Flint

Flint is an industrial city an hour northwest of Detroit in Michigan. It was the home of many General Motors factories, including the Buick World Headquarters, Flint has fallen on hard times over the past 30 years due to the decline of the American automotive industry. Despite these misfortunes, the city has an outsized history, including decisive roles in the growth of the American labor movement and community schooling and evident in a host of extensive and well-endowed cultural institutions. Flint has seen a dramatic reduction in crime while simultaneously enjoying a revitalizing Downtown and growing colleges and universities are found within the city's limits.

Understand
Sometimes considered a suburb of Detroit, Flint is more accurately described as a "satellite" city. Like Saginaw, Pontiac, and other factory towns in Michigan, Flint's identity is often influenced and predicted by the Motor City and the peaks and valleys of the American auto industry. Because these cities and Flint have become symbols of urban blight and economic ruin, it is tempting to write them off at the worst as ghost-towns, or at the best as smaller clones of Detroit. In fact, each city is regionally distinct, both in terms of the local institutions they have raised in times of prosperity and crisis, and in the emphasis of civic response.

In Flint's case, for example, the imprint of Charles Stewart Mott, General Motor's most famous philanthropist, often overshadows that of Billy Durant, who actually founded the corporation. Streets, parks, estates, neighborhoods, colleges, and lakes have been named after Mott and his family, and the Mott Foundation funds and supports many cultural events here. But this reverence toward a more glorious past is just as often tempered by frustration with its side-effects and outcome. The bulk of Sloan Museum (see below), for example, is a measured analysis of the opportunities and hazards of rapid industrialization. Much of the literature to come out of Flint, such as Rhonda Sanders' Bronze Pillars (1995), focuses on the vitality of the African-American community, and its struggle against housing compacts and discrimination in the factories. It is true that many other communities have struggled with these very issues, but the height from which Flint has fallen -- from Michigan's "second city" and acknowledged birthplace of the world's largest corporation to an international symbol of crime and poverty -- has left deep scars on Flintites (or Flintstones; another heady debate in these parts).

Understanding Flint requires understanding that its situation is more complex than that presented by the media, whether this is the General Motors filmstrips of the 1950s, or the Michael Moore film. This means that there is more to the place than vacant lots and shuttered factories: The Flint Institute of Arts and annual jazz festival are comparable with cities many times this size, and a lively regional music scene is rooted in such venues as the Machine Shop and the Local 432. One should be aware, however, that any visit is likely to become a referendum on the successes and failures of the American Dream. There is a lot to see and do in Flint, but much of this may be of a sobering and thoughtful effect; certainly a far cry from the dunes of Lake Michigan or Ann Arbor's boutiques. Flintstones (or Flintites) will be open and generous in pointing you to the best bars, restaurants, museums, and parks; they will also give you their own candid thoughts on the plight of their city.



Get in
Flint is a major transportation hub, and in fact this is one of the ways in which its automotive history continues to serve the city well. Flint can be accessed by plane, train, car, and bus.

By train

 * Route stopping at Flint:
 * Blue Water operates daily between Port Huron and Chicago including stops in Flint, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Niles, and New Buffalo.
 * Blue Water operates daily between Port Huron and Chicago including stops in Flint, East Lansing, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Niles, and New Buffalo.

By car
Flint is most directly served by I-69, which runs from the Port Huron, MI crossing to Sarnia, Canada, through Flint and southwest through Lansing, MI, Fort Wayne, IN, and Indianapolis, IN, and I-75, which runs from the Sault Ste. Marie, MI crossing to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada, south through the Straits of Mackinac, Saginaw, MI, Flint, Detroit, MI, Toledo, OH, Dayton, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Lexington, KY, Knoxville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Atlanta, GA, Tampa, FL, and Miami, FL. Just south of Flint, US-23 routes south through Ann Arbor, MI, Toledo, OH, to Columbus, OH.

By bus

 * You can get to Flint from Detroit's suburbs via the Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) Regional Services. See below.
 * You can get to Flint from Detroit's suburbs via the Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) Regional Services. See below.

By public transportation
As the last section might suggest, Flint is easy to get to, but can be difficult to get around without a car. MTA, the public transit agency, is a reasonably priced (if time-consuming) way to reach your destination, and if you expect to stay within the Downtown area, walking is certainly an option.



By car
While it might be possible in theory to explore Flint without a car, very few people would want to do so. Even after one considers the time and effort saved here, there is something singularly appropriate about traveling the boulevards and parkways, the industrial zones and factory strips, in the vehicle this city helped popularize. Of course, it also helps that Flint is a delight to drive, with a coherent network of roads and expressways linking the city to the suburbs, and abundant parking and a lack of congestion (ironically due to Flint's decline in population from the 1970s to the 2010s). Among the city's much-touted $400-million redevelopment efforts are miles of infrastructural repaving and repair, and it is generally possible to get between any two points of the city in ten or fifteen minutes, or to access the remotest suburbs in well under an hour.

The streetscape of Flint is based on two grids, one which conforms to the river for several square miles in proximity to Downtown, and another which is cardinally oriented. While Flint by-and-large conforms to its grids, there is enough topographical variation to cause many roads to split and angle. Some major roads the follow this pattern are Welch Blvd., Flushing Rd., Chevrolet Ave., Miller Rd., Saginaw St., and Dort Hwy. Within some neighborhoods, the broader streets become curving boulevards with grassy medians, and sometimes this is the only relic of a formerly affluent area.

Few roads Downtown now are one way with the four of them are north-south streets: Beach, Church, Harrison and Wallenberg. Saginaw Street bisects this area from north to south, and dividing east and west addresses, while the bridge at Saginaw street divides the city into north and south.

In the larger grid, neighborhoods are divided by major "mile" roads: to the north (running east-west) one passes Hamilton or Davison, Pasadena, Pierson, and Carpenter, to the south (running east-west) Court, Lippincott, Atherton, and Hemphill (on the half-mile), to the east (running north-south), Lewis, Dort, and Center, and to the west (running north-south) Fenton or Saginaw, Dupont, and Ballenger or Clio. It will be important to have a map: while these roads are generally straight, they don't always connect up as one would expect, and it should be easy to navigate as long as you can maintain a basic orientation.

For getting around the city quickly, though, and for reaching most of the suburbs, nothing is faster than Flint's four expressways: I-69, I-75, I-475, and US-23. A trained Flintite can use this network of 70mph roads to go from a coney at Angelo's (see below) to a shake at the Atlas (see below) in about five minutes. I-75 runs to the west of Flint, with access (from south to north) to I-475, US-23 (only driving south) Bristol, I-69, Miller, Corunna, Pierson, Mt. Morris, and 475 again. I-475 runs through east Flint proper (meeting up with 75 outside the city) with access (from south to north) to Hill, Bristol, Hemphill, Atherton, I-69, Court (only driving south), Robert T. Longway, Davison/Hamilton, Stewart, Pierson, Carpenter, Saginaw St. (in Mt. Morris), Clio Rd., and I-75. I-69 runs through south Flint proper with access (from east to west) to Center, Dort, I-475, Saginaw, Hammerberg, and I-75. US-23 splits from I-75 just south of Flint, serving the south suburbs.

With a map in your hand, this network is not only sane; it is comprehensible and convenient.

By bicycle
Flint has little in the way of bicycling trails, although development is planned to extend these further throughout the city and suburbs, particularly throughout the West Side. The most extensive bike route is the Flint River Trail which extends north from downtown Flint to the city of Genesee on the Halloway Reservoir. Other routes link the Riverfront trail to Downtown, the Cultural Center, and Kearsley Park.

Due to Flint's relatively compact size, many attractions are within a short distance of each other by bike. Cyclists are urged to use caution, however, especially on major thoroughfares such as Robert T. Longway or Chavez Drive, as traffic can be fast and heavy, and hills and curves tend to obstruct vision for both cyclists and motorists.



Downtown Flint
Downtown Flint covers approximately one square mile near the center of the city, bounded roughly by Fifth Avenue to the north, I-69 to the south, I-475 to the east, and Thread Creek to the west, with most commercial activity focused along Saginaw Street and the University of Michigan-Flint Campus.


 * The Walking Tour of Downtown Flint is an effort sponsored by the Flint Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (see above) is intended to tout the local economy and encourage investment. This simple self-guided walking tour includes a map of the downtown district with an emphasis on local architecture.  Flint's skyline features a surprisingly diverse and well-preserved collection of significant Art Deco construction, as well as their (generally less well-loved) successors.



Flint Cultural Center
The Cultural Center is a campus constructed in the 1950s and 60s alongside Mott Community College (see below) with local support and funds from the General Motors. Arranged in a park like setting along both sides of Kearsley Street just east of 475, this area hosts nine separate entities managed under the organizational umbrella of the Flint Cultural Center Corporation, and is often touted as Flint's crown jewel. The Cultural Center includes the Mott Applewood Estates, Bower Theatre (home of the award winning Flint Youth Theatre), Longway Planetarium (Michigan's largest), the Flint Institute of Arts (Michigan's best endowed after the Detroit Institute of Arts), the Flint Public Library, the Flint Institute of Music (home to the Flint Symphony Orchestra), Sloan Museum and its adjuct Buick Gallery & Research Center, The Sarvis Center, and The Whiting Auditorium (which often hosts touring Broadway productions).



History

 * The Motor Cities National Heritage Area -- Flint is an undertaking of the National Park Service to present and teach the public about the growth of America's automotive industry. Pick up literature at Sloan Museum (see above), and go on a walking or driving tour of such sites as the former Buick-City automotive plant, used in the manufacturing of Sherman tanks during World War II, and the Fisher Body Plants, where a sit-down strike during the bitter winter of 1937-38 led to the official recognition of the United Auto Workers (UAW).  Such tours are largely unguided and will have to be self-motived, but they can also be among the most poignant of what the city has to offer.  They take the extremes of Flint from the square miles of brownfield left by the demolition of Flint's largest factories to the still-beautiful bungalows built for autoworkers in the struggling Civic Park neighborhood, or the stately neoclassical manors of the still-affluent Woodcroft neighborhood.  Many of the areas included in these tours are far off-the-beaten-path.  Travelers would be well-advised to travel in groups and during the daytime.

Sites in the suburbs

 * Crossroads Village is a family-friendly attraction reminiscent of a late 19th-century town. It features a cider mill, the Huckleberry Railroad, and the Genesee Belle steam boat.

Do

 * Venues for taking in a show include the "New" McCree Theater, the Flint City Theatre (which performs at the Good Beans Cafe), the Flint Community Players, Vertigo Productions (at the Masonic Temple downtown), and the University of Michigan-Flint theatre and dance program.
 * Venues for taking in a show include the "New" McCree Theater, the Flint City Theatre (which performs at the Good Beans Cafe), the Flint Community Players, Vertigo Productions (at the Masonic Temple downtown), and the University of Michigan-Flint theatre and dance program.
 * Venues for taking in a show include the "New" McCree Theater, the Flint City Theatre (which performs at the Good Beans Cafe), the Flint Community Players, Vertigo Productions (at the Masonic Temple downtown), and the University of Michigan-Flint theatre and dance program.

Festivals and events
During the summertime Flint hosts a series of lively festivals and events, usually centered downtown or at the Cultural Center. These include Juneteenth, The Flint Art Festival, Flint 4th of July Celebration, The Flint Storytellers Festival, Quilts at the Crossroads, The Flint Gallery Walk, The Flint Jazz Festival, and the internationally famed Bobby Crim Festival of Races and more. For a real dose of the city, any and all of these festivals are a great time to visit, because this is when the locals come out to play.
 * Fire & Ice Festival, late February, run by the Flint Downtown Development Authority
 * Crim Run Your Ice Off 5K, of the Crim Fitness Foundation's Grass Roots Race Series
 * Marti Austin Kids Classic (May) youth (age 0-12) races at Flint Cultural Center
 * Tour de Crim (May) - bike ride/obstacle challenge along the 10 mile Crim race path
 * Flint Storytellers Festival: late July from 10AM–10PM at and by the Flint Public Library. Entertaining stories for all ages and storytelling workshops.
 * "Keep On Keepin On Afrikan American Festival": mid-August
 * Flint Folk Music Festival: late July, Kearsley Park
 * Drop Fest: early Aug
 * Flint Jazz Festival: early Aug
 * Back To The Bricks: mid-Aug
 * Crim Festival of Races: late Aug
 * Flint Festival of Quilts: mid-Sep
 * Bikes on the Bricks: mid-Sep
 * Aerosol and Audio: mid-Sep Parade Flyer
 * "Keep On Keepin On Afrikan American Festival": mid-August
 * Flint Folk Music Festival: late July, Kearsley Park
 * Drop Fest: early Aug
 * Flint Jazz Festival: early Aug
 * Back To The Bricks: mid-Aug
 * Crim Festival of Races: late Aug
 * Flint Festival of Quilts: mid-Sep
 * Bikes on the Bricks: mid-Sep
 * Aerosol and Audio: mid-Sep Parade Flyer

Downtown

 * Flint Crepe Company
 * The Lunch Studio
 * Cafe Rhema
 * Halo Burger, Saginaw and 4th Streets
 * El Potrero Mexican Restaurant, Saginaw and Court Streets
 * Subway, Bus Station
 * Tom Z Flint Original Coney Island, Grand Traverse & Court Street
 * Battiste's Temple Dining, Masonic Temple, Saginaw and 4th Streets
 * Flint Farmer's Market, 300 East 1st Street and Stevens Street
 * B-Dogs Hot Dog Cart
 * Beirut Restaurant and Grocery
 * Charlie's Smokin’ BBQ
 * Chef Nate’s Wing Bar
 * Chubby Duck Sushi
 * Latina's Restaurant
 * Mexico at the Market Taqueria
 * Steady Eddy's Café’
 * Sweet Peaces Vegan Café
 * University Pavilion, Saginaw and Kearsley Streets
 * Jilly's Pizza (810-232-3298) Pizza, salads
 * O'Blendz (810-232-3272) Fruit smoothies, grilled panini sandwiches
 * Oriental Express (810-235-1681) Mandarin cuisine
 * Sportlite Grill (810-233-5347) Mid-Eastern cuisine
 * Subway (810-767-0965)	Subs, wraps, soups and salads

Carriage Town

 * Hoffman’s Deco Deli
 * Good Beans Cafe
 * Tenacity Brewing

Downtown

 * 501 Bar & Grill
 * Table and Tap
 * Cork on Saginaw
 * Blackstone’s Pub & Grill
 * Torch Bar & Grill
 * Churchill’s Food & Spirits
 * The Loft

Sleep

 * Holiday Inn, Robert T. Longway Blvd. If you want to be a minute or less away from the Cultural Center, downtown, and the University of Michigan-Flint.

Stay safe
Flint has long been one of the most dangerous cities in the United States, and as in most American cities, crime in Flint is heavily connected to the illegal drug trade and associated gang activity. The areas of Flint with the highest crime rates will be of little interest to visitors, but there is still enough of an overall threat that some additional precautions are warranted. Be sure to travel in groups, thoroughly plan out your travel route ahead of time, stay out of deserted or poorly-lit areas, and don't flash cash or other valuables. Additionally, walking after dark in most areas of Flint is not advisable. The Flint area has a surprising amount to offer visitors, but it is not a place that rewards exploration over planned activities, so it's really best to play it safe.

Stay healthy
A crisis began in 2014 due to high lead concentrations in the city's drinking water. While the city was forced to use the contaminated drinking water supplies for an extended period, by late 2016 the water supplies were changed to the same Lake Huron waters that supply the city of Detroit.