"Ann Arbor" a Ann Arbor Travel Page by Yorick12

Ann Arbor was founded in the 1820s around a gristmill. It was named after the two founders' wives, both named Ann (Ann Allen and Ann Rumsey), and their grape arbor. Ann Arbor continued to be a very small community, despite many attempts to draw settlers to the area until Ann Arbor was chosen as the new site for the University of Michigan. In 1837, U of M was moved from its former home in Detroit to Ann Arbor. In 1841, the University of Michigan only consisted of one classroom and four professors’ homes. The city was still small with a population of only about 2,000. Ann Arbor soon gained the judicial seat of the county and by the turn of the 20th century almost all industry and commercial enterprise in the county had shifted to Ann Arbor. Under the University of Michigan president James B. Angell (1871 – 1909) the city and the university grew by leeps and bounds. By the time he retired, campus consisted of over forty buildings and population of Ann Arbor was over 15,000. Today Ann Arbor’s population is over 110,000.

Home, sweet home.
Ann Arbor is great in the summer time. The city comes alive. The bars and cafes open outdoor sitting, there are festivals nearly every weekend and the annoying U of M students are no where to be found!
Ann Arbor is very liberal community filled with art galleries and music venues. Most locals are very friendly, but if you come during the school year avoid the campus areas at all costs as they are overrun with frat boys. You may want to quickly venture over to South University Street to view the Law Quad, as the Gothic architecture is quite beautiful, but as a rule stay closer to Main Street and enjoy the local scene, which is the real Ann Arbor.