ingly found itself grappling with the
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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 university 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 founders 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 “An-
narbour”. The city became the seat of
Washtenaw County in 1827, and was
incorporated as a village in 1833. The
town became a regional transporta-
tion hub in 1839 with the arrival of the
effects of sharply rising land values and
gentrification, as well as urban sprawl
stretching far into the outlying country-
side.
Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions
and events are sponsored by the Uni-
versity of Michigan. Several perform-
ing arts groups and facilities are on the
university’s campus, as are museums
dedicated to art, archaeology, and natu-
Michigan Central Railroad, and was ral history and sciences (see Museums
chartered as a city in 1851. During the
at the University of Michigan). Region-
1960s and 1970s, the city gained a rep- al and local performing arts groups not
utation as a center for liberal politics. associated with the university include
During the 20th century, the economy
the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre; the Arbor
of Ann Arbor underwent a gradual shift Opera Theater; the Ann Arbor Sym-
from a manufacturing base to a service
phony Orchestra; the Ann Arbor Ballet
and technology base, which accelerated Theater; the Ann Arbor Civic Ballet
in the 1970s and 1980s.
(established in 1954 as Michigan’s first
chartered ballet company); and Per-
Ann Arbor is home to the University of formance Network, which operates a
Michigan, established in 1837. As the
downtown theater frequently offering
dominant institution of higher learn- new or nontraditional plays.
ing in the city and one of the top public The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum,
universities in the world, the university
provides Ann Arbor with a distinct
college-town atmosphere. The uni-
versity shapes Ann Arbor’s economy
significantly as it employs about 30,000
workers, including 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 develop-
ment money, and by its graduates. On
the other hand, Ann Arbor has increas-
located in a renovated and expanded
historic downtown fire station, contains
more than 250 interactive exhibits fea-
turing science and technology. Multiple
art galleries exist in the city, notably
in the downtown area and around the
University of Michigan campus. Aside
from a large restaurant scene in the
Main Street, South State Street, and
South University Avenue areas, Ann
Arbor ranks first among U.S. cities in
the number of booksellers and books
sold per capita. The Ann Arbor District
Library maintains four branch outlets in
addition to its main downtown build-
ing; in 2008 a new branch building
replaced the branch located in Plym-
outh 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.

Customer Service Center

(Located diagonally across the street
from City Hall)
City Center Building, 1st Floor
220 East Huron
Welcome to
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 994-2700
Fax: (734) 994-1765
Ann Arbor
E-mail: customerservice@a2gov.org