Mid Michigan | |
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 Mid Michigan Counties highlighted in red, with the Lansing area in yellow, and The Thumb in Orange | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Largest city | Lansing |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 517,810,989 |
Central Michigan, also calledMid Michigan, is a region in theLower Peninsula of theU.S. state ofMichigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble amitten, and Mid Michigan corresponds roughly tothe thumb and palm, stretching from Michigan's eastern shoreline alongLake Huron into the fertile rolling plains of theMichigan Basin.[1] The region contains cities of moderate size, includingFlint,Saginaw, and the state capital ofLansing. Generally Central, or "Mid", Michigan is defined by governmental organizations as an area North of Jackson,[2] and South of Clare.[3]
For the most part,Central Michigan andMid Michigan are synonymous with each other, representing generally the same geographic area of Michigan. However, some definitions ofCentral Michigan andMid Michigan can vary significantly, depending on one's point of reference.
Central or Mid Michigan can also include areas that are referred to asSouthern Michigan. This is loosely defined and can refer to a region in the south-central portion of the state characterized by theIrish Hills. The region includes theAdrian,Jackson, andHillsdale areas which are also considered a part ofSoutheast Michigan.
Portions of Central or Mid Michigan can overlap with portions ofWestern Michigan. For example, areas ofMontcalm County could fall into both regions, with the west side of the county such asGreenville aligning with West Michigan, and eastern portions identifying more with Central Michigan.
Also, some areas may overlap with what is known asNorthern Michigan. These areas, such asClare,Gladwin, andArenac County are along the border of the two regions and can be considered parts of both, depending on your frame of reference.
Portions ofMetro Detroit can overlap with Central Michigan, especially the counties ofGenesee,Lapeer,Livingston andSt. Clair are statistically included in Metro Detroit however geographically lie in Mid Michigan.
The region includes many rivers including theGrand River,Red Cedar River,Saginaw River,Tittabawassee River,Shiawassee River andFlint River. Adrainage divide occurs in Central Michigan, causing the Grand River to flow west intoLake Michigan and theSaginaw River to empty into theSaginaw Bay. The terrain has rolling hills and plains with fertile soil. Agriculture dominates in the rural areas, where corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and hay are grown. The region has mostly small towns with a few cities of notable size. Most of the area is part of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Lansing orRoman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw.[6]
Central Michigan has several cities of regional and geographic importance:
Central Michigan has a rich and varied culture, including European farmers who settled in rural areas to work the land and ethnic minorities populating the area's urban centers to make a living in the automobile industry.
The Mid-Michigan area was predominatelyOjibwe territory prior to colonization. One of the first European settlements in the region was the FrenchFort St. Joseph in present-dayPort Huron in 1686. The area that became Michigan opened up to European settlement following theFrench and Indian War. Later in the 1800sLewis Cass would negotiate theTreaty of Saginaw, in which Ojibwe land was handed over to form much of present-day Mid-Michigan. The opening of theErie Canal brought vast numbers of settlers to the region, as population started growing northward from Ohio. The first settlers to the area cleared the land for thelumber industry. Forests ofthe Thumb and Saginaw Valley provided much of the lumber to feed the growing United States. The convenient access to transportation provided by theSaginaw River and its numerous tributaries fueled a massive expansion in population and economic activity. As the trees were being cut down in the region, logs were floated down the rivers to sawmills located in Saginaw, destined to be loaded onto ships and later railroad cars.Flint was also a lumber boom town, with the city turning lumber into carriages and wagons, which would later give way to the automobile industry.
Michigan became a state in 1837, with the State Capitol inDetroit until the winter of 1847 when the state constitution required that the capital be moved fromDetroit to a more central and safer location in the interior of the state. Many were concerned about Detroit's proximity toBritish-controlledCanada, which had captured Detroit in theWar of 1812. The United States had recaptured the city in 1813, but these events led to the dire need to have the center of government relocated away from hostileBritish territory. There was also concern with Detroit's strong influence over Michigan politics, being the largest city in the state as well as the capital city.[7] Unable to publicly reach a consensus because of constant political wrangling, theMichigan House of Representatives privately chose the Township of Lansing out of frustration. When announced, many present openly laughed that such an insignificant settlement was now the capital city of Michigan. Two months later, GovernorWilliam L. Greenly signed into law the act of the legislature officially makingLansing Township the state capital.[7]
Persons ofEuropean ancestry have formed the overwhelming majority of the population since the late 19th century. Farmers, mostly ofEnglish andScots-Irish immigrants, many of whom arrived fromCanada. Other settlers of the same ancestry migrated from eastern states such asNew York, andPennsylvania, as well as from New England. After the land had been lumbered off, farming dominated the rural landscape of Central Michigan. Corn, soy beans, navy beans, and sugar beets are now commercially grown in these areas today. Later 19th- and 20th-century residents includedPolish andGerman immigrants who migrated from Europe through theDetroit area. Many of the customs, much of the regional lifestyle, and even the local accent, strongly reflect these origins.Saginaw County, in particularFrankenmuth, is such an example of Bavarian Culture in Mid-Michigan. On the eastern edge of the region, a large Canadian influence can be found inSt. Clair County where Canadian culture and language has become integrated cities along the Canada–US border.Huron County in the Thumb has a heritage of Polish ancestry, whileClare is known for its Irish roots.
The state's economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, includingRansom E. Olds,John andHorace Dodge,Henry Leland,David Dunbar Buick,Henry Joy,Charles King, andHenry Ford, provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to start thebirth of the automotive industry.[8] In Lansing,Olds Motor Vehicle Company was founded in August 1897. The company went through many changes, including a buyout, between its founding to 1905 when founderRansom E. Olds started his newREO Motor Car Company, which would last in Lansing for another 70 years. In Flint,William C. Durant'sBuick became the largest manufacturer of automobiles by 1908. In 1908, Durant foundedGeneral Motors, filing incorporation papers in New Jersey, with headquarters in Flint. GM moved its headquarters to Detroit in the mid-1920s.[9] Durant lost control of GM twice during his lifetime. On the first occasion, he befriendedLouis Chevrolet and foundedChevrolet, which was a runaway success. He used the capital from this success to buy back share control. Flint would later be the site of the GM andUnited Auto WorkersFlint sit-down strike.
In 1897, Canadian-born chemistHerbert Henry Dow, who invented a new method of extracting thebromine that was trapped underground inbrine atMidland, Michigan formedDow Chemical.[10] Dow originally sold onlybleach andpotassium bromide, and has since expanded to be the third largestchemical producer in the world.
Beginning in the late 1960s, urban areas including Flint, Saginaw, and Lansing experienced a large amount ofdeindustrialization and subsequent depopulation andurban decay. As auto jobs were sent elsewhere, rates of crime, unemployment and poverty increased. Initially, this took the form of "white flight" that afflicted many urban industrialized American towns and cities. This decline was exacerbated by the1973 oil crisis and the U.S. auto industry's subsequent loss of market share to imports. The result meant white families moved to the suburbs, with leaving largehispanic andAfrican-American populations in the urban centers. In Lansing, recentgentrification, the placement of refugees,[11] and international students attending Michigan State have made theGreater Lansing a very culturally diverse area.
Michigan remains a leading auto-producing state in the U.S., with the industry primarily located throughout theMidwestern United States,Ontario, Canada, and the Southern United States.[12] Michigan typically ranks third or fourth in overallResearch & development (R&D) expenditures in the U.S.[13][14] Mid-Michigan is home to one of the state's leading research institutions,Michigan State University which makes up theUniversity Research Corridor.[15] Michigan's public universities attract more than $1.5 B in research and development grants each year.[16] Founded in 1855 inEast Lansing as the nation's firstland-grant institution, Michigan State University has been a pioneer in research and the cultural center of Mid-Michigan. The university has made significant contributions in agriculture and pioneered the studies ofpackaging,hospitality business,plant biology,supply chain management,music therapy, andcommunication sciences. Michigan State frequently ranks among the top 30 public universities in the United States and the top 100 research universities in the world.[17]
Central Michigan's economy is primarilyagricultural, and someautomobile manufacturing.
Major crops grown in this region includecorn,sugar beets, andsoy beans. TheMichigan Sugar Company, which is a cooperative owned by 1,250 farmers, operates factories in Bay City, Caro, Croswell, and Sebewaing.[18]
Livestock anddairy farms also make up the agricultural landscape of Central Michigan.Koegel Meat Company is headquartered in Flint and is a major producer of sausages and processed meats. Lansing basedQuality Dairy Company is a major producer ofmilk andice cream in the region.
The largest financial institution in the region is Detroit- headquarteredTCF Financial Corporation, which is also the second largest Michigan-based bank.Citizens Republic Bancorp was formerly headquartered in Flint, and has since been acquired byFirstMerit Corporation, which has been sold to Ohio'sHuntington Bank. Grand Rapids-basedIndependent Bank has a large presence in the region as well. Regional banks and credit unions also exist throughout Central Michigan. One of those isMichigan State University Federal Credit Union which is the largest university-based credit union in the world.[19]
Since Lansing is the State Capitol, the number one employer in theGreater Lansing area is theState of Michigan, either with theMichigan Legislature, court system, or executive agencies.
TheMichigan State Police is headquartered in Lansing, and formerly called East Lansing Home. MSP also has regional posts in Mt. Pleasant, Bay City, Caro, Flint, and Lapeer.
McLaren Health Care Corporation is a major employer in the region, as a non-profit operating nine hospitals in the state. McLaren is headquartered in Flint and has hospitals inFlint,Lansing, Lapeer, Bay City, Mt. Pleasant, and Port Huron.
Other major healthcare corporations includeSparrow Health System in Lansing,Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Covenant Hospital in Saginaw, and Lake Huron Medical Center in Port Huron. Furthermore, theMichigan State University College of Human Medicine has locations across the region, as does theUniversity of Michigan Health System. Under the nameMidMichigan Health, U of M operates hospitals in Clare, Gladwin, Alma, and Midland.
Central Michigan, specifically the Greater Lansing area, is home to many statewide and nationalinsurance companies.Auto-Owners Insurance is headquartered in Delta Township and is the largest such company headquartered in the state. In downtownLansing, workers compensation insurance companyAccident Fund has its headquarters. Founded in Jackson but having headquarters in Lansing,Jackson National Life is a life insurance company serving 49 states. Smaller insurer Frankenmuth insurance has its headquarters inFrankenmuth.
General Motors operates theFlint Truck Assembly factory in Flint and Powertrain plants in Flint, Bay City, and Saginaw. Until 2004, Mid-Michigan (specificallyLansing) was also known for being the location of the mainOldsmobile plant forGeneral Motors. The plant is nowLansing Grand River Assembly. GM also operatesLansing Delta Township Assembly in Eaton County.
The world headquarters of Nexteer Automotive, a car parts supplier, is located in Saginaw. S.C. Johnson and Son has a manufacturing facility in Bay City making Ziploc products. TheDow Chemical Company andDow Corning have their world headquarters in Midland.
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CMS Energy's subsidiaryConsumers Energy andDTE Energy'sDetroit Edison both have a presence in this region and provides much of the electrical power for the lower peninsula of Michigan. CMS operates the Karn-Weadock facility inEssexville, and DTE has plants inHarbor Beach,Greenwood Township, and two plants inEast China (St. Clair Power Plant andBelle River Power Plant).
TheLansing Board of Water & Light has several of its own generating plants in the Greater Lansing area, and theMidland Cogeneration Venture is a partnership in Midland.
Renewable energies, specificallywind farms are also a rising form of electricity generation in this region. The counties ofGratiot,Tuscola, andHuron are home to many large wind farms. In Lapeer County,DTE Energy owns the largestsolar farm in Michigan.[20]
TheI-69 International Trade Corridor is a strategic commercial gateway between theMidwestern United States andOntario, Canada, with multi-modal transportation infrastructure that offers a wide range of distribution options. The I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation (NMDC) offers economic incentives to growing businesses, both existing and new, that utilize two or more forms of transportation to move their products and are located within the territory of the NMDC. The I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation is the largest in the state of Michigan with 35 municipal partners.[21]
Constituent counties of the trade corridor are:Shiawassee,Genesee,Lapeer, andSt. Clair Counties.[22]
Major educational institutions in Central Michigan include:
TheLansing State Journal is the sole daily newspaper published in metropolitan Lansing, and is owned byGannett, which also ownsThe Times Herald in Port Huron andUSA Today. TheFlint Journal[23] is available in the Flint and Lapeer areas and is published four times a week. Editions of theBay City Times,[24]Midland Daily News andSaginaw News[25] are available in the greaterTri-Cities area. TheTimes and theSaginaw News published three times a week, while theMidland Daily News publishes daily.The Great Lakes Bay Edition, a joint publication between theSaginaw News and theBay City Times, focuses on those two cities, as well as Midland, and publishes once a week. TheHearst Corporation owns theMidland Daily News and theHuron Daily Tribune. Mount Pleasant is served by a daily newspaper calledThe Morning Sun.[26]
TheDetroit Free Press andThe Detroit News are available throughout the area.
The region is served by multiple radio stations. For a complete listing of stations, see one of the following markets:
Television in the Central Michigan area varies from market to market. Availability of stations depends on the reception of aerial signals, as well as availability of cable and satellite in a particular area. In some areas of the region, broadcasts from all three markets can be received over the air.
Scheduled airline service is offered from LansingCapital Region International Airport.[27] Airline service is also available fromMBS International Airport[28] nearMidland, Michigan and FlintBishop International Airport.[29] Other portions are proximate toGerald R. Ford International Airport, east ofGrand Rapids, Michigan,[30] andKalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport nearKalamazoo, Michigan.[31]
Passenger rail is provided byAmtrak and has stations in East Lansing, Durand, Flint, Lapeer, and Port Huron on itsBlue Water line.
Majortrunkline routes throughout the Mid-Michigan area:
I-69 from Port Huron toFort Wayne, Indiana, connecting Flint and Lansing.
I-75 is a major artery connecting the Tri-Cities with Flint and Detroit.
I-475 business route to downtownFlint.
I-675 business route to downtownSaginaw.
I-94 from Port Huron to Chicago via Detroit, Jackson, and Battle Creek.
I-96 from Grand Rapids to Detroit via Lansing.
I-496 (R.E. Olds Freeway) in the Lansing area.
US 10 an east–west route betweenLudington andBay City, connecting multiple communities in between.
US 23 co-signed with I-75 through much of the region.
US 127 comes from the south, throughLansing, and ends its 758-mile-long (1,220 km) journey at Grayling. It directly connectsNorthern Michigan (and theMackinac Bridge via I-75) to Lansing,Ohio,Kentucky andTennessee (all the way down toChattanooga US 127 is the direct link between the state capital in Lansing and theIngham County seat inMason.
M-13 runs roughly the same route as I-75 in the Genesee County/Shiawassee County border, the Saginaw County/Genesee County border, then into Bay County, and eventually terminates to the south ofStandish in Arenac County.
M-15 runs north and south through Genesee County and Tuscola County and terminates inBay City.
M-20 is an east–west highway connectionMt. Pleasant withMidland
M-21 runs east and west, roughly the same route as I-69 in Genesee County and is a direct east–west route connectingSt. Johns andOwosso.
M-24 runs north and south in Lapeer County and Tuscola County.
M-25 is a highway of an arc-like shape closely following the outline of the Thumb along the Lake Huron/Saginaw Bay shoreline between Port Huron and Bay City.[32] It is generally a scenic drive.
M-43 is a highway in southwestern and central Michigan fromSouth Haven toWebberville. is east–west surface route nearly bisects the Lower Peninsula of Michigan latitudinally.
M-46— a cross peninsular road, running across the entire mitten including the thumb—fromPort Sanilac on theLake Huron shore; through Saginaw nearSaginaw Bay; and then on toMuskegon on theLake Michigan shore. This east-west surface route nearly bisects the Lower Peninsula of Michigan latitudinally.
M-52 is a north–south highway connectingWebberville,Perry,Owosso andSt. Charles.
M-53 (Van Dyke Road) is a gateway route to the Thumb of Michigan, carrying vacationers to the resorts and cottages on Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron in the vicinity of Caseville and Port Austin. It goes up the middle of the Thumb, and directly connects inMacomb County, Michigan to the M-53 expressway.
M-54 Dort Highway, a main road leading into Flint running roughly the same route asI-475, then follows I-75 to Birch RunMore comprehensive lists are available at individual cities, villages, etc.
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43°34′54.5″N84°46′32.5″W / 43.581806°N 84.775694°W /43.581806; -84.775694
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