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East Lansing, Michigan

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East Lansing, Michigan
City
Flag of East Lansing, Michigan
Flag
Location in Michigan
Location in Michigan
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesIngham, Clinton
Incorporation1907
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorVic Loomis
 • City ManagerTheodore J. Stanton
Area
 • Total11.25 sq mi (29.2 km2)
 • Land11.24 sq mi (29.1 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
856 ft (261 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total46,525
 • Density4,135/sq mi (1,596.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
48823-48826
Area code517
FIPS code26-24120Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0625219Template:GR
Websitewww.cityofeastlansing.com

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 46,525 at the time of the 2000 census, of those 29,329 were classified as university students, or 63% of the total population. It is best known as the home of Michigan State University.

History

The settlement of East Lansing began around 1847, the same year nearby Lansing was made the capital of the state of Michigan. Downtown East Lansing was an important junction of two major Native American trails: the Okemah Road, and the Park Lake Trail. By 1850, the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company was established to connect a toll road to the Detroit and Howell Plank Road, improving travel between Detroit and Lansing, which cut right through what is now East Lansing. The toll road was finished in 1853, and included seven tollhouses between Lansing and Howell.[1]

Michigan State University was founded in 1855 and established in what is now East Lansing in 1857. For the first four decades, the students and faculty lived almost entirely on the College campus. A few commuted from Lansing, and that number increased when a streetcar line was built in the 1890s, but there were few places to live in the then-rural area immediately around the campus.

That started to change in 1887, when professors William J. Beal and Rolla C. Carpenter created Collegeville, along what is now Harrison Road and Center and Beal Streets, north of Michigan Avenue. Few faculty were attracted to the location, and the first residents were "teamsters and laborers".[2] In 1898, the College Delta subdivision (including what is now Delta Street) had the support of the College itself, which provided utilities, and several professors built homes there (one of which survives today at 243 W. Grand River Ave.).[3] Other subdivisions followed.

At that time, the post office address was "Agricultural College, Michigan". A school district encompassing the nascent community was created in 1900. In 1907, incorporation as a city was proposed under the name "College Park"; the legislature approved the charter but changed the name to "East Lansing".

The city charter in 1907 prohibited the possession, sale, or consumption of alcoholic beverages, and East Lansing was a "dry" city until voters modified the charter provision in 1968.

Geography

Downtown East Lansing at night overlooking Albert Street.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.25 square miles (29.15 km²), of which, 11.24 square miles (23.38 km²) of it is land and 0.02 km² (0.009 sq mi) is water, as of 2000. Along with any annexations, this also takes into account any 425 Agreements initiated by the city prior to 2000.

Since 1998, East Lansing has aggressively made use of 425 Agreements to gain control of land of surrounding townships to expand its borders and tax base. The city is currently in three 425 Agreements with Bath Township, DeWitt Township, and Meridian Township, and has effectively added thousands of acres of land to its border.[4]

  • East Lansing and DeWitt Township enter into two 425's in 1998 and 2001, respectively, which involved nearly 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) of land. The agreement stipulates that East Lansing gains full control of the land after 33 years.
  • East Lansing and Bath Township enter into a 425 Agreement in June of 2002 involving 1,056 acres (4.27 km2) of land. The agreement stipulates that East Lansing gains full control of the land after 100 years.
  • East Lansing and Meridian Township enter into a 425 Agreement in November of 2002 involving 101 acres (0.41 km2) of land. The agreement stipulates that the Merdian Township residents get to decide the fate of the land after 100 years.

Along with increasing its boundaries through 425's, the city has also made use of outright annexation of surrounding township lands in recent years. It annexed the 66.5 acres (269,000 m2) of the Four Winds Golf Course in Meridian Township in 2001, and another 6 acres (24,000 m2) of the township in 2006. The city also annexed from DeWitt Township the land that is currently the East Lansing Soccer Complex. As of 2006, East Lansing has increased its size to 13.25 sq mi (34.3 km2).[5]

Description

The city's downtown area is centered around Grand River Avenue, a wide tree-lined boulevard that evolved out of the 19th century plank road that connected Lansing to Detroit. Grand River Avenue serves as dividing line between the Michigan State University campus and the rest of the city. Grand River Ave. is lined with many college-oriented businesses, such as bars, tanning salons, coffee shops, head shops, restaurants (many dine al fresco) and bookstores. Immediately north of downtown are predominantly student neighborhoods. Further north of that is the residential part of the city, which is much like any other suburb. At the very northern tier of the city are several new student-oriented apartment complexes. These new developments are far from the university, but their lower property tax rates allow them to offer students more amenities for their monthly rent.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1910802—
19201,889135.5%
19304,380131.9%
19405,83933.3%
195020,325248.1%
196030,19848.6%
197047,54057.4%
198051,3928.1%
199050,677−1.4%
200046,525−8.2%
2006 (est.)46,009

As of the census² of 2000, there were 46,525 people, 14,390 households, and 5,094 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,136.6 per square mile (1,596.7/km²). There were 15,321 housing units at an average density of 1,362.2/sq mi (525.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.91% White, 7.40% African American, 0.33% Native American, 8.21% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 14,390 households out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.6% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 9.0% under the age of 18, 58.6% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 9.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,217, and the median income for a family was $61,985. Males had a median income of $43,767 versus $30,556 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,333. About 11.0% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

East Lansing has a Council-manager government, where the city council appoints one of its own as mayor, and another of its own as mayor pro tem — a city council member with extra ceremonial duties, but who chairs council meetings in the mayor's absence. The city council consists of 5 at-large council members who are elected in non-partisan elections to 4-year terms in November of odd-numbered years. The city council chooses the city manager, the city's chief administrative officer. The manager is appointed by, and answers to, the city council.

An important aspect of East Lansing's government is its system of commissions. The commission members are ordinary East Lansing citizens who are appointed by the city council and advised by members of the city staff. Commissions may propose or review policies in their bailiwicks and make recommendations to the city council. Major East Lansing commissions include those for Planning, Housing, Transportation, and Parks and Recreation. Other commissions and boards that also involve active engagement of ordinary citizens also play a role in East Lansing's governance.

Education

Michigan State University, a member of the Big Ten Conference, is the largest education institution in the State of Michigan (6th largest in the United States), reflecting East Lansing's history as a college town. MSU has more than 200 programs of study including three medical schools, a law school, and numerous PhD programs. East Lansing High School is the only high school in the city, and is most famous for being the alma mater of Google co-founder Larry Page. Nearby Lansing is home to several other colleges, including Thomas M. Cooley Law School which is the largest law school in the United States, Davenport University, and Lansing Community College.

The University of Michigan, another member of the Big Ten Conference, is about 60 miles (100 km) southeast of East Lansing. Ingham County (including East Lansing) and Washtenaw County (including Ann Arbor), which adjoin at one corner, are the two most highly educated counties in Michigan.

Transportation

Amtrak, Indian Trails, and Greyhound all provide intercity rail and bus services at the East Lansing Amtrak depot, which is located at 1240 South Harrison Road in walking distance from the Michigan State University main campus, although both on- and off-campus public transportation serves the depot. Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) provides public bus transit throughout East Lansing, Lansing, and surrounding areas. Three major interstates and one U.S. Highway serve the East Lansing area including: I-96, I-69, I-496, and US 127. The Lansing Capital City Airport in nearby Lansing offers a number of direct domestic flights as far as Las Vegas; connections between East Lansing and the airport are offered by CATA (with a transfer in downtown Lansing); rental cars are also available at the airport. Bus transportation is offered between East Lansing and Detroit Metro Airport eight times daily by Michigan Flyer. The Northern Tier Trail is a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path system connecting some parts of the northern half of the city; the Lansing River Trail begins on the campus of Michigan State University and extends west into downtown Lansing and then north towards the airport. Finally, two class one freight railroads serve East Lansing including Canadian National Railway (CN) and CSX Transportation (CSXT).

Culture

The Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing's Ann Street Plaza.

Town/gown relations

In recent years, "town and gown" relations have soured as students and permanent residents looked at each other with increasing hostility. Riots related to sporting events erupted in 1997,[6] 1998,[7] 1999,[8]and disturbances in 2003.[9] After two years without major incidents, another disturbance happened on April 2, 2005 after MSU's defeat by North Carolina in the 2005 men's basketball Final Four.[10]

The Cedar Village area, which houses several large student housing complexes bordering campus, has been the site of several riots and disturbances. These disturbances are part of the reasoning behind the city's decision to declare Cedar Village "blighted". The city has proposed to redevelop the 35 acre (140,000 m²) site as a complex of upscale condominiums and retail stores called East Village. Led by several fraternities in the affected area, students have mounted a campaign against the redevelopment plan.[11] As of 2006, the plan remains at a stalemate.[12]

Sports

From March 29 to April 2, 2006, East Lansing hosted the USA Hockey National Tournament. The age group that competed contained players from the U-14 Tier 2 division. States were represented with teams from Massachusetts, Michigan, Alaska, Nebraska, Florida, California, Connecticut, Indiana, New York,and Pennsylvania. In the end, The LA Hockey Club representing California won.

Centennial

In 2007, the City of East Lansing will celebrate its Centennial. The celebration will begin in January 2007 with a kick-off press conference at the Marriott Hotel in downtown East Lansing. Events through out the year will include an old fashion concert, a birthday party, and a historic homes tour. A fireworks show will take place in August, along with many more events throughout the year. With Michigan State University's Sesquicentennial ice cream flavor such a huge success, the City of East Lansing has contracted Melting Moments ice cream shop to develop a Centennial ice cream flavor. Different flavors will be developed, with residents voting on their favorite. All downtown businesses have been encouraged to take part in Centennial festivities. The Peoples Church on West Grand River Avenue is also celebrating its 100th birthday in 2007.

Residents have been also asked to submit their favorite stories, pictures and memories on the Centennial website, which also includes photographs dating back to the early 1900s. The website lists all Centennial events and includes a complete history of the city. Fun East Lansing facts can also be found, along with a list of famous East Lansing residents. Michigan State University and the City of East Lansing will partner on many of the events.

Points of interest

On campus

Off campus

Outside East Lansing

Newspapers

Local events

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Forsyth, Kevin S. "East Lansing - Origins". A Brief History of East Lansing, Michigan. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  2. ^ James D. Towar, History of the City of East Lansing, 1933.
  3. ^ Forsyth, Kevin S. "East Lansing - College Delta". A Brief History of East Lansing, Michigan. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  4. ^ DeWitt fears E.L. won’t stop land growth, by Kristofer Karol of The State News, article published 1 August 2002, accessed 8 July 2007
  5. ^ Jim van Ravensway, Director of East Lansing Planning & Community Development Staff, information received via email, 16 July, 2007
  6. ^ Terlep, Sharon. "E.L. turmoil angers city". The State News. September 9, 1997.
  7. ^ Mullin, Greg. "17 arrested in weekend riot". The State News. May 4, 1998.
  8. ^ Staff reports. "Thousands of revelers crowd streets in violent, fiery riot". The State News. March 28, 1999.
  9. ^ Eder,Steve. "Darkest Night". The State News. 2006.
  10. ^ Phillips, Lauren. "Police, student actions disputed". The State News. April 4, 2005.
  11. ^ Cendrowski, Scott. "FarmHouse and friends fight East Village plan". December 7, 2005.
  12. ^ Darrow, Bob. "Planning commission makes little progress on future of Cedar Village area". December 15, 2005.

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