- Lansing
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/lan"sing/, n.1. Robert, 1864-1928, U.S. lawyer and statesman: Secretary of State 1915-20.2. a city in and the capital of Michigan, in the S part. 130,414.3. a city in NE Illinois, near Chicago. 29,039.
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City (pop., 2000: 119,128), capital of Michigan, U.S. Located on the Grand River at its junction with the Red Cedar River, it was a recently settled site when the state capital was moved there from Detroit in 1847.Originally called Michigan, it adopted the name Lansing in 1848. Auto manufacturing began there in the late 19th century, and it is now a major automobile production centre. It is the site of the first U.S. agricultural college, Michigan State University (now in East Lansing).* * *
capital of Michigan, U.S., located in Ingham county. The city site, on the Grand River at its junction with the Red Cedar River, was a wilderness when the state capital was moved there from Detroit (about 85 miles [140 km] southeast) in 1847. At first called Village of Michigan, in 1849 it assumed the name of the township in which it was located. (Lansing township was named for Lansing, N.Y.) The Michigan State Capitol (erected 1872–78) stands in a 10-acre (4-hectare) park in the centre of the city; the capitol underwent extensive restoration in 1989–92. Connected by plank road to Detroit in 1852 and to out-of-state areas by railroad in the 1870s, the city grew industrially after 1887 with the establishment of several vehicle manufacturers, most notably the Olds Motor Works (in 1899) and the Reo Motor Car Company (in 1904) by Ransom Eli Olds (Olds, Ransom Eli); it is now a major automobile production centre and also produces a wide range of other manufactures (including textiles, auto parts, metal products, and glass).Lansing Community College (1957) is located there, as are a number of museums dedicated to the history of Michigan and of the transportation industry. A riverfront greenbelt and system of trails along the Grand River offer recreational opportunities within the city; Lake Lansing (7 miles [11 km] northeast) and Fitzgerald Park (10 miles [16 km] west) are popular destinations in the surrounding area. Adjacent East Lansing is the home of Michigan State University (1855). Lansing is the birthplace of journalist and essayist Ray Stannard Baker (Baker, Ray Stannard), botanist David Grandison Fairchild (Fairchild, David Grandison), basketball star Magic Johnson (Johnson, Magic), and biologist A.D. Hershey (Hershey, A.D.); it was also the boyhood home of Malcolm X. Inc. city, 1859. Pop. (2000) city, 119,128; Lansing–East Lansing MSA, 447,728; (2005 est.) city, 115,518; Lansing–East Lansing MSA, 455,315.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
