Downtown Bay City Michigan

 

Bay County Building

City Hall

Pere Marquette Depot

  

Saginaw River.  Photos taken in October 2017

Click here for more photos of  Bay City Michigan.

I visited Bay City Michigan in October 2017.  I liked the downtown area very much. The were many interesting & attractive buildings. Most were built between 1880 & 1930. It reminded me of Pioneer Square in Seattle.  Unfortunately, many buildings had also been destroyed. Those spaces became little-used parking lots.  That happened to a lesser extent in Pioneer Square.

New development centered on Water Street along the Saginaw River. Several buildings with new condos had recently been built. A few old buildings were converted to condos. The Victorian train station was restored, converted to offices & surrounded by parkland. The 8-story, Art Deco, Bay County Building (Bay City’s skyscraper) was in good shape, as was the Victorian city hall. Five blocks from the riverfront, at the edge of the small downtown, were Victorian houses, mostly shabby (but none derelict) with some refurbished, or decently maintained. It was all very charming to me.  

Half a mile south from downtown, there was new development on the Saginaw River at the former site of Defoe Shipbuilding Company called Uptown Bay City. There were condos, restaurants, shops, office buildings & a hotel.  It was nicely done.  

As of the 2010 census, Bay City's population was 34,932. There are a number of suburbs. The Bay City Metropolitan Area population was 106,107. Settlement began in 1831. Bay City was established as Lower Saginaw in 1837 & incorporated as Bay City in 1865. It was the largest community in Bay County & became the county seat.  Rapid economic growth took place. Lumber & shipbuilding industries created many jobs. Timber was floated to mills & factories along the Saginaw River.  Businesses concentrated along Water Street.