Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County^[3]. Once two independent cities, the consolidated City of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center that in recent years has suffered from population decline, job losses, and increased crime rates^[4]. The city is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of the "Tri-Cities" area of mid-Michigan along with Bay City, Michigan and Midland, Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 61,799 with the 2006 population estimate showing a decline to 57,523 in the city^[1].

Main article: History of Saginaw, Michigan

The 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.

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

Weather averages for Saginaw, Michigan
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F	32	33	38	53	67	79	82	80	71	62	44	34	56
Average low °F	18	19	23	33	44	56	59	56	48	40	29	21	37
Precipitation inch	2.2	2.2	2.3	3.2	1.8	3.2	3.6	2.5	3.4	3.2	2.4	2.5	32.5
Average high °C	0	1	3	11	19	26	27	26	21	16	6	1	13
Average low °C	-7	-7	-5	1	6	13	15	13	8	4	-1	-6	2
Precipitation cm	5	5	5	8	4	8	9	6	8	8	6	6	82
Source: Weatherbase^[5] Nov 2007

As of the census ² 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/km²). There were 25,639 housing units at an average density of 1,469.9/sq mi (567.6/km²). 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.

Main article: Government of Saginaw, Michigan

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.

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.^[6]. By comparison, Detroit the largest city in Michigan, has an overall violent crime rate 3.38 times the national average^[7]. Los Angeles, California with a population 3.8 million has 2.13 times the national average.^[8]. 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^[9].In 2007, Saginaw was ranked the 14th most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States.^[10]

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.

See also: List of schools in Saginaw, Michigan

The City of Saginaw is served by the Saginaw City School District (SCSD). The district operates 14 elementary schools, 2 combined elementary/middle schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 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 ^[11]. The three public high schools are 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.

The water treatment facility in Saginaw was constructed in 1929.

The city is served by MBS International Airport in Freeland, which is municipality owned by the city of Midland, the city of Saginaw, and Bay County. Flint's Bishop International Airport is also a nearby airport with scheduled service into the area. 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^[12].

In 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^[13]. 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^[14]. Due to brackish water being in the aquifers below both cities, a 65-mile (105 km) 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^[13] 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^[14].

The city's main entertainment can be found in the downtown area, where places such as 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. The downtown area, which contains a number of office buildings from the 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.

The Saginaw area is home to two professional sports teams as well as one NCAA Divison-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^[15]. The Saginaw Sting is an indoor football team that formed in 2007 to play in Saginaw beginning in the 2008 season^[16]. At the collegiate level, Saginaw Valley State University competes in numerous sports such as American Football, Basketball, and Volleyball^[17].

Team	Sport	League	Year founded	Venue
Saginaw Spirit	Ice hockey	Ontario Hockey League	2001	Dow Event Center
Saginaw Sting	Indoor football	Continental Indoor Football League	2008	Dow Event Center
Saginaw Valley State University	Various	Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	1963	SVSU Campus

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^[18]. 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^[19]. ABC affiliate WJRT maintains its offices and newsrooms in Saginaw while its studios are in its community of license, Flint^[20]. 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^[21]^[22]. Charter Communications operates a cable television network servicing the City of Saginaw under a franchise agreement.

Television stations in the Saginaw, Michigan area (Ascending order)
Channel	Call letters	Description
5	WNEM	CBS affiliate
12	WJRT	ABC affiliate
19	WDCP	PBS affiliate
25	WEYI	NBC affiliate
46	WBSF	CW affiliate
49	WAQP	Tri-State Christian Television affiliate
66	WSMH	Fox affiliate

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.

AM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	City
790 AM	WSGW	Newsradio 590	News/Talk	NextMedia Group	Saginaw, Michigan
1250 AM	WNEM	Newsradio 1250	News/Talk	Meredith Corporation	Saginaw, Michigan
1400 AM	WSAM	The Bay	Soft adult contemporary	MacDonald Broadcasting	Bridgeport, Michigan

FM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	City
90.9 FM	WTRK	Air 1	Contemporary Christian	Educational Media Foundation	Saginaw, Michigan
93.3 FM	WKQZ	The Rock Station	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

The Saginaw News — daily
Review Magazine — biweekly
The Saginaw Press — weekly

Main article: List of people from Saginaw, Michigan

^ ^a ^b Saginaw Statistics. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ USGS Detail on Saginaw, MI. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ About Saginaw County, MI. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ A Brief History of Lumbering in Michgian. Michigan Center for History Studies. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America. Retrieved on Nov 26, 2007.
^ Saginaw Crime Report. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Detroit Crime Report. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Los Angeles Crime Report. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Arson Watch set an example. The Saginaw News. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ City Crime Rankings by Population Group. Morgan Quitno. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
^ Our Schools. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Engel, Justin. STARS tax rides to victory. The Saginaw News. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ ^a ^b Saginaw 2001 Water Report. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ ^a ^b Planning & Community Development. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ Sunaya Sapurji (2007-02-01). The Steagle has landed. Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Saginaw feels the Sting. WEYI-TV. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Athletics home. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Sampling the Population. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
^ Station Details - WNEM. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ Station Details - WJRT. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ Station Details - WEYI. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
^ Station Details - WAQP. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.

Saginaw, Michigan is at coordinates 43°25′10″N 83°56′58″W / 43.41955, -83.94952Coordinates: 43°25′10″N 83°56′58″W / 43.41955, -83.94952

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