East Lansing, Michigan

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East Lansing, Michigan
Flag Image:East Lansing Seal.png Seal
Location in Michigan
Coordinates: 42°44′5.28″N, 84°28′50.88″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Ingham & Clinton Counties
Government
- Mayor	Samir Singh
Area
- City	12.90 sq mi (33.41 km²)
- Land	12.98 sq mi (23.38 km²)
- Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km²)
Population (2000)
- City	46,525 (city proper)
- Density	4,135.4/sq mi (1,596.7/km²)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: www.cityofeastlansing.com

East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 46,525 at the time of the 2000 census, of those 29,329 were classified as university students, or 63% of the total population. It is best known as the home of Michigan State University.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Government 5 Education 6 Transportation 7 Culture 7.1 Town/gown relations 7.2 Sports 7.3 Centennial 8 Points of interest 8.1 On campus 8.2 Off campus 8.3 Outside East Lansing 9 Newspapers 10 Local events 11 Notable people 12 See also 13 Notes 14 External links

[edit] History

The settlement of East Lansing began around 1847, the same year nearby Lansing was made the capital of the state of Michigan. Downtown East Lansing was an important junction of two major Native American trails: the Okemah Road, and the Park Lake Trail. By 1850, the Lansing and Howell Plank Road Company was established to connect a toll road to the Detroit and Howell Plank Road, improving travel between Detroit and Lansing, which cut right through what is now East Lansing. The toll road was finished in 1853, and included seven tollhouses between Lansing and Howell.

Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University) was founded in 1855 and established in what is now East Lansing in 1857. For the first four decades, the students and faculty lived almost entirely on the College campus. A few commuted from Lansing, and that number increased when a streetcar line was built in the 1890s, but there were few places to live in the then-rural area immediately around the campus.

That started to change in 1887, when professors William J. Beal and Rolla C. Carpenter created Collegeville, along what is now Harrison, Center, and Beal streets north of Michigan Avenue. Few faculty were attracted to the location, and the first residents were "teamsters and laborers". In 1898, the College Delta subdivision (including what is now Delta Street) had the support of the College itself, which provided utilities, and several professors built homes there (one of which survives today at 243 W. Grand River Ave.). Other subdivisions followed.

At that time, the post office address was "Agricultural College, Michigan". A school district encompassing the nascent community was created in 1900. In 1907, incorporation as a city was proposed under the name "College Park"; the legislature approved the charter but changed the name to "East Lansing".

The city charter in 1907 prohibited the possession, sale, or consumption of alcoholic beverages, and East Lansing was a "dry" city until voters modified the charter provision in 1968.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau and an annexation in 2002, the city has a total area of 33.41 km² (12.90 mi²). 23.38 km² (12.89 mi²) of it is land and 0.009% is water. Lake Lansing is nearby and is approximately 500 acres (2 km²) in size.

East Lansing's annexation in 2002 of Bath Township lands added 1.65 mi² of area to East Lansing to the north of the city that included a fast growing area. This came with some controversy as some Bath Township officials claimed that the City of East Lansing was directly funding and helping the five petitioners, reportedly all Michigan State University students, in favor of annexation. These claims were never substantiated.

The city's downtown area is centered around Grand River Avenue, a wide tree-lined boulevard that evolved out of the 19th century plank road that connected Lansing to Detroit. Grand River Avenue serves as dividing line between the Michigan State University campus and the rest of the city. Grand River Ave. is lined with many college-oriented businesses, such as bars, tanning salons, coffee shops, head shops, restaurants (many dine al fresco) and bookstores. Immediately north of downtown are predominantly student neighborhoods. Further north of that is the residential part of the city, which is much like any other suburb. At the very northern tier of the city are several new student-oriented apartment complexes. These new developments are far from the university, but their lower property tax rates allow them to offer students more amenities for their monthly rent.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 46,525 people, 14,390 households, and 5,094 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,596.7/km² (4,136.6/mi²). There were 15,321 housing units at an average density of 525.8/km² (1,362.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.91% White, 7.40% African American, 0.33% Native American, 8.21% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.95% from other races, and 2.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.

There were 14,390 households out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.6% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.6% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 9.0% under the age of 18, 58.6% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 9.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,217, and the median income for a family was $61,985. Males had a median income of $43,767 versus $30,556 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,333. About 11.0% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

East Lansing has a Council-manager government, where the city council appoints one of its own as mayor, and another of its own as mayor pro tem- a city council member with extra ceremonial duties. The city council consists of 5 at-large council members who are elected to 4-year terms in November of odd-numbered years. The city council chooses the city manager, the city's chief administrative officer. The manager is appointed by, and answers to, the city council.

[edit] Education

Michigan State University, a member of the Big Ten Conference, is the largest education institution in the State of Michigan (6th largest in the United States), reflecting East Lansing's history as a college town. MSU has more than 200 programs of study including three medical schools, a law school, and numerous PhD programs. East Lansing High School is the only high school in the city, and is most famous for being the alma mater of Google co-founder Larry Page. Nearby Lansing is home to several other colleges, including Thomas M. Cooley Law School which is the largest law school in the United States, Davenport University, and Lansing Community College.

The University of Michigan, another member of the Big Ten Conference, is about 50 miles southeast of East Lansing. Ingham County (including East Lansing) and Washtenaw County (including Ann Arbor), which adjoin at one corner, are the two most highly educated counties in Michigan.

[edit] Transportation

Amtrak, Indian Trails, and Greyhound all provide intercity rail and bus services at the East Lansing Amtrak depot, which is located at 1240 South Harrison Road in walking distance from the Michigan State University main campus, although both on- and off-campus public transportation serves the depot. Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) provides public bus transit throughout East Lansing, Lansing, and surrounding areas. Three major interstates and one U.S. Highway serve the East Lansing area including: I-96, I-69, I-496, and US 127. The Lansing Capital City Airport in nearby Lansing offers a number of direct domestic flights as far as Las Vegas; connections between East Lansing and the airport are offered by CATA (with a transfer in downtown Lansing); rental cars are also available at the airport. Bus transportation is offered between East Lansing and Detroit Metro Airport eight times daily by Michigan Flyer. The Northern Tier Trail is a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path system connecting some parts of the northern half of the city; the Lansing River Trail begins on the campus of Michigan State University and extends west into downtown Lansing and then north towards the airport. Finally, two class one freight railroads serve East Lansing including Canadian National Railways (CN) and CSX Transportation (CSXT).

[edit] Culture

[edit] Town/gown relations

Until 1968, East Lansing was a "dry" town; anyone seeking alcohol went to taverns and liquor stores located just outside the city limits. East of the city were Paul Revere's (popular among faculty), the Coral Gables (a rock bar until the mid-'80s), and the Deer Head Inn. On the west side were Mac's Bar, Dagwood's tavern, and Oade's liquor store. Campaigns to end the city's alcohol prohibition pointed to these establishments as having some of the highest sales volumes in the state. The idea that alcohol prohibition kept alcohol away from students was undermined by news photos from the 1967 blizzard of students using sleds to haul kegs of beer to campus.

Once alcohol was legalized, many bars and restaurants opened in downtown East Lansing, which became the entertainment and nightlife mecca for the region, with large, mostly-student crowds attending shows and drinking at places such as Lizard's, Dooley's, and Lum's. Upscale restaurants, such as Beggars Banquet, also thrived.

Much of this changed when the state voted in 1978 to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21. Suddenly it was no longer legal for the downtown bars to sell drinks to most undergraduate students. For a while, student bars winked at fake IDs and tried to continue as before, but stricter enforcement of underage drinking laws eventually forced them to reposition for an older audience or go out of business.

Once students no longer had access to bars for drinking, large parties became more prevalent. Some of these attracted unmanageable thousands of unruly people, including high schoolers, and there were instances of violence and property damage, particularly in the wake of MSU sports defeats. The city government took drastic action to end the block parties, including a stringent noise ordinance and police blockades of neighborhoods where parties were rumored. Intense riots broke out after the mens basketball team lost in the Final Four to Duke University in 1999. It was a very warm night and the ELPD had to use tear gas and other things to control the riot.

In recent years, "town and gown" relations have soured as students and permanent residents looked at each other with increasing hostility. Riots erupted in 1997,^[1] 1998,^[2] 1999,^[3]and disturbances in 2003.^[4] After two years without major incidents, another disturbance happened on April 2, 2005 after MSU's defeat to North Carolina in the 2005 men's basketball Final Four.^[5]

The Cedar Village area, which houses several large student housing complexes bordering campus, has been the site of several riots and disturbances. These disturbances are part of the reasoning behind the city's decision to declare Cedar Village "blighted" . The city has proposed to redevelop the 35 acre (140,000 m²) site as a complex of upscale condominiums and retail stores called East Village. Led by several fraternities in the affected area, students have mounted a campaign against the redevelopment plan.^[6] As of 2006, the plan remains at a stalemate.^[7]

[edit] Sports

From March 29 to April 2, 2006, East Lansing hosted the USA Hockey National Tournament. The age group that competed there were players from the U-14 Tier 2. States were represented with teams from Massachusetts, Michigan, Alaska, Nebraska, Florida, California, Connecticut, Indiana, New York,and Pennsylvania. In the end, The LA Hockey Club representing California won.

[edit] Centennial

In 2007, the City of East Lansing will celebrate its Centennial. The celebration will begin in January 2007 with a kick-off press conference at the Marriott Hotel in downtown East Lansing. Events through out the year will include an old fashion concert, a birthday party, and a historic homes tour. A fireworks show will take place in August, along with many more events throughout the year. With Michigan State University's Sesquicentennial ice cream flavor such a huge success, the City of East Lansing has contracted Melting Moments ice cream shop to develop a Centennial ice cream flavor. Different flavors will be developed, with residents voting on their favorite. All downtown businesses have been encouraged to take part in Centennial festivities. The Peoples Church on West Grand River Avenue is also celebrating its 100th birthday in 2007.

Residents have been also asked to submit their favorite stories, pictures and memories on the Centennial website, which also includes photographs dating back to the early 1900s. The website lists all Centennial events and includes a complete history of the city. Fun East Lansing facts can also be found, along with a list of famous East Lansing residents. Michigan State University and the City of East Lansing will partner on many of the events.

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] On campus

• W. J. Beal Botanical Garden which is the oldest botanical garden in the United States.
• Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens
• Beaumont Tower
• Red Cedar River
• Wharton Center for the Performing Arts (Great Hall and Pasant Theatre), the Fairchild Theatre, and the MSU Auditorium (Main Stage and Arena Theater).
• Abrams Planetarium and the MSU Observatory
• Spartan Stadium and Sparty, the MSU mascot is the largest ceramic statue in the world.
• Breslin Center
• MSU Forest Akers Golf Courses
• MSU Pavilion
• Sparty is the nickname of "the Spartan" a large statue located on campus representing the MSU mascot, a Spartan warrior. The statue is guarded by MSU students amidst rival sports team meetings, usually Big Ten basketball or football, to prevent rivals from defacing of the statue. Sparty is frequently used as a landmark when giving directions on campus. In recent years, the original statue, reputed to be the largest freestanding ceramic sculpture in the world, was relocated indoors to protect it from the weather, and replaced on its original site with a bronze replica.
• The Rock is a large boulder, approximately five feet high, originally placed near Beaumont Tower by the Class of 1873, since relocated to a site northeast of the Farm Lane Bridge. It serves as a venue for student groups (an invitation would read: "Wednesday, 7pm at the Rock") and is routinely graffitied by those groups.

[edit] Off campus

• Hannah Community Center (formerly a middle school) with the White Performing Arts Theatre.
• East Lansing Public Library
• The "Habitrail", or Hamster Cage, or Gerbil Cage is a large multicolored parking structure near campus that resembles a Habitrail home for pet rodents. The controversial design resulted from the city's instructions to the architect that the building be "festive" and have "no brick".
• Scene metrospace, the city sponsored art gallery located in the ground floor of the multicolored parking structure.
• East Lansing Family Aquatic Center
• The Meridian Mall is a large suburban shopping mall in Okemos near the campus of Michigan State University.
• Trowbridge railroad junction (located near Trowbridge Road) and the nearby Amtrak depot are popular spots with railfans for train watching. At Trowbridge, the busy Grand Trunk Western Railroad line connecting Chicago to Toronto intersects the former Pere Marquette Railroad (now Conrail line from Detroit to Grand Rapids.
• El Azteco, a local Mexican restaurant noted for its outdoor rooftop dining. El Azteco is one of East Lansing's longest-lasting establishments, celebrating its 30th anniversary in August 2006. Many older MSU alumni remember when it was located under Campbell's Smoke shop on M.A.C., but in 1991 the restaurant moved to its present location at 215 Ann St. Arturo Santa Cruz is the owner. El Azteco has employed some people of note, including State Rep. Fred Miller, NPR journalist Sarah Hulett, and superstar techno DJ scotto.

[edit] Outside East Lansing

• The city of Lansing is adjacent to East Lansing. Lansing has, among other things, the State Capitol, Hall of Justice (Supreme Court), and Michigan Library and Historical Center. Lansing also is the home of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team. There is an historic City Market in downtown Lansing, next to the Grand River, which has the distinct taste and flair of Europe.
• Lake Lansing is nearby and is approximately 500 acres (2.0 km²) in size. The lake has an outstanding beach, and is a summer favorite of swimmers, sunbathers, boaters and fishermen. The Lansing Sailing Club and Michigan State University Sailing Club have facilities on Lake Lansing where sailing regattas are held throughout the summer months.

[edit] Newspapers

• State News [1]
• Lansing State Journal [2]
• NOISE [3]
• City Pulse [4]

[edit] Local events

• East Lansing Film Festival is the largest festival of its kind in Michigan.
• East Lansing Art Festival is a juried art show held each spring, on the weekend before Memorial Day.
• Great Lakes Folk Festival originated after The National Folk Festival, which made East Lansing its home for 3 years, moved to a new city for another 3 years. The festival is usually the last weekend of August.
• Odyssey of the Mind World Finals will occur here in 2007 at Michigan State University

[edit] Notable people

• Spencer Abraham, former US Senator and Secretary of Energy under President, George W. Bush.
• Timothy Busfield, director and Emmy Award-winning actor, known for his roles on television series such as Eliot Weston on thirtysomething and Danny Concannon on The West Wing.
• Jim Cash, screenwriter of films such as Top Gun, Legal Eagles, Dick Tracey, and Anaconda, was a long-time resident of East Lansing and a professor at MSU. Born in Boyne City, MI.
• Todd Martin, tennis pro. 1988 graduate of ELHS.
• Ryan Miller, goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres.
• Larry Page, co-founder of Google.
• Wally Pleasant, comedic folk singer.
• Ben Poquette, NBA basketball player.
• Susan May Pratt, actress.
• Malcolm X lived in the Urbandale neighborhoood in Lansing Township, a short distance west of East Lansing, and wrote about his East Lansing experiences in his autobiography.
• The Verve Pipe, post-grunge band.

[edit] See also

• Lansing, Michigan
• Okemos, Michigan

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Cities and communities of Ingham County, Michigan

County seat Mason Cities East Lansing | Lansing | Leslie | Mason | Williamston Villages Dansville | Stockbridge | Webberville Townships Alaiedon Twp. | Aurelius Twp. | Bunker Hill Twp. | Ingham Twp. | Leroy Twp. | Leslie Twp. | Locke Twp. | Onondaga Twp. | Stockbridge Twp. | Vevay Twp. | Wheatfield Twp. | White Oak Twp. | Williamstown Twp. Charter townships Delhi Twp. | Lansing Twp. | Meridian Twp. Census-designated places Haslett | Holt | Okemos

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