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Flint, Michigan

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File:Downtown arches.jpg
The arches of downtown Flint.

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.

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:

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.

Unable to pay its debts, the city was placed into receivership by the state of Michigan in 2002, with a financial manager effectively replacing the mayor. In 2004, local control was resumed.

Half of Flint's fourteen tallest buildings were built during the 1920s. The city's tallest building, the 19-story Genesee Towers, was completed in 1968.

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 Mysterians, and rap outfits M.C. Breed, the Dayton Family (who've often collaborated with Esham),Pvt Militant and Top Authority. Flint has also produced actors such as Terry Crews, Billy Brandt, Bob Bell (IV) and model Nichole Arsenault.

Geography

Location of Flint, Michigan
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, group in the center of the city of one of the four cardinal "sides." The downtown business district is centered on Saginaw Street south of the Flint River. Just west, and on opposite sides of the river are Carriage Town (north) and the Grand Traverse Street District (south). These neighborhoods were the center of manufacturing for and profits from the nation's carriage industry until the 1920s, and to this day are the site of many well-preserved Victorian homes, as well as the setting of Atwood Stadium. Just north of downtown is River Village, a successful example of mixed-income public housing, and to the east is Central Park, a small neighborhood defined by cul-de-sacs.

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 South Side in particular was also a center for multiracial migration from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and deep south since World War II. These neighborhoods are most often lower income, but have maintained some level of economic stratification. 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 north of here is Eastside Proper, also known as the "State Streets," which is a low-income rental area that is rapidly diversifying. Eastside has also had trouble with prostitution, particularly in districts centered on Dort Highway and Olive Avenue. 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 and Mott Park, site of Kettering University.

Facilities associated with General Motors in the past and present are also scattered throughout the city, today including GM Truck and Bus, the Flint Metal Center, Powertrain North, Delphi East and West, among others. The largest plant, Buick City and adjacent facilities, has been demolished.

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

Transportation

The city of Flint is served by Bishop International Airport and various bus lines. The Flint Mass Transportation Authority provides local bus services to the city and county.

About Flint in general

Pictures of Flint

About things in Flint


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