Ypsilanti, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior
and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti
. Ypsilanti is also 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Ann Arbor.
The geographic grid center of Ypsilanti is the intersection of the Huron River
and Michigan Avenue, the latter of which connects downtown Detroit, Michigan
with Chicago, Illinois, and through Ypsilanti is partially coextensive with U.S. Route 12 Business and M-17
.
On July 23, 2007 Governor Jennifer Granholm
announced that Ypsilanti, along with the cities of Caro
and Clio
, was chosen by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to take part in the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns program. The award provides for an economic development consultant to assist Ypsilanti in developing a growth and job creation strategy for the downtown area.
, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River
in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Demetrius Ypsilanti
, a hero in the Greek War of Independence
. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, and the two communities eventually merged.
A bust of Demetrius Ypsilanti
stands between a Greek and a US flag at the base of the landmark Ypsilanti Water Tower
. The tower is often referred to as "The Brick Dick" because of its unique use of brick in the Queen Anne style and phallic resemblance; it was named the world's most phallic building
in a contest held by Cabinet magazine.
(whose family owned the Ypsilanti Machine Tool Company) designed and built the prototypes for his Tucker '48
. Tucker's story was related in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream
, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
.
In 1945, Henry J. Kaiser
and Joseph W. Frazer
bought the nearby Willow Run
B-24 Liberator
bomber plant from Ford Motor Company
, and started to make Kaiser and Frazer
model cars in 1947. The last Kaiser
car made in Ypsilanti rolled off the assembly line in 1953, when the company merged with Willys-Overland and moved production to Toledo, Ohio
. General Motors purchased the Kaiser Frazer plant, and converted it into its Hydramatic Division
(now called its Powertrain division), beginning production in November 1953. The GM Powertrain Division ceased production at this facility in 2010.
Ypsilanti is also the location of the last Hudson
automobile dealership. Today, the former dealership is the site of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
. The museum is the home to an original Fabulous Hudson Hornet
race car, which inspired the character "Doc Hudson" in the recent animated film Cars
developed by Pixar
.
, the citizens reduced the penalty for the use and sale of marijuana
to $5 (the Ypsilanti Marijuana Initiative; see also the Human Rights Party). When Ypsilanti prosecuted a man possessing 100 pounds of cannabis under state law, the defense argued he should have been charged under Ypsilanti's ordinance. The trial judge declared the ordinance's requirement that Ypsilanti prosecute only under city law unenforceable. An appeal court upheld the trial judge's ruling. Later, Ypsilanti City Council, using its power of codification, deleted the ordinance.
In 1979, Faz Husain
was elected to the Ypsilanti city council, the first Muslim
and the first native of India to win elected office in Michigan.
In the 1990s Ypsilanti became the first city in Michigan to pass a living wage
ordinance.
In the late 1990s, the city adopted an ordinance to ban discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation
, gender identity
/transgender
status, body weight (i.e., being obese
or underweight
). Two ballot measures to repeal the ordinance were led and bankrolled by conservatives, including Tom Monaghan
. Both measures failed, the second by a larger percentage than the first.
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²). 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) is water. The total area is 2.45% water. The Huron River flows through both the City of Ypsilanti and the Charter Township of Ypsilanti.
Ypsilanti is located at 42.24°N 83.62°W, in the western reaches of the Detroit/Windsor metropolitan area. Suburban development between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, via Washtenaw Avenue and Packard Road, has been unbroken since the late 1960s.
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,362 people, 8,551 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density
was 5,081.5 per square mile (1,962.3/km²). There were 9,215 housing units at an average density of 2,094.0 per square mile (808.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.40% White, 30.58% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.18% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races
, and 3.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population. 13.6% were of German
, 6.8% Irish
, 6.4% English
and 5.5% Polish
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 8,551 households out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.0% were married couples
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.5% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.9% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,610, and the median income for a family was $40,793. Males had a median income of $30,328 versus $26,745 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,692. About 16.9% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
, founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Today, Eastern Michigan University has 18,000+ undergraduate and more than 4800 graduate students. As well, Ypsilanti is home to a Washtenaw Community College (WCC) sponsored off-site extension center.
, a major online resource for the field of linguistics
. It is mostly staffed by graduate students who attend Eastern Michigan University
and runs several database websites and mailing lists.
to flee the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
in New York City
to areas like Bushwick, nearby Ann Arbor has experienced massive increases in land value and taxes over the last several decades. Despite Ann Arbor's reputation in the region as a bohemian
cultural center, many creative people have been driven out of the city to Ypsilanti due to these changes. A vibrant, underground arts scene has begun to emerge as a result. This community gathers semiannually at the juried Shadow Art Fair held at The Corner Brewery.
Since 1979, the city has become known for summer festivals in the part of the city called "Depot Town
", which is adjacent to both Riverside and Frog Island Parks along the banks of the Huron River. Festivals include the annual Heritage Festival, the Elvis Festival, the Orphan Car Festival, the Michigan Brewers Guild
Summer Beer Festival, the former Frog Island Festival, and a Latino festival.
Overlooking Riverside Park is the non-profit Riverside Arts Center. Established in 1994 through the efforts of the Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority and several public spirited citizens, the Riverside boasts a 115 seat black box theater
, a sizeable art gallery and some meeting rooms and offices. In 2006 the adjacent DTE building was renovated with "Cool Cities Initiative
" money and is in the process of being incorporated into the center's activities.
Domino's Pizza
was founded in Ypsilanti in 1960 near the campus of Eastern Michigan University.
Painter Fay Kleinman
moved to Ypsilanti in the late 1980s with her husband, pianist Emanuel Levenson
.
Author Kurt Vonnegut
has a chapter titled "Girl From Ypsilanti" in his 2005 book A Man Without a Country
Author/comic Steve Martin
mentions Ypsilanti in his short story "A Public Apology" from his book Pure Drivel
Noted comic strip artist and film animation pioneer Winsor McCay
received his first and only formal art training in Ypsilanti at Michigan State Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University
. He is best remembered for the strip Little Nemo In Slumberland and the early cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur
.
Depot Town
in Ypsilanti is also home to the Michigan ElvisFest
every summer.
Ypsilanti has the second largest contiguous historic district in the state of Michigan, behind only the much larger city of Grand Rapids
. The historic district includes both downtown Ypsilanti, along Michigan Avenue, and the Depot Town area adjacent to Frog Island Park and Riverside Park, which features many specialty shops, bars and grills, and a farmers' market
.
The Ypsilanti Water Tower, adjacent to the campus of Eastern Michigan University, holds the unique distinction of being the winner of the Most Phallic Building contest
.
Other sites of interest include:
, which then began publishing an Ypsilanti edition. The Ann Arbor News ceased publication on July 23, 2009; it was replaced by a new Internet-based news operation, AnnArbor.com
, which also produces print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. A weekly newspaper, the Ypsilanti Courier, is published every Thursday by Heritage Media from their Saline, MI offices. There are also two Internet-based news outlets that cover local Ypsilanti news, sports and politics: YpsiNews.com, which started in August 2006, and the Ypsilanti Citizen, which started in November 2008.
Local radio stations include:
US highways
Michigan State Trunklines
Airports
Railroads
Non-motorized Transportation
Because a large number of residents or their ancestors migrated from Appalachia
, certain neighborhoods (particularly on the far east side of the city and into Ypsilanti Township) are sometimes called "Ypsitucky." Harriet Arnow's book The Dollmaker
, which was made into a film starring Jane Fonda
, focused on the lives of these "Ypsituckians."
Recently, the use of the term "Ypsitucky" has come under increased scrutiny due to its historically derogatory connotation. In 2008, the issue was raised after a dinner being held in Ann Arbor to honor Harriette Arnow was described as an "Ypsitucky Supper" in some of the event organizer's media releases. In 2009, planning began for the "Ypsitucky Jamboree," a new music festival celebrating bluegrass music to be held in Ypsilanti in September 2009; this resulted in objections from some area residents and some members of the City Council, leading to renaming the event as simply "The Jamboree."
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior
Superior Township, Washtenaw County, Michigan
Superior Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,740 at the 2000 census....
and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti
Ypsilanti Township, Michigan
Ypsilanti Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 49,182...
. Ypsilanti is also 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Ann Arbor.
The geographic grid center of Ypsilanti is the intersection of the Huron River
Huron River (Michigan)
The Huron River is a river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Indian Springs Metropark in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County...
and Michigan Avenue, the latter of which connects downtown Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
with Chicago, Illinois, and through Ypsilanti is partially coextensive with U.S. Route 12 Business and M-17
M-17 (Michigan highway)
M-17 is a long state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926...
.
On July 23, 2007 Governor Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor...
announced that Ypsilanti, along with the cities of Caro
Caro, Michigan
Caro is a city in and the county seat of Tuscola County, Michigan, United States. The population was 4,229 at the 2010 census and 4,145 at the 2000 census ....
and Clio
Clio, Michigan
Clio is a city in Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan.As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 2,483. Clio is home to Michigan's second tallest construction, the WEYI Tower...
, was chosen by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to take part in the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns program. The award provides for an economic development consultant to assist Ypsilanti in developing a growth and job creation strategy for the downtown area.
History
Originally a trading post established in 1809 by Gabriel Godfroy, a French-Canadian fur trader from MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River
Huron River (Michigan)
The Huron River is a river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Indian Springs Metropark in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County...
in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Demetrius Ypsilanti
Demetrius Ypsilanti
Dimitrios Ypsilantis , , , also spelt Demetrius Ypsilanti, dragoman of the Ottoman Empire, served as an officer in the Russian Army in Moldavia, was appointed as the first Field Marshal in modern Greece by Ioannis Kapodistrias, a hero of the Greek War of Independence, and brother of Alexander...
, a hero in the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, and the two communities eventually merged.
A bust of Demetrius Ypsilanti
Demetrius Ypsilanti
Dimitrios Ypsilantis , , , also spelt Demetrius Ypsilanti, dragoman of the Ottoman Empire, served as an officer in the Russian Army in Moldavia, was appointed as the first Field Marshal in modern Greece by Ioannis Kapodistrias, a hero of the Greek War of Independence, and brother of Alexander...
stands between a Greek and a US flag at the base of the landmark Ypsilanti Water Tower
Ypsilanti Water Tower
The Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States.The tower was designed by William R. Coats and constructed as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in Ypsilanti, the tower was completed in 1890 at a...
. The tower is often referred to as "The Brick Dick" because of its unique use of brick in the Queen Anne style and phallic resemblance; it was named the world's most phallic building
Most Phallic Building contest
The World's Most Phallic Building contest was a contest held in 2003 by Cabinet magazine to find the building which most resembled a human phallus...
in a contest held by Cabinet magazine.
- 1809 - Trading post established by French-Canadian Gabriel Godfroy from Montreal
- 1823 - Village of Woodruff's Grove platPlatA plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted - April 21, 1825 - Plat recorded under the name Ypsilanti
- 1827 - Ypsilanti Township organized
- June 19, 1832 - Woodruff's Grove re-organized and incorporated as the Village of Ypsilanti
- 1849 - Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
founded as Michigan State Normal School - February 4, 1858 - Village of Ypsilanti reincorporated as a city
- 1890 - Michigan's first InterurbanInterurbanAn interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
, the Ypsi-AnnAnn Arbor and Ypsilanti Street RailwayThe Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Street Railway, known informally as the Ypsi-Ann, was an interurban railroad operating in southeastern Michigan; it was the first such operation in the state.- History :...
, begins service - 1960-Tom MonaghanTom MonaghanThomas Stephen "Tom" Monaghan is an entrepreneur and Catholic philanthropist and activist who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983-1992....
founds Domino's PizzaDomino's PizzaDomino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
as DomiNick's Pizza at 507 W. Cross St, Ypsilanti. - 1967-1969 - Ypsilanti resident John Norman Collins is suspected of being the perpetrator of the Michigan murdersMichigan murdersJohn Norman Collins is a serial killer who was found guilty for one of the "Michigan Murders", as they came to be called by various media sources and locals. He is allegedly responsible for all but one of the other murders...
, a series of murders of coeds at the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and Eastern Michigan University. He was convicted in 1969, but of only one of the murders. - 1972-Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
professor Henry Aldridge creates the Electronic Media and Film Studies program at EMU.
Automotive history
Ypsilanti has played an important role in the automobile industry. From 1920-1922, Apex Motors produced the "ACE" car. It was in Ypsilanti that Preston TuckerPreston Tucker
Preston Thomas Tucker was an American automobile designer and entrepreneur.He is most remembered for his 1948 Tucker Sedan , an automobile which introduced many features that have since become widely used in modern cars...
(whose family owned the Ypsilanti Machine Tool Company) designed and built the prototypes for his Tucker '48
1948 Tucker Sedan
The 1948 Tucker Sedan or Tucker '48 Sedan was an advanced automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and briefly produced in Chicago in 1948...
. Tucker's story was related in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Tucker: The Man and His Dream
Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film recounts the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the "Big Three automobile...
, directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
.
In 1945, Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
and Joseph W. Frazer
Joseph W. Frazer
Joseph Washington Frazer was a 20th-century American automobile company executive employed in succession by Chrysler, Willys-Overland, Graham-Paige and Kaiser-Frazer Corporation...
bought the nearby Willow Run
Willow Run
The Willow Run manufacturing plant, located between Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan, was constructed during World War II by Ford Motor Company for the mass production of the B-24 Liberator military aircraft....
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bomber plant from Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, and started to make Kaiser and Frazer
Kaiser-Frazer
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was the result of a partnership between automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer and industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. In 1947, the company acquired the automotive assets of Graham-Paige, of which Frazer had been president before the Second World War...
model cars in 1947. The last Kaiser
Kaiser Motors
Kaiser Motors Corporation made automobiles at Willow Run, Michigan, United States, from 1945 to 1953. In 1953, Kaiser merged with Willys-Overland to form Willys Motors Incorporated, moving its production operations to the Willys plant at Toledo, Ohio...
car made in Ypsilanti rolled off the assembly line in 1953, when the company merged with Willys-Overland and moved production to Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. General Motors purchased the Kaiser Frazer plant, and converted it into its Hydramatic Division
Roto Hydramatic
Roto Hydramatic was an automatic transmission built by General Motors and used on Buick and on some Oldsmobile and Pontiac models from 1961-1964...
(now called its Powertrain division), beginning production in November 1953. The GM Powertrain Division ceased production at this facility in 2010.
Ypsilanti is also the location of the last Hudson
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
automobile dealership. Today, the former dealership is the site of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum
Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection
The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan is a unique automotive museum that is home to production cars from the Willow Run Plant and Hudson Motors...
. The museum is the home to an original Fabulous Hudson Hornet
Fabulous Hudson Hornet
The Fabulous Hudson Hornet was a famous NASCAR Grand National and AAA stock car produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company. Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas each drove in a Hudson Hornet that they nicknamed the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet"....
race car, which inspired the character "Doc Hudson" in the recent animated film Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
developed by Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
.
Political history
In the early 1970s, along with neighboring city of Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, the citizens reduced the penalty for the use and sale of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
to $5 (the Ypsilanti Marijuana Initiative; see also the Human Rights Party). When Ypsilanti prosecuted a man possessing 100 pounds of cannabis under state law, the defense argued he should have been charged under Ypsilanti's ordinance. The trial judge declared the ordinance's requirement that Ypsilanti prosecute only under city law unenforceable. An appeal court upheld the trial judge's ruling. Later, Ypsilanti City Council, using its power of codification, deleted the ordinance.
In 1979, Faz Husain
Faz Husain
Faizi Faz Husain was a pizza shop owner, Muslim community leader, and local politician in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area of Michigan....
was elected to the Ypsilanti city council, the first Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and the first native of India to win elected office in Michigan.
In the 1990s Ypsilanti became the first city in Michigan to pass a living wage
Living wage
In public policy, a living wage is the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs . These needs include shelter and other incidentals such as clothing and nutrition...
ordinance.
In the late 1990s, the city adopted an ordinance to ban discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodation on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
/transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
status, body weight (i.e., being obese
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
or underweight
Underweight
The term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. "Underweight" means weighing less than what is expected to be a healthy person . The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index . A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight...
). Two ballot measures to repeal the ordinance were led and bankrolled by conservatives, including Tom Monaghan
Tom Monaghan
Thomas Stephen "Tom" Monaghan is an entrepreneur and Catholic philanthropist and activist who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983-1992....
. Both measures failed, the second by a larger percentage than the first.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²). 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) is water. The total area is 2.45% water. The Huron River flows through both the City of Ypsilanti and the Charter Township of Ypsilanti.
Ypsilanti is located at 42.24°N 83.62°W, in the western reaches of the Detroit/Windsor metropolitan area. Suburban development between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, via Washtenaw Avenue and Packard Road, has been unbroken since the late 1960s.
Demographics
As of Census 2010 Ypsilanti had a population that was 59.39% Non-Hispanic white, 29.17% Black, 0.58%Native American, 3.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.22% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 4.26% two or more races and 3.90% Hispanic or Latino.As of the census of 2000, there were 22,362 people, 8,551 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,081.5 per square mile (1,962.3/km²). There were 9,215 housing units at an average density of 2,094.0 per square mile (808.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.40% White, 30.58% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.18% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population. 13.6% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 6.8% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, 6.4% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and 5.5% Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 8,551 households out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.5% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.9% under the age of 18, 38.2% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,610, and the median income for a family was $40,793. Males had a median income of $30,328 versus $26,745 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,692. About 16.9% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
K-12 education
Ypsilanti Public Schools serve residents of the city, as well as parts of Ypsilanti Township.Higher education
A college town, Ypsilanti is home to Eastern Michigan UniversityEastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
, founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Today, Eastern Michigan University has 18,000+ undergraduate and more than 4800 graduate students. As well, Ypsilanti is home to a Washtenaw Community College (WCC) sponsored off-site extension center.
The LINGUIST List
Ypsilanti is also the home to the main editing site of the Linguist ListLinguist List
The LINGUIST List is a major online resource for the academic field of linguistics. It was founded by Anthony Aristar in early 1990 at the University of Western Australia, and is used as a reference by the National Science Foundation in the United States...
, a major online resource for the field of linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
. It is mostly staffed by graduate students who attend Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
and runs several database websites and mailing lists.
Culture
It has been said that Ypsilanti is the Brooklyn to Ann Arbor's Manhattan. Comparable to the gentrification causing many artists, poets, musicians, and hipstersHipster (contemporary subculture)
Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...
to flee the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to areas like Bushwick, nearby Ann Arbor has experienced massive increases in land value and taxes over the last several decades. Despite Ann Arbor's reputation in the region as a bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
cultural center, many creative people have been driven out of the city to Ypsilanti due to these changes. A vibrant, underground arts scene has begun to emerge as a result. This community gathers semiannually at the juried Shadow Art Fair held at The Corner Brewery.
Since 1979, the city has become known for summer festivals in the part of the city called "Depot Town
Depot Town
Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts, in Ypsilanti, Michigan's historic district. Depot Town proper consists of East Cross Street from the Huron River to North River Street, and a small area on the 300-block of North River Street. However, several blocks in the...
", which is adjacent to both Riverside and Frog Island Parks along the banks of the Huron River. Festivals include the annual Heritage Festival, the Elvis Festival, the Orphan Car Festival, the Michigan Brewers Guild
Michigan Brewers Guild
The Michigan Brewers Guild is a non-profit corporation dedicated to increasing sales of Michigan brewed beer through promotions, marketing, public awareness, and consumer education while monitoring and assuring a healthy beer industry within the state....
Summer Beer Festival, the former Frog Island Festival, and a Latino festival.
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
, a sizeable art gallery and some meeting rooms and offices. In 2006 the adjacent DTE building was renovated with "Cool Cities Initiative
Cool Cities Initiative
Cool Cities Initiative is an initiative started by Governor Jennifer Granholm to spur growth and investment in Michigan during a period of economic decline. The Initiative was proposed in 2003 in response to students attending college in Michigan and then seeking employment out of state...
" money and is in the process of being incorporated into the center's activities.
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. Founded in 1960, Domino's is the second-largest pizza chain in the United States and has over 9,000 corporate and franchised stores in 60 countries and all 50 U.S....
was founded in Ypsilanti in 1960 near the campus of Eastern Michigan University.
Painter Fay Kleinman
Fay Kleinman
Fay Kleinman is an American painter. She has also been known by her married names, Fay Skurnick, then Fay Levenson.Most of her work is oil on canvas, but she has done some mixed-media work and watercolor. She has exhibited in museums in New York and Massachusetts and in galleries throughout the...
moved to Ypsilanti in the late 1980s with her husband, pianist Emanuel Levenson
Emanuel Levenson
Emanuel Levenson was an American classical musician most active from the early 1950s through the early 1970s. Best known at the time as an opera director, he also taught piano and voice, performed as a concert pianist, and founded several arts organizations which survive to this day.A graduate of...
.
Author Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
has a chapter titled "Girl From Ypsilanti" in his 2005 book A Man Without a Country
A Man Without a Country
A Man Without a Country is an essay collection published in 2005 by the author Kurt Vonnegut. The extremely short essays that comprise this book deal with topics ranging from the importance of humor, to problems with modern technology, to Vonnegut's opinions on the differences between men and women...
Author/comic Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
mentions Ypsilanti in his short story "A Public Apology" from his book Pure Drivel
Pure Drivel
Pure Drivel is a collection of stories by Steve Martin, published in 1998, many of which first appeared in The New Yorker.-External links:* at Amazon.com...
Noted comic strip artist and film animation pioneer Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
received his first and only formal art training in Ypsilanti at Michigan State Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
. He is best remembered for the strip Little Nemo In Slumberland and the early cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur
Gertie the Dinosaur
Gertie the Dinosaur is a 1914 American animated short film by Winsor McCay. Although not the first feature-length animated film, as is sometimes thought, it was the first cartoon to feature a character with an appealing personality...
.
Depot Town
Depot Town
Depot Town is a commercial area, with some residences above storefronts, in Ypsilanti, Michigan's historic district. Depot Town proper consists of East Cross Street from the Huron River to North River Street, and a small area on the 300-block of North River Street. However, several blocks in the...
in Ypsilanti is also home to the Michigan ElvisFest
Michigan ElvisFest
The Michigan ElvisFest is an annual two-day festival occurring each July in Riverside Park and Depot Town in Ypsilanti, Michigan, celebrating the life and fans of Elvis Presley.-History:The Michigan ElvisFest was founded in 1999...
every summer.
In music
- The Ypsilanti City Council declared Lee Osler's "Back To Ypsilanti" the city's official song in 1983.
- Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
grew up in the Coachville trailer park on Carpenter Road in Pittsfield TownshipPittsfield Charter Township, MichiganPittsfield Charter Township is a charter township south of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,167 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
(Ypsilanti) during his teenage years at the start of his music career.
- Ypsilanti is the subject of Sufjan StevensSufjan StevensSufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
' song, "For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti", on his 2003 album MichiganMichigan (album)Bonus tracks included on the double-disc vinyl release:#"Marching Band" – 3:41#"Niagara Falls" – 2:22#"Pickerel Lake" – 3:11#"Presidents and Magistrates" – 4:16#"Vito's Ordination Song" – 5:25#"Wolverine" – 2:10...
.
- A portrait of jazz guitarist Randy NapoleonRandy NapoleonRandy Napoleon is a jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger who is a member of The Freddy Cole Quartet and the leader of the Randy Napoleon Trio. He has toured with Benny Green, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra , led by John Clayton, Jeff Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, and with Michael Bublé.-Early...
, painted by his grandmother, Fay Kleinman, is part of the permanent art collection of the Ypsilanti District Library. Napoleon performed his first public gig as leader at the age of twelve under a tent at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, an event sponsored by WEMUWEMUWEMU is the public broadcasting service of Eastern Michigan University.A National Public Radio affiliate whose primary market is Washtenaw County and the surrounding area, WEMU carries the standard NPR news magazines All Things Considered and Morning Edition...
radio.
- The Deluxtone RocketsThe Deluxtone RocketsThe Deluxtone Rockets are a band from Muskegon, Michigan. They began as a punk band, but by the time of their signing to Tooth & Nail Records they had evolved into a swing revival outfit....
originated in Ypsilanti.
- Noise musicians Wolf EyesWolf EyesWolf Eyes is a post-industrial/noise band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.-History:Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000...
hail from Ypsilanti.
- Joe Henry performed "Ypsilanti", an instrumental track included on the Loudon Wainwright III album, "Strange Weirdos: Music From and Inspired by the Film Knocked Up" (2007). It is purported that Joe Henry formerly lived in Ypsilanti.
- Daniel May's 'Girl From Ypsilanti', from the Fight Club soundtrack.
- The president of the Motown Alumni Association Billy J. Wilson was raised throughout the city and township. Wilson also played bass guitar for stars such as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, The Contours, Marv Johnson, Valerie Barrymore and the Foundation of Funk, and other superstar artists of the Motown era, along with a group titled Bigfoot. The Ypsilanti based group also had a drummer Stevie Bray that went on to produce mega star Madonna.
- Musician Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
references Ypsilanti in his song "Sulphur to Sugarcane" from his 2009 album Secret, Profane & SugarcaneSecret, Profane & SugarcaneSecret, Profane & Sugarcane is the 2009 studio album by Elvis Costello. It was recorded in Nashville with American songwriter and producer T Bone Burnett, and released on June 9 2009 on the Hear Music label...
. The lyric goes as follows: "The women in Poughkeepsie take their clothes off when they´re tipsy / But I hear in Ypsilanti they don´t wear any panties"
- Musician, author, performance artist, and puppeteer Patrick ElkinsPatrick ElkinsPatrick Ryan Elkins is an American author, performance artist, puppeteer and songwriter. As a musician, he has played with a number of groups including The Rainbow Vomit Family Band, Pine Cones, Hot Meat for Young Lovers, Nausea Valley, Catch A Wave, Ever Will You Get There, Orgasmic Cookies,...
hails from Ypsilanti.
- Noted harpsichord maker John ChallisJohn Challis (harpsichord)John Challis was an American builder of harpsichords and clavichords.His father Charles was a jeweler and watchmaker, who moved his family from South Lyon, Michigan to Ypsilanti, Michigan in 1919....
originated in Ypsilanti.
- Singer-songwriter John HamminkJohn HamminkJohn Hammink is an American engineer, musician, writer and linguist from Ohio.Hammink was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1993 with a B.A. in Linguistics. He emigrated to Finland in 1996 to lecture at Jyväskylä Polytechnic, and to Estonia in 2003...
performed in various acts and solo around Ypsilanti in the early 1990s.
In TV
- An episode of the TV series "Supernatural"Supernatural (TV series)Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
called "A Very Supernatural Christmas" partially takes place in Ypsilanti.
- An episode of the TV series God, The Devil and BobGod, the Devil and BobGod, the Devil and Bob is an animated sitcom which premiered on NBC on March 9, 2000 and ended on March 28, 2000, leaving nine episodes unaired. It was created by Matthew Carlson. It is currently broadcast on the Philippine channel Maxxx. The entire series was released on Region 1 DVD in the...
called "Lonely At The Top", God poses as a human named Arthur who transferred from Ypsilanti.
- A TV commercial created by Google called "Dave Strenski: New Energy for Detroit", it features Dave Strenski the founder of Solar YpsiSolar YpsiSolar Ypsi is an organization founded by Dave Strenski, installing solar panels within Ypsilanti, MI.These installations are supported by state funded grants intended to reduce reliance on electricity created by out of state fuel sources...
talking about the impact of solar projects on Ypsilanti.
Sites of interest
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. The historic district includes both downtown Ypsilanti, along Michigan Avenue, and the Depot Town area adjacent to Frog Island Park and Riverside Park, which features many specialty shops, bars and grills, and a farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
.
The Ypsilanti Water Tower, adjacent to the campus of Eastern Michigan University, holds the unique distinction of being the winner of the Most Phallic Building contest
Most Phallic Building contest
The World's Most Phallic Building contest was a contest held in 2003 by Cabinet magazine to find the building which most resembled a human phallus...
.
Other sites of interest include:
- Ypsilanti District LibraryYpsilanti District LibraryThe Ypsilanti District Library is a library that serves Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, and Superior Township in eastern Washtenaw County, Michigan, with a permanent branch in each municipality, as well as a bookmobile that travels throughout the service area...
- Ypsilanti Historical Museum (housed in a Victorian mansion built in 1860)
- Automotive Heritage MuseumYpsilanti Automotive Heritage CollectionThe Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum in Ypsilanti, Michigan is a unique automotive museum that is home to production cars from the Willow Run Plant and Hudson Motors...
- Michigan Firehouse Museum
- Ypsilanti Water TowerYpsilanti Water TowerThe Ypsilanti Water Tower is a historic water tower in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States.The tower was designed by William R. Coats and constructed as part of an elaborate city waterworks project that began in 1889. Located on the highest point in Ypsilanti, the tower was completed in 1890 at a...
(built in 1890) - Ypsilanti Food Co-opYpsilanti Food Co-opThe Ypsilanti Food Co-op is a food cooperative located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Located in historic Depot Town, it is Michigan's only solar-powered grocery store. Also owned by the Co-op is the River Street Bakery, which features the only wood-fired brick oven in commercial use in Washtenaw County...
- Highland CemeteryHighland CemeteryHighland Cemetery in Ypsilanti, Michigan is a cemetery founded in 1864. It was designed by Col. James Lewis Glenn in 1863.The cemetery is the site of the Starkweather Memorial Chapel which was commissioned by Mary Ann Starkweather to honor her husband. The chapel, an example of Richardsonian...
- Pease AuditoriumPease AuditoriumPease Auditorium is a music venue on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Built in 1914, Pease auditorium is the 4th oldest standing building on Eastern Michigan University's campus. The auditorium was constructed in 1914 for $243,963. For the time, that was a...
(on the campus of Eastern Michigan University) - Starkweather Hall, built in 1896 as a student religious center (currently housing EMU Honors College)
Local media
Ypsilanti is served by daily newspapers from Detroit. Ypsilanti once had its own daily newspaper, the Ypsilanti Press, but that paper closed in the 1990s. Upon closing, the Press sold its masthead, archives and subscriber list to the Ann Arbor NewsAnn Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News was a newspaper serving Washtenaw and Livingston counties in Michigan. Published in Ann Arbor, under various names from 1835 to 2009, The News was part of Booth Newspapers, owned by Advance Publications Inc. The News was published in the afternoons Monday through Friday and in...
, which then began publishing an Ypsilanti edition. The Ann Arbor News ceased publication on July 23, 2009; it was replaced by a new Internet-based news operation, AnnArbor.com
AnnArbor.com
AnnArbor.com is an online newspaper that covers local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan and the surrounding Washtenaw County, Michigan.- Overview :...
, which also produces print editions on Thursdays and Sundays. A weekly newspaper, the Ypsilanti Courier, is published every Thursday by Heritage Media from their Saline, MI offices. There are also two Internet-based news outlets that cover local Ypsilanti news, sports and politics: YpsiNews.com, which started in August 2006, and the Ypsilanti Citizen, which started in November 2008.
Local radio stations include:
- WEMU FMWEMUWEMU is the public broadcasting service of Eastern Michigan University.A National Public Radio affiliate whose primary market is Washtenaw County and the surrounding area, WEMU carries the standard NPR news magazines All Things Considered and Morning Edition...
(89.1 FM), a public radio station, which broadcasts jazz and blues music and NPR news from Eastern Michigan University - WQBRWQBR (AM)WQBR-AM is the student radio station of Eastern Michigan University. Originally broadcasting via carrier current at 640 AM and receivable throughout EMU's campus , the signal has since switched to 610 AM, and can no longer be heard more than ten feet from the transmitter site in the Quirk Building...
(610 AM carrier-current and University Cable Channel 10), EMU's student-run radio station - WDEOWDEO (AM)WDEO is a radio station broadcasting on 990 kilohertz in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Broadcasting Catholic programming, WDEO is operated by Ave Maria Radio....
(990 AM), a Catholic religious radio station targeting the Detroit area - WSDSWSDSWSDS is a radio station in Superior Charter Township, Michigan, that broadcasts at 1480 kHz. Known as "La Explosiva," WSDS carries an all-Spanish schedule featuring contemporary music from a wide variety of genres, most notably Regional Mexican but also including romantica, Spanish rock, salsa,...
(1480 AM), licensed to nearby Salem and a former longtime country-music station, now broadcasts Spanish-language popular music as "La Explosiva" and has studios in Ypsilanti. - WAAMWAAMWAAM is a radio station in Ann Arbor, Michigan that broadcasts on AM 1600. Known as "WAAM Talk 1600" , WAAM broadcasts with 5,000 watts of power. The station is owned by Coolarity A2, LLC. Until recently, the station broadcast in AM Stereo.-Early History: WHRV:The station signed on as WHRV in...
(1600 AM), a conservative Talk and News station serving Washtenaw County. Broadcasting local talk, sports and music shows. Owned by First Broadcasting.
Transportation
Interstates
I-94Interstate 94Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
bypasses the city to the south.
US highways
US 12U.S. Route 12U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
travels east to Detroit and west toward Chicago; it runs concurrently with I-94 from exit 181 to the west of the city to exit 185 to the east of the city.
US 23U.S. Route 23 in MichiganUS Highway 23 is a United States Numbered Highway that runs from Jacksonville, Florida to Mackinaw City, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan, it is a major north–south state trunkline highway that runs through the Lower Peninsula...
passes just west of the city.
BUS US 12 is a loop route through downtown Ypsilanti.
Michigan State Trunklines
M-17M-17 (Michigan highway)M-17 is a long state trunkline highway in the U.S. state of Michigan, connecting the cities of Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County. It was once part of a highway that spanned the southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan before the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926...
connects Ypsilanti with nearby Ann Arbor.
Airports
- Willow Run AirportWillow Run AirportWillow Run Airport is an airport located in Van Buren Charter Township and in Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients...
, located near Ypsilanti, serves a variety of freight and general aviationGeneral aviationGeneral aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
air traffic. Major international freight carriers Kalitta AirKalitta AirKalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, United States. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.-History:...
and National AirlinesNational Airlines (NA)National Airlines was an airline founded in 1934 and was headquartered on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States near Miami.- History :...
are based there, however there are no scheduled commercial flights. Willow Run was once one of the Detroit area's major commercial airports, hosting international flights to Europe, but all commercial traffic had switched to nearby Detroit Metro Airport by 1967.
Railroads
- Amtrak'sAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
twice daily Wolverine service from Chicago to Pontiac passes through Ypsilanti, but does not stop. Amtrak's last passenger train stopped in Ypsilanti in 1984. Amtrak and area leaders have said they are considering reinstating a stop at Ypsilanti, however.
Non-motorized Transportation
- The Border-to-Border TrailBorder-to-Border TrailThe Border-to-Border Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The trail is planned to cover approximately from Livingston County to Wayne County along the Huron River....
winds through Ypsilanti, linking the city to Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and (eventually) DexterDexter, MichiganDexter is a village in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The majority of the village is in the northwest corner of Scio Township with a small portion in Webster Township. The population was 4,067 at the 2010 census...
.
Nicknames
Ypsilanti is often shortened to "Ypsi," particularly in spoken conversation and local/regional usage.Because a large number of residents or their ancestors migrated from Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
, certain neighborhoods (particularly on the far east side of the city and into Ypsilanti Township) are sometimes called "Ypsitucky." Harriet Arnow's book The Dollmaker
The Dollmaker
The Dollmaker is an American made-for-TV movie, starring Jane Fonda. It was first broadcast on ABC in 1984. The movie is based on the novel of the same title, written by Harriette Arnow and originally published in 1954.-Plot summary:...
, which was made into a film starring Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
, focused on the lives of these "Ypsituckians."
Recently, the use of the term "Ypsitucky" has come under increased scrutiny due to its historically derogatory connotation. In 2008, the issue was raised after a dinner being held in Ann Arbor to honor Harriette Arnow was described as an "Ypsitucky Supper" in some of the event organizer's media releases. In 2009, planning began for the "Ypsitucky Jamboree," a new music festival celebrating bluegrass music to be held in Ypsilanti in September 2009; this resulted in objections from some area residents and some members of the City Council, leading to renaming the event as simply "The Jamboree."