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Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state o Michigan and

the county seat o Washtenaw County. It is the statesseventh largest city with a population o 114,024 as othe 2000 Census, o which 36,892 (32%) are universityor college students. Te city,is named ater the spouseso the citys ounders and or the stands o trees in thearea.

Ann Arbor was ounded in January 1824 by John Allenand Elisha Rumsey, both o whom were land specula-tors. On May 25, 1824, the town plot was registeredwith Wayne County as Annarbour. Te city becamethe seat o Washtenaw County in 1827, and wasincorporated as a village in 1833. Te town became a

regional transportation hub in 1839 with the arrivalo the Michigan Central Railroad, and was charteredas a city in 1851. During the 1960s and 1970s, thecity gained a reputation as a center or liberal politics.During the 20th century, the economy o Ann Arborunderwent a gradual shit rom a manuacturing baseto a service and technology base, which accelerated inthe 1970s and 1980s.

Ann Arbor is home to the University o Michigan, establishedin 1837. As the dominant institution o higher learning in thecity and one o the top public universities in the world, the

university provides Ann Arbor with a distinct college-townatmosphere. Te university shapes Ann Arbors economysignicantly as it employs about 30,000 workers, includingabout 7,500 in the medical center. Te citys economy is alsocentered on high-technology, with several companies drawn tothe area by the universitys research and development money,and by its graduates. On the other hand, Ann Arbor hasincreasingly ound itsel grappling with the efects o sharplyrising land values and gentrication, as well as urban sprawlstretching ar into the outlying countryside.

Visiting Us

Many Ann Arbor cultural attractions and events are sponsoredby the University o Michigan. Several perorming arts groupsand acilities are on the universitys campus, as are museumsdedicated to art, archaeology, and natural history and sciences(see Museums at the University o Michigan). Regional andlocal perorming arts groups not associated with the univer-sity include the Ann Arbor Civic Teatre; the Arbor OperaTeater; the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra; the Ann Arbor

Ballet Teater; the Ann Arbor Civic Ballet (establishedin 1954 as Michigans rst chartered ballet company);and Perormance Network, which operates a down-

town theater requently ofering new or nontraditionalplays.

MuseumsTe Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, located in a ren-ovated and expanded historic downtown re station,contains more than 250 interactive exhibits eaturingscience and technology. Multiple art galleries exist inthe city, notably in the downtown area and around theUniversity o Michigan campus. Aside rom a largerestaurant scene in the Main Street, South State Street,and South University Avenue areas, Ann Arbor ranksrst among U.S. cities in the number o booksellersand books sold per capita. Te Ann Arbor DistrictLibrary maintains our branch outlets in addition to itsmain downtown building; in 2008 a new branch build-ing replaced the branch located in Plymouth Mall.Tis new branch is called the raverwood Branch, andopened on June 30, 2008. Te city is also home to theGerald R. Ford Presidential Library.

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EventsSeveral annual events many o them centered on per-orming and visual arts draw visitors to Ann Arbor.

One such event is the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, a set o

our concurrent juried airs held on downtown streets,which began in 1960. Scheduled on Wednesdaythrough Saturday in the third week o July, the airsdraw upward o hal a million visitors.

One event that is not related to visual andperorming arts is Hash Bash, held on the rstSaturday o April, ostensibly in support o the reormo marijuana laws. It has been celebrated since 1971.

A person rom Ann Arbor is called an Ann Arborite,and many long-time residents call themselves town-ies. Te city itsel is oten called A (A-squared) orA2 (A two), and, less commonly, ree own. Recently,some youths have taken to calling Ann Arbor AceDeuce or simply Te Deuce. With tongue-in-cheekreerence to the citys liberal political leanings, some

occasionally reer to Ann Arbor as Te Peoples Republic oAnn Arbor or 25 square miles surrounded by reality, the latterphrase being adapted rom Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyussdescription o Madison, Wisconsin. Ann Arbor sometimesappears on citation indexes as an author, instead o a location,oten with the academic degree MI, a misunderstanding o the

abbreviation or Michigan.

Contact A2!Customer Service Center

(Located diagonally across the street from

City Hall)City Center Building, 1st Floor

220 East HuronAnn Arbor, MI 48104

(734) 994-2700Fax: (734) 994-1765E-mail: customerservice@a2gov.org