Everything about East Lansing totally explained
As of the
census of 2000, there were 46,525 people, 14,390 households, and 5,094 families residing in the city. The
population density was 4,136.6 per square mile (1,596.7/km²). There were 15,321 housing units at an average density of 1,362.2/sq mi (525.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.91%
White, 7.40%
African American, 0.33%
Native American, 8.21%
Asian, 0.08%
Pacific Islander, 0.95% from
other races, and 2.12% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.69% of the population.
There were 14,390 households out of which 16.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.6% were
married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.6% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 9.0% under the age of 18, 58.6% from 18 to 24, 16.4% from 25 to 44, 9.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,217, and the median income for a family was $61,985. Males had a median income of $43,767 versus $30,556 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,333. About 11.0% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
Government
East Lansing has a
Council-manager government, where the city council appoints one of its own as mayor, and another of its own as mayor pro tem — a city council member with extra ceremonial duties, but who chairs council meetings in the mayor's absence. The city council consists of 5
at-large council members who are elected in
non-partisan elections to 4-year terms in November of odd-numbered years. The city council chooses the
city manager, the city's chief administrative officer. The manager is appointed by, and answers to, the city council.
An important aspect of East Lansing's government is its system of commissions. The commission members are ordinary East Lansing citizens who are appointed by the city council and advised by members of the city staff. Commissions may propose or review policies in their bailiwicks and make recommendations to the city council. Major East Lansing commissions include those for Planning, Housing, Transportation, and Parks and Recreation. Other commissions and boards that also involve active engagement of ordinary citizens also play a role in East Lansing's governance.
Education
Higher Education
Michigan State University, a member of the
Big Ten Conference, is the largest education institution in the State of Michigan (6th largest in the United States), reflecting East Lansing's history as a college town. MSU has more than 200 programs of study including three medical schools, a law school, and numerous
PhD programs.
East Lansing High School is the only high school in the city, and is most famous for being the alma mater of
Google co-founder
Larry Page. Nearby Lansing is home to several other colleges, including
Thomas M. Cooley Law School which is the largest law school in the United States,
Davenport University, and
Lansing Community College.
Primary and Secondary Schools
The city is covered by the East Lansing Public Schools district, which has an enrollment of just over 3,400 students in grades K-12. The district also includes small portions of neighboring Lansing, Lansing Township, and Meridian Township. The district consists of six
elementary schools, one
middle school, and one
high school.
Transportation
Amtrak,
Indian Trails
, and
Greyhound all provide intercity rail and bus services at the
East Lansing Amtrak depot, which is located at 1240 South Harrison Road in walking distance from the
Michigan State University main campus, although both on- and off-campus public transportation serves the depot.
Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA) provides public bus transit throughout East Lansing,
Lansing, and surrounding areas. Three major
interstates and one U.S. Highway serve the East Lansing area including:
I-96,
I-69,
I-496, and
US 127. The
Lansing Capital City Airport in nearby Lansing offers a number of direct domestic flights as far as
Las Vegas; connections between East Lansing and the airport are offered by CATA (with a transfer in downtown Lansing); rental cars are also available at the airport. Bus transportation is offered between East Lansing and
Detroit Metro Airport eight times daily by
Michigan Flyer. The
Northern Tier Trail is a shared-use pedestrian and bicycle path system connecting some parts of the northern half of the city; the
Lansing River Trail begins on the campus of
Michigan State University and extends west into downtown Lansing and then north towards the airport. Finally, two class one freight railroads serve East Lansing including
Canadian National Railway (CN) and
CSX Transportation (CSXT).
Culture
Town/gown relations
In recent years, "
town and gown" relations have soured as students and permanent residents looked at each other with increasing hostility. Riots related to sporting events erupted in 1997, 1998, 1999,and disturbances in 2003. After two years without major incidents, another disturbance happened on
April 2,
2005 after MSU's defeat by
North Carolina in the 2005 men's basketball
Final Four.
The Cedar Village area, which houses several large student housing complexes bordering campus, has been the site of several riots and disturbances. These disturbances are part of the reasoning behind the city's decision to declare Cedar Village "
blighted". The city has proposed to redevelop the 35 acre (140,000 m²) site as a complex of upscale condominiums and retail stores called East Village. Led by several
fraternities in the affected area, students have mounted a campaign against the redevelopment plan. As of 2006, the plan remains at a stalemate.
Sports
From March 29 to April 2, 2006, East Lansing hosted the USA Hockey National Tournament. The age group that competed contained players from the U-14 Tier 2 division. States were represented with teams from Massachusetts, Michigan, Alaska, Nebraska, Florida, California, Connecticut, Indiana, New York,and Pennsylvania. In the end, The
LA Hockey Club representing California won.
Centennial
In 2007, the City of East Lansing celebrated its Centennial. The celebration began in January 2007 with a kick-off press conference at the Marriott Hotel in downtown East Lansing. Events through out the year included an old fashion concert, a birthday party, and a historic homes tour. A fireworks show took place in August, along with many more events throughout the year. With Michigan State University's Sesquicentennial ice cream flavor such a huge success, the City of East Lansing contracted Melting Moments ice cream shop to develop a Centennial ice cream flavor. All downtown businesses were encouraged to take part in Centennial festivities.
The Peoples Church on West Grand River Avenue also celebrated its 100th birthday in 2007.
Residents were also asked to submit their favorite stories, pictures and memories on the Centennial website, which includes photographs dating back to the early 1900s. The website lists all Centennial events and includes a complete history of the city. Fun East Lansing facts can also be found, along with a list of famous East Lansing residents. Michigan State University and the City of East Lansing partnered on many of the events.
Points of interest
On campus
W. J. Beal Botanical Garden which is the oldest botanical garden in the United States.
Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens
Beaumont Tower
Red Cedar River
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts (Great Hall and Pasant Theatre), the Fairchild Theatre, and the MSU Auditorium (Main Stage and Arena Theater).
Abrams Planetarium and the MSU Observatory
Spartan Stadium and Sparty, the MSU mascot is the largest ceramic statue in the world.
Breslin Center
MSU Forest Akers Golf Courses
MSU Pavilion
Sparty is the nickname of "the Spartan" a large statue located on campus representing the MSU mascot, a Spartan warrior. The statue is guarded by MSU students amidst rival sports team meetings, usually Big Ten basketball or football, to prevent rivals from defacing of the statue. Sparty is frequently used as a landmark when giving directions on campus. In recent years, the original statue, reputed to be the largest freestanding ceramic sculpture in the world, was relocated indoors to protect it from the weather, and replaced on its original site with a bronze replica.
The Rock is a large boulder, approximately five feet high, originally placed near Beaumont Tower by the Class of 1873, since relocated to a site northeast of the Farm Lane Bridge. It serves as a venue for student groups (an invitation would read: "Wednesday, 7pm at the Rock") and is routinely graffitied by those groups.
Off campus
Hannah Community Center (formerly a middle school) with the White Performing Arts Theatre.
East Lansing Public Library
The "Habitrail", or Hamster Cage, or Gerbil Cage is a large multicolored parking structure near campus that resembles a Habitrail home for pet rodents. The controversial design resulted from the city's instructions to the architect that the building be "festive" and have "no brick".
Scene metrospace, the city sponsored art gallery located in the ground floor of the multicolored parking structure.
East Lansing Family Aquatic Center
Meridian Mall is a large suburban shopping mall in Okemos near the campus of Michigan State University.
Trowbridge railroad junction (located near Trowbridge Road) and the nearby Amtrak depot are popular spots with railfans for train watching. At Trowbridge, the busy Grand Trunk Western Railroad line connecting Chicago to Toronto intersects the former Pere Marquette Railroad (now Conrail line from Detroit to Grand Rapids.
El Azteco, a local Mexican restaurant noted for its outdoor rooftop dining. El Azteco is one of East Lansing's longest-lasting establishments, celebrating its 30th anniversary in August 2006. Many older MSU alumni remember when it was located under Campbell's Smoke Shop on M.A.C., but in 1991 the restaurant moved to its present location at 215 Ann St. Arturo Santa Cruz is the owner. El Azteco has employed some people of note, including State Rep. Fred Miller and NPR journalist Sarah Hulett.
Outside East Lansing
The city of Lansing is adjacent to East Lansing. Lansing has, among other things, the State Capitol, Hall of Justice (Supreme Court), and Michigan Library and Historical Center. The Thomas M. Cooley Law School, the nations largest law school, is located in downtown Lansing. Lansing also is the home of the Lansing Lugnuts minor league baseball team. There is a historic City Market in downtown Lansing, next to the Grand River, which has the distinct taste and flair of Europe.
Lake Lansing is nearby and is approximately 500 acres (2 km²) in size. The lake has an outstanding beach, and is a summer favorite of swimmers, sunbathers, boaters and fishermen. The Lansing Sailing Club and Michigan State University Sailing Club have facilities on Lake Lansing where sailing regattas are held throughout the summer months.
Newspapers
State News (External Link)
Lansing State Journal (External Link)
NOISE
City Pulse
Local events
East Lansing Film Festival is the largest festival of its kind in Michigan.
East Lansing Art Festival is a juried art show held each spring, on the weekend before Memorial Day.
Great Lakes Folk Festival originated after The National Folk Festival, which made East Lansing its home for 3 years, moved to a new city for another 3 years. The festival is usually held during the last weekend of August.
The Michigan High School Boys State Basketball Championship tournament is typically held at Michigan State University's Breslin Center each March.
The 2007 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals occurred at Michigan State University.
The 2008 Future Problem Solvers International Confrence will be held in East Lansing
Notable people
Spencer Abraham, former US Senator and Secretary of Energy under President, George W. Bush.
Timothy Busfield, director and Emmy Award-winning actor, known for his roles on television series such as Eliot Weston on thirtysomething and Danny Concannon on The West Wing.
Jim Cash, screenwriter of films such as Top Gun, Legal Eagles, Dick Tracey, and Anaconda, was a long-time resident of East Lansing and a professor at MSU. Born in Boyne City, MI.
Todd Martin, tennis pro. 1988 graduate of ELHS.
Ryan Miller, goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres.
Drew Miller, Wing player for the Anaheim Ducks. Brother of Ryan Miller
Larry Page, co-founder of Google.
Carl Page, Jr., co-founder of eGroups, later sold to Yahoo.com.
Wally Pleasant, comedic folk singer.
Ben Poquette, NBA basketball player.
Susan May Pratt, actress.
Malcolm X lived in the Urbandale neighborhoood in Lansing Township, a short distance west of East Lansing, and wrote about his East Lansing experiences in his autobiography.
The Verve Pipe, post-grunge band.
The High Strung, garage rock band (see also The Masons).Further Information
Get more info on 'East Lansing'.
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