Midland

Sister cities

• Handa

History

By the late 1820s, Midland was established as a fur trading post of the American Fur Company supervised by the post at Saginaw. Here agents purchased furs from Ojibwe trappers. The Campau family of Detroit operated an independent trading post at this location in the late 1820s. Dow Chemical Company was founded in Midland in 1897, and its world headquarters are still located there. Through the influence of a Dow Chemical plant opening in Handa, Aichi, Japan, Midland and Handa have become sister cities. Dow Corning was also headquartered in Midland. In 1969, the city unilaterally defined a Midland Urban Growth Area (MUGA), a two-mile territory around the city limits, in an attempt to control urban sprawl. As the county's only capable drinking water supplier, the city would provide water services to communities outside the MUGA such as the nearby village of Sanford. The city would not provide water services within the MUGA without annexation to the city of Midland. This allowed the city to control most of the growth in the county. Since 1991, the policy has since been revised with a series of Urban Cooperation Act Agreements with surrounding townships. Case-by-case redrawings of the MUGA line now allow Midland to sell water to the surrounding townships without annexation. Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency, predicting that parts of Midland and Sanford would be covered in nine feet of water within 12–15 hours. She urged residents to seek shelter with family and friends or at emergency shelters. This major "500 year" flooding event occurred just months after the COVID-19 stay at home order went into effect.

Geography

The city lies within eastern Midland County, with a small portion extending east into Bay County. Most of the city's area is incorporated from Midland Township. The city is northwest of Saginaw and west of Bay City. Midland, along with Saginaw and Bay City make up the Tri-Cities Area, a sub-region of Flint/Tri-Cities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 5.41%, are water. which was the city's second business district. * North Side neighborhoods north of downtown, often with a mix of residential areas, parks and schools. * Country Club features upscale houses, large lots with trees, highest walkability and bike scores. * Midland West neighborhoods are known as friendly and peaceful with well-maintained properties. It includes the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers, parks and open spaces for recreation, often with a mix of housing styles and mature trees. Upscale Greystone Woods is located there. * East End refers to the area east of downtown, often characterized by a mix of older residential and commercial spaces. A revitalization of Midtown started in 2018, along with Grove Park and surrounding neighborhoods and formation of the Midtown Midland Neighborhood Association. * Industrial Park was the former location of Dow Chemical's plants along the Bay City Road corridor. In 2018, Dow Michigan Operations Industrial Park (I-Park), was created on the site that serves multiple companies as a logistics, manufacturing and R&D center for approximately 6,000 employees/contractors. While owned by Dow, it is supported by the Michigan Strategic Fund for modernization that will attract businesses with their utilities, logistics and environmental services. * West Main Street Historic district was established in 1979 to…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,039
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,823
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,750
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,470
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,388
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,276
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,052
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,031