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In 1823, a group of pioneers passed through a fur trading post known as Detroit, and pushed on along the banks of the Huron River in search of a location for a new frontier community. Among the settlers was a Virginian named John Allen and fellow pioneer, Elisha Rumsey. Some forty miles west of Detroit, in the slopes that bounded the Huron River, the pioneers established their settlement. On February 12, 1824, they registered their claims in Detroit, Allen for 480 acres and Rumsey for 160, each paying the prescribed price of $1.25 per acre. On March 6th of the same year, Governor Cass designated Ann Arbor as the county seat for Washtenaw County.
Located in Southeast Michigan, Ann Arbor is just 45 miles west of Detroit and 35 miles north of the Ohio border. Some very historic and fast-growing towns surround the city. A pleasant drive along country roads in any direction will lead to one town after another. Bridgewater, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Milan and Saline are all within 30 minutes of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area.
Ann Arbor is also home to the University of Michigan, one of the country's top Universities. It shapes the composition of the city's economy, population and cultural awareness. The University of Michigan has 24,500 undergraduate and 13,500 graduate students from all 50 states and 129 countries.
© Ann Arbor Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2004. All Rights Reserved. © Regents of the University of Michigan
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