About Ann Arbor
accelerated in the 1970s and 1980s.
• 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 became 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
as well as urban sprawl stretching
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor is home to the University
of Michigan, established in 1837. As
the dominant institution of higher
learning in the city and one of the top
public universities in the world, the
university provides Ann Arbor with a
distinct college-town atmosphere. The
university 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 development
money, and by its graduates. On the other
hand, Ann Arbor has increasingly found
itself grappling with the effects of sharply
rising land values and gentrification,
far into the outlying countryside.
Attractions
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, archaeology, 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 company); and

Performance Network, which operates
a downtown theater frequently
offering new or nontraditional plays.
Museums
The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum,
located in a renovated and expanded
historic downtown fire station, contains
more than 250 interactive exhibits
featuring 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 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.
Events
Several annual events – many of them cen-
tered on performing and visual arts – draw
visitors to Ann Arbor. One such event is the
Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a set of four concur-
rent juried fairs held on downtown streets,
which began in 1960. Scheduled on Wednes-
day through Saturday in the third week of
July, the fairs draw upward of half a million
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.
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