Culture

• Ypsilanti boasts the second largest historic district in the state. Approximately 20 percent of the City's 4.4 square miles is in the historic district.
• Ypsilanti's Independence Day Parade is the oldest parade in the State of Michigan.
• Ypsilanti is a home to Eastern Michigan University.



Pierce Hall

• John Pierce, Michigan's first Superintendent of Public Instruction, founded EMU in 1849 as the Michigan Normal School. The purpose of the institution was to provide training for teachers. The Michigan Normal School was the first teacher's college west of the Allegheny Mountains.
• Ypsilanti was selected as one of five regional finalists in its population category in the Paint Quality Institute "Prettiest Painted Places In America" competition. Ypsilanti was the only city in Michigan to be selected for this finalist ranking.