Often shortened to Ypsi, the City of Ypsilanti, Michigan is in eastern Washtenaw County, about eight miles east of Ann Arbor.
Ypsilanti is home to Eastern Michigan University (EMU), one of eight research universities in Michigan. Additionally, Washtenaw Community College (WCC) has an extension center in Ypsilanti. Public K-12 education is provided by Ypsilanti Community Schools, which serves the city, as well as parts of Ypsilanti and Superior townships.
Ypsilanti is served by several major highways. I-94/US-12 forms a portion of the city's southern border, while Bus. US-12 loops through the downtown region, and M-17 (Washtenaw Road) runs through the city, connecting to Ann Arbor.
Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Ypsilanti include Ann Arbor, Belleville, Saline, Milan, Wayne, Romulus, Barton Hills, Westland, Plymouth, Inkster, South Lyon, Garden City, Northville, Dexter, Maybee, Taylor, Livonia, Dearborn Heights, Britton, Clinton, Allen Park, Carleton, Dundee, Southgate, Chelsea, Flat Rock, Manchester, and Lincoln Park. The center of Detroit is about thirty-five miles east-northeast from the center of Ypsilanti.
The Huron River flows southeast through the eastern portion of Ypsilanti, feeding Ford Lake on the southeastern edge of the city. Paint Creek also flows through the city.
Ypsilanti is an older community, characterized by a historic downtown district, historic homes, and other older homes around the edges of the city, as well as the Huron River and its adjacent parks.
A trading post was located along the river in the area that is now part of Ypsilanti around 1809, and operated by a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, but the first permanent settlement was made on the east side of the Huron River by Major Thomas Woodruff, who came with a group of people from Ohio in 1823. He founded a settlement that became known as Woodruff's Grove, which was given a post office by that name on May 9, 1825, with John Brian as postmaster. The post office operated until January 20, 1828.
Woodruff's Grove became the nucleus of what became the Village of Ypsilanti in 1832, and the City of Ypsilanti in 1859, the second city in Michigan to incorporate.
In 1824, the Detroit & St. Joseph (Michigan Central) Railroad established a depot adjacent to Woodruff's Grove, and the settlement that arose there became known as Depot Town. Because of the shape of the land, the railroad didn't approach the original village of Woodruff's Grove, but the two settlements quickly grew to envelop one another. Because land prices along the Detroit-Chicago Road (Michigan Avenue) were high in the 1820s, Depot Town grew rapidly.
John Steward and Judge Augustus Brevoort Woodward platted a village site and recorded it as Ypsilanti on April 21, 1825, naming it for the Greek General Demetrius Ypsilanti. A post office was established in that name on February 13, 1826, with Isaac Powers ad postmaster.
The two settlements were incorporated together as the Village of Ypsilanti in 1832, and became a city in 1858.
A significant event in the history of Ypsilanti was the establishment of the Michigan State Normal School in 1849. The Normal School was the first teacher training school west of the Allegheny Mountains, and, in 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the first Normal School in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum. Today it operates as Eastern Michigan University and is still headquartered in Ypsilanti, where it is a major employer and the city's largest landowner
Another important event in the economic history of the city was the Willow Run Bomber Plant, which went into operation in the early 1940s. Opened specifically to produce long-range bombers during World War II, its employment demands transformed the agricultural character of the city into an industrial base. Both Ford Motor Company and General Motors Corporation opened facilities just outside the city in the 1950s, contributing to the rapid growth of Ypsilanti.
During this period, the need for living space prompted owners of several of the city's elaborate, larger older homes to divide them up into rental units, with much of the work done by the owners themselves.
Today, Ypsilanti has the second-largest contiguous historic district in Michigan, second to Grand Rapids. The Ypsilanti Historic District includes downtown Ypsilanti, along Michigan Avenue, and the Depot Town area adjacent to Frog Island Park and Riverside Park, as well as the Tridge, a three-way wooden footbridge under the Cross Street Bridge over the Huron River, connecting Riverside Park, Frog Island Park, and Depot Town. Dedicated museums within the city include the Ypsilanti Historical Museum, the Automotive Heritage Museum, the Michigan Firehouse Museum, Starkweather House, Starkweather Hall, and the Brinkerhoff-Becker House.
Ypsilanti, Michigan is the focus of this category.
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Ypsilanti's oldest Boy Scout troop was chartered in 1939, and meets on Sunday afternoons at the First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti. The troop's scoutmaster is introduced, and an email address is provided. News and announcements, a calendar of events, and a directory of adult leaders and scout leaders, although the directory requires a login and password. Information about training for scouts and adults, uniforms and troop apparel, service hours, and advancements are included.
https://www.troop240.net/
Bounded by Superior Township to the north, and by Ypsilanti Township to the west, south, and east, Ypsilanti is in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The official municipal website introduces the mayor, city council, boards, commissions, and department heads, along with the city's code of ordinances, public records, meeting agendas, and minutes, as well as bid opportunities, fee schedules, zoning maps, tax data, a citizen's guide, a calendar of events, and a history of the city.
https://cityofypsilanti.com/
Specializing in the sale of new or used Honda cars, trucks, and SUVs, and headquartered in Ypsilanti, there are Fischer Honda locations in or near Ann Arbor, Belleville, Dexter, Saline, and Ypsilanti, Michigan. Each of its locations, and hours of operation for its sales, service, and parts departments, are posted here. New and used cars may be found through the site, via a site search, with special offers highlighted. Its auto buying services, service center, and parts department are introduced.
http://www.fischerhonda.com/
The private women's club has been part of the Ypsilanti, Michigan community since 1878. Meeting at its historic clubhouse, built prior to 1842 by Arden Ballard, the club has several busy and long-time members in their seventies and eighties and continues to actively recruit newly retired Ypsilanti women and younger members. Its leadership, history of the clubhouse, scholarships sponsored by the club, meeting schedules, and a calendar of events are posted on the site.
https://ladiesliteraryclub.org/
YIP is an option for cargo, corporate, and general aviation clients. Managed by Wayne County Airport Authority, the airport features four runways, a 24-hour FAA tower, and United States Customs operations. Its services, flight planning resources, cargo, corporate, and charter services, and general aviation are featured, with an overview of available business developments, with contacts for the Real Estate Department, responsible for the development, lease, and sale of airport property.
https://www.willowrunairport.com/
