­­Ann Arbor, Michigan gradual shift from a manufacturing base museums dedicated to art, archaeology,

to a service and technology base, which and natural history and sciences
accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s. (see Museums at the University
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan). Regional and local
of Michigan and the county seat of
of Michigan, established in 1837. performing arts groups not associated
Washtenaw County. It is the state’s
As the dominant institution of higher with the university include the Ann
seventh largest city with a population
learning in the city and one of the top Arbor Civic Theatre; the Arbor Opera
of 114,024 as of the 2000 Census, of
public universities in the world, the Theater; the Ann Arbor Symphony
which 36,892 (32%) are university or
university provides Ann Arbor with a Orchestra; the Ann Arbor Ballet
college students. The city, which is part
distinct college-town atmosphere. The Theater; the Ann Arbor Civic Ballet
of the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI CSA,
university shapes Ann Arbor’s economy (established in 1954 as Michigan’s
is named after the spouses of the city’s
significantly as it employs about 30,000 first chartered ballet company); and
founders and for the stands of trees in the
workers, including about 7,500 in the Performance Network, which operates
area.
medical center. The city’s economy a downtown theater frequently offering
Ann Arbor was founded in January 1824
is also centered on high-technology, new or nontraditional plays.
by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both
with several companies drawn to The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum,
of whom were land speculators. On May
the area by the university’s research located in a renovated and expanded
25, 1824, the town plot was registered
and development money, and by its historic downtown fire station, contains
with Wayne County as “Annarbour”.
graduates. On the other hand, Ann Arbor more than 250 interactive exhibits
The city became the seat of Washtenaw
has increasingly found itself grappling featuring science and technology.
County in 1827, and was incorporated
with the effects of sharply rising land Multiple art galleries exist in the city,
as a village in 1833. The town became
values and gentrification, as well as notably in the downtown area and
a regional transportation hub in 1839
urban sprawl stretching far into the around the University of Michigan
with the arrival of the Michigan Central
outlying countryside. campus. Aside from a large restaurant
Railroad, and was chartered as a city in
Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions scene in the Main Street, South State
1851. During the 1960s and 1970s, the
and events are sponsored by the Street, and South University Avenue
city gained a reputation as a center for
University of Michigan. Several areas, Ann Arbor ranks first among U.S.
liberal politics. During the 20th century,
performing arts groups and facilities cities in the number of booksellers and
the economy of Ann Arbor underwent a
are on the university’s campus, as are books sold per capita. The Ann Arbor
District Library maintains four branch
outlets in addition to its main downtown
building; in 2008 a new branch building
replaced the branch located in Plymouth
Mall. This new branch is called the
Traverwood Branch, and opened on June
30, 2008. The city is also home to the
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Sunday Morning by Carl Milles in Ann
Arbor
Several annual events – many of them
centered on performing and visual
arts – draw visitors to Ann Arbor. One
such event is the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a
set of four concurrent juried fairs held
on downtown streets, which began in
1960. Scheduled on Wednesday through
Saturday in the third week of July, the
fairs draw upward of half a million
visitors. One event that is not related
to visual and performing arts is Hash
Bash, held on 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
Arbor 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
Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus’s
description of Madison, Wisconsin.
Ann Arbor sometimes appears on
citation indexes as an author, instead
of a location, often with the academic
degree MI, a misunderstanding of the
abbreviation for Michigan.
Customer Service Center
(Located diagonally across the street
from City Hall)
City Center Building, 1st Floor
220 East Huron
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 994-2700
Fax: (734) 994-1765
E-mail: customerservice@a2gov.org
Ann Arbor