with Wayne County as“Annarbour”. The city became theseat of Washtenaw County in 1827,and was incorporated as a village in1833. The town became a regionaltransportation hub in 1839 with thearrival of the Michigan Central Rail-road, and was chartered as a city in1851. During the 1960s and 1970s, thecity gained a reputation as a center for liberal politics. During the 20thcentury, the economy of Ann Arbor underwent a gradual shift from amanufacturing base to a service andtechnology base, which acceleratedin the 1970s and 1980s.Ann Arbor is home to the University ofMichigan, established in 1837. As thedominant institution of higher learningin the city and one of the top publicuniversities in the world, the universityprovides Ann Arbor with a distinct col-lege-town atmosphere. The universityshapes Ann Arbor’s economy sig-
nifcantly as it employs about 30,000
workers, including about 7,500 in themedical center. The city’s economyis also centered on high-technology,with several companies drawn tothe area by the university’s researchand development money, and by itsgraduates. On the other hand, AnnArbor has increasingly found itselfgrappling with the effects of sharply
rising land values and gentrifcation,
as well as urban sprawl stretching far into the outlying countryside.Many Ann Arbor cultural attractionsand events are sponsored by the Uni-versity of Michigan. Several perform-ing arts groups and facilities are onthe university’s campus, as are muse-ums dedicated to art, archaeology,and natural history and sciences (seeMuseums at the University of Michi-gan). Regional and local performingarts groups not associated with theuniversity include the Ann Arbor CivicTheatre; the Arbor Opera Theater;the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra;the Ann Arbor Ballet Theater; the AnnArbor Civic Ballet (established in 1954
as Michigan’s frst chartered ballet
company); and Performance Net-work, which operates a downtowntheater frequently offering new or nontraditional plays.The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum,located in a renovated and expand-
ed historic downtown fre station,
contains more than 250 interactiveexhibits featuring science and tech-nology. Multiple art galleries exist inthe city, notably in the downtownarea and around the University ofMichigan campus. Aside from a largerestaurant scene in the Main Street,South State Street, and South Univer-sity Avenue areas, Ann Arbor ranks
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