When was saginaw michigan founded

At this point, there was still no bridge for easy river crossing. Timber Boom The Saginaw County population in was 2, These small villages included: Salina; once at Center Avenue and S. The next year brought the first bridge across Saginaw River, Genesee Bridge toll bridge.

In actress Marie Dressler was born in Saginaw. But in three years time, there was a strike among workers in sawmills, demanding a 10 hour work day, organized by the Knights of Labor. Eventually, the National Guard was called out to maintain peace. The strike dwindled away, with mill owners gaining control over workers. Salt production flourished during lumber boom. Waste from the sawmills was used to make salt from brine water.

This was no longer profitable after the lumber industry declined. In Riverside Park opens on Green Point. Merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, balloon ascensions, pavilion dancing, all served by Union St.

None of which remains now. The First Half of the 20th Century saw new industries developed after the lumber era. The first sugar beet factory in Saginaw was located at S. Migration from across the country, particularly from the Southern United States , drastically increased Saginaw's population during the war years and through the s. This population growth included the expanded presence of African Americans and Latinos in Saginaw.

Even before the end of the war, the needs of Saginaw's growth became clear, and were met by significant investment in the city's infrastructure. In , Saginaw and the nearby city of Midland constructed a mile long water supply pipeline drawing water from Whitestone Point in Lake Huron to meet the anticipated needs of the communities.

In the years following World War II , the Michigan state legislature enacted laws making it increasingly difficult for incorporated cities to expand by annexing territory from neighboring townships. Townships, which had historically served an agrarian, smaller population than that of the larger cities, were given the ability to provide nearly all of the same services that an incorporated city could. Although Midland pursued and continues to pursue a policy of "No annexation, no water," [30] Saginaw chose instead to sell water to neighboring communities under long-term contracts.

This allowed the townships to further develop at the expense of the city, the limits of which changed little after consolidation in The unintended consequence of this choice was that the city of Saginaw stopped growing in population, new housing development focused on the suburban townships, and eventually, businesses would follow. The manufacturing presence in Saginaw declined in the latter half of the 20th century, leading to high unemployment throughout the city.

As a result, the city's population diminished; from to , the population of Saginaw proper had decreased by nearly ten thousand people, and Michigan's state population during that time period decreased by 0. In addition, Saginaw has faced increasing social problems relating to poverty , as a result of its high rate of unemployment.

In recent years, Saginaw's crime rate has been a major area of concern for the community as well. The economic conditions of Saginaw, compounded by the — global financial crisis , make up another significant area of concern for the city's residents. The decline of manufacturing jobs has resulted in high rates of unemployment. There has been a decline in property values in the city, which has decreased the amount of money the city government is able to collect through property taxes. Saginaw has experienced a significant increase of crime activity while at the same time being forced to decrease the size of its police department.

The end result was that the number of city employees and the size and scope of city government decreased to nearly half of what it was during the s, although the population has decreased at nearly the same rate comparatively. Unemployment and population loss in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has led to significant blight and a rise in abandoned homes in the city of Saginaw, providing locations for criminal activities such as arson , squatting , and drug deals to occur.

In recent years, city officials, local law enforcement, and neighborhood watch associations have made progress in the prevention of these activities by heavily patrolling target areas and offering rewards for reporting illegal or suspicious activities.

Efforts to reduce blight in Saginaw increased greatly in , with the United States Department of the Treasury approving a federally-funded grant aimed at demolishing vacant and abandoned properties via the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

In a press release, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder praised the initiative, saying, "With these federal funds, we'll be able to launch large-scale demolition programs that strike at the blight that is weakening too many neighborhoods in these cities.

As the abandoned properties come down, property values will go up, and crime will go down. That will encourage the people who live in these neighborhoods to stay in their homes and be part of the revitalization of their communities.

The Saginaw city government can only legally tear down blighted properties that are publicly owned, a number that stands above The federal grant provides funds to demolish nearly structures. After the grant's approval, Saginaw city officials announced a program to purchase unwanted, abandoned structures from property owners, which would be then added to the list of homes to tear down. Officials estimate that there are nearly 1, privately-owned homes within the city limits that are worthy of demolition.

Efforts to revitalize downtown increased in as well. CBS television executive and Saginaw native David Strouse announced an investment plan in late that would save nearly an entire block of buildings slated for demolition at the intersection of Washington and Genesee, the core of downtown Saginaw.

The plan calls for the renovation and redevelopment of four buildings, creating market-rate apartments on the upper floors and retail space at ground level. In , a similar deal was made in regards to the Bancroft and Eddy apartments, located at the same intersection.

Once section-8 housing, these buildings will also be transformed into market-rate apartments and retail space. The Saginaw River freezes in the cold Michigan winter of February According to the U.

Census Bureau , the city has a total area of As of the census [3] of , there were 51, people, 19, households, and 12, families residing in the city. The population density was 2, There were 23, housing units at an average density of 1, The racial makeup of the city was Hispanic or Latino of any race were There were 19, households of which The average household size was 2.

The median age in the city was The gender makeup of the city was As of the census of , there were 61, people, 23, households, and 15, families residing in the city.

The population density was 3, There were 25, housing units at an average density of 1, There were 23, households out of which In the city the population was spread out with The median age was 31 years. For every females there were For every females age 18 and over, there were About Saginaw is classified as a Home Rule City under the Michigan Home Rule Cities Act which permits cities to exercise " Home Rule " powers, among which is the power to frame and adopt its own City Charter which serves as the fundamental law of the city, in a manner similar to a Constitution for a national or state government.

The present Charter was adopted in and took effect on January 6, Pursuant to the City Charter, Saginaw is governed by a nine member elected at-large Council. The term of office for a member of the City Council is four years commencing with the first meeting following a regular municipal election. The terms of Council members are staggered so that the entire Council is not subject to re-election at the same time; alternatively either four or five members are elected in each odd-numbered year.

Aleda E. It has staffed beds, and sees , patients a year. Covenant Medical Center, located at North Harrison, is a bed hospital with approximately 20 inpatient and outpatient facilities, including an emergency department that provides 85, visits per year.

Mary's of Michigan, located at South Washington, is a hospital with approximately staffed beds, and sees , patients a year. Michigan Lutheran Seminary is the only private high school in Saginaw. Central Michigan University maintains an off-campus center inside the city that offers numerous degree programs.

The district is governed by a seven member elected board of education. The board selects a superintendent for the district. The current superintendent is Dr. Carlton Jenkins. Michigan Lutheran Seminary is the lone private high school in the city.

The Saginaw metropolitan area's main shopping district is located in neighboring Saginaw Township along Bay Rd. Primary areas within the city of Saginaw for consumer shopping include Old Town and downtown.

The Saginaw water treatment facility, pictured here in June , was constructed in The City of Saginaw gets its electricity and natural gas from Consumers Energy. In , the city opened its consolidated water works plant which replaced two separate plants that were on each side of the Saginaw river. This plant treated water brought in from the Saginaw river and piped it out to the residents as well as corner pumps for people that did not have direct connections to the system.

Incorporated in , this water treatment system has supplied drinking and industrial water to both cities and many surrounding areas within the county.

This system has played a role in the decline of the city. The City of Saginaw, in order to obtain new sources of revenue, sold water to areas outside of the city especially to the Saginaw Charter Township.

This caused numerous businesses inside the city to leave for the surrounding areas and development in the city to stagnate. The City of Midland, however, adopted a policy of "No Annexation, No Water" which has led to the growth of the city as well as the surrounding areas. The City of Saginaw consists of many diverse neighborhoods, [46] including:.

Historically, ships were able to move all along the length of the river inside the city but fixed bridges being built over the river closed access south of the northern docks. Historically, Saginaw was a railroad hub to the Pere Marquette Railway. Freight and passenger routes radiated to Bay City to the north, Port Huron to the east, Toledo to the south, Grand Rapids and Chicago to the southwest and Ludington to the west.

Saginaw is also served by three smaller airports: Harry W. In addition to the airports, Interstate 75 serves as the main arterial route for the Saginaw area while Interstate provides direct access to the center of the city from Interstate Interstate 69 is a nearby east-west corridor providing access to the rest of the Midwestern United States and Canada.

The Saginaw River runs through the middle of the city and provides access to Saginaw Bay and the rest of the Great Lakes via docks on the northern side of the city.

The Dow Event Center at nighttime, as it appeared in December Saginaw's main entertainment can be found in the downtown area, where places such as the Children's Zoo , The Dow Event Center and the restored Temple Theatre offer live entertainment. The downtown Saginaw area, which contains a number of office buildings from the late 19th century and early 20th century, is located near the Saginaw Club, a local businessmen's club founded in , and the Saginaw Center, an educational complex run by Delta College.

Once vibrant, the downtown area has been in decline in recent years and presently struggles with blight.

Old Town houses many popular bars, locally owned restaurants, and arts organizations. By the middle of the century, the population grew to , due in part to the German immigrants who established agricultural settlements in the area. Due to infusions of capital by Jesse Hoyt of New York, residents flourished on the eastern side of the Saginaw River as well and East Saginaw was incorporated as a village in By the s, two sawmills alone each produced over million board feet.

Intense rivalry and competition developed between Saginaw City and East Saginaw, with the latter being much more prosperous due to funds given by Jesse Hoyt. The rivalry resulted in many civic improvements for both, and a severe case of one-upmanship between the two communities.

From the late s to the current day, Saginaw the combination of both Saginaw City and East Saginaw has seen its share of memorable events, tragedies, and accomplishments. It had part of itself destroyed in a terrible fire and severe floods, and was then rebuilt to greater proportions. By virtue of it all, the people of the community of Saginaw can be proud of their heritage.

More information can be found at the Public Libraries of Saginaw.