It was named after the wives of the village's founders, both named Ann, and the stands of bur oak trees they found at the site of the town. The University of Michigan was established in Ann Arbor in , [ 10 ] and the city's population grew at a rapid rate in the early to midth century.
A college town , Ann Arbor is currently home to the University of Michigan, which significantly shapes the city's economy, employing about 30, workers which includes about 12, in its medical center. The city's economy is also centered on high technology, with several companies drawn to the area by the university's research and development infrastructure. The lands of present-day Ann Arbor were part of Massachusetts 's western claim after the French and Indian War β , bounded by the latitudes of Massachusetts Bay Colony 's original charter, to which it was entitled by its interpretation of its original sea-to-sea grant from the British Crown.
Massachusetts ceded the claim to the federal government as part of the Northwest Territory after April 19, The region was once inhabited by several Native American tribes , the most prominent being the Anishinaabe people of the Three Fires β the Odawa , Ojibwe , and Potawatomi.
The Potawatomi founded two villages in the area of what is now Ann Arbor in about The land that included Washtenaw County was ceded to the U. Ann Arbor became the seat of Washtenaw County in [ 23 ] and was incorporated as a village in In , the property was accepted instead as the site of the University of Michigan.
Since the university's establishment in the city in , the histories of the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor have been closely linked. While the earlier settlers were primarily of British ancestry, the newer settlers also consisted of Germans, Irish, [ 28 ] and Black people. Ann Arbor saw increased growth in manufacturing, particularly in milling. The City Hall opened in In , the building was renamed the Guy C. Larcom Jr. Municipal Building in honor of the longtime city administrator who championed the building's construction.
