Ann Arbor, Michigan
The town became a regional trans-
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of
Michigan and the county seat of Washt-
enaw County. It is the state's seventh larg-
est 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 "Annarbour". The city
became the seat of Washtenaw County in
1827, and was incorporated as a village in
1833.
portation 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 reputa-
tion as a center for liberal politics. During
the 20th century, the economy of Ann Ar-
bor underwent a gradual shift from a man-
ufacturing base to a service and technology
base, which accelerated in the 1980s.
Ann Arbor is home to the University of
Michigan, established in 1837. As the domi-
nant 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 atmo-
sphere. 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.
A person from Ann Arbor is called an “Ann
Arborite”, and many long-time residents call
themselves “townies”. The city itself is of-
ten 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 surround-
ed by reality.
Contact for More Information
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 Arborite
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.

Ann Arbor
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

Welcomes
refer to Ann Arbor as The People's Republic
of Ann Arbor or 25 square miles surround-
ed by reality, the latter phrase being adapt-

You
ed from Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus's
description of Madison, Wisconsin. Ann
Arbor sometimes appears on citation index-
es as an author, instead of a location, often
with the academic degree.