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Welcome

Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state ofMichigan and the county seat of Washt-enaw County. It is the states seventhlargest 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-AnnArbor-Flint, MI CSA, is named after thespouses of the citys founders and for thestands of trees in the area.

History

Ann Arbor was founded in January 1824by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both ofwhom were land speculators. On May 25,

1824, the town plot was registered withWayne County as Annarbour. The citybecame the seat of Washtenaw County in1827, and was incorporated as a village in1833. The town became a regional trans-portation hub in 1839 with the arrival ofthe Michigan Central Railroad, and waschartered as a city in 1851. During the1960s and 1970s, the city gained a rep-utation as a center for liberal politics.During the 20th century, the economyof Ann Arbor underwent a gradual shift

from a manufacturing base to a serviceand technology base, which accelerated

in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ann Arbor is home to the University ofMichigan, established in 1837. As thedominant institution of higher learn-ing in the city and one of the top public

universities in the world, the universityprovides Ann Arbor with a distinct col-lege-town atmosphere. The universityshapes Ann Arbors economy signiicant-ly as it employs about 30,000 workers,including about 7,500 in the medical cen-ter. The citys economy is also centeredon high-technology, with several compa-nies drawn to the area by the universitysresearch and development money, andby its graduates. On the other hand, AnnArbor has increasingly found itself grap-

pling with the effects of sharply risingland values and gentriication, as well asurban sprawl stretching far into the out-lying countryside.

Culture

Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions andevents are sponsored by the University ofMichigan. Several performing arts groupsand facilities are on the universitys cam-pus, as are museums dedicated to art,

archaeology, and natural history and sci-ences (see Museums at the University of

Michigan). Regional and local performingarts groups not associated with the uni-versity include the Ann Arbor Civic The-atre; the Arbor Opera Theater; the AnnArbor Symphony Orchestra; the Ann Ar-bor Ballet Theater; the Ann Arbor Civic

Ballet (established in 1954 as Michigansirst chartered ballet company); andPerformance Network, which operatesa downtown theater frequently offeringnew or nontraditional plays.

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, locat-ed in a renovated and expanded historicdowntown ire station, contains morethan 250 interactive exhibits featur-ing science and technology. Multiple artgalleries exist in the city, notably in the

downtown area and around the Universi-ty of Michigan campus. Aside from a largerestaurant scene in the Main Street, SouthState Street, and South University Avenueareas, Ann Arbor ranks irst among U.S.cities in the number of booksellers andbooks sold per capita. The Ann ArborDistrict Library maintains four branchoutlets in addition to its main downtownbuilding; in 2008 a new branch buildingreplaced the branch located in PlymouthMall. This new branch is called the Tra-

verwood Branch, and opened on June 30,2008. The city is also home to the Gerald

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R. Ford Presidential Library.

Sunday Morning by CarlMilles in Ann Arbor

Several annual events many of them

centered on performing and visual arts draw visitors to Ann Arbor. One suchevent is the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a setof four concurrent juried fairs held ondowntown streets, which began in 1960.Scheduled on Wednesday through Sat-urday in the third week of July, the fairsdraw upward of half a million visitors.One event that is not related to visual andperforming arts is Hash Bash, held on theirst Saturday of April, ostensibly in sup-port of the reform of marijuana laws. It

has been celebrated since 1971.

A person from Ann Arbor is called anAnn Arborite, and many long-time res-idents call themselves townies. The cityitself is often called A (A-squared) orA2 (A two), and, less commonly, TreeTown. Recently, some youths have takento calling Ann Arbor Ace Deuce or sim-ply The Deuce. With tongue-in-cheekreference to the citys liberal politicalleanings, some occasionally refer to Ann

Arbor as The Peoples Republic of AnnArbor or 25 square miles surrounded by

reality, the latter phrase being adaptedfrom Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfussdescription of Madison, Wisconsin. AnnArbor sometimes appears on citation in-dexes as an author, instead of a location,often with the academic degree MI, a

misunderstanding of the abbreviation forMichigan.

Customer Service Center

(Located diagonally across the streetfrom City Hall)

City Center Building, 1st Floor

220 East HuronAnn Arbor, MI 48104

(734) 994-2700Fax: (734) 994-1765

E-mail: customerservice@a2gov.org

www. a2gov.org

WelcometoA

nnArbor