Midland

City of Midland
—  City  —
Location of Midland, Michigan
Coordinates: 43°36′56″N 84°14′50″W / 43.61556°N 84.24722°W / 43.61556; -84.24722Coordinates: 43°36′56″N 84°14′50″W / 43.61556°N 84.24722°W / 43.61556; -84.24722
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Counties	Midland, Bay
Incorporation	1887
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Maureen Donker
- City Manager	Jon Lynch
Area
- City	35.0 sq mi (90.5 km2)
- Land	33.2 sq mi (86.0 km2)
- Water	1.7 sq mi (4.5 km2)
- Urban	30.69 sq mi (79.48 km2)
Elevation	636 ft (193 m)
Population (2000)
- City	41,685
- Density	1,254.9/sq mi (484.5/km2)
- Estimate (2008)	40,917
- Urban	49,387
- Metro	82,874
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48640-48686
Area code(s)	989
FIPS code	26-53780[1]
GNIS feature ID	0632282[2]
Website	http://www.midland-mi.org/

Midland is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of the state. It is the county seat of Midland County^[3]. Most of the city's area is incorporated from Midland Township.

A small portion of the city is in Bay County. The city's population was 41,685 as of the 2000 census. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 40,917.^[4] It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area. The portion of the city in Bay County is included in the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical reasons.

The Dow Chemical Company was founded in Midland in 1897. Its world headquarters are still located there. Through the influence of a Dow Chemical plant opening in Handa, Aichi, Japan, Midland and Handa have become sister cities.^[5] The Dow Corning Corporation and Chemical Bank are also headquartered in Midland.

Tony Chebatoris, the only person executed by the death penalty in Michigan, was charged after he was apprehended robbing the Chemical State Bank in downtown Midland in 1937.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 41,685 people, 16,743 households, and 11,000 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,254.9 per square mile (484.5/km²). There were 17,773 housing units at an average density of 535.0/sq mi (206.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.38% White, 1.82% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.69% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.

There were 16,743 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,444, and the median income for a family was $64,949. Males had a median income of $53,208 versus $31,098 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,818. About 5.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Scheduled airline service is available from MBS International Airport^[7] near Freeland and Flint's Bishop International Airport.^[8]

There is no regularly scheduled public transportation (bus service). Residents can call in advance to schedule pickup for transport within the county by two government sponsored agencies ("Dial-A-Ride" within the city, "County Connection" for those outside the city of Midland but still within Midland County) for a nominal fee^[9].

A limited number of taxicab companies operate in the city, but must be requested by phone.

	US 10, a freeway passing through near the northern edge of Midland, connects with Bay City on the east Clare and Ludington (as a two-lane highway) to the west.
	BUS US 10 is a loop route through the downtown.
	M-20 connects Midland with Mount Pleasant and Big Rapids to the west.
	M-30 runs northerly from nearby Sanford to West Branch.
	M-47 links from US-10 east of the city to Saginaw and MBS International Airport.

Geography

Topography

• According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.0 square miles (90.5 km²), of which, 33.2 square miles (86.0 km²) of it is land and 1.7 square miles (4.5 km²) of it (4.95%) is water.
• Midland is part of the Flint/Tri-Cities.

Climate

Education

• Midland Public Schools
  • Herbert Henry Dow High School
    • "Home of the Chargers"
  • Midland High School
    • "Home of the Chemics"
  • Central Middle School
    • "Home of the Cavaliers"
  • Jefferson Middle School
    • "Home of the Huskies"
  • Northeast Middle School
    • "Home of the Vikings"
  • The Midland Academy of Advanced & Creative Studies - Grades K-12
    • "Home of the Eagles"

• Bullock Creek Public Schools
  • "Home of the Lancers"

• Davenport University

• Michigan State University (research facility)

• Northwood University
• Delta College Midland Center (DCMC)

Sites of interest

Midland Center for the Arts

Midland has many cultural opportunities in fields ranging from music and theater to science and the arts. The Midland Center for the Arts delivers hands-on exhibits in science, art and technology. The Center provides two state-of-the-art auditoriums for audiences of 400 to 1500 to enjoy everything from the Midland Symphony and Theatre Guild to world-class orchestras and dance companies.

Midland City parks number over 80 with over 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) of park land. Small neighborhood parks nestled within residential areas are found throughout the city. Larger groups enjoy the amenities of two of Midland’s largest parks, Emerson and Plymouth. These parks feature large sheltered picnic areas, playgrounds, a pool and a major softball complex.

Skaters of all skill levels utilize Midland’s new 107,000-square-foot (9,900 m²) Civic Arena, which has two NHL-sized rinks and one Olympic-sized rink. A new BMX track is located in Midland’s growing Downtown area. Winner of a 2005 Michigan Cool Cities grant (a grass-roots, volunteer-based training program to revitalize a downtown area), Downtown Midland offers dining, shopping and entertainment for the whole family.

Walkers, joggers, bikers, and skaters can use the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, a ribbon of asphalt stretching 30 miles (50 km) to the neighboring city of Clare. Midland County’s system of natural pathways continues to expand, with the recent addition of the Chippewa Trail, which connects to the Pere Marquette trail. The Chippewa Trail ends at the Chippewa Nature Center and their facilities of over 1,000 acres (400 ha) of deciduous and coniferous woods, rivers, ponds, wetlands (marsh, fen, bog, and swamp) and upland fields.

Also in the recreation mix are two golf courses, the Midland Community Center (with multiple swimming pools and exercise facilities), the West Midland Family Center, the North Midland Family Center, the Midland Gymnastics Center, the Midland Community Tennis Center and the Midland Curling Center. In addition, Midland is the home of Hangtime Sports, an 89,900-square-foot (8,350 m²) facility with eight indoor courts.

Nature is found in abundance at Midland’s Dow Gardens. The 100-acre (40 ha) garden and arboretum was the original gardens of the Herbert H. Dow homestead and is open for tours. In addition, the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio offers tours of this landmark American architect’s unique and influential style. Alden Dow designed the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, Midland's public library named in his mother's honor.

More than 100 places of worship county-wide represent a variety of denominations and architectural styles, earning Midland the nickname "City of Beautiful Churches". Midland’s Volunteer Center recruits upwards of 2,000 volunteers each year, and the United Way of Midland County supports 25 community organizations.

• Alden B. Dow Home & Studio
• Chippewa Nature Center
• Dahlia Hill
• Dow Chemical Company headquarters
• Dow Corning headquarters
• Dow Corning Midland plant
• Dow Gardens
• Grace A. Dow Memorial Library
• Midland Community Center
• Midland Community Tennis Center^[11][12]
• Herbert H. Dow House
• Midland Center for the Arts
• Midland Community Stadium
• Pere Marquette Rail-Trail
• The Tridge, 3-way pedestrian bridge over the Tittabawassee and Chippewa rivers.^[13]
• Dow Diamond, Home of the Great Lakes Loons, the Single-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League in Major League Baseball.

Retail

The city's major shopping district is located north of town, on Eastman Avenue near US-10. There are several Big-box stores located here, as well as the Midland Mall, which includes Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Target, Elder-Beerman, and Sears.

Historical markers

There are four recognized Michigan historical markers in the city.^[14]

• John and Almira Kelly House
• Midland County Courthouse
• Origins of Salt Industry / State Salt Well No. 1
• The Upper Bridge

Famous Midlanders

• Alden B. Dow, architect.
• Herbert H. Dow, founder of Dow Chemical.
• Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist
• James Aloysius Hickey, Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, DC.
• Robert Jarvik, inventor of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart.
• Jim Kern, former 3 time All-Star baseball pitcher with Cleveland Indians
• Michael Cohrs, Banker.
• Nancy LaMott, 1951-1995, cabaret singer.
• Brandon Link, Famous sports handicapper and subject of the feature film, Two for the Money, under the name Brandon Lang.
• Matt Mieske - MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros, and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
• Howard Mudd, former National Football League All-Pro, and offensive line coach of the 2007 Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts
• Steve Shelley, drummer of Sonic Youth
• Cheryl Studer, opera singer
• Tom Vaughn, Jazz pianist and Episcopal Priest formerly at St. John's Episcopal Church (Midland).
• Scott Winchester, former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
• Mikey "Bug" Cox, ex-Drummer of Coal Chamber
• Terry Collins, former Major League Baseball manager, and current Los Angeles Dodgers Director of Player Development
• Jalen Parmele, National Football League running back for the Baltimore Ravens.
• Larry Jaster, former Major League Baseball pitcher with the St.Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, and Atlanta Braves.

Professional sports

Local media

Midland is the city of license of two FM radio stations serving the Tri-Cities (Saginaw/Bay City/Midland) area. WKQZ ("Z93") is an active rock station owned by Citadel Broadcasting and broadcasting at 93.3 FM. WUGN is a non-commercial station at 99.7 FM owned by Family Life Communications, broadcasting adult-contemporary Christian music and teaching.

WMPX (1490 AM) is Midland's "hometown" locally-owned radio station, owned by Steel Broadcasting and airing an adult standards ("Timeless Classics") format satellite-fed from ABC Radio. WMPX has an FM simulcast station in Beaverton, Michigan, WMRX (97.7 FM), which airs a small amount of local weekend programming separate from the AM. Other area stations include WEJC (88.3 FM) in White Star, Michigan, which airs contemporary Christian music and is affiliated with the Lansing-based "Smile FM" network; WPRJ (101.7 FM) in Coleman, Michigan, a Christian CHR station known as "The Fuse"; and country music station WGDN (103.1 FM) in nearby Gladwin, Michigan.

Midland is also served by radio and television stations from Saginaw, Bay City, Flint, Mount Pleasant, and Houghton Lake.

Sister cities

Handa, Aichi, Japan See also Midland Daily News MBS International Airport, located in nearby Freeland which serves the city References ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.  ^ USGS GNIS: Midland, Michigan ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.  ^ "Midland Statistics". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US2606020&_geoContext=01000US. Retrieved 2009-08-03.  ^ "Sister City Relationships - Handa, Japan". City of Midland, Michigan. http://www.midland-mi.org/government/manager/sistercity.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-11.  ^ Michigan History Magazine: May/June 1998-The Execution of Anthony Chebatoris, by Aaron J. Veselenak ^ MBS International Airport ^ Flint Bishop International Airport ^ Dial-A-Ride homepage ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=072037. Retrieved November 29 2007.  ^ "USTA Outstanding Facility Awards, showing history of past recipients". United States Tennis Association. http://www.usta.com/USTA/Global/Active/News/Community%20Tennis/Volunteers/155336_USTA_Outstanding_Facility_Awards.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-11.  ^ "RCW Trainers - Midwest Section". United States Tennis Association. http://www.usta.com/?sc_itemid=%7B0997409D-A9FD-4DD8-8194-EF2609135857%7D&340472_RCW_Trainers__Midwest_Section. Retrieved 2008-09-11. , Midland Community Tennis Center was awarded Midwest USTA Organization of the Year in 2005 ^ "Satellite photo". Google Maps. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.611075,-84.248679&spn=0.004324,0.008256&t=k&hl=en. Retrieved 2008-09-11.  ^ Michigan Historical Markers External links City of Midland web site Midland Tomorrow (economic development corporation) Midland, Michigan at the Open Directory Project v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Bay County, Michigan County seat: Bay City Cities Auburn | Bay City | Essexville | Midland‡ | Pinconning Charter townships Bangor | Hampton | Monitor | Portsmouth | Williams Civil townships Beaver | Frankenlust | Fraser | Garfield | Gibson | Kawkawlin | Merritt | Mt. Forest | Pinconning Unincorporated communities Bentley | Crump | Duel | Linwood | Munger | University Center | Willard Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Midland County, Michigan County seat: Midland Cities Coleman | Midland‡ Village Sanford Charter townships Larkin | Midland Civil townships Edenville | Geneva | Greendale | Homer | Hope | Ingersoll | Jasper | Jerome | Lee | Lincoln | Mills | Mt. 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