The Community > Ann Arbor

Founded on 640 acres in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey, Ann Arbor is rumored to be named after their wives (both of whom were named Ann) and the abundance of trees in the area.  In 1837, the University of Michigan was successfully wooed from Detroit, thus forever linking the city with the university. Today, with a population of 114,024, Ann Arbor is the seventh largest city in Michigan.  It spreads over 27.7 square miles and is situated approximately 40 miles west of Detroit.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ann Arbor’s economy was based in manufacturing and transportation.  From 1940 to 1970, Ann Arbor’s population exploded from under 30,000 to over 100,000 people.  This growth was kicked-off by thousands of families who moved to the city during World War II to work at a nearby Ford plant that was manufacturing B-24s for the military. 

Since 1970, the population has remained fairly steady, with only small increases from decade to decade.  However, to Ann Arbor’s considerable credit, unlike many Rust Belt cities Ann Arbor has never experienced a decade-over-decade population decline.  Much of the credit is due to the permanent establishment of the University of Michigan, which guarantees a highly educated population and a constant supply of new skilled workers. 

Today, Ann Arbor is a destination city with a strong base of education, high-technology, and medicine/biotech.  Additionally, two Fortune 500 companies, Borders Books and Dominos Pizza, are based in Ann Arbor.  Furthermore, in 2006, Google announced their intention to locate 1,000 jobs in Ann Arbor, thus helping bolster the city’s economy