This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

The Michigan State Fair is an event held in Detroit, Michigan.

[edit] History

The first official Michigan State Fair was held in in 1849, which is claimed by the state of Michigan to be the oldest state fair in the United States. The first fair was held in Detroit, Michigan. Subsequent fairs were held in other cities until it received its permanent home in 1905 at the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit.

In 1904, Joseph L. Hudson, together with three of his associates, decided to give the State Fair its permanent home. They formed the State Fair Land Company, which acquired 135 acres (0.55 km²) between 7 1/2 and 8 Mile Roads, east of Woodward Avenue. Because Hudson had no interest in running the fair, he sold the land to the Michigan State Agricultural Society for one dollar on April 18, 1905. The Agricultural Society accepted the land then purchased an additional 32 acres (130,000 m²), extending the fairgrounds to 167 acres (0.68 km²). Throughout the following years, additional land was purchased and sold. The present size of the fairgrounds is 164 acres (0.66 km²).

Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, also known as the Hockeytown State Fair Coliseum, is a 5,600-seat multi-purpose arena located on the fairgrounds. Two NASCAR races were held at a one-mile track at the fairgrounds. Tommy Thompson won the 1951 event and Tim Flock won in 1952.^[1]

[edit] 2009 likely the last Michigan State Fair

On October 30, 2009, Gov. Jennifer Granholm cut all funding to the Michigan State fair, for that reason 2009 may be the last year for the historic fair.^[2][3] In recent years attendance has been declining from a peak of 1.2 million in 1966 to 217,000 in 2009.^[4]

[edit] See also

• Upper Peninsula State Fair
• Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Michigan State Fair (official site)
• Upper Peninsula State Fair (official site)

v • d • e Neighborhoods in Detroit Downtown Bricktown • Broadway Ave. • Campus Martius • Capital Park • Downtown • Greektown • Grand Circus • Lower Woodward • New Amsterdam • Randolph Street Commerical • Riverfront Condominiums • Washington Blvd. Midtown Brush Park • Cass Corridor • Cass-Davenport • Cass Park • Cultural Center • East Ferry Avenue • Midtown • Midtown Woodward • Milwaukee Junction  • New Center • Piquette Ave. • Sugar Hill • Warren-Prentis • West Canfield • Willis-Selden • Woodbridge • Woodward East North Arden Park-East Boston • State Fairgrounds  • Palmer Park • Palmer Woods • University District South Boynton  • Delray East Barry Park Sub.  • Black Bottom • Chaldean Town  • Chandler Park  • Conant Gardens  • Conner Creek  • East English Village  • East Jefferson Ave. • East Village  • Eastern Market • Eastside Cemetary • Elmwood Park  • English Village  • Forest Park  • Grixdale  • Indian Village • Islandview  • Jefferson-Chalmers • Krainz Woods  • Lafayette Park • McDougall-Hunt  • Marina Park  • Morningside  • North End  • Poletown • Ravendale  • Rivertown  • Victoria Park  • West Village West Alden Park • Atkinson Ave. • Aviation  • Bagley  • Barton-McFarland  • Belmont  • Blackstone Park  • Boston-Edison • Brightmoor  • Berg-Lahser  • Castle Rouge • Dexter-Linwood  • Eight Mile Wyoming • Eliza Howell • The Eye  • Fitzgerald  • Five Points  • Franklin Park • Grandale • Grandmont • Grandmont-Rosedale • Green Acres  • LaSalle Gardens • Littlefield • Minock Park  • Oakman Boulevard  • Old Redford • North Rosedale Park  • Parkland • Petosky-Otsego • Hubbard-Richard • Rosedale Park • Russell Woods  • Sherwood Forest • Virginia Park • Warrendale • Weatherby • Westwood Park Southwest Carbon Works  • Corktown • Hubbard Richard  • North Corktown • Mexicantown • Michigan-Martin • Millennium Village • Oakwood Heights West Vernor-Junction • West Vernor-Lawndale • West Vernor-Springwells • Westside Industrial Neighborhood Historic Districts Arden Park-East Boston  • Atkinson Avenue  • Boston-Edison  • Brush Park  • Corktown  • East Ferry  • Grand Boulevard  • East Jefferson Avenue  • Indian Village  • Layafette Park  • Palmer Park Apartments  • Palmer Woods  • Park Avenue  • Rosedale Park  • Sherwood Forest  • Virginia Park  • Warren-Prentis  • West Village  • Willis-Seldon  • Woodbridge • Woodward East Neighborhood Commercial/Cultural Historic Districts Broadway Ave. • Capitol Park • Cass Park • Cass-Davenport • Cultural Center • Eastern Market • Eastside Cemetery • Grand Circus • Greektown • Jefferson Chalmers • Lower Woodward • Midtown Woodward Historic District • New Amsterdam • New Center • Piquette Ave • Randolph Street • Sugar Hill • Washington Boulevard  • West Canfield • West Vernor-Junction • West Vernor-Lawndale • West Vernor-Springwells See also: Hamtramck and Highland Park