Flint, Michigan

Flint is a city in and the county seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. The city's population was 81,252 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 79,735 in 2024, making it the most populous city in Genesee County and the 12th-most populous city in Michigan. Located along the Flint River 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan region. The Flint metropolitan area is located entirely within Genesee County and is the fourth-largest metro area in Michigan, with a population of 406,892 in the 2020 census. Flint was founded as a village by fur trader Jacob Smith in 1819 and became a major lumbering area on the historic Saginaw Trail during the 19th century. The city was incorporated in 1855. From the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, the city was a leading manufacturer of carriages and later automobiles, earning it the nickname "Vehicle City". General Motors (GM) was founded in Flint in 1908, and the city grew into an automobile manufacturing powerhouse for GM's Buick and Chevrolet divisions, especially after World War II up until the early 1980s recession. Flint was also the home of a sit-down strike in 1936–37 that played a vital role in the formation of the United Auto Workers. Since the late 1960s, Flint has faced several crises. The city experienced an economic downturn after GM significantly downsized its workforce in the area from a high of 80,000 in 1978 to under 8,000 by 2010. From 1960 to 2010, the population of the city nearly halved, from 196,940 to 102,434. In the mid-2000s, Flint became known for its comparatively high crime rates and has repeatedly been ranked among the most dangerous cities in the United States according to crime statistics. The city was...