Flint, Michigan
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Flint, Michigan is a city in Genesee County along the Flint River about 60 miles northwest of Detroit. Its population in 1998 was 131,000 people, and it is the fourth largest city in Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 124,943. It is the county seat of Genesee County6. Flint Charter Township is adjacent to the city on the west, but is politically independent.
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History
The city was founded in 1819 by Jacob Smith, a fur trader, and was incorporated in 1855.
Flint has been host to various industries in its history:
- Trading/Trapping
- Lumber
- Carriages
- Automobiles
The city's landscape and culture is dominated by the auto industry. Some of the more notable events in Flint's history are:
- The sit down strike of 1937 that turned the fledgling United Automobile Workers into a labor union of note.
- Flint was a major contributor of tanks and other war material during World War II thanks to its heavy manufacturing facilities.
- The second deadliest tornado on record in the United States struck Flint on June 8, 1953 killing 115 people, injuring 844. On the next day the same weather system spawned the worst tornado in New England in Worcester, Massachusetts killing another 94 people.
- Flint was the most notorious example of the effects of the 1970s collapse of the U.S. auto industry on surrounding communities. This was highlighted in the film Roger and Me by Michael Moore (the title refers to Roger B. Smith, the CEO of General Motors during the 1980s). Also highlighted in Moore's documentary was the failure of city officials to reverse the trends with entertainment options (e.g. Six Flags' AutoWorld) during the 1980s.
Today, the auto industry continues its exodus from Flint as does the population and sources of revenue. The massive Buick City factory was closed in 1999 and demolished three years later. General Motors employment had fallen from more than 77,000 in 1978 to just a few thousand two decades later.
Flint has one of the highest crime rates in Michigan (5538 incidents/100,000 residents) and the 45th highest crime rate in the United States. The unemployment rate in Flint is 12%.
Unable to pay its debts, the city was placed into receivership by the state of Michigan in 2002. In 2004, local control was resumed.
Companies Founded in Flint
Culture
Flint hosts a cultural center, large for a city of this size, built with the revenue from the auto industry in the 1950s. It boasts:
- Whiting Auditorium, a 2100-seat auditorium which hosts fine arts performances, including concerts by the Flint Symphony Orchestra
- Sloan Museum, a large portion of which is dedicated to rare automobiles
- Longway Planetarium, the largest planetarium in Michigan
- Flint Institute of Arts, a well stocked art museum and learning facility
and others (Bower Theater, Flint Institute of Music, Pierce Cultural Center) all set on a 30 acre (120,000 m²) site near downtown. Flint is also host to the University of Michigan-Flint, Kettering University (formerly known as GMI), and Mott Community College. The local paper is the Flint Journal, dating back to 1876.
Noteworthy annual events include the Flint Jazz Festival and the Crim Festival of Races.
Flint has also produced a host of local artists and musicians, many taking on a political perspective. Some examples include John Sinclair, Michael Moore, Ben Hamper, author Edmund Love from nearby Flushing, musical acts such as the Grand Funk Railroad, Ready for the World, and ? and the mysterions, and rap outfits M.C. Breed, the Dayton Family, and Top Authority. Flint has also produced actors such as Terry Crews, Billy Brandt, Bob Bell (IV) and model Nichole Arsenault.
Geography
MIMap-doton-Flint.PNG
Location of Flint, Michigan
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 88.2 km² (34.1 mi²). 87.1 km² (33.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.26% water.
Flint lies just to the northeast of the Flint hills. The terrain is low and rolling along the south and east sides, and flatter to the northwest.
For a city of its size, Flint has many neighborhoods, generally grouped on one of the four cardinal "sides." The North Side and Near South Side are predominantly African American, with such historic districts as Buick City and Civic Park on the North, and Sugar Hill, Floral Park, and Kent and Elm Parks on the south. Many of these neighborhoods were original centers of early Michigan blues. The East Side is the site of the Mott Estate and Community College, the Cultural Center, and East Village, one of Flint's more prosperous areas. Just to the north is the East Side, which is rapidly diversifying. The West side includes the main site of the 1937 sitdown strike and the historic Woodcroft neighborhood, home in the past to influential engineers and automotive executives.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 124,943 people, 48,744 households, and 30,270 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,434.5/km² (3,714.9/mi²). There are 55,464 housing units at an average density of 636.8/km² (1,649.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 41.39% White, 53.27% Black or African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. 2.99% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 48,744 households out of which 33.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.0% are married couples living together, 27.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% are non-families. 31.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 3.16.
In the city the population is spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $28,015, and the median income for a family is $31,424. Males have a median income of $34,009 versus $24,237 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,733. 26.4% of the population and 22.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 37.4% of those under the age of 18 and 13.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
- The Valley School (http://valleyschool.org) is a K-12 educational institution. It is currently located in the large brick building formerly occupied by the Michigan School for the Deaf.
- The University of Michigan-Flint (http://www.umflint.edu) is a satellite campus of the University of Michigan's main campus in Ann Arbor.
- Kettering University (http://www.kettering.edu) (formerly GMI) is a highly-rated engineering university.
- Mott Community College (http://www.mcc.edu) is the main community college in Flint.
Transportation
The city of Flint is served by Bishop International Airport and various intercity bus lines. The Flint Mass Transportation Authority provides local bus services to the city and county.
External links
- Flint's Online Community (http://www.flintonline.com)
- City of Flint (http://www.ci.flint.mi.us)
- Pictures of Flint's 3rd Avenue Neighborhood (http://gregcumberford.com/pics/2002/flint/)
- Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association (http://users.ameritech.net/carriagetown/carriagetown.html)
- Flint Area Convention and Visitors' Bureau (http://www.visitflint.org/index.html)
- Bishop International Airport (http://www.bishopairport.org/index.cfm)
- Flint's MTA Busline (http://www.mtaflint.org/)
- Cultural Center (http://www.flintculturalcenter.com)
- Flint Public Library (http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/fpl.html)
- The FlintSkinny (http://www.flintskinny.net/)
- The Flint Journal's articles and classifieds (http://mlive.com/)
- Flint Local 432 (http://www.flintlocal432.net/)
- Genesee Valley Shopping Center (http://www.geneseemall.com/)
- Mayors of Flint (http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/MI/ofc/flint.html)
- Skate Flint (http://skateflint.com)
