Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw, Michigan
View to the south on South Washington Avenue (M-13)
Location of Saginaw within Saginaw County, Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Saginaw
Government
• Mayor	Carol Cottrell
Population  (2000)
• City	61,800
• Urban	140,985
• Metro	208,356
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Website	http://www.saginaw-mi.com

"Saginaw" redirects here. For other uses, see Saginaw (disambiguation).

Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 61,799 (Census Bureau estimate for July 2004 is 59,045 residents). It is the county seat of Saginaw County⁶.

The city is served by MBS International Airport, which is in Freeland, a central point for two other nearby cities, Midland and Bay City. The city is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township.

The city's main entertainment can be found in the downtown area, where places such as The Dow Event Center and the newly-restored Temple Theatre offer live entertainment. The Dow Event Center is also home to the city's junior ice hockey team, the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. The downtown area, which contains a number of office buildings from the early 1900s, is located near the Saginaw Club (local businessmen's club founded in 1889) and an educational complex. Two formerly grand hotels have been converted into section 8 housing. Once vibrant, the downtown area has been in decline in recent years and presently struggles with an elevated crime rate. Downtown is not to be confused with the Old Town/West Side City area located on the other side of the river and about one mile south. Old Town houses many popular bars, locally owned restaurants, and arts organizations like The 303 Collective.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.1 km² (18.2 mi²). 45.2 km² (17.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (3.96%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 61,799 people, 23,182 households, and 15,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,368.2/km² (3,542.9/mi²). There were 25,639 housing units at an average density of 567.6/km² (1,469.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.02% White, 43.26% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 5.86% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.75% of the population.

There were 23,182 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% were married couples living together, 27.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,485, and the median income for a family was $29,945. Males had a median income of $31,614 versus $22,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,816. About 24.7% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.2% of those under age 18 and 16.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

Hoyt Public Library built in 1887

The area of the present City of Saginaw was inhabited by woodland Native American Indians prior to settlement by those of European ancestry. The Sauk at one time lived in the area and were driven out by Ojibwe (Chippewa). The Saginaw region includes an extensive network of many rivers and streams which converge into the Saginaw River and provided a means for easy travel for the Native American population among numerous settlements and hunting areas, as well as access to Lake Huron. Saginaw was also a frequent meeting location for councils of the Ojibwe, Pottawatomi, and Ottawa.

The present City of Saginaw itself did not serve as a location for permanent settlement until the time of European contact. This may be due, in part, to the low lying and frequently flooding land adjacent to the Saginaw River much of which was marshland prior to being drained in the 19th Century. Mosquito infestation was endemic to the area.

French missionaries first reached the area in the seventeenth century. Henri Nouvel, a Jesuit missionary who made repeated visits to the Native Americans present in the area is of particular significance. He recorded information concerning his travels during the 1670s in his journals. The French controlled the territory consisting of the present day State of Michigan until it was ceded to the British following the Seven Years' War in 1763. The French established permanent settlements in many locations throughout the Great Lakes, but most of the interior of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, including the Saginaw River valley, was undeveloped. Both the French and the British primarily maintained settlements for trade and strategic defense neither of which provided much reason to develop the Saginaw region. Following the British defeat during the American Revolutionary War, Michigan was granted to the United States. Despite this, the British remained in de facto control of the area for long after. It was not until after the conclusion of the War of 1812 that all presence of British military was removed from what is present-day Michigan. Soon after, in 1816, Louis Campau made the first attempt at permanent settlement at Saginaw by setting up a trading post. Trails leading from Detroit and the Mackinac area began to provide a slow start to Saginaw's development.

Lewis Cass in the Treaty of Saginaw negotiated the prerogative of the Americans to own and settle the area with the leaders of the Ojibwe in 1819. It was soon thereafter the U.S. Army established a fort on the west bank of the Saginaw River and gave it the name Fort Saginaw. Due to the undesirable conditions of intense humidity and mosquito infestation, the Fort was abandoned by 1822. Settlement in the area virtually ceased for most of the ensuing decade.

The government of the Michigan Territory established Saginaw County in 1831. It originally consisted of what now is nearly one quarter of the Lower Peninsula. For administration of local government the entire County (United States consisted of one township, Saginaw Township, which was established at the same time to serve as the county seat. Eventually other counties and townships were created from this territory.

The main cause for the development of Saginaw was the lumber needs of the growing American nation. A virgin growth forest principally consisting of white pine trees covered most of Michigan. The convenient access to water transportation provided by the Saginaw River and its numerous tributaries fueled a massive expansion in population and economic activity. As the trees were being felled in the region, logs were floated down the rivers to sawmills located in Saginaw, then to be loaded onto ships and later railroad cars.

Multiple settlements comprise what now is the present-day City of Saginaw. On the west side of the river the first settlement around what had been Fort Saginaw developed into Saginaw, which was incorporated as the City of Saginaw in 1857 and contained the seat of Saginaw County government. On the east side of the river a parallel settlement, East Saginaw developed which was incorporated first as a village in 1855, and then as a city in 1859. Also south of the City of East Saginaw on the east bank of the river the Village of Salina formed receiving its name on account of the salty brine that led to a growing industry of salt production in the area. Both Saginaw and East Saginaw quickly became a hub for railroad transportation in addition to ships on the Saginaw River.

Lumber production peaked by the early 1870s and had virtually disappeared by the end of the nineteenth century. In addition to salt production, which experienced an eventual decline as well, growing industries supporting the area's agriculture and manufacturing developed.

File:Former Saginaw Post Office (Now Castle Museum)).png

The former East Saginaw Post Office now is the site for the Castle Museum of Saginaw County History.

On June 2, 1889 the Michigan Legislature passed an act to consolidate the City of Saginaw and the City of East Saginaw into a new city that also was named the City of Saginaw. Prior to this consolidation, the Village of Salina had already been added to the City of East Saginaw. The consolidation of the City of Saginaw became effective with the election of officers in March 1890. The provisions of the city charter were established by the same act of the legislature that provided for the consolidation. The city was governed by a city council consisting of two aldermen elected from 21 wards and an executive mayor who had fairly weak powers because numerous other elected officials and elected or appointed boards controlled much of the administrative and executive functions of government. The efficient and cohesive functioning of the City's government also was strained by remaining rivalries between residents, business owners, and politicians from the former two cities. The distinctions and rivalries between the east and west sides of the City of Saginaw persisted throughout the ensuing century in various forms, and influences Saginaw's political and economic experiences even at the present time.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, production of motor vehicles became prolific throughout many communities in Michigan, but most notably Detroit. In Saginaw, the Jackson, Wilcox and Church Company produced carriages to be drawn by horses, and later produced components used in motor vehicles. This was eventually acquired by General Motors and formed the basis for its Steering Gear division. Additionally, General Motors established foundries and other manufacturing facilities in Saginaw. The early development of automotive production within Saginaw would set the course for the future economic circumstances of the City.

After a new state constitution was adopted in 1908 that mandated for increased home rule powers for local units of government, the legislature enacted the Home Rule Cities Act in 1909. Under this statute, cities are permitted to frame and adopt their own city charters and are given great flexibility in structuring local government. The government under the 1889 Charter had continued to be inefficient and provided for much political infighting. In 1913, a new city charter was adopted with voter approval and which followed the commission form of city government that had gained in popular interest among various American cities in the early twentieth century. The new government consisted of five commissioners each elected separately at-large who served both as the city council and the executive heads of city government departments. One of the commissioners served as mayor, a mostly ceremonial role.

The 1913 city charter was followed for little more than two decades when the voters of the city again adopted another new city charter in 1935 following the council-manager form of government. The government under the 1913 city charter retained some of the independent boards that were given authority independent of the elected city commissioners. This caused some inefficiency and political friction. The economic consequences of the Great Depression during the 1930s provided the final catalyst for municipal government reform.

In contrast to the previous government structures, the 1935 charter, having taken effect in 1936, provided for all administration of city government to be headed directly by a single officer, the city manager, who was appointed by and accountable to a city council of nine members elected as a group by the entire city at-large. The system was designed to address two principal issues with Saginaw's history of municipal government: the inefficiency and politics associated with having executive and administrative authority spread among many different officers and boards, and political rivalries and friction between various geographic areas of the city, mainly the east and west sides.

As the United States entered the conflict of World War II, Saginaw's industrial complex was geared towards production supporting the war effort. Munitions and components for military vehicles made Saginaw a significant contributor to the nation's eventual victory.

Saginaw became the destination for a great number of workers migrating from areas of the United States that were greatly devastated by the Great Depression, especially from the south. This migration continued throughout the war years and in the economic boom, which followed. Saginaw, like most of America, benefited from the dramatic economic prosperity following the war. General Motors expanded its presence in Saginaw, and other manufacturers increased production as well. This caused the population of the City to swell to its height of approximately 100,000 during the 1960s.

The needs of a growing city were met by significant investment in Saginaw's infrastructure. Notably, Saginaw constructed a 65-mile long water supply pipeline drawing water from Lake Huron in 1947 to meet the anticipated needs of the community. In addition, the cities of Midland and Bay City along with Saginaw jointly developed and began to operate an airport facility in nearby Tittabawassee Township that is now MBS International Airport.

In the years following World War II, the legislature of the State of Michigan enacted laws making it increasingly difficult for incorporated cities to expand by annexing adjacent territory contained within townships. Townships, which had historically served a rural population, were given the ability to provide nearly all of the same services that an incorporated city can. Residential growth in neighboring townships led the City of Saginaw to provide water under long-term contracts to such other units of government. This increased the ability of adjacent townships to further develop. The unintended consequence of this was that the city of Saginaw stopped growing in population and new housing development slowed significantly.

As a result of migrations of workers from other parts of the United States, particularly the south, Saginaw's African-American population expanded significantly in proportion to those of European ancestry. Attitudes of racism promoted the segregation of African-American residents into concentrated neighborhoods almost exclusively within the city's east side. Mortgage lenders and real estate sales agents enforced racial segregation by making it difficult for residents of certain areas to obtain financing or for African-Americans to purchase properties in white neighborhoods. Gradually most of the east side's white population migrated either to the west side or to adjacent townships thus making the Saginaw River the virtual dividing line for segregated racial groups in Saginaw. From the 1950s onward and persisting to the present, African-Americans overwhelmingly comprise the east side's population while white residents form a majority of the west side. After the eventual breakdown of institutionally enforced segregation and increased opportunities for African-Americans, however, the west side has become significantly more diverse in its ethnic and racial composition and is no longer almost exclusively comprised of white residents.

The geographic racial segregation within Saginaw set the stage for much of the city's political concerns during the last 40 years. Increasingly, race and ethnicity became significant aspects of local political campaigns and issues. The racial composition of the majority of the city council has shifted between African-Americans and whites during this time. This has caused for some degree of tensions to exist among members of the council at various times. The city council appoints a replacement member in the event of a vacancy. In each instance where a vacancy has occurred under the present city charter, a white replacement has been appointed when a white council member has vacated the seat, and an African-American replacement has been appointed when the prior incumbent was of the same race

Also, since the city council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor, the racial group with a majority of the city council membership has elected a mayor from the same racial group. From 1989 until 2005, a majority of the city council membership was African-American and each of the mayors serving during this time were also African-Americans. Gary L. Loster served the longest tenure of any mayor in Saginaw's history during this time, an unprecedented four terms from 1993 until 2001.

The economic conditions of the City of Saginaw make up another significant area of concern. The decline of manufacturing has resulted in high rates of unemployment. There has been a decline in the values of properties in the city, which has shrunk the amount the city is able to collect through property taxes. Saginaw has experienced a significant rate of crime activity while at the same time being forced to decrease the size of its police department. Overall, the number of employees and size and scope of city government is now nearly half of its level during the 1970s.

Government and politics

Saginaw is classified as a Home Rule City under the Michigan Home Rule Cities Act which permits cities to exercise "Home Rule" powers, among which is the power to frame and adopt its own City Charter which serves as the fundamental law of the city, in a manner similar to a Constitution for a national or state government. The present Charter was adopted in 1935 and took effect on January 6, 1936.

Saginaw's City Hall, completed in 1936 built of limestone and Indiana Rock

Council-Manager form of government

City Council

Pursuant to the City Charter, Saginaw is governed by a nine member elected at-large Council. The term of office for a member of the City Council is four years commencing with the first meeting following a regular municipal election. The terms of Council members are staggered so that the entire Council is not subject to re-election at the same time; alternatively either four or five members are elected in each odd-numbered year.

See also: List of City Council members

Mayor and Mayor Pro-tempore

The members of the Council select one of its own members to serve as Mayor for a two year term. The Mayor is chosen at the first meeting following a regular municipal election and a Mayor pro-tempore (usually simply called "Mayor pro-tem") at the same time. The Mayor's principal function is to preside at meetings of the City Council. The Mayor has the prerogative to make some appointments to various boards and commissions, and otherwise serves in a ceremonial role. The current Mayor is Carol B. Cottrell and the Mayor pro-tempore is Wilmer Jones Ham.

Mayor pro-tem Ham has currently (as of 2007) been charged with two felonies for her role in an unusual fire situation. The county prosecutor for a nearby county has been asked to assume authority over the matter, for political reasons. Mayor pro-tem Ham has refused to step down during the criminal case. See also: List of Mayors of Saginaw

City Manager

Actual executive power is vested in a city manager, who is a city employee appointed by the City Council. The position of city manager has been, at times, caught up in an ongoing, sometimes racial, fight for city control. Many of the employees filling the position have been fired after short periods of time in office. The present city manager is Darnell Earley who was selected by the City Council at its June 5, 2006 meeting. Prior to his appointment, Earley had been serving as interim city manager since September, 2005 after the previous officeholder, Cecil Collins, was removed from office by the City Council.

See also: List of city managers

City Charter revision

Under the provisions of the Home Rule Cities Act, the voters of the city elected a nine member Charter Revision Commission in November 2004. This Commission has the power to frame a new city charter and submit it for adoption or rejection by the voters. Under the law, the Charter Revision Commission has up to three years to complete the task. If it should fail to do so, the Commission is automatically dissolved. The commission has the discretion to retain or reject any provisions contained within the current city charter, including the Council-Manager form of government which it could replace with an elected executive mayor form of government. The manner by which Council members are selected can be considered by this commission as well and it may choose to discontinue the present at-large election method in favor of electing council members from districts. Although the Commission has seemed to have lagged on account of politics, it has been reported by local news media that a majority of the Charter Revision Commissioners intend for a new City Charter to be submitted to the electors in spring of 2007. A majority of the Commissioners has endorsed a full-time elected Strong Mayor form of city government.[1]

Budget and finance

The city itself is in an extreme budget crisis. A "cap" on property taxes was imposed in 1978 by means of an amendment to the City Charter adopted by the voters, on both the method of imposing the tax and on the total amount that can be collected. The city, formerly having a population of approximately 100,000 in the 1960s, is trying to support itself with an income tax imposed on those businesses which still remain within city limits — and those persons still employed who reside within the city. However, the many retired city employees require a large amount of the city's budget, and police, fire, and recreation have all suffered. Saginaw owns a large and very popular water park, but it has been closed for three years (as of 2006).

Trash assessment issues

It has been reported (as of mid-2006) that the City collects 3.8 million dollars per year in a special trash assessment. Under State law that special tax can only be used for trash services, and if not used for trash purposes the excess money is to be returned to the taxpayers.

The City has contracted with Waste Management (company) to provide all resident trash and compost services in the City. This service costs only 1.9 million dollars. The City has decided to charge in the remainder of the trash assessment into the City general fund to compensate itself for supervising the private trash pick-up operations. The legality of this decision has been questioned.

Crime problem

As of 2006, the City has seen a very large increase in criminal shootings and armed robberies. The city has also seen an increase in arson, which claimed about 60 abandoned homes in the ten days following Halloween 2006 alone. A look at Saginaw's violent crime rates revealed the following:

Murder, 3.47 times the national average.

Rape, 3.38 times the national average.

Robbery, 1.31 times the national average.

Aggravated assault, 6.30 times the national average.

Arson, 4.92 times the national average.

Overall violent crime, 4.55 times the national average.[2]

By comparison, Detroit, Michigan (population 927,766) long a stereo-typical violent city, has an overall violent crime rate 3.38 times the national average[3]; Nashville, Tennessee (population 554,000) has 2.51 times the national average[4]; and Los Angeles, California (population 3.8 million) has 2.13 times the national average[5].

The city's budget woes and a disfunctional city council, plus a dysfunctional police/union and police racial/political relationship are widely blamed. A proposal has been placed on the county ballot to tax the entire county as an additional public safety tax, with the money to be given to the non-Saginaw City major police departments in the county, who would hire officers using that money and be responsible for the retirement and health benefits of those officers.

The officers would then be assigned to a task force, sworn as deputies by the sheriff to gain county wide powers, and would function as a second police force for the City. It is thought that as they will be outside the current political and union problems they will be able to effectively patrol and arrest criminals.

During the August 8 election the proposal was soundly defeated by a 20% margin. Local democratic leaders are publicly pondering whether to seek a scaled back version of the plan, seek slightly more taxes to increase the number of regular deputies, or lay off some existing deputies to allow crime to increase in the county outlying areas and thereby make the voters more supportive of additional police.

An additional internal City ballot proposal was proposed and placed for vote at a special election held on May 2, 2006 to seek additional taxes, up to 6 mills on the taxable value of property, within the City to maintain the current level of officers. This authorization passed with a vote of 7758 in favor and 3417 against, despite a strong expectation that it would fail by many among the local news media and general public. A prior attempt to seek additional funding by means of a special tax levy, proposed at a special election failed a year earlier in May 2005.

Municipal water supply

The water treatment facility in Saginaw was constructed in 1929.

Saginaw does own a water treatment system which supplies drinking and industrial water to most of the surrounding areas within the county. Recently, the city has forbidden any new residents or employers from moving into the county unless their neighboring governments agree to "425 Agreements," which are state-permitted agreements under which the city can impose its property and income taxes on residents or employers moving into the county.[6]

The City of Saginaw, along with the City of Midland, constructed a 65 mile long pipeline in 1948 to supply water from Lake Huron at White Stone Point, north of Au Gres, Michigan. Midland and Saginaw jointly own and operate this water supply system. A criticism of Saginaw's policies with regard to providing water to adjacent suburbs is that the City greatly enabled commercial, residential and industrial growth to take place outside of the city limits which led to the decline of the tax base inside the city limits. Some argue that had the city required that developers wishing to receive city water and sewer services petition to be annexed to the city, the city would have thereby expanded its boundaries and continued to incorporate the growing tax base that now is present in such areas as Saginaw Charter Township and Kochville Township.

Politics

Saginaw, as well as Saginaw County as a whole, has long been a bastion for the Democratic party. During the 2006 midterm election, Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm received 49,556 (61%) votes to opponent Dick DeVos' 30,684 (38%) votes in Saginaw County.

Education

Public education

The Saginaw Public Schools District (SPSD) is the school district that controls 26 public elementary, middle and high schools in Saginaw and 1 elementary school in the nearby City of Zilwaukee. The service area comprising the district includes the City of Saginaw, City of Zilwaukee and Kochville Township, all within Saginaw County. The district is governed by a seven member elected board of education. The board selects a superintendent for the district. The current superintendent is Dr. Gerald D. Dawkins.

Like many urban U.S. school districts, SPSD suffered with a number of problems throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including overcrowding, underfunding, mismanagement and a high dropout rate. A number of school reform initiatives have since been undertaken to improve the system's performance.

Public high schools

• Arthur Hill High School
• Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
• Saginaw High School

Neighboring Area Public High Schools

• Carrollton High School
• Heritage High School
• Buena Vista High School
• Bridgeport High School
• Swan Valley High School

Private education

Saginaw is home to a number of private elementary and secondary school programs, some of which are located within the City itself, and others which include the City of Saginaw within their areas of service.

Private grade schools

• St. Josaphat (Closed)
• St. Thomas Aquinas
• St. Stephen
• St. Helen
• Sts. Peter and Paul

Private schools

• Michigan Lutheran Seminary

Private High Schools

• Valley Lutheran High School (Michigan)
• Grace Christian School
• Nouvel Catholic Central High School

Higher education

The City of Saginaw is located within the community college district of Delta College. Although not located within the city, Saginaw Valley State University located in nearby Kochville Township enrolls and employs a substantial number of city residents. Central Michigan University, Off-Campus Programs, offers Bachelor's and Master's degree programs to working adults in an accelerated format in Kochville Township. Davenport University, a private academic institution which formerly occupied a campus in downtown Saginaw that relocated to Kochville Township in 2002, also enrolls a large number of city residents.

See also: List of schools in Saginaw, Michigan

Local broadcast media

TV stations

• WNEM-TV (Channel 5), CBS
• WJRT-TV (Channel 12), ABC (Flint)
• WDCP-TV (Channel 19), PBS (Bay City-University Center)
• WEYI-TV (Channel 25), NBC
• WBSF-TV (Channel 46), CW
• WAQP-TV (Channel 49), Tri-State Christian TV/TBN
• WSMH-TV (Channel 66), Fox (Flint)

Radio stations

Radio stations licensed within the immediate Saginaw area (Saginaw County) are listed. See also Bay City, Midland, and Flint.

• 790 AM WSGW - News/Talk Newsradio 790
• 1250 AM WNEM - All News
• 1400 AM WSAM - Light Adult Contemporary, simulcast with 104.1 FM
• 90.9 FM WTRK - Contemporary Christian Air 1
• 93.7 FM WRCL - Rhythmic Contemporary Hits Club 93-7
• 94.5 FM WCEN - Country 94.5 The Moose
• 98.1 FM WKCQ - Country 98FM KCQ
• 100.5 FM WSGW - News/Talk (not simulcast with AM 790)
• 104.5 FM WILZ - Classic Rock Wheelz 104.5 & 101
• 106.3 FM WGER - Bright Adult Contemporary Magic 106.3
• 107.1 FM WTLZ - Mainstream Urban Hot 107.1

Saginaw in entertainment

• There is a memorable reference to Saginaw in Paul Simon's song "America" which was written at the Saginaw YMCA after a concert.

• Country music singer Lefty Frizzell recorded a hit song entitled "Saginaw, Michigan". It was later discovered that Lefty was actually singing about Saginaw Bay, not the city of Saginaw. He had apparently gone on a fishing trip on the bay with a relative, which prompted the song.

• On a two part episode of Seinfeld (The Bottle Deposit, Part 1 and Part 2), characters Newman and Cosmo Kramer conduct a plan to drive empty soda pop cans to Saginaw to receive Michigan's ten cents-per-can deposit while transporting mail from New York City to the regional mail sorting facility.

• Tin Pan Alley artist Isham Jones was raised in Saginaw. It was while he was working in a coal mine and daydreaming about being a musician that he crashed his mule train. Even though no one was injured, it scared him so much that he left and never came back.

• The city is mentioned in numerous episodes of the TV show, Home Improvement, which was set in Michigan.

• During the first week of October 2006, "Saginaw" was the bonus puzzle on the game show Wheel of Fortune. Pat Sajak asked co-host Vanna White if she had ever been to Saginaw, to which she responded that she had, and it was a very nice city.

• An episode ("Nightmare") of the TV show Supernatural was set in Saginaw.

Sports

Club	Sport	League	Venue	Logo
Saginaw Spirit	ice hockey	Ontario Hockey League	The Dow Event Center

Notable natives

• Canyon Adams, writer
• Dwayne Adway, actor
• Robert Armstrong, actor, nephew of playwright Paul Armstrong
• Edward Griffith Begle, mathematician specializing in the field of topology best known for his role as the director of the School Mathematics Study Group, the primary group credited for developing what came to be known as The New Math
• George Bickel, silent film actor
• Alphonso Boone, NFL
• Larry Borjas, recording artist "? and the Mysterians"
• Monty Brown, professional wrestler
• Ferdinand Brucker, US House of Representatives (MI) 1897-1899
• Wilber Marion Brucker, Governor of Michigan 1931-1933, Secretary of the Army 1955-1961
• Bob Buhl, pitcher for Milwaukee Braves, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies
• Louis Campau, Michigan pioneer who lived in Saginaw for a time before he founded Grand Rapids
• L. Perry Cookingham, first City Manager
• E. Irving Couse, artist
• Matthew Glave, actor
• Darvin Ham, NBA
• Robert G. Heft, designer of current American flag
• Edward Heinemann, aircraft designer responsible, wholly or in part, for 20 major military aircraft, including the A-4 Skyhawk light bomber, the F3D Skyknight night fighter and the F4D Skyray carrier-based fighter aircraft
• Brian d'Arcy James, musician and actor
• Isham Jones, musician
• Stephen Lynch, Tony Award nominated actor, comedian and musician
• Mark Macon, NBA
• Roy Manning, NFL
• Kenyon Martin, NBA
• Tim McCoy, cowboy actor
• S. Epatha Merkerson, actress (Law & Order)
• Richard Mudd, grandson of Samuel Mudd
• Robert Nickle, artist
• Anthony Ray Parker, actor
• Angelo Demetrious Brown, writer
• Doug Peacock, author, grizzly bear expert, lecturer
• James Reed, NFL
• Jason Richardson, NBA
• Anthony Roberson, NBA
• Dot Robinson, women's motorcycle racing pioneer, co-founder of Motor Maids,Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee (though born in Australia, she settled in Saginaw)
• Earl Robinson, endurance motorcycle champion, husband of Dot Robinson, Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee
• Theodore Roethke, poet
• Charles Rogers, NFL
• Stuart Schweigert, NFL
• Sonny Stitt, jazz musician
• Sam Sword, NFL
• Serena Williams, tennis player
• Stevie Wonder, musician
• John Matuzak, det. tigers, phil. Pillies

Sister cities

Tokushima, Japan Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico Awka, Anambra, Nigeria External links City of Saginaw Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce Saginaw News Saginaw Club Saginaw Jaycees [7] [8] Historical Society of Saginaw County Saginaw Art Museum Saginaw Valley State University Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum