Midland, MI
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Michigan. The city's population was 42,547 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Midland Micropolitan Statistical Area, part of the larger Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Combined Statistical Area.


History

By the late 1820s, Midland was established as a fur trading post of the
American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...
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 The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastic ...
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 Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
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. On May 19, 2020, the Sanford Dam and
Edenville Dam Edenville Dam was an earthen embankment dam at the confluence of the Tittabawassee River and the Tobacco River in Mid Michigan, United States, forming Wixom Lake. The dam was about north of Edenville, mostly in the southeast corner of Toba ...
both failed, prompting an evacuation of 10,000 Midland residents. Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency, predicting that parts of Midland and Sandford 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

While the vast majority of the city exists within Midland County, a small portion of the city extends into Bay County. Most of the city's area is incorporated from Midland Township.


Topography

*According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. *Midland is part of the Flint/Tri-Cities.


Climate

Midland has a humid continental climate ( Dfb) with hot, rainy summers with cool nights and cold, snowy winters with average highs around freezing.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 41,863 people, 17,506 households, and 10,766 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 18,578 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.0% White, 2.0% Black, 0.3% Native American, 3.3%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 17,506 households, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.5% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 41,685 people, 16,743 households, and 11,000 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,254.9 per square mile (484.5/km2). There were 17,773 housing units at an average density of 535.0 per square mile (206.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.38% White, 1.82% Black, 0.29% Native American, 2.69%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.92% of the population. There were 16,743 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $48,444, and the median income for a family was $64,949. Males had a median income of $53,208 versus $31,098 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,818. About 5.5% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.


Economy


Retail

The city's major shopping district is located north of town, on Eastman Avenue near US-10. There are several Big-box stores located here, as well as the
Midland Mall Midland Mall is an enclosed shopping mall serving Midland, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1991, the mall's anchor stores are Target, Fantastic Finds, Barnes & Noble, Dunham's Sports, and Planet Fitness. A fourth anchor store spot, once occupie ...
, which includes
Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...
,
Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
,
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
, and
Dunhams Dunham's Sports is an American sporting goods retail chain owned by Dunham's Athleisure Corporation, with stores located in the Midwestern to Southeastern United States. The chain specializes in athletic equipment, clothing, firearms, and other ...
. Midland also has a downtown on Main Street which includes local restaurants, artist co-ops, and local retail.


Arts and culture


Historical markers

There are four recognized Michigan historical markers in the city. * John and Almira Kelly House * Midland County Courthouse * Origins of Salt Industry / State Salt Well No. 1 * The Upper Bridge


Sites of interest

Midland has many cultural opportunities in fields ranging from music and theater to science and the arts. The Midland Center for the Arts delivers hands-on exhibits in science, art and technology, at the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art. The Center also provides two state-of-the-art auditoriums for audiences of 400 to 1500 to enjoy everything from the Midland Symphony Orchestra and Center Stage Theatre, to professional programming through MATRIX: Midland. Midland County Historical Societies Heritage Park provides an opportunity to explore Midland County's history through a variety of avenues. The Herbert D. Doan Midland County History Center houses a research library, gift shop and the interactive Dorothy Dow Arbury Midland County History Gallery, which provides hands on exhibits for exploring Midland County's history. Also located at Heritage Park is the Herbert H. Dow Historical Museum, which explores the history and growth of
Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastic ...
founded in Midland by
Herbert H. Dow Herbert Henry Dow (February 26, 1866 – October 15, 1930) was a Canadian-born American chemical industrialist who founded the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical. He was a graduate of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, O ...
. Also located on the campus is the Bradley Home Museum and Carriage House; this 1874 house built by Benjamin F. Bradley allows visitors to see an historic home and furnishings of its time. The Carriage House holds an extensive collection of sleighs and carriages, and it has the largest working blacksmith shop in the Mid-Michigan area. Midland City parks number 72 with over of park land. Seven are classified as ''
Regional Parks In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
'', typically larger than 200 acres; seven are considered ''Community Parks'', normally over 15 acres; ''Neighborhood Parks'' number 19, usually from five to ten acres in size, located within residential areas; and the 36 ''Mini-Parks'' are mostly less than an acre. Other city-owned land includes pathways, undeveloped areas intended for "passive recreation", waterfront areas and protected natural areas. Skaters of all skill levels use Midland's Civic Arena, which has two
NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
-sized rinks and one Olympic-sized rink. A BMX track is located in Midland's Stratford park. Winner of a 2005 Michigan Cool Cities grant (a grass-roots, volunteer-based training program to revitalize a downtown area), Downtown Midland offers dining, shopping and entertainment for the whole family. Walkers, joggers, bikers, and skaters can use the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail, a ribbon of asphalt stretching to the neighboring city of
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
. Midland County's system of natural pathways continues to expand with the recent addition of the Chippewa Trail, which connects to the Pere Marquette trail. The Chippewa Trail ends at the
Chippewa Nature Center Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) is both a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization and a protected wildlife area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, encompassing over of forest, rivers and wetlands. Located in Midland County, it is one of the ...
. This has a territory of more than of deciduous and coniferous woods, rivers, ponds, wetlands ( marsh, fen,
bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
, and
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
) and upland fields. Also in the recreation mix are two golf courses, the
Midland Community Center The Midland Community Center (MCC) is a nearly complex on three levels in the heart of Midland, Michigan that provides comprehensive social, recreational and personal development opportunities for all residents. History The Midland Community C ...
(with multiple swimming pools and exercise facilities), the West Midland Family Center, the North Midland Family Center, the Midland Gymnastics Training Center, the Midland Community Tennis Center and the Midland Curling Center. Midland's
Dow Gardens Dow Gardens is a botanical garden located at 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, Michigan, United States. Visitors are invited to leave the pathway and explore the uniquely-designed landscape, take a tour of the historic Pines Home, participate in one o ...
feature of flower and vegetable gardens, plus an
arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...
. These were the original gardens of the Herbert H. Dow homestead and are open for tours. In addition, the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio offers tours of this landmark American architect's unique and influential style. Alden B. Dow F.A.I.A designed the
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library is the public library of the City of Midland and serves residents of Midland and of the contracting Midland County townships: Edenville, Greendale, Homer, Hope, Ingersoll, Jerome, Larkin, Lee, Lincoln, Midland, M ...
, Midland's public library named in his mother's honor. Whiting Forest is now connected to Dow Gardens with a series of pedestrian bridges and walks. It is also home to the Longest Canopy Walk in the nation. The canopy walk is suspended 40 feet above the ground and is 1,400 feet long. Visitors can walk the trails, play in the children's playground and enjoy drinks and snacks in the cafe.


Architecture

In the early 1930s, Alden B. Dow F.A.I.A. introduced modern design to Midland, Michigan and created over 130 structures during his 50-year career. His innovative and dynamic structures initiated an architectural heritage that is unprecedented in the United States. Dow’s creative concepts inspired dozens of other architects, including Jackson Hallett A.I.A, Glenn Beach A.I.A., Robert Schwartz A.I.A, and Francis “Red” Warner A.I.A. These gifted architects and more, also created beautifully-crafted Mid-Century Modern structures that are an integral part of the over 400 buildings that dominate Midland.


List of notable places

* Alden B. Dow Home & Studio *
Chippewa Nature Center Chippewa Nature Center (CNC) is both a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization and a protected wildlife area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, encompassing over of forest, rivers and wetlands. Located in Midland County, it is one of the ...
*
Dahlia Hill Dahlia Hill (DH) is both a protected garden area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, encompassing of terraced gardens, and the a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that runs the garden. Located in the city of Midland, Michigan, they a ...
*
Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastic ...
headquarters * Dow Corning headquarters * Dow Corning Midland plant *
Dow Diamond Dow Diamond is a Minor League baseball stadium located in Midland, Michigan. It is the home of the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League. The Loons are affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The stadium is located near Buttles, Ellsworth and ...
, Home of the Great Lakes Loons, the Single-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League in Major League Baseball *
Dow Gardens Dow Gardens is a botanical garden located at 1809 Eastman Avenue, Midland, Michigan, United States. Visitors are invited to leave the pathway and explore the uniquely-designed landscape, take a tour of the historic Pines Home, participate in one o ...
*
Grace A. Dow Memorial Library The Grace A. Dow Memorial Library is the public library of the City of Midland and serves residents of Midland and of the contracting Midland County townships: Edenville, Greendale, Homer, Hope, Ingersoll, Jerome, Larkin, Lee, Lincoln, Midland, M ...
*
Herbert H. Dow House The Herbert H. Dow House is an historic house located in the Dow Gardens of Midland, Michigan. Built in 1899, it was the home of Herbert H. Dow (b. 1866), founder of Dow Chemical Company, from then until his death in 1930. It was declared a Na ...
* Midland Barstow Airport *
Midland Center for the Arts Midland Center for the Arts is a performing arts center and museum complex located in on 1801 Saint Andrews St in Midland, Michigan. It includes two performance venues, two museums, art studios, lecture halls and a historical campus. The member g ...
* Midland Civic Arena, a 1,000-seat indoor arena *
Midland Community Center The Midland Community Center (MCC) is a nearly complex on three levels in the heart of Midland, Michigan that provides comprehensive social, recreational and personal development opportunities for all residents. History The Midland Community C ...
*
Midland Community Stadium Midland Community Stadium (MCS) is located in Midland, Michigan and is owned by Midland Public Schools. The stadium is notable because the fan seating is built into man-made earthen hills, and does not have scaffolding type bleachers that are typi ...
* Midland Community Tennis Center * Pere Marquette Rail-Trail * The Tridge, a three-way pedestrian bridge over the Tittabawassee and Chippewa rivers. More than 100 places of worship county-wide represent a variety of denominations and architectural styles, earning Midland the nickname "City of Beautiful Churches". Midland's Volunteer Center recruits upwards of 2,000 volunteers each year, and the United Way of Midland County supports 25 community organizations.


Sports

Midland is home to many recreational sporting facilities and organizations. These include the civic ice arena which hosts 2 NHL and one Olympic-sized rinks, a skate park downtown, and the Midland Community Tennis Center and its 32 courts. The tennis center also hosts a USTA Pro Circuit event and was part of the USTA award to Midland as America's Best Tennis Town 2009. Midland is also host to the following professional sports teams.


Government

Midland uses the council–manager form of government. The council consists of five members elected from geographic wards. Council members serve a two-year term, and the full council is elected during odd years. The mayor and the mayor
pro tem ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...
are chosen from the elected council by a vote of the council, who also appoint the city manager and city attorney, who serve at the pleasure of the council. Federally, Midland is located in
Michigan's 4th congressional district Michigan's 4th congressional district is a United States congressional district that from 2003 to 2013 included portions of Northern and Central Michigan, consisting of all of Clare, Clinton, Gladwin, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Midland, ...
, represented by Republican
John Moolenaar John Robert Moolenaar ( ; born May 8, 1961) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 4th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives ...
.


Education

*
Midland Public Schools Midland Public Schools is a public school district located in Midland, Michigan, United States. History The roots of Midland Public Schools go back to the 1872 ''Union High School'', which educated local students until a boiler explosion destro ...
* Bullock Creek Public Schools * Davenport University *
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
(research facility) * Northwood University * Delta College Midland Center (DCMC) * Ross Medical Education Center *Alternative High Schools **Education and Training Connection (ETC) **Windover High School *Good Shepherd Lutheran School *Calvary Baptist Academy (since 1973)


Media

Midland Community Television Network (Charter Communications Channels 188,189,190,& 191 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99) is the City of Midland's public, government, and education access cable television channel group. It is the purpose of MCTV to provide the people and organizations in the Midland area with an opportunity to be involved in using the television medium to inform, communicate, educate, and entertain. Midland Community Television Network is a service of the City of Midland serving the residents of the City of Midland and outlying areas through Charter Cable, AT&T U-Verse, and online video-on-demand. MCTV is funded through Video Service Provider franchise fees paid by Charter Communications and AT&T to the City of Midland for use of the public rights-of-way. Franchise fees are a small percentage of the service provider's gross revenue from subscribers within the service area. The MCTV Network is non-commercial and offers video services, training, and multi-media delivery for residents and non-profit organizations within the city or county of Midland. http://cityofmidlandmi.gov/MCTV Midland is the city of license of two FM radio stations serving the Tri-Cities (Saginaw/Bay City/Midland) area.
WKQZ WKQZ (93.3 FM The Rock Station, Z93) is an active rock radio station serving east-central Michigan, owned by Cumulus Media. The station is licensed to Midland, Michigan, although its studios are in Saginaw. WKQZ is the Tri-Cities affiliate for ...
("Z93") is an
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
station owned by Citadel Broadcasting and broadcasting at 93.3 FM.
WUGN WUGN (99.7 Family Life Radio ) is a non-commercial Christian FM radio station in Midland, Michigan, operating on 99.7 MHz. The station broadcasts with 100,000 watts from a 997-foot tower, giving it a strong signal throughout the middle of ...
is a non-commercial station at 99.7 FM owned by
Family Life Communications Family Life Radio is a network of Christian radio stations in the United States, broadcasting Contemporary Christian music, as well as some Christian talk and teaching. Christian Talk and Teaching shows heard on Family Life Radio include: ''I ...
, broadcasting adult-contemporary Christian music and teaching. WMPX (1490 AM) is Midland's "hometown" locally owned radio station, owned by Steel Broadcasting and airing an adult standards ("Timeless Classics") format satellite-fed from ABC Radio. WMPX has an FM simulcast station in Beaverton, Michigan, WMRX (97.7 FM), which airs a small amount of local weekend programming separate from the AM. Other area stations include WEJC (88.3 FM) in
White Star, Michigan Hay Township is a civil township of Gladwin County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,362 at the 2010 census. Communities *White Star is an unincorporated community in the township at the junction of M-61 and M-30 on the west ...
, which airs contemporary Christian music and is affiliated with the Lansing-based " Smile FM" network;
WPRJ WPRJ is the callsign for an FM radio station in Coleman, Michigan which is licensed to Spirit Communications, Inc. and broadcasts at 101.7 FM. WPRJ is a non-profit Christian Rock station which retransmits the Radio U network based at WUFM in Co ...
(101.7 FM) in Coleman, Michigan, a Christian CHR station known as "The Fuse"; and country music station WGDN (103.1 FM) in nearby Gladwin, Michigan. Midland is also served by radio and television stations from Saginaw, Bay City, Flint, Mount Pleasant, and Houghton Lake. Midland's main newspaper is the ''
Midland Daily News The ''Midland Daily News'' is a daily newspaper which serves Midland County, Michigan. The offices for the paper are located at 219 East Main Street in downtown Midland; the paper is widely circulated around Midland County. The newspaper also pr ...
''.


Infrastructure


Transportation

Scheduled airline service is available from MBS International Airport near Freeland and Flint's Bishop International Airport. The Jack Barstow Municipal Airport, dedicated May 30, 1936, is a general aviation airport operated by the city and available for general aviation aircraft. There is no regularly scheduled public transportation (bus service). Residents can call in advance to schedule pickup or return transport by one government sponsored agency, "Dial-A-Ride", offering transport within the city only. Then there is "County Connection" a private run public transport for those outside the city of Midland but still within Midland County both for a nominal fee. Both also offer reduced fare rides for elderly and youth. *, a freeway passing the northern edge of Midland, connects with Bay City on the east;
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
and Ludington (as a two-lane highway) to the west. * is a
business loop A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...
through the downtown. * connects Midland with Mount Pleasant and
Big Rapids Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,601 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but it is politically independent. Big Rapids is home o ...
to the west. * runs northerly from nearby Sanford to
West Branch West Branch may refer to: Communities * West Branch, Iowa, city in Cedar and Johnson counties * West Branch, Michigan, city in Ogemaw County * West Branch, New Brunswick, in the Local Service District of Weldford Parish * West Branch River John, i ...
. * links from US-10 east of the city to Saginaw and MBS International Airport


Power

In 1967, Dow Chemical attained criticality on a 100 kW nuclear research reactor at the Midland facility, primarily as a neutron source and to irradiate samples. The reactor continues to operate. In 1968,
Consumers Power Consumers Energy is an investor owned utility that provides natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. It serves customers in all 68 of the state's Lower Peninsula counties. It is the primary subsidiary of ...
began construction of a
nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...
in Midland, primarily for
Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world. Dow manufactures plastic ...
. The project's budget was $257 million, with completion anticipated in 1972. Extreme construction problems caused years of delays and costs soared. The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 resulted in a massive change in nuclear regulatory requirements and system redesign. When it was revealed that the containment buildings were settling and foundation cracks were discovered, Dow canceled their contract with Consumers Power, and the project was abandoned in 1984. The $4.1 billion investment nearly bankrupted Consumers Power. However, in 1985, Consumers Power formed a partnership with eight other companies to convert Midland's abandoned nuclear plant into a gas-fired power plant. Transformation of the plant began in 1986 and was completed at a cost of $500 million. The Midland Cogeneration Venture began producing power in 1991 and that success restored faith in Consumers Power.Lascari, Tony
"Former Midlander, ‘Pioneer for the Environment’, dies at 92"
Midland Daily News, January 15, 2011
The facility now produces 10% of the power consumption for the lower peninsula of Michigan."Midland Cogeneration Venture"
EQT Private Equity Funds, Investments


Notable people

* Bobby Anderson, NFL player, member of
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
* Dick Anderson, safety for undefeated
1972 Miami Dolphins The 1972 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's seventh season and third in the National Football League (NFL). The team was led by third-year head coach Don Shula and achieved the only perfect season in NFL history. They also led the league ...
*
Jeff Backus Jeffrey Carl Backus (born September 21, 1977) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Michigan. He was drafted with the 18th pick in the first round o ...
, former offensive tackle for NFL's
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
* Mary Brown, Michigan state legislator and educator * David Lee Camp, former member of United States House of Representatives * Michael Cohrs, member of Court and Financial Policy Committee
Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...
*
Terry Collins Terry Lee Collins (born May 27, 1949) is an American former professional baseball manager. He managed the Houston Astros, the Anaheim Angels and New York Mets in Major League Baseball and the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. He c ...
, manager of New York Mets * Mikey "Bug" Cox, ex-drummer of Coal Chamber * Alden B. Dow, architect *
Herbert H. Dow Herbert Henry Dow (February 26, 1866 – October 15, 1930) was a Canadian-born American chemical industrialist who founded the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical. He was a graduate of Case School of Applied Science in Cleveland, O ...
, founder of Dow Chemical *
Chris Dowling Christopher Dowling (15 June 1944 – 21 December 2022) was a Maltese swimmer. He competed in the men's 100 metre freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics. While at school, Dowling competed in many sporting disciplines, but it was water polo and ...
, Cornerback Midland High School *
Paul Emmel Paul Lewis Emmel (born May 2, 1968) is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire. He worked in the National League in 1999, and has worked throughout both major leagues since 2000. Emmel was named a crew chief in 2017 and wears uniform numbe ...
, MLB umpire *
Gary Gerould Gary Gerould, nicknamed “The G-Man”, is an American sportscaster, best known as the radio voice of the NBA's Sacramento Kings since 1985. The Sacramento Kings renewed his radio broadcaster contract for 4 years on September 15, 2017. He is a ...
, sportscaster for NBA's Sacramento Kings *
Cathy Guisewite Cathy Lee Guisewite (born September 5, 1950) is an American cartoonist who created the comic strip ''Cathy'', which had a 34-year run. The strip focused on a career woman facing the issues and challenges of eating, work, relationships, and havi ...
, cartoonist known for comic strip Cathy * James Aloysius Hickey, Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, D.C. *
Robert Jarvik Robert Koffler Jarvik (born May 11, 1946) is an American scientist, researcher and entrepreneur known for his role in developing the Jarvik-7 artificial heart. Early life Robert Jarvik was born in Midland, Michigan, to Norman Eugene Jarvik and Ed ...
, inventor of Jarvik-7 artificial heart *
Larry Jaster Larry Edward Jaster (born January 13, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher between 1965 and 1972 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos and the Atlanta ...
, former MLB pitcher with St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, and Atlanta Braves * Jim Kern, MLB pitcher, attended high school in Midland * Nancy LaMott, cabaret singer * Logan Lynn, musician, composer, singer, producer and LGBT activist * Kevin Mahar, former MLB player (minor league of the Texas Rangers) * Andrew Maxwell, football player for
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
*
Meredith McGrath Meredith McGrath (born April 28, 1971) is a former professional tennis player. She was born in Midland, Michigan, and made her debut on the WTA Tour in 1988. In her eight-year professional career, Meredith achieved career-high world rankings of ...
, former Women's Tennis Association professional *
Matt Mieske Matthew Todd Mieske (born February 13, 1968) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from to for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks. In 663 games over eight ...
, former baseball player for five MLB teams * Chuck Moss, member of
Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...
* Howard Mudd, Pro Bowl offensive guard for San Francisco 49ers, assistant coach for
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
*
Joseph P. Overton Joseph Paul Overton (4 January 1960 – 30 June 2003) was an American political scientist who served as the senior vice president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. He is best known for his work in the mid-1990s developing an idea since kno ...
, creator of the
Overton Window The Overton window is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It is also known as the window of discourse. Background The term is named after American policy analyst Joseph Overton, who stat ...
*
Jalen Parmele Justin Alexander "Jalen" Parmele (born December 30, 1985) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars ...
, running back for six
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
teams * Bill Schuette, former Michigan Attorney General, former District Court of Appeals Judge, former member of United States House of Representatives * Jim Shaw, visual artist *
Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...
, drummer of
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
*
Mary P. Sinclair Mary P. Sinclair (September 23, 1918 – January 14, 2011) was an American environmental activist and "one of the nation’s foremost lay authorities on nuclear energy and its impact on the natural and human environment".
, nuclear activist *
Cheryl Studer Cheryl Studer (born October 24, 1955) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung at many of the world's foremost opera houses. Studer has performed more than eighty roles ranging from the dramatic repertoire to roles more commonly associated ...
, opera singer * Tom Vaughn, jazz pianist and
Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...
priest formerly at St. John's Episcopal Church *
Scott Winchester Scott Joseph Winchester (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball player. A pitcher, Winchester played all or parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds between 1997 and 2001. Amateur ca ...
, former pitcher for
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
*
Roger L. Worsley Roger Lewis Worsley (born March 22, 1937) is a retired college administrator, who from 1985 to 1995 was the president of Laredo Community College in Laredo, Texas. He also from 1996 to 2005 served as the chancellor of Southern Arkansas Universit ...
, educator; reared in Midland; graduated in 1955 from Midland High School * Andrew Wylie
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
for the Kansas City Chiefs


Sister cities

* Handa, Aichi, Japan


See also

*''
Midland Daily News The ''Midland Daily News'' is a daily newspaper which serves Midland County, Michigan. The offices for the paper are located at 219 East Main Street in downtown Midland; the paper is widely circulated around Midland County. The newspaper also pr ...
'' * MBS International Airport, located in nearby Freeland which serves the city


References


External links


City of Midland web siteMidland Area Chamber of Commerce web siteMidland Tomorrow (economic development corporation)
* {{Authority control Cities in Midland County, Michigan Cities in Bay County, Michigan County seats in Michigan Micropolitan areas of Michigan 1887 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1887