Web Design in Pontiac, MI

Pontiac, Michigan

Pontiac is in Oakland County, with approximately 61,000 residents.

Well-Known Places in Pontiac

Phoenix Center, Silverdome Site, Oakland County Offices.

Pontiac Business Districts

• Downtown Pontiac
• Wide Track Drive
• Telegraph Road

Major Employers in Pontiac

Oakland County Government, Pontiac School District, Various manufacturing.

About Pontiac, Michigan

Pontiac is the county seat of Oakland County, an old industrial city on the Clinton River about 30 miles northwest of Detroit that grew up as a General Motors company town and gave its name to the Pontiac automobile brand. Named for the 18th-century Odawa war chief, it swung from muscle-car boomtown to post-industrial hard times, and is now rebuilding around venues like The Crofoot, the M1 Concourse, and an Amazon plant on the old Silverdome grounds.

History of Pontiac

• Founded in 1818, Pontiac was the second organized European-American settlement in what is now Metro Detroit, after Dearborn, laid out where the Saginaw Trail crossed the Clinton River
• Named after Obwaandi'eyaag (Pontiac), a war chief of the Odawa people who occupied the region before settlement
• Designated county seat of Oakland County in 1820; incorporated as a village in 1837 and as a city in 1861

Landmarks and Places in Pontiac

• Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, a restored historic downtown theater
• M1 Concourse, a motorsports park with a private performance track and car condos

The Pontiac Economy

• Historically a General Motors town: the Oakland Motor Car Company (founded 1907) evolved into GM's Pontiac Motor Division, alongside Fisher Body and Pontiac East Assembly plants
• GM discontinued the Pontiac brand in 2010 as part of its bankruptcy restructuring, the final G6 rolling off the line in January 2010

Community Life in Pontiac

• The Crofoot, a multi-room independent music complex in a restored downtown building, reopened as a venue in 2007 and hosts national touring acts
• The Arts, Beats & Eats festival began in downtown Pontiac before relocating to Royal Oak in 2010
• Sits on the route of the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, the massive classic-car celebration running Detroit to Pontiac

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, www.pontiactransportationmuseum.org, thecrofoot.com