Driving Around Downtown Lansing, Michigan in 4k Video

Filmed on Wednesday, July 5 2023, I drive around the state capital of Michigan to see what's going on.

The first recorded person of European descent to travel through the area that is now Lansing was British fur trader Hugh Heward and his French-Canadian team on April 24, 1790, while canoeing the Grand River. The area would have been covered with dense forest.

In 1836, brothers William and Gerry Ford purchased 290 acres of land near present day Lansing with hopes to build a community named Biddle City. They sold 21 parcels of land to other buyers, but unfortunately, Biddle City never took off.

The settlement of fewer than 20 people that would become the City of Lansing remained quiet until the winter of 1847. The state constitution required the capital be moved from Detroit to a more central and safer location in the state's interior in 1847; many were concerned about Detroit's proximity to British-controlled Canada, which had captured Detroit in the War of 1812.

During the multi-day session to determine a new location for the state capital, many cities, including Ann Arbor, Marshall, and Jackson, lobbied hard to win this designation.

Unable to publicly reach a consensus because of constant political wrangling, the Michigan House of Representatives privately chose the Township of Lansing out of frustration. When announced, many present openly laughed that such an insignificant settlement was now Michigan's capital.

With the announcement that Lansing Township had been made the capital, the small settlement quickly transformed into the seat of state government.

By 1859, Lansing's population had grown to nearly 3,000.

Most of what is known as Lansing today is the result of the founding of Olds Motor Vehicle Company in August 1897. The company went through many changes, including a buyout, between its founding to 1905 when founder Ransom E. Olds started his new REO Motor Car Company, which would last in Lansing for another 70 years.

General Motors has offices and a hi-tech manufacturing facility in Lansing and several manufacturing facilities immediately outside the city, as well, in nearby Lansing and Delta townships.

The largest employer in Lansing is the State of Michigan, followed by Michigan State University in nearby East Lansing. General Motors employs 4,549 in Lansing.

On September 26, 1963, a 12-year-old, 3,000-pound female dancing elephant named Rajje rebelled against her trainer during a performance in Lansing, and escaped into the streets, aggravated by the frenzied pursuit of nearly 4,000 local residents.

Provoked by the growing crowd, Rajje's rampage took her through the men's wear, sporting goods and gift departments of a local Arlan's discount store before leading police on a two-mile chase in which she knocked down and injured a 67-year-old man, tried to move a car, and caused thousands of dollars in damage before being killed by Lansing Police.

As of the 2020 census, there were 112,644 people residing in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 51.4% White, 22.5% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.2% Asian, and 7.7% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 13.7%.

The median household income was $46,570 and the per capita income was $25,939. 21.8% of the population were living below the poverty line.

#driving #drivingtour #travel