The city of Ann Arbor is situated in the state of Michigan, serving as the county seat of Washtenaw County. The area population reached about 114,000 people by the year 2010 numbers. This number places it as the 6th largest city within the state of Michigan. The MSA or also called Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 that same year. The city of Ann Arbor is likewise a part of the bigger Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint MI CSA as well.
The city of Ann Arbor was founded by land speculators John Allen and Elisha Rumsey during 1824. On May 25th of that very same year, the town was registered with Wayne County as "Annsarbour." The town plaque represents the name of the settlement at the time an its origins. There are various stories regarding how the area received its name. One story states that Allen and Rumsey choses to name the city for their wives, because they were both named Ann, as well as for the stands of burr oak within the 640 acres or 260 ha of land they bought for 800 dollars from the federal government. The Ojibwa of Regional Michigan called the settlement "kaw-goosh-kaw-nick" imitating the sound of Allen's sawmill.
During 1837, the University of Michigan moved to Ann Arbor from Detroit. The city of Ann Arbor has shown considerable growth on a continual basis from throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The city went through an overall economic decline throughout the Depression of the year 1837, as did most places.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, Ann Arbor gained a reputation as an improvement center for liberal politics. The city of Ann Arbor likewise became recognized as a hub for left-wing activism and served as a central location for the anti-Vietnam War movement, the civil-rights movement and likewise the student movement.
The University of Michigan is one of the better known higher education institutions in the city. There are around 30,000 staff who are directly working at the university, 12,000 of those are working at the medical center. Some companies have been attracted to the area by the money of the University's research and development as well as by local graduates. Hence, the city's economy is mostly centered on high technology.
The main sectors of the economy of the city is the health services and biotechnology sectors. There are various medical offices, associated businesses and laboratories within Ann Arbor City. Like for instance, Visteon, General Motors and various automobile manufacturers employ residents.
Through the years, the city has experienced some hardships in handling the gentrification and rising land values. The inhabitants of Ann Arbor have had to adjust to the urban sprawl stretching far into the surrounding countryside.