Places to exploreMuseums, parks, neighborhoods and icons
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Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
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Metro Detroit Genesee County City
Vehicle City: birthplace of GM and home of the great sit-down strike
01 / Why it matters
Flint is the Genesee County seat, about 66 miles northwest of Detroit, and it's worth saying plainly: it isn't Metro Detroit in the narrow sense. Flint anchors its own metro area (the Flint MSA covers all of Genesee County) and connects to Detroit only through the wider, nine-county Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor combined statistical area.
You can't tell Detroit's car story without it, though. The carriage town turned auto town was nicknamed Vehicle City; William C. Durant founded General Motors here in 1908; and from December 1936 to February 1937 the 44-day sit-down strike here turned the UAW into a major union and opened the door to unionizing the whole American auto industry.
The decades since have been hard: local GM employment fell from 80,000 in 1978 to under 8,000 by 2010, and the population nearly halved. In April 2014 a state-appointed emergency manager switched the water supply to the Flint River without corrosion control, and lead leaching from old pipes set off a public health crisis. The city went back to the Detroit water system in October 2015, and on May 19, 2025, the EPA lifted its 2016 emergency order after Flint met all of its requirements.
02 / Known for
General Motors, founded by William C. Durant in 1908 and headquartered in Flint until the mid-1920s.
The 1936–1937 sit-down strike, when workers held GM plants for 44 days and the UAW became a major union.
The Vehicle City arches over Saginaw Street: steel arches carried downtown's first electric lights in 1899, and in 1905 one got the "FLINT – VEHICLE CITY" sign, honoring Flint as the world's top producer of horse-drawn carriages.
The 2014–2019 water crisis, which exposed around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels.
The Flint Institute of Arts, Michigan's second-largest art museum, founded in 1928.
Grand Funk Railroad, the rock band formed in Flint in 1969.
03 / What’s on
Sep 18, 2026Elgood Theatre · It's 1927 in a Chicago recording studio, and blues legend Ma Rainey is cutting records on her own terms. Rico Bruce Wade directs August Wilson's classic at the Elgood Theatre, 1220 East Kearsley Street in Flint, on Friday, September 18, 2026. Tickets start at $39, or $30 for Genesee County residents, fees included.
Oct 1, 2026, 7:30 PMWhiting Auditorium · Rus Anderson was Elton John's official body double on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour, chosen by the man himself. He brings The Rocket Man Show to the Whiting Auditorium in Flint on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.: greatest hits, gorgeous costumes and fierce piano playing. Tickets start at $32, or $25 for Genesee County residents.
Oct 3, 2026, 8:00 PMCapitol Theatre · After his acclaimed independent EP All's Well and a sold-out national tour, Jesse McCartney is back as a powerful live force, fresh off surprise guest spots at Jonas Brothers stadium shows. He plays Flint's Capitol Theatre on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 8 p.m.: 90 minutes, no intermission, family-friendly. Tickets start at $48, or $35 for Genesee County residents.
Oct 5, 2026, 7:00 PMElgood Theatre Lobby · Music, stories, cocktails and surprises: Flint Repertory Theatre's Ghost Light Cabaret is back by popular demand, and on Monday, October 5, 2026, at 7 p.m. it presents Saturday Night’s Alright: An Evening of Elton John in the Elgood Theatre lobby, 1220 East Kearsley Street in Flint. It runs 75 minutes with no intermission. Tickets start at $27, or $21 for Genesee County residents.
Oct 9, 2026, 8:00 PMCapitol Theatre · Reminiscing, Lady, Cool Change, Lonesome Loser: formed in Melbourne in 1975, Little River Band became one of the great vocal bands of the '70s and '80s. They play the Capitol Theatre in Flint on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 8 p.m., anchored by bassist and lead singer Wayne Nelson, a 45-year LRB veteran.
Oct 10, 2026, 7:30 PMWhiting Auditorium · The Flint Symphony Orchestra performs at Whiting Auditorium in Flint on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Enrique Diemecke conducts with Haochen Zhang on piano, featuring works by Bernstein, Gershwin, and Hanson for an evening of sweeping American music.
Oct 10, 2026, 7:30 PMCan't make it to Flint? The Flint Symphony Orchestra's Bernstein, Gershwin and Hanson concert streams live on FSOLive on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., with Haochen Zhang at the piano and Enrique Diemecke conducting. Miss the live broadcast and you can watch on demand for 30 days.
Oct 15, 2026, 7:00 PMMott Memorial Building Auditorium · Grammy-nominated violinist and composer Meg Okura blends classical chamber music, jazz and folk and world influences with the AdaMa Quartet. They play the Mott Memorial Building Auditorium, 1401 East Court Street, Room 1130, in Flint on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m.. It's donate-what-you-wish, and registration is required.
Oct 16, 2026University of Michigan-Flint Theatre · A man dies quietly in a café, and his cell phone won't stop ringing. An ordinary woman answers it and gets tangled up in his grieving family, his mysterious past and an unexpected romance. Sarah Ruhl's comedy plays the University of Michigan-Flint Theatre, 327 East Kearsley Street in Flint, on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Oct 16, 2026, 7:00 PMMacArthur Recital Hall · Alexander Lee’s “Time” recital is Friday, October 16, 2026, at 7 p.m. at MacArthur Recital Hall in Flint. Solo saxophone and piano works explore grooves, memories, and dreams of time.
Oct 16, 2026, 8:00 PMCapitol Theatre · Who's Bad brings the feel of Michael Jackson's live shows to the Capitol Theatre, 140 East 2nd Street in Flint, on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 8 p.m.. It's not imitation but re-creation, with world-class musicians and dancers fronted by Taalib York's velvety vocals and pinpoint choreography. They've played more than 2,500 shows worldwide.
Oct 17, 2026, 12:00 AMCapitol Theatre · Celebrate Homecoming on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 12 a.m. outside the historic Capitol Theatre on 2nd Street in downtown Flint: inflatables, games, food, giveaways and DJ SicMusiq bringing plenty of maize and blue spirit. Then head inside to watch the Homecoming game on the big screen. It's free, with registration required.
04 / Places
Flint Community Players2462 S Ballenger Hwy, Flint, MI 48507
Flint Repertory Theatre1220 E Kearsley St, Flint, MI 48503
Flint Under the Stars140 E 2nd St, Flint, MI
Sherman's Lounge4211 Fenton Rd, Flint, MI 48507
Wellness AIDS Services311 E Court St, Flint, MI 4850205 / What to do
The state's second-largest art museum, in the Flint Cultural Center, with more than 8,000 objects spanning European and American painting and decorative arts.
Official site ↗The hands-on museum that reopened, expanded, on July 16, 2022; its Durant Historic Vehicle Gallery shows rare cars built around Flint, with Longway Planetarium next door.
Official site ↗A year-round public market since 1905 with 50-plus permanent vendors, open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Official site ↗06 / History
Fur trader Jacob Smith founds a trading post at the Grand Traverse of the Flint River.
Flint is incorporated.
William C. Durant founds General Motors, headquartered in Flint.
On December 30 the 44-day sit-down strike at GM's plants begins; it ends on February 11, 1937.
In April the water supply is switched to the Flint River, setting off the water crisis.
On May 19 the EPA lifts its 2016 emergency order.
07 / Born here
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Flint city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −2.4 percent.
