Ann Arbor, Michigan
provides Ann Arbor with a distinct college-
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of
Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw
County. It is the state’s seventh largest city
with a population of 114,024 as of the 2000
Census, of which 36,892 (32%) are universi-
ty or college students. The city, which is part
of the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI CSA, is
named after the spouses of the city’s found-
ers and for the stands of trees in the area.
Ann Arbor was founded in January 1824
by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both of
whom were land speculators. On May 25,
1824, the town plot was registered with
Wayne County as “Annarbour”. The city be-
came the seat of Washtenaw County in 1827,
and was incorporated as a village in 1833.
The town became a regional transportation
hub in 1839 with the arrival of the Michigan
Central Railroad, and was chartered as a
city in 1851. During the 1960s and 1970s,
the city gained a reputation as a center for
liberal politics. During the 20th century, the
economy of Ann Arbor underwent a gradual
shift from a manufacturing base to a service
and technology base, which accelerated in
the 1970s and 1980s.
Ann Arbor is home to the University of
Michigan, established in 1837. As the domi-
nant institution of higher learning in the city
universities in the world, the university
nontraditional plays.
town atmosphere. The university shapes
Ann Arbor’s economy significantly as it
employs about 30,000 workers, includ-
ing about 7,500 in the medical center. The
city’s economy is also centered on high-
technology, with several companies drawn
to the area by the university’s research and
development money, and by its graduates.
On the other hand, Ann Arbor has increas-
ingly found itself grappling with the effects
of sharply rising land values and gentrifica-
tion, as well as urban sprawl stretching far
into the outlying countryside.
Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions and
events are sponsored by the University of
Michigan. Several performing arts groups
and facilities are on the university’s campus,
as are museums dedicated to art, archaeol-
ogy, and natural history and sciences (see
Museums at the University of Michigan).
Regional and local performing arts groups
not associated with the university include
the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre; the Arbor
Opera Theater; the Ann Arbor Symphony
Orchestra; the Ann Arbor Ballet Theater; the
Ann Arbor Civic Ballet (established in 1954
as Michigan’s first chartered ballet com-
pany); and Performance Network, which
operates a
downtown theater frequently offering new or
The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, located
renovated and expanded historic downtown
station, contains more than 250 interactive e
its featuring science and technology. Multipl
galleries exist in the city, notably in the dow
town area and around the University of Mich
campus. Aside from a large restaurant scene
the Main Street, South State Street, and Sout
University Avenue areas, Ann Arbor ranks fi
among U.S. cities in the number of bookselle
and books sold per capita. The Ann Arbor D
Library maintains four branch outlets in add
to its main downtown building; in 2008 a ne
branch building replaced the branch located
Plymouth Mall. This new branch is called th
Traverwood Branch, and opened on June 30
2008. The city is also home to the Gerald R.
Presidential Library.
Sunday Morning by Carl Milles in Ann Arbo
Several annual events – many of them center
on performing and visual arts – draw visitors
Ann Arbor. One such event is the Ann Arbor
Fairs, a set of four concurrent juried fairs hel
downtown
streets, which began in 1960. Sched-
uled on Wednesday through Saturday 220 East Huron
in the third week of July, the fairs draw Ann Arbor, MI 48104
upward of half a million visitors. One (734) 994-2700
event that is not related to visual and Fax: (734) 994-1765
performing arts is Hash Bash, held on E-mail: customerservice@a2gov.org
the first Saturday of April, ostensibly in
support of the reform of marijuana laws.
It has been celebrated since 1971.

A person from Ann Arbor is called an

“Ann Arborite”, and many long-time
residents call themselves “townies”.
The city itself is often called A² (“A-
squared”) or A2 (“A two”), and, less
commonly, Tree Town. Recently, some
youths have taken to calling Ann Ar-
bor Ace Deuce or simply The Deuce.
With tongue-in-cheek reference to the
city’s liberal political leanings, some
occasionally refer to Ann Arbor as The
People’s Republic of Ann Arbor or 25
square miles surrounded by reality, the
latter phrase being adapted from Wis-
Welcome t
consin Governor Lee Dreyfus’s descrip-
tion of Madison, Wisconsin. Ann Arbor
sometimes appears on citation indexes
Ann Arbor
as an author, instead of a location, often
with the academic degree MI, a mis-
understanding of the abbreviation for A Guide
Michigan.

Customer Service Center

(Located diagonally across the street
from City Hall)
City Center Building, 1st Floor