Ypsilanti, MI

One of Michigan's medium-sized communities and situated in Washtenaw County, Ypsilanti had a population of about 22,000, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The city has the feel of a college town as it is home to Eastern Michigan University and neighbors Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan. An American trading village in the 19th century, Ypsilanti is now known mainly as a farm-trade center, with residential and commercial districts.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Although the majority of Ypsilanti's inhabitants are white, the city still possesses a mixture of ethnic groups, including African-American, Italian, Irish, Polish, English and German.

Ypsilanti is composed of some two dozen different neighborhoods, but the main city center lies between the intersection of the Huron River and Michigan Avenue, which links downtown Detroit with Chicago. The area immediately surrounding the university is the commercial and artistic center of the city.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Ypsilanti, along with many other Michigan towns, has ties to the automative industry. Beginning in the first quarter of the 20th century when Apex Motors first produced the "ACE" car, Ypsilanti's automobile industry has had a crucial impact on the city's economy. General Motors eventually purchased the plant that had been owned and operated by Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph W. Frazer and began production in the 1950s. The original plant was closed in 1993.

Today, professionals, service providers and office workers are the most common professions; office and administrative support jobs constitute almost 19 percent of the city's employees. Employees in sales constitute another 13 percent of the city's employees, while the food service industry accounts for at least 10 percent. Ypsilanti has a mix of both blue-collar and white-collar employment.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Ypsilanti possesses a lively underground arts scene and offers numerous activities throughout the year that celebrate the city's culture and history.

• Since the late 1970s, the area known as Depot Town has been the site for numerous festivals, including a Latino festival, the Elvis Festival, the annual Heritage Festival, the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Beer Festival and the Orphan Car Festival.
• Riverside Arts Center, a nonprofit establishment that overlooks Riverside Park, contains a substantial art gallery and a 115-seat, black-box theater. The center has incorporated into its activities the "Cool Cities" contest, which offers winning cities monetary support for economic development.

Ypsilanti also possesses a vibrant arts and music scene and claims an interesting musical history.

• Local artist Fay Kleinman's portrait of jazz guitarist Randy Napoleon is now part of the permanent art collection in the Ypsilanti District Library. Napoleon's first public show was at the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival when the musician was only 12. Fay Kleinman is a Ypsilanti resident and an internationally recognized painter whose works hang in the children's reading room of the Ypsilanti District Library.
• The metal band Bloodlined Calligraphy hails from Ypsilanti.
• The Stooge's front man, Iggy Pop, lived in neighboring Pittsfield Township during the early part of his music career.

BEST BETS

Ypsilanti has a large and lively historic district that encompasses the downtown area and spreads to the Depot Town area. This district features a variety of restaurants and stores, as well as a farmers' market. Other notable sites include:

• Situated in North Ypsilanti on a hill that overlooks the city, Highland Cemetery is a "garden," or rural-style, burial ground first created in the 19th century. With more than 100 acres, the cemetery is the final resting place of many famous people and is a popular haunt during the Huron Street walking tour. Highland Cemetery contains the Starkweather Chapel, which was designed by Detroit architects George Mason and Zachariah Rice in 1889. The chapel's rough-hewn stonework and heavy arches are major points of interest during the cemetery's yearly tours.
• Housed in Hangar 2 on the southwest side of Willow Run Airport, the Yankee Air Museum offers guided tours. Every August, the museum presents the impressive annual Thunder Over Michigan air show. The museum has also been active in both preserving Michigan's extensive aviation history and restoring an original U.S. Air Force hangar. The museum's collection includes the 1943 V-77 Stinson Reliant "Yankee Friendship," the 1943 North American B-25D Mitchell 43-3634 "Yankee Warrior," the 1944 Douglas C-47 Skytrain "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and the 1944 Boeing B-17G-110VE Flying Fortress 44-85829 "Yankee Lady."
• First designed by William R. Coats as part of the city's waterworks project in the late 1890s, the Ypsilanti Water Tower is situated on the highest point in Ypsilanti. This Joliet limestone tower, which is more than 140 feet tall and holds 250,000 gallons, was once the only water tower in the city's water system and was restored in 1976.
• The Automotive Heritage Museum celebrates Ypsilanti's historic automobile industry and showcases records dating to 1927.

EDUCATION

Ypsilanti is considered to be a highly educated community compared with the rest of the nation, and more than 35 percent of adults possess a bachelor's degree or higher. Eastern Michigan University, founded in the mid-19th century, enrolls nearly 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and contributes to the commercial district and the general economy of the city.

DID YOU KNOW?

The popular North American fast-food chain Domino's Pizza was founded in Ypsilanti in 1960.