About Ann Arbor University of Michigan the university include the Ann Arbor Civic The-

atre; the Arbor Opera Theater; the Ann Arbor

• Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan • Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan,
Symphony Orchestra; the Ann Arbor Ballet The-
and the county seat of Washtenaw County. It is established in 1837. As the dominant institution of
ater; the Ann Arbor Civic Ballet (established in
the state’s seventh largest city with a population higher learning in the city and one of the top public
1954 as Michigan’s first chartered ballet compa-
of 114,024 as of the 2000 Census, of which 36,892 universities in the world, the university provides Ann
ny); and Performance Network, which operates
(32%) are university or college students. The city, Arbor with a distinct college-town atmosphere. The
a downtown theater frequently offering new or
which is part of the Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, university shapes Ann Arbor’s economy significantly
nontraditional plays.
MI CSA, is named after the spouses of the city’s as it employs about 30,000 workers, including about
• The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, located
founders and for the stands of trees in the area. 7,500 in the medical center. The city’s economy is also
in a renovated and expanded historic down-
• Ann Arbor was founded in January 1824 by centered on high-technology, with several companies
town fire station, contains more than 250 inter-
John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, both of whom drawn to the area by the university’s research and de-
active exhibits featuring science and technology.
were land speculators. On May 25, 1824, the town velopment money, and by its graduates. On the other
Multiple art galleries exist in the city, notably in
plot was registered with Wayne County as “An- hand, Ann Arbor has increasingly found itself grap-
the downtown area and around the University
narbour”. The city became the seat of Washtenaw pling with the effects of sharply rising land values
of Michigan campus. Aside from a large restau-
County in 1827, and was incorporated as a village and gentrification, as well as urban sprawl stretching
rant scene in the Main Street, South State Street,
in 1833. The town became a regional transporta- far into the outlying countryside.
and South University Avenue areas, Ann Arbor
tion hub in 1839 with the arrival of the Michigan
Central Railroad, and was chartered as a city in Attractions ranks first among U.S. cities in the number of
booksellers and books sold per capita. The Ann
1851. During the 1960s and 1970s, the city gained • Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions and events
are sponsored by the University of Michigan. Several Arbor District Library maintains four branch
a reputation as a center for liberal politics. Dur-
performing arts groups and facilities are on the uni- outlets in addition to its main downtown build-
ing the 20th century, the economy of Ann Arbor
versity’s campus, as are museums dedicated to art, ing; in 2008 a new branch building replaced
underwent a gradual shift from a manufacturing
archaeology, and natural history and sciences (see the branch located in Plymouth Mall. This new
base to a service and technology base, which ac-
Museums at the University of Michigan). Regional branch is called the Traverwood Branch, and
celerated in the 1970s and 1980s.
and local performing arts groups not associated with opened on June 30, 2008. The city is also home
to the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
 Ann Arbor or 25 square miles surrounded by real-
ity, the latter phrase being adapted from Wisconsin
Governor Lee Dreyfus’s description of Madison, Wis-
consin. Ann Arbor sometimes appears on citation in-
dexes as an author, instead of a location, often with
the academic degree MI, a misunderstanding of the
abbreviation for Michigan.

Events
• 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. Sched-
uled on Wednesday through Saturday in the third
week of July, the fairs draw upward of half a mil-
lion visitors. One event that is not related to vi-
sual 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 cel-
ebrated since 1971.

Fun Facts
• A person from Ann Arbor is called an “Ann Ar-
borite”, and many long-time residents call them- Customer Service Center
selves “townies”. The city itself is often called A² (Located diagonally across the street from City Hall)
(“A-squared”) or A2 (“A two”), and, less com- City Center Building, 1st Floor
monly, Tree Town. Recently, some youths have 220 East Huron
taken to calling Ann Arbor Ace Deuce or simply Ann Arbor, MI 48104
The Deuce. With tongue-in-cheek reference to the (734) 994-2700
city’s liberal political leanings, some occasionally Fax: (734) 994-1765
refer to Ann Arbor as The People’s Republic of E-mail: [email protected]

Ann Arbor, MI