Flint is a city in Michigan, in the Great Lakes region of the United States. It is the sixth-largest city in the state, with a population of more than 110,000.http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Michigan.html It is also the seat of Genesee County.http://www.uscounties.org/cffiles_web/counties/county.cfm?id=26049

Flint was home to some of the leading carriage companies in the United States during the 19th century, with the three main companies building more than 100,000 units each year by 1900.http://flintgm100.com/history.html The city would transition to motorized vehicles in the early 20th century, starting with David Buick launching the Buick company in 1903.http://flintgm100.com/history.html Local businessman Billy Durant founded General Motors in 1908 and helped former race car driver Louis Chevrolet launch Chevrolet in 1910.http://flintgm100.com/history.html

Plant closures and layoffs tied to the decline of the automotive industry have reduced the General Motors workforce in Flint from a high of almost 80,000 to around 8,000.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/5516536/US-cities-may-have-to-be-bulldozed-in-order-to-survive.html The city’s economy led city officials to lay off 20 police officers in December 2010 and close the police department offices on weekends.http://www.wnem.com/news/26193766/detail.html

Flint began as a trading post opened in 1819 by Jacob Smith and his wife from the Chippewa nation.http://www.infomi.com/city/flint/ The town was incorporated in 1855, with the first City Hall built in 1859 on land either donated or sold to the city by Mayor William M. Fenton.http://www.flintjournal.com/flint150/1885flintcity.pdf

Flint was the site of United Automobile Workers sit-down strikes in 1936 and 1937 against General Motors, which established the UAW as the bargaining voice for GM workers.http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=115 Following the pattern of strikes at plants in Cleveland and Toldeo, Ohio, GM workers in Flint staged sit-ins to stop production by replacement workers.http://www.historicalvoices.org/flint/organization.php

Flint is located at latitude 43.03 N and longitude 83.69 W, and has a total area of 33.6 square mileshttp://www.city-data.com/city/Flint-Michigan.html It is in the eastern portion of central Michigan, around 55 miles northwest of Detroit and 220 miles northeast of Chicago.http://www.city-data.com/city/Flint-Michigan.html Daily temperatures range from average highs of 82F in July to average lows of 13F in January.http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USMI0295 The city averages almost 45 inches of snow each year.http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/snowfall.html

• Sloan Museum: The museum shows items relating to the city’s automobile industry. A Science Discovery Center lets children and adults learn about chemistry and physics.http://sloanmuseum.com/about_us.html
• Whaley Historical House: The 20-room late Victorian mansion formerly owned by Citizen Bank President Robert J. Whaley is now a museum showing life in Flint in the early 20th century.http://www.michigan.org/Property/Detail.aspx?p=B7550
• Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railway: A living history museum showing life in the 1800s, the park features an antique railroad and paddle wheel boat.http://www.longway.org/about_us.html
• Longway Planetarium: The 285-room planetarium lets visitors see planets, stars and other celestial objects.http://www.longway.org/about_us.html
• Auto City Speedway: Weekly racing at this track includes stock cars, modifieds and late models.http://www.autocityspeedway.com/schedule.php

• Michael Moore: Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakerhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601619/
• Chris Byrd: Boxer
• Jim Abbott: Major League Baseball player
• Glen Rice: National Basketball Association player
• Sandra Bernhard: Actress and comediennehttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000928/