History of Ann Arbor, Michigan facts for kids
The recorded history of Ann Arbor, Michigan began with settlers from different eastern states in early 1824.
Contents
Ann Arbor's Beginning
The first founders were John Allen from Virginia and Elisha Rumsey from New York. On May 25, 1824, they officially registered the town's map, called a plat, with Wayne County as "Annarbour." This is the first time the town's name was used.
Both of their wives were named Ann. One story says Allen and Rumsey decided to name the settlement "Annarbour" after their wives and the many bur oak trees in the area. They had bought 640 acres (2.6 square kilometers) of land for $800 from the government. The Native Americans in the region called the settlement Kaw-goosh-kaw-nick, which sounded like Allen's grist mill.
Rumsey passed away in 1827. John Allen later became the town's postmaster, newspaper publisher, and a big supporter of Ann Arbor.
Growing Up in the 1800s
Many businesses grew in the settlement, including mills, a tannery (where leather is made), and a general store. This general store was painted bright red, and its location at Huron and Main streets became known as Bloody Corners. In 1836, Ann Arbor tried to become the state capital but didn't win.
However, in 1837, Ann Arbor successfully bid to become the new home for the University of Michigan. The town offered forty acres (160,000 square meters) of land for the university. The Michigan Central Railroad arrived in 1839, making Ann Arbor an important transportation center for the region.
Ann Arbor became the main city for Washtenaw County in 1827. It became a village in 1833 and a city in 1851, the same year John Allen died. Many German immigrants from Württemberg and people escaping the Great Irish Famine came to Ann Arbor. However, Canadians made up the largest group of immigrants during most of the 19th century.
The 1900s: Change and Progress
During World War I, some people were unfriendly towards Germans living in Ann Arbor. Four professors in the University's German department were let go.
During World War II, the nearby Ford Motor Company's Willow Run plant built B-24 Liberator bombers. Ann Arbor's population grew very quickly as military personnel, war workers, and their families moved in.
In 1960, Ann Arbor hosted important speeches by presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. On October 14, 1960, Kennedy first talked about his idea for the Peace Corps at the Michigan Union. A special marker is there today. On May 22, 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson introduced his "Great Society" plan during a University of Michigan graduation speech.
In the 1960s, Ann Arbor became a key place for the American civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement. For example, the first big meetings of Students for a Democratic Society happened here in 1960. After many protests, the city passed its first fair housing law in 1963. This law helped prevent unfair treatment in housing.
In June 1969, students and protesters took over parts of South University Avenue for three days. Police from many nearby communities eventually took back the streets. In 1973, Kathy Kozachenko was elected to the Ann Arbor city council. She became the first openly gay person to successfully run for elected office in the nation.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Ann Arbor was home to many famous rock bands. These included the MC5, Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Brownsville Station, George Clinton, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Mitch Ryder, and The Rationals. Madonna studied dance at the University of Michigan in the late 1970s.
Four years after leaving the White House, Gerald R. Ford opened his Presidential Library in Ann Arbor. He was a former student and college football player at Michigan. His Museum is in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Ann Arbor's economy slowly changed from making things to providing services and technology during the 20th century. This change sped up in the 1970s and 1980s. By 1999, Ann Arbor had 25 research centers and libraries. During this time, land values increased, and the city became more expensive. Some long-time residents found it hard to afford living there due to high prices.
Some conservative groups also started in the city. The Word of God, a Christian movement, began in 1967. Ann Arbor also became the home of the Thomas More Law Center, a religious-conservative group founded in 1999.
Ann Arbor Today: The 2000s
On November 2, 2004, voters approved a greenbelt plan. This meant the city government would buy rights to farmland around Ann Arbor to stop too much new building, also known as urban sprawl. Since then, people in the city have discussed how to allow new buildings within the city limits. The greenbelt has sometimes caused debate because if other plans, like making the city more dense, don't happen, property values could rise even more. This might push people with lower and middle incomes to live in new exurbs outside the greenbelt.
In 2018, two city council members sued the city over a decision to sell a city-owned property downtown to a housing developer. Later that year, the city narrowly voted to keep that space as city property forever. In 2020, the city council decided to create a group to plan for developing the roof of a parking structure into a city park. By late 2022, this group asked the council to consider the site for food truck events. In April 2023, city staff responded, saying the site wasn't good for food trucks and would need a lot of money to make it safe and attractive for community events.
In 2020, after the city council voted to fire city administrator Howard Lazarus, several council members who voted to fire him lost their elections. In April 2021, the city council voted to remove Jeff Hayner from his committee jobs due to his language. In June, they asked him to resign. Hayner did not run for re-election in 2022. These elections led to the mayor's group gaining strong control of the city council.
In 2020, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city government opened several downtown streets to people walking. They limited cars to emergency vehicles on summer weekends. This created a large pedestrian mall and allowed restaurants to use more sidewalk and street space for outdoor seating. These changes were so popular that in 2021, the city council extended the dates from March to November, continuing to close streets to cars from Thursday evening until Monday morning.
The Ann Arbor city Council passed a resolution on January 11, 2024, calling for a "bilateral ceasefire" in Israel's war on Gaza. This happened after almost 90 community members spoke in favor of the resolution.
Important Dates
- 25 May 1824: Annarbour, Wayne County, Michigan Territory.
- 1827 - 1832: Annarbour, Township of Ann Arbour, Wayne County, Michigan Territory.
- 1833 - 26 January 1837: Village of Ann Arbour, Township of Ann Arbour, Washtenaw County, Michigan Territory.
- October 1835: Village of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Washtenaw County, 'de facto' State of Michigan.
- 14 December 1836: After the Toledo War, the Frostbitten Convention in Ann Arbor agreed to give up the Toledo Strip and accept the western three-fourths of the Upper Peninsula. This allowed the State of Michigan to become a U.S. state.
- 26 January 1837: U.S. Congress recognized the State of Michigan and ended the Michigan Territory. Village of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Township, Washtenaw County, State of Michigan, United States of America.
- 1837: University of Michigan received land.
