The capital of the state of Michigan, Lansing itself was called Michigan until 1848. The city took the name of Lansing from the township in which it was located. Lansing lies in a shallow valley that is shaped like a cup. The valley was formed by the Grand and Red Cedar rivers.
Places of interest
- The Michigan State Capitol stands in a 10-acre park in the center of Lansing, Michigan.
The business area and the 10-acre (4-hectare) Capitol Square are in the center of the city. These are built on top of land that is slightly higher than the rest of the city. The land is bordered on three sides by the Grand River.
The State Capitol, with its 267-foot (81-meter) dome, was completed in 1878. It stands in Capitol Square. Objects from Michigan's military history are on display in the capitol.
Also in Lansing are the Michigan Historical Museum, the Impression 5 Science Center, Lansing Community College, and a state-run school for the blind. The R. E. Olds Transportation Museum was named after Ransom Eli Olds, a U.S. inventor and maker of automobiles. The museum displays vehicles that were built in Lansing.
The city has numerous parks and recreational areas, including the Fenner Nature Center, the Woldumar Nature Center, and Potter Park. There is a zoo at Potter Park. The city also has ridges of rock some 300 million years old. These offer opportunities for rock climbing.
Michigan State University is in nearby East Lansing. The university was founded in 1855 and was the first agricultural college in the United States. The university has a Butterfly House that has several species of butterflies flying freely about.
Economy
Lumber was Lansing's first industry. But real growth started in the early 1900s, when Ransom Eli Olds established the Olds Motor Vehicle Company and started to produce Oldsmobiles. Today Lansing still makes automobiles, but it has many other industries as well. As the capital of the state, the city has many government jobs. Banks, schools, insurance companies, and computer companies accounted for a growing section of Lansing's economy by the end of the 20th century.
History
Lansing was settled in the 1830s on heavily wooded land along the Grand River. In 1847, the state capital was moved to Lansing from Detroit, 85 miles (137 kilometers) southeast. The site at that time was still mostly wilderness. All it had was a sawmill for sawing logs and a log cabin. It was connected by road to Detroit in 1852 and to out-of-state areas by railroad in the 1870s. The city grew industrially after the automobile industry was established in the early 20th century. Population (2000 census), 119,128.