Ann Arbor, the county seat of Washtenaw, is the 6th largest city in the state of Michigan. It has a total area of 28.70 square miles with a total population of 113,934 as of 2015. The city is also part of the larger Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint, MI Combined Statistical Area with a population of 5,318,744.
Ann Arbor is consistently ranked as one of the best college towns in the country. The University of Michigan moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor in 1837, causing a rapid increase of population in 1920s. Along with the population increase is the significant growth of economy, as the school now employs about 30,000 workers, including 12,000 in the medical center. The city is also home to several companies drawn to the area by the university’s research and development money. Experience the flavors of festivals, art, music and history in this big city with a small town feel.
- Schools
- Restaurants
- Parks
- Nightlife
- Employment
- Brief History
Ann Arbor students attend Ann Arbor Public Schools. The district operates 20 elementary schools, 1 K-8 open school, 5 middle schools, 3 comprehensive high schools, 3 alternative high schools, 3 preschools and 1 adult education program.
Elementary Schools:
Carpenter Elementary School
Abbot Elementary School
Allen Elementary School
Angell Elementary School
Bach Elementary School
Bryant Elementary School
Burns Park Elementary School
Carpenter Elementary School
Dicken Elementary School
Eberwhite Elementary School
Haisley Elementary School
King Elementary School
Lakewood Elementary School
Lawton Elementary School
Logan Elementary School
Mitchell Elementary School
Northside Elementary School
Pattengill Elementary School
Pittsfield Elementary School
Thurston Elementary School
Wines Elementary School
Middle Schools:
Slauson Middle School
Clague Middle School
Forsythe Middle School
Scarlett Middle School
Slauson Middle School
Tappan Middle School
High Schools:
Huron High School
Pioneer High School
Skyline High School
Ann Arbor restaurants offer everything for every palate and every price range. From diner restaurants to a collection of quirky eateries, everyone will find something to satiate and surprise them.
Bier-Camp: Bier-Camp offers seasonal varieties of artisan sausage, bratwurst, hot dogs, jerky, bacon, charcuteries, pickled items and more, made fresh daily. Bier-Camp is open Monday – Sunday, 11:00am – 7:00pm.
MAIZ Mexican Cantina: You’ll find the flavors of Mexico brought to you in every fresh and flavorful bite. MAIZ Mexican Cantina strives to use local ingredients when we can and make our food from scratch. At MAIZ, every meal will be bright, colorful, hot and of course tasty. Warm up with their ridiculously good queso fundido, crunchy chips and fresh made guacamole.
Ashley’s Restaurant & Premier Multi Tap Pub: Ashley’s Restaurant & Premier Multi Tap Pub is known as Michigan’s Premier multi-tap, offering ales, porters, stouts, and microbrews. There’s also over 60 single malt scotches. Menu includes steaks, fish & chips, vegetarian items, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads.
Joe’s Crab Shack: Fun, exciting atmosphere. Joe’s Crab Shack features great service and food. Playground for kids, and waitstaff that will break out into a dance every once in a while.
HopCat: HopCat was envisioned, designed, stocked, and staffed with one mission in mind: To bring you great beer. What is great beer? It’s a beer made with care and pride. It might be a local beer or one from across the globe. It could be your usual pint, or a beer that you had no idea existed. Every once in a while, it’s a beer you never would have ordered but for the fact that your server or bartender suggested it.
Mark’s Carts: Mark’s Carts offers an array of fresh ethnic dishes in an intimate courtyard garden on Washington Street between First and Ashley. Each food cart is individually owned by the vendors, and each presents a different style of ethnic or regional food. All carts are licensed by the Washtenaw County Health Department, and prepare their food in an adjacent commercial kitchen, also inspected and licensed by the County Health Department.
Cardamom: Cardamom seeks to bring together East and West, old and new, familiar and unfamiliar, through food, culture and relationships. I chose the name “Cardamom” for my restaurant because cardamom (known as the “queen” of spices) is an important native Indian spice, used in nearly all food from our kitchen—both savory and sweet.
Gallup Park: Gallup Park is the most popular recreation area in Ann Arbor. It’s a 69-acre park located along Huron River and Geddes Pond. The park offers two playgrounds, a canoe livery, picnic areas and grills scattered throughout the park, two picnic shelters, open field for play, and over three miles of asphalt trails that are popular for biking, rollerblading, walking and running. There are 4 parking areas: one at the main entrance off Fuller Road, two within the park along the park drive, and one further southeast on Geddes Road.
Argo Canoe Livery: Argo Nature Area is a 22-acre linear park on the east side of the Huron River bordered by Broadway St., Longshore Dr. and Barton Dr. Parking is adjacent to the canoe livery, and just north of there is a parking area with a boat launch. An unpaved trail runs the length of the park along the river. The entire trail offers beautiful views of the river.
Bandemer Park: Bandemer Park is a natural area along the Huron River featuring accessible trails through the main body of the park, restrooms, benches, accessible canoe dock, fishing deck, shelter, picnic areas, and grills. Dirt foot paths wander throughout the site, with views of the river and other unique habitat prevalent. Brochures are available for this park. Bandemer is directly west across the river from Argo.
Allmendinger Park: Allmendinger Park is an 8-acre park located on Pauline between Hutchins and Edgewood. The park contains softball fields, a restroom facility and water fountain, a play area nestled in an Oak and Hickory grove, picnic tables, a tennis court, grass volleyball court, and basketball court. There is limited parking off Pauline Street. An accessible asphalt path connects the play area, picnic area and restroom facility.
Burns Park: Burns Park is a 15 acre neighborhood park on Wells and Baldwin adjacent to Burns Park School. It hosts a small shelter with restrooms and a drinking fountain, five tennis courts with a one half practice court, a basketball court, a sledding hill, a small parking lot and play equipment. The park is the old site of the County fairgrounds. Remnants of the oval track can still be seen by the same shape tree planting around the interior of the park.
Buhr Park: Buhr Park is a 39 acre park serving the south central part of town. The park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. year round and features softball diamonds, two tennis courts, play equipment, a basketball court, open field play, a sledding hill, picnic facilities with a grill, an outdoor pool with a family activity pool (open in the spring/summer) and an open-air ice arena (open in the fall/winter). Summer day camp is one of the popular programs offered at Buhr Park. Buhr Park Outdoor Ice Arena is open Oct. 31, 2015 to April 3, 2016. The rink has a cooled subfloor that allows us to maintain ice even when it is over 50 degrees outside! Activities include public ice skating, drop-in hockey and rental hours.
For some people, weekends are days where you meet new people, unwind and forget about your stressful week. From coffee shops to high energy dance clubs, Ann Arbor offers a wild variety of nightlife to meet your taste and needs.
The Last Word: The Last Word is a cozy, stylish bar serving up classic cocktails & many whiskeys, plus local craft beers & wine. The cupboards are stocked with fresh herbs and juice used for cocktails. It’s a hidden gem in Ann Arbor since there’s no exterior signage.
Mash: Speakeasy-style bar serving in whiskey, bourbon & craft beer, as well as casual American bites. It is a popular meet up place for young people since there are booths that accommodate groups. There’s also a place to settle down if you think that the crowd is too loud.
Necto Night Club: Necto Night Club is the premier dance club in Ann Arbor, located at Liberty St downtown Ann Arbor. The club offers 2 dance floors, the main dance floor with poles on the sides, smoke machines, which is the hot spot of the club, and there’s another on the second level called “Red Room” with a smaller crowd playing older music. The club has 2 bars and a large patio for a smoking are.
The Ark: The Ark is a really quaint and intimate place to see a show. People go to listen to music, not talk with music as background noise. The Ark is a non-profit that depends in part on membership contributions and only members can purchase alcohol at the concert, but they do offer a “one day” type membership.
Casey’s Tavern: Casey’s Tavern is a relaxed pub with a laid-back vibe for French dip sandwiches, burgers & beers in a historic building. It’s menu and interior doesn’t change in years, giving you an old-word feel of dark wood and stained glass.
Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan, one of the foremost research universities in the United States. The university shapes Ann Arbor’s economy significantly as it employs about 30,000 workers, including about 12,000 in the medical center. The city’s economy is also centered on high technology, with several companies drawn to the area by the university’s research and development infrastructure, and by its graduates. High tech, health services and biotechnology are other major components of the city’s economy; numerous medical offices, laboratories, and associated companies are located in the city. Automobile manufacturers, such as General Motors and Visteon, also employ residents.
In about 1774, the Potawatomi founded two villages in the area of what is now Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor was founded in 1824 by land speculators John Allen and Elisha Walker Rumsey. On 25 May 1824, the town plat was registered with Wayne County as “Annarbour;” this represents the earliest known use of the town’s name. Allen and Rumsey decided to name it for their wives, both named Ann, and for the stands of Bur Oak in the 640 acres (260 ha) of land they purchased for $800 from the federal government at $1.25 per acre. The local Ojibwa named the settlement kaw-goosh-kaw-nick, after the sound of Allen’s sawmill. Ann Arbor became the seat of Washtenaw County in 1827, and was incorporated as a village in 1833. The Ann Arbor Land Company, a group of speculators, set aside 40 acres (16 ha) of undeveloped land and offered it to the state of Michigan as the site of the state capital, but lost the bid to Lansing. In 1837, the property was accepted instead as the site of the University of Michigan, which moved from Detroit. Since the university’s establishment in the city in 1837, the histories of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor have been closely linked.
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