FLINT, MI - COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION AND INFORMATION

Flint, Michigan is located in Genesee county along the Flint River about 60 miles northwest of Detroit. Its population in 1998 was 131,000 people and it is the fourth largest city in Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 124,943. The city was founded in 1819 by Jacob Smith, a fur trader, and was incorporated in 1855. Flint has been host to various industries in its history:
           - Trading/Trapping
           - Lumber
           - Carriages
           - Automobiles

The city's landscape and culture is dominated by the auto industry. Some of the more notable events in Flint's history are:

• The sit down strike of 1937 turned the foundling United Auto Workers into a labor union of note.

• Flint was a major contributor of tanks and other war material during World War II due to its heavy manufacturing facilities.

• The deadliest tornado on record in the United States struck Flint on June 8, 1953 killing 115 people, injuring 844. On the next day the same weather system spawned the worst tornado in New England in Worcester, Massachusetts killing another 94 people.

• Flint was the most publicized example of the effects of the 1970s collapse of the US auto industry on surrounding communities. This was highlighted in the film Roger and Me by Michael Moore.

Flint hosts a large cultural center funded by the revenue from the auto industry in the 1950s. It boasts: Whiting Auditorium, Sloan Museum And others (Bower Theater, Flint Institute of Music) all set on a 30-acre site near downtown. Flint is also host to the University of Michigan's Flint campus.

SOURCE: City of Flint website

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Amtrak Flint

Bishop International Airport

City of Flint Golfing

City of Flint Parks & Recreation

Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Flint Community Schools

Flint Culture Center

Flint Institute of Music

Genesee County Michigan

Genesee Regional Chamber of Commerce

Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) Flint

Perani Arena & Event Center

Sloan Museum

University of Michigan Flint

The Whiting