Ann Arbor, Michigan

Living in Ann Arbor with about 300,000 of your closest friends is a treat. There are literally hundreds of interesting shows to take in every year, and the student population's notoriously vocal interest in protesting injustice means there's usually a good rally to plan or attend. If you like to do the normal things people do in Michigan such as hunting and fishing, the city isn't far from those enjoyable excursions. The weather is fairly mild because it so close to the Great lakes. All in all, it's easy to have a great time in Ann Arbor.

Ann Arbor is an attractive city for both local residents as well as tourists. It has something to appeal to everyone's senses. People of any age or any profession will surely find the city exciting and vivacious to their own liking.

Ann Arbor History

In 1824 a plat was registered. It consisted of 640 acres bought for a mere $800. In 1827 Ann Arbor became the county seat of Washtenaw County, and the place formally incorporated as a village in 1833. A group of land speculators known as the Ann Arbor Land Company offered the state of Michigan 40 acres in the hopes of having it become the state capital. Unfortunately, Lansing won the capital title. Later, the University of Michigan located there in 1837, leaving Detroit behind.

Over time, more and more immigrants diluted the original settlers, who were primarily British. While most of the population is caucasian, the diversity of heritage is extensive. The 1880s saw the slightly drooping population begin to rise again, as new groups of immigrants from all across Europe and the Russian bloc came about. From the time the first synagogue was built in 1916, the Jewish population has also steadily grown into an important part of the Ann Arbor cultural makeup.

With the arrival of the Michigan Central Railroad in 1839, Ann Arbor became a vital hub for moving people and anything else that needed to be relocated around the state. Since the late 1870s, Ann Arbor has had a powerful rail-based supply line to Toledo and points to the south. 

Since the early part of the 20th century, Ann Arbor has established itself as a liberal community. High acceptance of different cultural identities has caused the city to come into its own as a place where social progression takes place. While Ann Arbor's locals continue to gripe about not being able to pass medicinal marijuana laws, they have been instrumental in establishing visionary anti-discrimination laws, rent control ordinances and protests.

When launching a protest against something that seems genuinely unjust, the student population of Ann Arbor Michigan has been the goto group. This spirit has led to gentrification and a high tech surge in recent years, as young professionals want to work in such an environment.

About Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor Michigan has been described as both one of the best small cities to live in and one of the best overall cities in the United States. There are a lot of reasons behind the classification, including the robust economy, enjoyably left leaning liberal acceptance of different people and the overall beauty of this city, nicknamed Tree Town. From the very beginning, what Ann Arbor has lacked in explosive growth it has more than made up for in local spirit and overall enjoyability to live there.

The University of Michigan is a very significant employer of Ann Arbor's workers, on the order of 30,000 total. In a city of about 300,000 total people, that's a pretty large number. Interestingly enough, the area is also a home for a lot of innovative technological companies, including All Media Guide, Zattoo and the Weather Underground. Whether the first mass-produced radios in the 1930s, cameras in the 30s through the 60s, or the latest in high tech websites, Ann Arbor is a great place if you want to be on the cutting edge of the latest tech marvels.

Ann Arbor is about more than just having a good job, though. It takes great education to get great jobs, and Ann Arbor's University of Michigan does more than just put people into offices. The University also trains its students to do a lot more than memorize facts. Ever since the 1960s, Ann Arbor has been on the cusp of everything left-wing in the United States. From protesting the Vietnam Conflict to the Civil Rights movement and even the legalization of marijuana, this is a city that could easily fit into California. At the same time, it's got all the usual charm and enjoyable seasonal changes people enjoy about the rest of the Midwest.

The local culture is rife with plays and other kinds of performances. The University Musical Society has been running all kinds of events, often 60 or more per year, ever since 1879. As well, the Ann Arbor Art Fairs are four juried events which have taken place each year since 1960. Often times these events, which take only four days to carry on, draw over half a million people to see them. That's a pretty impressive feat. The Ann Arbor Film Festival is another attraction, particularly because it is one of the few Academy Award qualifying festivals a film can use to get on the international radar. Directors from 40 countries send in their best work. So overall, whether you want to have fun or find reliable work, Ann Arbor is a great place to be.

About Washtenaw County, Michigan

Washtenaw County has just under 710 square miles of land within its borders. The natural order has been maintained as well as possible, though the establishment of successful farms over the past 150 years has led to a substantial increase in the local deer population. While the farms and the cities have taken on distinctly modern appearances, there are areas that appear almost exactly the way they did to the earliest settlers over 200 years ago.

Washtenaw County is quite proactive, even going so far as to buy up reasonably large amounts of land specifically for the purpose of preserving it in a natural state. This commitment to keeping the land attractive has become a tourist draw of Michigan in general, as well as forming a strong base for the left-wing tendencies many cities in Michigan demonstrate.

This left-leaning tendency also translates into the high tech arena. Just slightly over half the residents of Washtenaw County, whether within a city or not, receive a free wifi signal. The stated goal of the local government is to provide, in time, wifi service for all of the county's residents.

Considering that there are three institutes of higher learning within this county, the students no doubt benefit greatly from the excellent level of access to research materials this affords them. Overall, Washtenaw County combines the simple and bucolic scenery of a place humanity hasn't harmed with the advanced and civilized qualities of the modern world.