About Ann Arbor
Destination — Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Ann Arbor is centered around the University of Michigan. The University of Michigan campus intermingles with downtown, and the whole area is walkable, though day buses run between the campuses and the central business district. Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Thomson, Google, Domino's, and Borders Group have a major presence in the area. The University is well known for its medical school complex.
Like most of Michigan, summers can be hot and humid, with temperatures occasionally hitting 90 degrees, but averaging in the mid 80s. Winters are fairly normal for the lower Great Lakes region, which enjoys four seasons. It starts to be chilly in late October and it begins to warm up again in mid-March (but the occasional early April snowfall is not unheard of!). Average winter temperatures are generally in the range of 30°F and in January temps can dip below 20°F, or even lower if it's windy.
Visit these Web sites to learn more about Ann Arbor, places to visit, and things to do!
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ann_Arbor
http://www.umich.edu/~info/visitingAA.html#anchor_aaInfo
http://www.visitannarbor.org/
http://mainstreetannarbor.org/
http://www.a2gov.org/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.umich.edu/~info/visitingAA.html
City of Ann Arbor
· Founded in 1824, city charter in 1851
· 27.7 square miles
· 114,000 citizens
· 157 parks, 2,088.37 acres of park land
· More than 24 miles of on-road bike lanes and 60 miles of park bicycle paths
· Ann Arbor Public School District is the eighth largest school district in Michigan, with 16,458 students enrolled in 34 schools, preschool through high school and adult education.
· Five colleges and universities are located in Ann Arbor, including the University of Michigan, also the city’s largest employer.
Visit www.a2gov.org for more details of the honors and distinctions of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Historical Information
The city was founded by a group of pioneers who passed through Detroit on a one-horse sleigh to begin their own frontier community. The name is thought to be a combination of two of the founding residents named Ann and the wealth of tree life that was in the area. The biggest year in the history of the city was in 1837, when the city was chosen as the site for the new state university. Since then, the economics and population of the city have been intertwined. With a population of more than 100,000, more than half are involved with the University in some dimension. During the World Wars and Great Depression, the University in fact was the town’s only hope. During World War II the city was chosen as the site of the notorious Willow Run Bomber plant and thousands of jobs were created, firmly planting the city on its feet for years to come.
A few interesting facts include
- John F. Kennedy first proposed the Peace Corps during a speech at the University
- The original Borders Book Store was opened in the city
- It is sometimes called Tree City USA
- It is the world capital of lithography
- It is consistently ranked as one of the most pleasant places to live in the country
Famous natives include inventor William Hewlett and rocker Bob Seger.
Historical information found at http://www.helloannarbor.com/History.Cfm