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== Sites of interest ==
== Sites of interest ==
{{Refimprovesect}}
[[Image:Midland-Center-For-The-Arts.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Midland Center for the Arts]]
[[Image:Midland-Center-For-The-Arts.jpg|thumb|right|200px|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 Theater Guild to world-class orchestras and dance companies.
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 Theater Guild to world-class orchestras and dance companies.

Revision as of 04:44, 4 August 2010

City of Midland
City
File:Midlandlogo.PNG
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountiesMidland, Bay
Incorporation1887
Government
 • TypeCouncil-Manager
 • MayorMaureen Donker
 • City ManagerJon Lynch
Area
 • City
35.0 sq mi (90.5 km2)
 • Land33.2 sq mi (86.0 km2)
 • Water1.7 sq mi (4.5 km2)
 • Urban
30.69 sq mi (79.48 km2)
Elevation
636 ft (193 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • City
41,685
 • Estimate 
(2008)
40,917
 • Density1,254.9/sq mi (484.5/km2)
 • Urban
49,387
 • Metro
82,874
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
48640-48686
Area code989
FIPS code26-53780Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0632282[1]
Websitehttp://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 CountyTemplate:GR. While the vast majority of the city exists within Midland County, a small portion of the city extends into Bay County. Most of the city's area is incorporated from Midland Township.

The city's population was 41,685 as of the 2000 census. The 2008 census estimate places the population at 40,917.[2] 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.[3] The Dow Corning Corporation and Chemical Bank are also headquartered in Midland.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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[4] near Freeland and Flint's Bishop International Airport.[5]

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[6].

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

Climate data for Midland, Michigan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Source: Weatherbase[7]

Education

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 Theater Guild to world-class orchestras and dance companies.

Midland County Historical Societies Heritage Park provides an opportunity to explore Midland County's history through a variety of avenues. The Herbert D. Doan Midland County History Center houses a research library, gift shop and the interactive Dorothy Dow Arbury Midland County History Gallery, which provides hands on exhibits for exploring Midland County's history. Also located at Heritage Park is the Herbert H. Dow Historical Museum, which explores the history and growth of the Dow Chemical Company founded in Midland by Herbert H. Dow. Also located on the campus is the Bradley Home Museum and Carriage House; the home built in 1874 by Benjamin F. Bradley provides an opportunity to experience a hands on historic home while the Carriage House hold an extensive collection of sleighs, carriages and the largest working blacksmith shop in the Mid-Michigan area.

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.

List of notable places

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. Midland also has a vibrant downtown on Main Street which includes local restaurants (Oscars, Omelets and More), artist co-ops, and local retail (Made in Michigan and Peel 'n Pare).

Historical markers

There are four recognized Michigan historical markers in the city.[12]

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

Notable Midlanders

Sports

Midland is home to many recreational sporting facilities and organizations. These include the civic ice arena which hosts 2 NHL and one Olympic-sized rinks, a skate park downtown, and the Midland Community Tennis Center and its 32 courts. The tennis center also hosts a USTA Pro Circuit event and was part of the USTA award to Midland as America's Best Tennis Town 2009.[13]

Midland is also host to the following professional sports teams.

Club Sport League Venue Logo
Great Lakes Loons Baseball Midwest League Dow Diamond
Mid Michigan Ice Softball Independent Currie Stadium

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

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Midland, Michigan
  2. ^ "Midland Statistics". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2009-08-03. {{cite web}}: Text "04000US26" ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Sister City Relationships - Handa, Japan". City of Midland, Michigan. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  4. ^ MBS International Airport
  5. ^ Flint Bishop International Airport
  6. ^ Dial-A-Ride homepage
  7. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America". Retrieved November 29, 2007.
  8. ^ http://www.mcfta.org/C_MCFTA/index.html
  9. ^ "USTA Outstanding Facility Awards, showing history of past recipients". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  10. ^ "RCW Trainers - Midwest Section". United States Tennis Association. Retrieved 2008-09-11., Midland Community Tennis Center was awarded Midwest USTA Organization of the Year in 2005
  11. ^ "Satellite photo". Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
  12. ^ Michigan Historical Markers
  13. ^ 2009 Best Tennis Town Retrieved 2010-5-18
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