Flint is a city in the
U.S. state of Michigan
and is
located along the Flint
River, 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit
. As
of the
2000 census, the
city had a population of 124,943, making it the fifth largest city
in Michigan.
It is the county
seat of Genesee County
which lies in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan.
Genesee County is also the entirety of Flint's
metropolitan area, the
fourth largest metropolitan area in Michigan. Flint is the largest
city in the United States with a one-syllable name.
Flint is most known for being the birthplace of the
General Motors Corporation, and
the
Flint Sit-Down Strike of
1936-37 that played a vital role in the formation of the
United Auto Workers. It has also become
a symbol of the decline in the auto industry. Flint area native
Michael Moore created the
1989 documentary
film Roger & Me
dealing with the impact that the closure of several
General Motors manufacturing plants in the
late 1980s had on Flint's population. The city is often mentioned,
and featured at various lengths, in most Moore documentaries.
The headquarters of
Citizens
Republic Bancorp (formerly known as Citizens Commercial and
Savings Bank) has remained in its original location in Downtown
Flint since its formation in 1871.
Flint Charter
Township
is adjacent to the city on the west but is
politically independent.
History
Some scholars consider the Saginaw Valley, particularly the
vicinity of Flint, to be the oldest continually inhabited part of
Michigan. Regardless of the validity of this claim, the region was
home to several
Ojibwa tribes at the top of
the 19th century, with a particularly significant community
established near present-day Montrose. The
Flint River had several convenient
fords which became points of contention among rival tribes, as
attested by the presence of arrowheads and burial mounds near
Flushing.
Jacob Smith, a
fur trader on cordial terms with
both the local Ojibwas and the territorial government founded a
trading post in Flint itself in 1819. On several occasions, Smith
negotiated land exchanged with the Ojibwas on behalf of the U.S.
government, and he was highly regarded on both sides. Smith
apportioned many of his holdings to his children.
As the ideal stopover
on the overland route between Detroit and Saginaw
, Flint grew
into a small but prosperous village. The city was
incorporated in 1855. The 1860 U.S. census indicated that Genesee
County had a population of 22,498 of Michigan's 750,000.
In the latter half of the 1800s, Flint became a lumber center, and
at the turn of the 20th century the revenue and infrastructure from
lumbering funded the establishment of the local carriage making
industry. As horse-drawn carriages gave way to the automobiles,
Flint became a major player in the nascent auto industry.
Buick Motor Company, after a rudimentary
start in Detroit, soon moved to Flint. AC Spark Plug (now part of
Delphi) originated in Flint, as did several defunct automobile
marques such as the
Dort,
Little,
Flint, and
Mason brands. Chevrolet's first (and for many
years, main) manufacturing facility was also in Flint, although its
headquarters were in Detroit. For a brief period, all Chevrolets
and Buicks were built in Flint.
In 1904, local entrepreneur
William
C. Durant was brought in to
manage Buick, which became the largest manufacturer of automobiles
by 1908. In 1908, Durant founded
General Motors, filing
incorporation papers in New Jersey, with headquarters in Flint. GM
moved its headquarters to Detroit in the mid 1920s. Durant lost
control of GM twice during his lifetime. On the first occasion, he
befriended
Louis Chevrolet and
founded
Chevrolet, which was a runaway
success. He used the capital from this success to buy back share
control. He later lost decisive control again, permanently. Durant
experienced financial ruin in the
stock market crash of 1929 and
subsequently ran a bowling alley in Flint until the time of his
death in 1947.
For the last century, Flint's history has been dominated by both
the auto industry and car culture. During the
sit down strike of 1936-1937, the
fledgling
United Automobile
Workers triumphed over General Motors, inaugurating the era of
labor unions. The successful mediation of the strike by Governor
Frank Murphy, culminating in a one page
agreement recognizing the Union, began an era of successful
organizing by the UAW.
The city was a major contributor of tanks and other war material
during
World War II due to its
extensive manufacturing facilities.
A freighter named after the city, the "the City of Flint" was the
first US ship to be captured during the Second World War in
October, 1939. The vessel was later sunk in 1943.
The eighth
deadliest tornado on record in the United States
struck Beecher, just north of Flint, on June 8,
1953, killing 115 people, injuring 844. Known as the
"
Beecher
Tornado," after the North Side community, the tornado
devastated the area.
On the next day the same weather system
spawned the worst tornado in New England
in Worcester, Massachusetts
, killing another 94 people.
For decades, Flint remained politically significant as a major
population center as well as for its importance to the automotive
industry. The city's population peaked in 1960 at almost 200,000.
These
decades are seen as the height of Flint's prosperity and influence,
and culminated with the establishment of many local institutions,
most notably including the Flint Cultural Center
, which remains one of the city's chief commercial
and artistic draws to this day.
Since the late 1960s, Flint has suffered from
disinvestment, deindustrialization, and
depopulation. Initially, this took the form of the "
white flight" that afflicted many American
towns and cities, but the decline was exacerbated by the
1973 oil crisis and subsequent collapse of
the U.S. auto industry. In the 1980s, the rate of
deindustrialization accelerated with local GM employment falling
from a 1978 high of 80,000 to under 23,000 by the late 1990s. Many
factors have been blamed, including
outsourcing and exporting jobs abroad and to
non-union facilities,
unionization,
exorbitant overhead,
globalization,
and most recently, a dramatic decline in General Motors sales.
These rationales are often strictly applied along lines of
political orientation, and labor remains the most divisive and
polarizing local issue.
The recent decline was highlighted in the film
Roger & Me by
Michael Moore (the title refers to
Roger B. Smith,
the
CEO of
General Motors during the 1980s).
Also highlighted in Moore's
documentary was the failure of city
officials to reverse the trends with entertainment options (e.g.
AutoWorld) during the 1980s. Moore, a
native of the area, revisited Flint in his later movies, including
Bowling for Columbine
and
Fahrenheit 9/11.
The demolition site of Buick City, for
many years General Motors' flagship factory on the North
side.
Another aspect of Flint's history is reflected in its legacy of
racial discrimination and tension. From the turn of the century,
African Americans in particular were drawn to Flint, as were most
migrants, by the lure of work in the factories. However, for much
of this time General Motors did not hire African Americans to
assembly positions, and they were excluded from affluent
neighborhoods like the
East
Village through housing compacts. Despite such discrimination,
the Flint City Council selected Floyd McCree as mayor, making him
one of the first African American mayors of a large city. The city
diversified as a whole, and by the 1990s African Americans formed a
plurality of the population, and a majority by the 2000 census.
Mexican Americans and Native Americans remain a small but
demographically significant population within Flint. Recent
politics have typically polarized along racial lines, with
candidates appealing to a small swing contingent of African
American voters. Such contentions have been most pronounced
recently in the successful 2002 recall election of African American
mayor
Woodrow Stanley.
The last decade has opened on the final stages of large-scale
General Motors deindustrialization. By 2002 Flint had accrued a $35
million debt. Unable to pay this and balance its budget, the state
of Michigan placed the city into receivership late that year, with
a financial manager effectively replacing acting mayor, City
Administrator Darnell Earley. In 2004, local control was resumed
and has maintained a balanced budget since.
In 2004, General Motors made multi-million dollar upgrades to three
Flint factories: Flint Truck and Bus Assembly, Flint Metal Center,
and Flint Engine South. Recent developments have also assured the
operation of Delphi Flint East beyond 2007.
Included in the
proposed 2007 UAW-GM contract, a new engine plant will be built
near Powertrain
Flint North
to begin
production in 2011, replacing the current factory, which is
scheduled to end production of the 3800 engine in 2008.
Of the nearly 80,000 people that worked for General Motors in Flint
during its peak years in the late 1970s, only about 8,000 are left
after the most recent 2006 buyouts. Details on specific plant
openings and closings are found in the article
Flint, Michigan Auto
Industry.
Flint's redevelopment will rely heavily on its institution of
higher learning.
The building of student housing at the
University of
Michigan-Flint
, Kettering University
having an enrollment of 2,675, University of
Michigan-Flint having an enrollment of 7,260, and Mott Community College having an
enrollment of 10,456 all show how the city will rely on its
collegiate institutions. All of these institutions are
located within the City of Flint and are expected to be major parts
of the city's continued rebirth. The
Baker
College campus in
Flint Township
also has an enrollment numbering in the thousands.
Redevelopment
Renovated First National Bank building
in downtown Flint.
In the last decade, local efforts to counter deindustrialization
have centered around diversifying the economy, either by attracting
small parts manufacturers with vacant industrial space and tax
incentives, or steering the city toward a more commercially driven
economy.
Industrially, the vacated Buick City
site is currently the United States' largest
brownfield. Its accessibility
to the Flint River and major rail networks has made it potentially
attractive to shipping interests. A local shipping company has
considered turning Buick City into a large shipping center. This
center could provide 600 jobs and spur many small businesses.In the
new GM-UAW deal, an agreement was reached to build a new engine
plant on a portion of the Buick City site. This plant is expected
to provide 800 new jobs.
Commercially, local organizations have attempted to pool their
resources in the central business district and to expand and
bolster higher education at four local institutions. Landmarks such
as the First National Bank building have been extensively
renovated, often to create lofts or office space, and filming for
the
Will Ferrell movie
Semi-Pro resulted in renovations to the Capitol
Theatre. In 2004 the first planned residential community in Flint
in over 30 years,
University
Park, was built north of Fifth Avenue off Saginaw Street,
Flint's main thoroughfare.
Local foundations have also funded the
renovation and redecoration of Saginaw Street, and have begun work
turning University Avenue (formerly known as Third Avenue) into a
mile-long "University Corridor" connecting University
of Michigan–Flint
with Kettering University. Atwood Stadium
, located on University Avenue, has already received
extensive renovations and the Cultivating Our Community project is
landscaping 16 different locations from in Flint as a part of a
$415,600 beautification project. Wade Trim and Rowe
Incorporated have done major renovations to transform empty
downtown Flint blocks into business, entertainment, and housing
centers. WNEM, a local television station, has signed a ten year
lease on space in the Wade Trim building facing Saginaw Street.
Also, plans have been recently passed to turn the long-vacant Durant Hotel into a mixture of commercial space and apartments attractive to young professionals or college students, with 93 units. Work has already begun and the project is expected to be complete by fall 2009. In March 2008, the Crim Race Foundation put up an offer to buy the vacant Character Inn and turn it into a fitness center and do a multimillion dollar renovation.
In 2008,
the University of Michigan–Flint opened its first 310-person dormitory on their
Downtown Flint campus. The University of Michigan-Flint has acquired the Riverfront Character Inn and plans
to turn the former hotel into a 550-person dormitory called the
Riverfront Residence Hall. Kettering University and Baker College
- Flint have both expanded on-campus living in recent
years. While
Mott
Community College does not offer on-campus housing, they have
initiated their own expansion with the construction of a Regional
Technology Center.
Additionally, the city is in the process of tearing down abandoned
homes in some of the outlying areas in order to reduce the city to
a level where the population can support it. As of June 2009,
approximately 1100 homes have been demolished, with one official
estimating another 3000 more will have to be torn down.
Transportation
The city
of Flint is served by Bishop International Airport
and various bus lines.
Amtrak provides intercity passenger rail service on
the Blue Water line from
Chicago
to Port Huron
at the border to Canada. For travel within
and around the city, the
Flint Mass Transportation
Authority (MTA) provides local bus services.
Greyhound Lines also runs inter-city bus
services north to Bay City
and south to Detroit
. Indian Trails runs inter-city bus services
west to Chicago.
Airlines
Scheduled
airline service is available from Flint Bishop
International Airport and MBS International Airport
. It is the biggest airport in the region, to
populated cities.
Major highways
|
Interstate 69
has its eastern (northern) terminus at the Blue Water
Bridge in Port Huron, and runs west through Flint to Lansing and then turns south and continues through Marshall and on to Fort Wayne and to its end in Indianapolis . |
|
Interstate 75
running concurrently with US 23, cuts
through the southwest corner of the city and passes the west side
of the city through Flint Charter Township . I-75/US 23 continue north to Saginaw and Bay City. After separating near Standish , I-75 continues though the center of the state to
Grayling , Mackinaw City , and Sault Ste. Marie. I-75/US 23 separate just south of the city,
with I-75 continuing through the Metro
Detroit area to downtown Detroit, on to Toledo .
I-75
continues south through several major cities, including: Cincinnati,
Ohio , Atlanta,
Georgia , Tampa,
Florida to its ending in the suburbs of Miami,
Florida . |
|
Interstate 475 begins
south of Flint at Interstate 75 and runs north through downtown
Flint then loops back to I-75 northwest of the city. |
|
US-23 runs concurrently with I-75
and passes west of the city. After separating from I-75 near Standish, US
23 continues north on a scenic route along the Lake Huron shoreline. It ends at I-75 in Mackinaw City.
This section of US 23 is designated the "Sunrise Side Coastal
Highway". South of Flint, US 23 continues to Ann
Arbor , on to Toledo, and continues south into Florida . |
|
M-21
runs nearly due west to Grand Rapids |
|
M-54, also known as Dort
Highway, runs mostly parallel to I-475 to the east from I-75 to
I-69. |
Geography
The Flint River in the late 1970s
during a U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers flood control project, taken from
approximately halfway between the Grand Traverse Street bridge and
Beach-Garland Street bridge, looking east.
Flint
lies in the Flint/Tri-Cities region
of Michigan. Flint and Genesee
County can be categorized as a subregion of
Flint/Tri-Cities.
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.1 square
miles (88.2 km²), of which, 33.6 square miles (87.1 km²)
of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (1.26%) is
water. Flint lies just to the northeast of the Flint hills. The
terrain is low and rolling along the south and east sides, and
flatter to the northwest.
Neighborhoods
For a city of its size, Flint has many neighborhoods, grouped
around the center of the city on the four cardinal "sides." The
downtown business district is centered on Saginaw Street south of
the Flint River. Just west, on opposite sides of the river, are
Carriage Town (north) and the Grand Traverse Street District
(south). Both neighborhoods boast strong neighborhood associations.
The University Avenue corridor of Carriage Town is home to the
largest concentration of "Greek" housing in the area, with
fraternity houses from both Kettering University, and the
University of Michigan Flint. Chapter houses include Theta Chi,
Theta Xi, and Delta Tau Delta Fraternities.
These neighborhoods
were the center of manufacturing for and profits from the nation's
carriage industry until the 1920s, and to this day are the site of
many well-preserved Victorian homes
and the setting of Atwood
Stadium. Just north of downtown is River Village, a
successful example of mixed-income public housing. To the east of
I-475 is Central Park, a
small neighborhood defined by cul-de-sacs.
Hall's Flats on the West Side is one
of Flint's many neighborhoods.
The North Side and 5th Ward are predominantly
African American, with such historic
districts as Buick City and Civic Park on the north, and Sugar
Hill, Floral Park, and Kent and Elm Parks on the south.
Many of
these neighborhoods were the original centers of early Michigan blues. The South Side in
particular was also a center for multi-racial migration from
Missouri
, Kentucky
, Tennessee
, and the Deep South since World War II.
These neighborhoods are most often lower income, but have
maintained some level of economic stratification.
The East Side is the
site of the Applewood Mott Estate, and Mott Community College, the
Cultural
Center, and East
Village, one of Flint's more prosperous areas. Just
north is Eastside Proper, also known as the "State Streets," a
low-income rental area that has rapidly diversified and is the
center of Flint's
Hispanic community.
Eastside has had trouble with prostitution, particularly in
districts centered on Dort Highway and Olive Avenue.
The West Side
includes the main site of the 1937 sitdown strike, the Mott Park
neighborhood, Kettering University, and the historic Woodcroft Estates, owned in the
past by legendary automotive executives and current home to
prominent and historic Flint families such as the Motts, the
Manleys, and the Smiths.
Facilities associated with General Motors in the past and present
are scattered throughout the city, including GM Truck and Bus,
Flint Metal Center and Powertrain South (clustered together on the
city's southwestern corner); Powertrain North, Flint Tool and Die
and Delphi East.
The largest plant, Buick City and adjacent facilities, have been
demolished.
of Flint's fourteen tallest buildings were built during the 1920s.
The city's tallest building, the 19-story
Genesee Towers, was completed in 1968. The
building has become unused in recent years and has fallen into
severe disrepair; a cautionary sign warning of falling debris was
put on the sidewalk in front of it. City officials have considered
having the building demolished.
Climate
Flint lies within the
humid
continental climate zone. The summers are generally warm and
humid, with an average high temperature in the 80's and a record
high of 108 set on July 13, 1936. The winters are cold and snowy,
with average lows in the teens and a record low of -28 set on
February 14, 1916. In the spring it is snowy to start, then stormy
and warm through the end of it. In the fall it is cool and breezy
with generous amounts of precipitation. The last snowfall of the
season comes anywhere in between the middle of March and the
beginning of April. The first snowfall of the season has been known
to occur in late October, but often, the Christmas season arrives
with a snowless ground. The area is cloudy and breezy most of the
year. Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year
with a late summer peak and snowfall is around 45 inches per
year.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 124,943
people, 48,744 households, and 30,270 families residing in the
city. The
population density was
3,714.9 per square mile (1,434.5/km²). There were 55,464 housing
units at an average density of 1,649.1/sq mi (636.8/km²). The
racial makeup of the city was 53.27%
Black or
African American, 41.39%
White, 0.64%
Native American, 0.44%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 1.11% from
other races, and 3.14%
from two or more races. 2.99% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
7.2% were of German and 5.6% American
ancestry according to Census
2000. 96.0% spoke
English and 2.5%
Spanish as their first language.
There were 48,744 households out of which 33.5% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 29.0% were
married couples living together, 27.5% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families.
31.9% 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 2.51 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age
of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to
64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
31 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,015, and the
median income for a family was $31,424. Males had a median income
of $34,009 versus $24,237 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$15,733. About 22.9% of families and 26.4% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 37.4%
of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
During the 1980s and 1990s, Flint gained a reputation as a crime
ridden example of
deindustrialization. Trends over the
last few years have been changing that negative outlook. In 2007,
homicide in Flint declined 52% and sexual assault declined 36%.
Auto theft, assault, and
larceny also went
down. The total number of homicides in Flint in 2007 were some of
the lowest in decades. In the 2008 State of the State address,
Governor
Jennifer Granholm
commended Flint on its 46% drop in crime in 2007. In May 2008, new
crime statistics for the city were released, showing some of the
most dramatic decreases in crime in decades. Murder had dropped
71%, assault and battery had dropped 48%. Arson and auto theft also
saw drops in the 20% range. In the 2008 most dangerous cities
listing, Flint saw itself drop three places for the new
rankings.
Education
Universities
Primary and secondary schools
Public K-12 education is provided under the umbrella of the
Flint Community Schools.
Students attend 25 elementary schools, a gender based 7-8 academy
(Holmes), and less than five high schools (Northern, Southwestern,
Northwestern, School of Choice, and Mott Middle College).
McKinley and
Longfellow middle schools were shut down due to
budget cuts, however McKinley was reopened in December 2006 as the
Flint Southwestern
Academy Annex in order to reduce the student population of
Flint Southwestern
Academy.
Flint Northern
High School, became 7-12 institutions in the fall of 2006. The
Classical Academy, previously housed in Whittier MIddle School and
now in Southwestern, is an International Baccalaureate (IB)
certified Middle Years Program.
Declining enrollment and costly maintenance, however, have
threatened the future of many of Flint's schools. The district has
come under fire for high truancy and dropout rates as well as low
test scores. The district has been lauded for its ground-breaking
magnet program, particularly programs in math, science, and fine
arts. Moreover, the district was the testing ground for
Frank Manley's
community schools ideas. A local elementary
school has been named in his honor.
The state-run
Michigan School for the
Deaf and Blind is located in Flint.
Flint hosts a number of private schools.
Powers
Catholic High School
is located just outside the city limits adjacent to
Northwestern High School. The Valley School is a small
private K-12 school.
Westwood Heights, Carman-Ainsworth, Beecher, Atherton, Bendle,
Bentley, and Kearsley are adjacent districts based in the City of
Burton, Flint Township, Mount Morris Township, and Genesee
Township.
Health
Culture
The
Flint Cultural
Center was built with revenue from the auto industry in
the 1950s. Set on a 30 acre (120,000 m²) site near
downtown, it boasts:
The Flint Institute of Arts was
founded in 1928 and is a member of the Flint Cultural Center.
It was recently renovated and reopened with an expanded
collection in September 2006.
- Flint Public Library
- Alfred P. Sloan Museum, with a large portion dedicated to rare
automobiles.
- Buick Gallery and Research Center
- Flint Youth Theatre, a professional resident theatre company.
It was a recipient of a "Great Lakes Community Arts Award" (2002)
and a "Governors' Arts Award" (2001).
- Flint Institute of Arts, an art museum with an extensive
collection and learning facility.
- Flint Institute of Music, home of the Flint Symphony Orchestra,
Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra, Flint Youth Wind Ensemble, Flint
Youth Philharmonia, and Flint Youth String Orchestra among other
organizations.
- Longway Planetarium, the largest and best-equipped planetarium in Michigan.
- Whiting Auditorium, a
2100-seat auditorium which hosts fine
arts performances, including symphonic concerts and touring
theatrical performances.
Other institutions
- Our
Lady of Guadalupe, a Mexican based Roman Catholic church, serving
Mexican
Catholics in the Genesee
and Shiawasee counties for 50 years.
- Flint Central Academy Theatre, which puts on and promotes
educational theatre within the community.
- Flint Local 432, one of the
country's longest-running youth concert venues.
- The Machine Shop, Concert
lounge which books many bands that are locally, nationally, and
internationally known.
- Flint Children's Museum,
a "hands-on" museum for children located on the campus of Kettering
University.
- Flint City Theatre
- Buckham Alley Theatre, the nomadic troupe of alternative
theater performers currently based at the Greater Flint Arts
Council and the Unitarian-Universalist Church.
- Vertigo Productions, the only semi-professional theater company
in Genesee County. Vertigo presents critically-acclaimed theater
and dinner shows in the Historic Masonic Temple in downtown Flint,
as well as sponsoring the annual Summer favorite, Shakespeare in
the Park and Gilkeyshire Renaissance Faire.
- Buckham Gallery, an artist-run gallery in downtown Flint
serving the arts community for over 20 years.
- Pages Independent Bookstore, a cultural crossroads in downtown
Flint that provides a wide selection of books and can be used as a
meeting space for the community.
- Flint Concert Band
- Flint Symphonic Wind
Ensemble
- TOPS original theatre,
Theatre for Original Productions and Shows. The area's only theatre
to produce and perform all original productions from all over.
- The Pete Mata Show - One of the Michigan's longest running
radio programs serving the Hispanic community on WWCK 105.5
FM.
Annual events
Media
Print
The county's only daily newspaper is the
Flint Journal, which dates back to 1876.
Effective June 2009 the paper ceased to be a daily publication,
opting to publish on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The East Village Magazine is
a non-profit news magazine providing information about neighborhood
issues since 1976. The monthly magazine centers on the East Village
neighborhood, outside downtown Flint, but is distributed throughout
the city.
The Uncommon
Sense was a recent publication featuring critical
journalism, satirical cartoons, and articles on music and
nightlife, but it ceased publishing in 2007. In January 2009,
Broadside became the current independent newspaper,
exclusively available in print. In early 2009
Flint Comix &
Entertainment began circulating around college campuses, and
local businesses. This monthly publication features local and
nationally recognized comic artists, as well as editorials, and
other news.
The
University of Michigan–Flint student newspaper is The Michigan Times, Kettering
University students publish The
Technician and the MCC
Chronicle is a monthly magazine from Mott Community College.
Television
Two area
stations operate from Flint;
WJRT
(ABC),
one of ten ABC owned-and-operated
stations, and WFUM
(PBS), a service of the University
of Michigan–Flint. Other stations serving the area include
WNEM
(CBS), WEYI
(NBC), WSMH
(Fox), and WBSF
(The CW).
Radio
The Flint radio market has a rich history. WAMM-AM 1420 (started in
1955, now gospel station WFLT) on the city's eastside was one of
the first stations in the country to program to the black community
and was also where legendary
DJ Casey Kasem had his first radio job.
WTAC-AM 600 (now religious station WSNL) was a highly-rated and
influential
Top 40 station in the 1960s
and 1970s, showcasing Michigan artists and being the first in the
U.S. to play acts like
The Who and
AC/DC. WTAC changed its format to country music in
1980 and then became a pioneering
contemporary Christian music station
a few years later; the calls are now on 89.7 FM, a member of the
"
Smile FM" network. WTRX-AM 1330 also
played Top 40 music for a time in the 1960s and '70s.
The
city's very first radio station, AM 910 WFDF
, first
went on the air in 1922. It has since relocated south into the
Detroit market, changing its city of license to Farmington
Hills
and increasing its power to 50,000
watts.
In 1985, WWCK-FM 105.5 became the highest-rated rock station in
America.
The station (whose calls were derived from
those of Windsor,
Ontario
's legendary CKLW) continued as
a market leader after changing its format to CHR, which it has remained since, in
1989.
Today, the following stations serve Flint with an array of
programming choices:
AM
- 600 WSNL - Flint (Religious, Victory
600, Christian Broadcasting System)
- 1160 WCXI - Fenton (Classic Country,
Birach Broadcasting)
- 1330
WTRX
- Flint
(Sports, Sports Xtra 1330, Citadel Broadcasting)
- 1420 WFLT - Flint (Urban Gospel, Flint
Evangelical Broadcasting Association)
- 1470
WFNT
- Flint (Adult Standards/Oldies, Unforgettable
1470, Regent
Broadcasting)
- 1570
WWCK
- Flint
(Talk, SuperTalk 1570, Cumulus
Media)
FM
- 88.9
WAKL
- Flint (Contemporary Christian, Educational Media
Foundation; K-Love network
affiliate)
- 89.7
WTAC
- Burton-Flint (Contemporary Christian, Superior
Communications; "Smile
FM" network affiliate)
- 91.1
WFUM
- Flint (Public Radio, Michigan Radio,
University of Michigan; simulcast of WUOM Ann Arbor)
- 92.7
WDZZ
- Flint (Urban Adult Contemporary, DZ93,
Cumulus Media)
- 93.7
WRCL
- Frankenmuth (Rhythmic CHR, Club 93-7,
Regent Broadcasting)
- 94.3
WKUF - Flint (Kettering
University student station)
- 95.1
WFBE
- Flint (Country, B95, Citadel
Broadcasting)
- 98.9 WOWE - Vassar (Urban Adult
Contemporary, Praestantia Broadcasting)
- 101.5
WWBN
- Tuscola-Flint (Active Rock, Banana
101.5, Regent Broadcasting)
- 102.5
WIOG
- Bay City (CHR)
- 103.1
WQUS
- Flint (Classic Rock, US 103.1), Regent
Broadcasting)
- 103.9
WRSR
- Owosso-Flint (Classic Rock, 103.9 The
Fox, Cumulus Media)
- 105.5
WWCK
- Flint
(Mainstream CHR, CK105.5, Cumulus Media)
- 107.9
WCRZ
- Flint (Adult Contemporary, Cars 108,
Regent Broadcasting)
Regent Broadcasting's WCRZ is
consistently the top-rated station in Flint and has been near the
top of the ratings consistently since changing format from
beautiful music WGMZ in 1984. Sister
stations WRCL and WWBN also regularly chalk up top 10 ratings in
Flint.
Cumulus Media's top stations
are WDZZ (usually the #2 rated station 12+ in Flint, second only to
WCRZ) and WWCK.
Citadel
Broadcasting owns popular country station WFBE (which for many
years was a classical-music public radio station owned by the Flint
school system), as well as sports-talker WTRX and Saginaw/Bay
City's WHNN (96.1 FM, Oldies) and WIOG (102.5 FM, Top 40), which
both have good signals and significant listenership in Flint.
Radio
stations from Detroit, Lansing and Lapeer may also be heard in the
Flint area; Detroit's WJR
(760 AM)
is regularly rated among the top 10 stations in Flint and often
higher-rated than any local Flint-based AM station.
Government
The city has operated under at least four charters (1855,
1888,1929, 1974).The City is currently run under its 1974 charter
that gives the city a
Strong
Mayor form of government. Its also instituted the appointed
independent office of
Ombudsman, while the
city clerk is solely appointed by the City Council. The City
Council is composed of members elected from the city's nine
wards.
Politics
Most politicians are affiliated with the Democratic party despite
the city's elections being nonpartisan. In 2006, Flint was the 10th
most liberal city in the United States, according to a nationwide
study by the non-partisan
Bay Area Center for Voting
Research which examined the voting patterns of 237 cities with
a population over 100,000. Flint placed just after San Francisco
(9) and before Seattle (16) and New York (21).
Sports
The
Flint Generals professional hockey
team plays at the Perani Arena and Event Center
(formerly known as the IMA Sports Arena), a 4,021+
seat arena which is mostly home to hockey, but has also hosted
basketball, indoor football, wrestling, boxing, and many other
events. The Flint Generals are in their 13th year in the
recently renamed
International Hockey
League, formerly the United Hockey League, since the original
IHL Flint Generals left Flint
for 8 years. The original Generals team was formed in 1969 and
played in the 2nd installment of the International Hockey League
until 1985 when the Generals relocated to Saginaw, Michigan. The
Generals won the
IHL's Turner Cup in
1984, and won the
UHL's
Colonial Cup in 1996 and 2000.
There is
also semi-pro football at Atwood Stadium with the Flint
Fury. Atwood is an 11,000+ seat stadium in downtown
Flint which has hosted many events, including baseball. When
artificial turf was installed, it
was no longer able to host baseball games. The Flint Fury are
heading into their fourth season and second in the
Mid Continental Football
League. The team was founded by two of its players: Charles
Lawler and Prince Goodson, who both played for the defunct Flint
Falcons semi-pro team.
The
Genesee County Patriots
semi-pro football team also play their home games in Flint. The
Patriots were founded in 2003 and originally played at Atwood
Stadium in Flint with the Flint Fury. At the time, both teams were
in the
Ohio Valley Football
League and shared the stadium. After the 2003 season, the
Patriots jumped to the North American Football League and moved to
Clio's Pride Stadium. After a disagreement with the Clio athletic
director, the Patriots returned to Atwood Stadium for 2006.
The
Michigan Admirals semi-pro
football team is a member of the
United States Football
Association. They began play in 2002 at Hamady Field, and then
moved onto Russ Reynolds Field in 2003. They played he 2007 season
at Atwood Stadium, and plan to play at Guy V. Houston Stadium in
2008.
The
Flint Phantoms arena football
team is in their first year in the
Continental Indoor Football
League.
They play their home games at Perani Arena
.
Flint is
twinned with Hamilton,
Ontario
, and its amateur athletes compete in the Canusa Games, held alternatively there and here
since 1957.
Although Flint does not have its own NBA team, it does boast that
many of its local players have gone to the NBA or on to play
Division 1 or European professional basketball.
Glen Rice and
Eddie Robinson both hail from
Flint, as do
Morris Peterson,
Mateen Cleaves,
Charlie Bell, and Antonio Smith (four of the
five starters from Michigan State University's "
Flintstones" 2000 National
Championship team).
A local teacher, turned independent film maker, Marcus Davenport
chronicles Flint's unique ties to Basketball and the basketball
culture in
Flint Star: The Motion Picture, a documentary
film
Will Ferrell's 2008 movie
Semi-Pro is based on a fictional basketball team
from Flint.
Former sports teams
Sister cities
Movies and TV
The following movies and TV shows have taken place or were filmed
in Flint.
- Television
- The Fitzpatricks
(1978-1979) was a short-lived CBS TV drama about an Irish Catholic working class family living in Flint. The show
was filmed in Hollywood, but set in Flint. Also the family were
portrayed as steelworkers, not autoworkers.
- TV Nation (1994-1995) was the
debut TV series by Michael Moore. Numerous segments were filmed in
and around Flint, including one where Moore uses declassified
information to find the exact impact point from the nuclear
ICBM that targeted the city (ground zero was Chevrolet Assembly, one of the
General Motors plants at Bluff &
Cadillac Streets. The plant is now destroyed anyway, by GM).
Moore
then went to Russia
(actually
Kazakhstan
) to try and redirect the ICBM away from Flint, such
as "the stars' homes" (Beverly Hills).
- The Awful
Truth (1999-2000) was Michael Moore's second TV show. It
featured segments from Flint.
- Movies
See also
References
- General Motors | Corporate Information - History |
GM
- Detroit News, Rearview Mirror, The Sitdown
strike at General Motors.
- What's
Up Downtown? FLINT•MICHIGAN
- WNEM plans studio in downtown Flint - News Now -
The Flint Journal - MLive.com
- Officials hail Durant Hotel redevelopment as
another step in moving downtown Flint in a new direction
- Crim offers to purchase Character Inn
- Housing and Residential Life
- Flint
Bishop International Airport
- SkyscraperPage.com: Flint, Michigan
- Hagler: Flint making strides against crime
- Flint PD fights to keep city jail open
- Flint Public
Library
- Alfred P.
Sloan Museum
- Buick Gallery and Research Center
- Flint Youth Theatre
- Flint
City Theatre
- Buckham
Alley Theatre
- Vertigo Productions
- Broadside
- WFLT AM 1420 Flint
- The History of Genesee County, MI. Chapter XIII:
Early Years of Flint City.
- City of Flint, Michigan Charter 1974.
- The Most Conservative and Liberal Cities in the United
States
- Flint Star: The Greatest Player From Flint You’ve
Never Heard Of, HoopsAddict.com Retrieved July 19,
2007
- Flint
Star: The Motion Picture
- Catching up with Marcus Davenport maker of Flint
Star “The Motion Picture”
External links
system.
, Lapeer
and Clio
.
, Jilin
, China
, Canada
, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
, Poland
, Samara Oblast,
Russia
to
consider building a shoe factory in Flint. Moore succeeds in convincing Nike CEO
Philip Knight to match his offer to
donate money to Buell Elementary
School, which would eventually become the locale of the famous
Kayla Rolland shooting.
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