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Saginaw, Michigan
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HistoryThe site of what is presently the City of Saginaw was originally inhabited by Native Americans. The Sauk lived in the area and were driven from the area by Ojibwe (Chippewa). The name Saginaw is believed to mean "where the Sauk were" in the Ojibwe language. French missionaries and traders first appeared in the area during the late 1600s. The first permanent settlement by those other than Native Americans was in 1815 when Louis Campau established a trading post on the west bank of the Saginaw River. Shortly thereafter the United States established Fort Saginaw.
During Michigan's territorial period, a county and township government were organized at Saginaw. Growth of the settlement was fueled rapidly during the 1800s by the lumber industry. Saginaw was the site of numerous sawmills and served as a port for Great Lakes vessels. What is now the City of Saginaw resulted from the consolidation of the Cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw (West Side) in 1889.
During the 1900s, Saginaw's economy was dominated by manufacturing related to the automotive industry. Immigration from other areas, particularly the American south, swelled the population. This population growth particularly expanded the presence of African-Americans in Saginaw. The politics of the City became dominated with issues of race relations. The manufacturing presence in Saginaw declined in the latter half of the 20th century and the population diminished as well. Saginaw has faced increasing social problems relating to poverty as a result of its high rate of unemployment. Crime has been a major area of concern for the community in recent years.
GeographyTopography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.1 km˛), of which, 17.4 square miles (45.2 km˛) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km˛) of it (3.96%) is water. Saginaw lies on the Saginaw River, 15 miles inland from the Saginaw Bay, an arm of Lake Huron.
Climate DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 61,799 people, 23,182 households, and 15,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,542.9 per square mile (1,368.2/km˛). There were 25,639 housing units at an average density of 1,469.9/sq mi (567.6/km˛). 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.
Law and government Government 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. 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.
Crime As of 2006, the City's crime rate in major categories is well above the national average. The overall violent crime rate for 2006 was 4.55 times the national average. By comparison, Detroit the largest city in Michigan, has an overall violent crime rate 3.38 times the national average. Los Angeles, California with a population 3.8 million has 2.13 times the national average. Arson has been a notable problem in the city with the night before Halloween becoming known as "Devil's Night." With 40 cases of arson on Devil's Night alone in 2006, local law enforcement and citizen groups created in 2007 "Saginaw Arson Watch" as an attempt to reduce the pre-halloween arsons that have plagued the city. Citizens have considered the project "a resounding success" as only eight fires were reported during Devil's Night. In 2007, Saginaw was ranked the 14th most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States.
Education Higher education The City of Saginaw is served by Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University, which are located in nearby University Center, Michigan and a campus of Davenport University, located in Kochville Township. Central Michigan University maintains an off-campus center inside the city that offers numerous degree programs.
Primary and secondary schools The City of Saginaw is served by the Saginaw Public School District (SPSD). The district operates 14 elementary schools, 2 combined elementary/middle schools, 4 middle schools, and 4 high schools. 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 . The three public high schools are Heritage High School, Arthur Hill High School, Saginaw High School, and Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy. Michigan Lutheran Seminary and Grace Christian School are the two private high schools in the city. Top charter schools in the city are North Saginaw Charter Academy and Saginaw Prep schools.
Infrastructure Utilities The City of Saginaw gets its electricity and natural gas from Consumers Energy.
Municipal water supplyIn 1929, the City opened its consolidated water works plant which replaced two separate plants that were on each side of the Saginaw river. This plant treated water brought in from the Saginaw river and piped it out to the residents as well as corner pumps for people that did not have direct connections to the system. Currently, the City of Saginaw jointly owns with the City of Midland the Saginaw-Midland Municipal Water Supply Corporation. Incorporated in 1946, this water treatment system has supplied drinking and industrial water to both cities and many surrounding areas within the county. Due to brackish water being in the aquifers below both cities, a long pipeline was constructed in 1948 to supply water from Lake Huron at White Stone Point, north of Au Gres to water treatment plants in Saginaw and Midland with a second pipe added by 1996. This system has played a role in the decline of the city. The City of Saginaw, in order to provide obtain new sources of revenue, sold water to areas outside of the city. This led to numerous businesses inside the city to leave for the surrounding areas and development in the city to stagnate. The City of Midland however adopted a policy of "No Annexation, No Water" which has led to the growth of the city as well as the surrounding areas.
Transportation Saginaw is served primarily by two airports; MBS International Airport, located in nearby Freeland, and Bishop International Airport, located in Flint. Saginaw is also served by three smaller airports; Harry W. Browne Airport, James Clements Municipal Airport in Bay City, and Jack Barstow Municipal Airport in Midland. In addition to the airports, Interstate 75 serves as the main arterial route for the Saginaw area while Interstate 675 provides direct access to the center of the city from Interstate 75. Interstate 69 is a nearby east-west corridor providing access to the rest of the Midwestern United States and Canada. The Saginaw River runs through the middle of the city and provides access to Saginaw Bay and the rest of the Great Lakes via docks on the northern side of the city. Historically, ships were able to move all along the length of the river inside the city but fixed bridges being built over the river closed access south of the northern docks. In the city and surrounding areas, mass transit is provided by bus under the authority of the Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services (STARS) system. The STARS system connects to Bay City's Bus system at Saginaw Valley State University.
Major highways
Culture and entertainment The city's main entertainment can be found in the downtown area, where places such as the Children's Zoo, The Dow Event Center and the 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 as well as The Saginaw Sting, an indoor football team. The downtown area, which contains a number of office buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s, is located near the Saginaw Club, a local businessmen's club and educational complex founded in 1889. 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 (1.6 km) south. Old Town houses many popular bars, locally owned restaurants, and arts organizations.
Sports The Saginaw area is home to two professional sports teams as well as one NCAA Division-II school that has various sports programs. The Saginaw Spirit is an Ontario Hockey League team that became nationally known when television personality Stephen Colbert promoted the team on his show, The Colbert Report. The Saginaw Sting is an indoor football team that formed in 2007 to play in Saginaw beginning in the 2008 season. At the collegiate level, Saginaw Valley State University competes in numerous sports such as American Football, Basketball, and Volleyball.
Media Shopping Areas The area's main shopping district is located along Bay Rd. and Tittabawassee Rd. north of town, where several big box stores can be found. Also in the same area is Fashion Square Mall, a regional shopping mall anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears. There are also many restaurants in this part of town.
Television stations Saginaw is part of Nielsen's Flint-Saginaw-Bay City-Midland Designated Market Area which is the 66th largest market in the United States for Television Viewers. Saginaw is the home of CBS affliate WNEM which maintains its studios and offices inside the City though its license is for Bay City, MI. ABC affiliate WJRT maintains its offices and newsrooms in Saginaw while its studios are in its community of license, Flint. Only NBC affiliate WEYI and Christian station WAQP have the City of Saginaw as their city of record but both maintain their facilities outside of the city. Charter Communications operates a cable television network servicing the City of Saginaw under a franchise agreement.
Radio stations Radio stations licensed within the immediate Saginaw area (Saginaw County) are listed. Many locations in the City of Saginaw also receive stations from Bay City, Midland, and Flint.
| FM radio stations |
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| Frequency | Call sign | Name | Format | Owner | City |
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| 90.9 FM | WTRK | Air 1 | Contemporary Christian | Educational Media Foundation | Saginaw, Michigan | | 93.3 FM | WKQZ | The Rock Station, Z93 | Modern rock | Citadel Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan (Studios) | | 93.7 FM | WRCL | Club 93.7 | Rhythmic contemporary | Regent Communications | Saginaw, Michigan | | 94.5 FM | WCEN | 94.5 The Moose | Country music | NextMedia Group | Saginaw, Michigan | | 96.1 FM | WHNN | 96 WHNN | Oldies | Citadel Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan | | 97.3 FM | WMJO | 97.3 Joe FM | Classic hits/Hot AC | MacDonald Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan | | 98.1 FM | WKCQ | 98FM KCQ | Country music | MacDonald Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan | | 100.5 FM | WTKQ | FM Talk 100.5 | News/Talk | NextMedia Group | Saginaw, Michigan | | 102.5 FM | WIOG | The Hit Music Channel | Contemporary hits | Citadel Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan | | 104.1 FM | WSAM | The Bay | Soft adult contemporary | MacDonald Broadcasting | Bridgeport, Michigan | | 104.5 FM | WILZ | Wheelz 104.5 | Classic rock | Citadel Broadcasting | Saginaw, Michigan | | 106.3 FM | WGER | Magic 106.3 | Adult contemporary | NextMedia Group | Saginaw, Michigan | | 107.1 FM | WTLZ | Hot 107.1 | Urban adult contemporary | NextMedia Group | Saginaw, Michigan |
Newspapers - The Saginaw News — daily
- Review Magazine — biweekly
- The Saginaw Press — weekly
Saginaw in popular culture and literature Saginaw is referred to in the Simon and Garfunkel song "America", which is about hitchhiking across the USA. It was noted: "It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw, I've gone to look for America." Bill Anderson and Don Wayne wrote a song entitled "Saginaw Michigan" that has been covered by a dozen artists. Cowboy singer Lefty Frizzell was the first to perform it, with his version reaching number one on the country charts. More popularly, it was also performed by Johnny Cash.
Notable nativesSee also:
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