Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti, commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city and college town located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Charter Township and on the west, south, and east by Ypsilanti Charter Township. Ypsilanti is a part of the Ann Arbor–Ypsilanti metropolitan area, the Huron River Valley, and the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor combined statistical area.
Ypsilanti is known for being the home of Eastern Michigan University since the university's founding as Michigan's first normal school in 1849, its location on the historic Detroit–Chicago Road, its historic Depot Town commercial district, and for its distinctive Ypsilanti Water Tower constructed in 1890. The city is closely associated with Ford Motor Company's Willow Run Bomber Plant which manufactured over 8,500 Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers during World War II; Ypsilanti's Ford Lake was created when Ford Motor Company dammed the Huron River to generate hydroelectric power. Ypsilanti is also home to the first Domino's Pizza location, located near EMU's McKenny Student Union in South Campus.
History
Originally a trading post established in 1809 by a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero in the Greek War of Independence. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, the year its namesake effectively won the war for Greek Independence at the Battle of Petra, with the two communities eventually merging. A bust of Demetrios Ypsilantis by Greek sculptor Christopher Nastos stands between a Greek and a US flag at the base of the landmark Ypsilanti Water Tower.Elijah McCoy lived in Ypsilanti with his family after moving from Canada following the Civil War. In Ypsilanti, racial barriers prevented him from working immediately as an engineer, so he took a position as a fireman and oiler for the Michigan Central Railroad while experimenting with machinery in a home workshop. It was during this period in Ypsilanti that he developed his first automatic lubricator. Today, Ypsilanti honors McCoy’s connection to the city with a Michigan historical marker at or near his former home and workshop.
In the late 19th century, Ypsilanti became known for producing full-body long underwear called union suits, commonly referred to as “Ypsilanti suits.” The garments were made at the Hay & Todd woolen mill, later renamed the Ypsilanti Underwear Company, along the Huron River near Forest Avenue. The suits were displayed at the 1893 The World's Columbian Exposition, in Chicago and distributed internationally, earning the city a reputation for quality garment production. The factory employed many workers, particularly women, and featured a large mural of a union suit visible to passing trains. The company declined in the early 20th century, was sold to the Oak Knitting Company in 1907, and the mill buildings were demolished in 1933. Surviving examples of *Ypsilanti* underwear are preserved at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum.
Ypsilanti has played an important role in the automobile industry. From 1920 to 1922, Apex Motors produced the "ACE" car. The quarter mile stretch of land along Michigan Avenue became a hub for car dealerships starting in 1912 when the first car dealership opened, and ending in the 1990s when the last dealership closed. This area has been referred to as "The Amazing Quarter Mile" and was eventually added to the Ypsilanti Historic District. This site is part of a collection of parcels known as the Water Street Redevelopment Area. It was in Ypsilanti that Preston Tucker designed and built the prototypes for his Tucker '48. Tucker's story was related in the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
In 1945, Henry J. Kaiser and Joseph W. Frazer bought the nearby Willow Run B-24 Liberator bomber plant from Ford Motor Company, and started to make Kaiser and Frazer model cars in 1947. The last Kaiser car made in Ypsilanti rolled off the assembly line in 1953, when the company merged with Willys–Overland and moved production to Toledo, Ohio. General Motors purchased the Kaiser Frazer plant, and converted it into its Hydramatic Division, beginning production in November 1953. The GM Powertrain Division ceased production at this facility in 2010.
Ypsilanti is also the location of the last Hudson automobile dealership. Today, the former dealership is the site of the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Collection. The museum is the home to an original Fabulous Hudson Hornet race car, which inspired the character Doc Hudson in the 2006 Pixar animated film Cars.
In the early 1970s, the citizens reduced the penalty for the use and sale of marijuana to $5.
In 1979, Faz Husain was elected to the Ypsilanti city council, the first Muslim and the first native of India to win elected office in Michigan.
In the 1990s, Ypsilanti became the first city in Michigan to pass a living wage ordinance.
On July 23, 2007, Governor Jennifer Granholm announced that Ypsilanti, along with the cities of Caro and Clio, was chosen by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority to take part in the Blueprints for Michigan's Downtowns program. The award provides for an economic development consultant to assist Ypsilanti in developing a growth and job creation strategy for the downtown area.
On June 23, 2020, Mayor Beth Bashert resigned after a controversial comment she made about race during a Zoom meeting.
Timeline
- 1929 – Miller Motors Hudson opens, it eventually becomes the last Hudson dealership in the world
- 1931 – McKenny Union opens as the first student union on the campus of a teachers' college.
- 1937 - American jazz musician Nat King Cole married singer and dancer Nadine Robinson at a private residence located at 370 First Avenue. The couple, who had met while performing in the musical revue Shuffle Along, were married on January 29, 1937.
- 1939–mid‑1940s – Phyllis Diller lived at 215 ½ Oakwood Street in Ypsilanti while her husband worked at the Willow Run bomber plant. Locals recall her singing in the Presbyterian Church choir and performing at community events. She also developed early comedic routines referencing neighborhood life, which she later incorporated into her professional comedy acts.
- 1967–1969 – Ypsilanti resident John Norman Collins was linked to the Michigan Murders, a series of killings targeting female students at the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. He was arrested in July 1969 and convicted of one murder on August 19, 1970.
- 1998 – The Michigan Firehouse Museum is established preserving a firehouse built in 1898.
Geography
The Huron River flows through Ypsilanti with Ford Lake on the southern edge of the city. Paint Creek also runs through the city. The Border-to-Border Trail runs through the city.
Demographics
2020 census
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 19,435 people, 8,026 households, and 2,880 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 9,271 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 61.5% White, 29.2% African American, 0.6% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.9% of the population.There were 8,026 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 19.7% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 64.1% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age in the city was 25 years. 14.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 35.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 16.6% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,362 people, 8,551 households, and 3,377 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 9,215 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 61.40% White, 30.58% African American, 0.44% Native American, 3.18% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races, and 3.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.47% of the population. 13.6% were of German ancestry, 6.8% Irish, 6.4% English and 5.5% Polish heritage according to Census 2000.There were 8,551 households, out of which 19.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.0% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.5% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, 15.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 38.2% was from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 12.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,610, and the median income for a family was $40,793. Males had a median income of $30,328 versus $26,745 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,692. About 16.9% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.