page_title: History of Saginaw, Michigan
section_title: Late 20th century
hierarchical_section_title: History of Saginaw, Michigan / 20th century / Late 20th century
caption_attribution_description: English: A 2008 view north into Saginaw Yard on the Lansing Manufacturers Railroad. The track at right is #263, the LMR. The track at center is #641, the first and longest of the body of the nine-track ladder. The striped structure at left is a portion of GM's Lansing Metal Center (also known as Plant No. 3), which was in the process of being demolished when this photo was taken.
context_page_description: The history of Saginaw, Michigan explores the development of the city from the time that Native American hunter-gatherers ranged through the area. There was little settlement, though, until the 19th century when the marshes were drained to alleviate the endemic mosquito infestation.
  The site of what later became the city of Saginaw was originally inhabited by the Anishnabeg. French missionaries and traders first appeared in the area during the late 17th century and encountered the Ojibwe living in the area. Because of convenient means of travel to the area by rivers, streams, and Lake Huron, the area was one of the sites of councils of The Three Fires: Ojibwe, Pottawatomi, and Ottawa. Henri Nouvel, a Jesuit missionary visited the area in the 17th century and recorded his travels in a journal. A trading post was established by Louis Campeau in 1816. The Treaty of Saginaw in 1819 cleared the way for settlement by white people. To control the Ojibwe in the region, the United States government established Fort Saginaw in 1822, but the mosquito infestation and humidity was so severe that the fort was closed in 1824. Campau platted a town, but few lots were sold for some time.
context_section_description: In the years following World War II, the legislature of the State of Michigan enacted laws making it increasingly difficult for incorporated cities to expand by annexing adjacent territory contained within townships. Townships, which had historically served a rural population, were given the ability to provide nearly all of the same services that an incorporated city can. Residential growth in neighboring townships led the City of Saginaw to provide water under long-term contracts to such other units of government. This increased the ability of adjacent townships to further develop. The unintended consequence of this was that the city of Saginaw stopped growing in population and new housing development slowed significantly.
  As a result of migrations of workers from other parts of the United States, particularly the south, Saginaw's African-American population expanded significantly in proportion to those of European ancestry. Attitudes of racism promoted the segregation of African-American residents into concentrated neighborhoods almost exclusively within the city's east side. Mortgage lenders and real estate sales agents enacted redlining tactics to control where African-Americans lived. Gradually most of the east side's white population migrated either to the west side or to adjacent townships. The Saginaw River became seen as a dividing line for segregated racial groups in Saginaw. As a result emphasis of political campaigns have focused on racial tensions, public services, and blight. After the eventual breakdown of institutionally enforced segregation and increased opportunities for African-Americans, however, the west side has become significantly more diverse in its ethnic and racial composition and no longer has almost exclusively white residents.
  The decline of manufacturing jobs has resulted in high rates of unemployment. There has been a decline in  property values, which has reduced the city's revenue that is collected through property taxes. Saginaw has experienced a significant rate of crime activity while at the same time being forced to decrease the size of its police department. Overall, the number of employees and size and scope of city government is now nearly half of its level during the 1970s.
  Currently, economic development is focused on comparative advantages in innovation, clean energy, and continued manufacturing exports. Compared to other mid-sized communities, Saginaw has a disproportionately high number of patents per employee, and more than 81 times the average US share of jobs in photovoltaic technology research and production. The city continues to have a higher proportion of manufacturing jobs in comparison to the US.
caption: Rusted equipment in the Saginaw Yard on Lansing Manufacturers Railroad
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