Flint is a city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States. It is the main city in Genesee County and the 12th-largest city in Michigan. According to the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 81,252 people, and it was estimated to have 79,735 people in 2024. The city is located along the Flint River, 66 miles (106 kilometers) northwest of Detroit. It is an important city in the Central Michigan region. The Flint metropolitan area is entirely within Genesee County and is the fourth-largest metro area in Michigan, with a population of 406,892 people in 2020.

Flint was founded as a village by fur trader Jacob Smith in 1819. It became an important area for logging on the Saginaw Trail during the 1800s. The city officially became a city in 1855. From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, Flint was known for making carriages and later automobiles, which earned it the nickname "Vehicle City." General Motors (GM) was started in Flint in 1908. The city became a major car manufacturing center for GM's Buick and Chevrolet divisions, especially after World War II until the early 1980s. Flint was also the site of a sit-down strike in 1936–37, which helped create the United Auto Workers union.

Since the late 1960s, Flint has faced many challenges. The city had economic problems after GM reduced its workforce in the area from 80,000 people in 1978 to fewer than 8,000 people by 2010. Between 1960 and 2010, the city's population dropped nearly in half, from 196,940 to 102,434. In the mid-2000s, Flint had high crime rates and was often ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. The city was under a state of financial emergency from 2002 to 2004 and again from 2011 to 2015.

From 2014 to 2019, Flint had a public health emergency because of lead contamination in parts of the city's water supply and an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The lead crisis has been addressed by finding a new clean water source, installing modern copper pipes in nearly every home, and giving filters to all residents who wanted them. However, some people still do not fully trust public officials.

History

At the start of the 19th century, several Ojibwe tribes lived in the region, with one large group near what is now Montrose. The Flint River had easy places to cross, called fords, which caused disagreements between rival tribes. Evidence of these conflicts includes nearby arrowheads and burial mounds. Parts of the city are built on ancient Ojibwe burial grounds.

In 1819, Jacob Smith, a fur trader who had good relationships with both the local Ojibwe and the territorial government, started a trading post at the Grand Traverse of the Flint River. Smith helped the U.S. government negotiate land deals with the Ojibwe and was respected by both sides. He later gave much of his land to his children. Because of its location along a major travel route between Detroit and Saginaw, Flint became a small but growing village. It officially became a city in 1855. According to the 1860 U.S. census, Genesee County had 22,498 people, out of Michigan’s total population of 750,000.

During the second half of the 19th century, Flint became a center for the Michigan lumber industry. Money from lumber helped start a local carriage-making business. As carriages were replaced by automobiles, Flint became an important part of the early auto industry. Buick Motor Company, which began in Detroit, moved to Flint. AC Spark Plug also started in Flint. Other car brands, such as Dort, Little, Flint, and Mason, were based there. Chevrolet’s first factory was in Flint, though its headquarters were in Detroit. For a short time, all Chevrolets and Buicks were made in Flint.

In 1851, the first Ladies’ Library Association in Michigan was created in Flint. It was started in the home of Maria Smith Stockton, the daughter of the community’s founder. This private library later became the basis for the current Flint Public Library.

In 1904, William C. Durant was hired to manage Buick, which became the largest carmaker by 1908. Durant then started General Motors (GM) in 1908, filing papers in New Jersey but with headquarters in Flint. GM moved its headquarters to Detroit in the 1920s. Durant lost control of GM twice. The first time, he helped start Chevrolet with Louis Chevrolet, which became very successful. He used money from Chevrolet to regain control of GM. Later, he permanently lost control of GM. Durant faced financial trouble during the 1929 stock market crash and later ran a bowling alley in Flint until his death in 1947.

In 1924 and 1927, Flint’s mayors, David R. Cuthbertson and William H. McKeighan, were targeted for recall. Supporters of the recalls were jailed in both cases. Cuthbertson angered the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) by appointing a Catholic police chief. The KKK supported Cuthbertson’s successor, Judson Transue, but Transue did not remove the police chief. McKeighan survived his recall but was later charged with conspiracy in 1928. City leaders pushed for changes to the city charter because of the investigations.

In 1928, Flint adopted a new city charter with a council-manager form of government. McKeighan later led the “Green Slate” of candidates, who won elections in 1931 and 1932. He became mayor in 1931. In 1935, residents approved a charter amendment to create the Civil Service Commission.

For the past century, Flint’s history has been shaped by the auto industry and car culture. The Sit-Down Strike of 1936–1937 helped the United Automobile Workers (UAW) gain recognition from General Motors, leading to widespread unionization in the U.S. During World War II, Flint produced many tanks and war machines because of its manufacturing facilities. Flint remained politically and industrially important for decades.

A ship named the SS City of Flint was the first U.S. ship captured during World War II in October 1939. It was later sunk in 1943. On June 8, 1953, an F5 tornado called the Flint-Beecher tornado hit the city, killing 116 people and becoming the deadliest tornado in Michigan history.

Flint’s population reached nearly 200,000 in 1960, making it the second-largest city in Michigan. The 1950s and 1960s were the city’s most prosperous times, leading to the creation of institutions like the Flint Cultural Center, which remains a major attraction today. Bishop International Airport was the busiest in Michigan for United Airlines, aside from Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

From the late 1960s to the end of the 20th century, Flint faced challenges like disinvestment, deindustrialization, population loss, and urban decay. These issues were worsened by the 1973 oil crisis, which hurt the U.S. auto industry as foreign carmakers produced more fuel-efficient vehicles. Local General Motors jobs dropped from 80,000 in 1978 to under 8,000 by 2010. Many factors, such as outsourcing, automation, and moving jobs to non-union states, contributed to this decline.

The decline was shown in Michael Moore’s film Roger & Me, which highlighted problems like the demolition of the AutoWorld entertainment center. Moore, a native of Davison (a Flint suburb), also discussed Flint in later movies like Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 11/9.

By 2002, Flint owed $30 million in debt. On March 5, 2002, voters recalled Mayor Woodrow Stanley. Governor John Engler declared a financial emergency in May 2002, and the state appointed Ed Kurtz as emergency financial manager. Kurtz replaced the temporary mayor, Darnell Earley, in the city administrator role.

In August 2002, voters elected former Mayor James Rutherford to finish Stanley’s term. On September 24, Kurtz hired an outside firm to study city officials’ salaries and wages. He also started a new program to inspect rental properties and demolish unsafe buildings. On October 8, Kurtz cut the mayor’s pay from $107,000 to $24,000 and reduced City Council members’ pay from $23,000 to $18,000. He also removed insurance benefits for most officials. After spending $245,000 fighting the takeover, the City Council ended its lawsuits on October 14.

Geography

Flint is located in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan. Flint and Genesee County are part of a larger area called the Flint/Tri-Cities. The city is near the Flint River, which flows through Lapeer, Genesee, and Saginaw counties. The river is 78.3 miles long.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Flint has a total area of 34.06 square miles, with 33.42 square miles being land and 0.64 square miles being water. Flint is located just northeast of the Flint Hills. The land is low and rolling on the south and east sides, and flatter on the northwest.

Flint has several neighborhoods around the city’s center. The downtown business area is centered on Saginaw Street, south of the Flint River. To the west of downtown, across the river, are two neighborhoods: Carriage Town (north) and the Grand Traverse Street District (south). These areas have strong community groups. They were once the center of the carriage industry in the United States and are home to many well-preserved Victorian homes and Atwood Stadium.

The University Avenue area of Carriage Town has the highest concentration of Greek-style housing in the region. Many fraternity houses from Kettering University and the University of Michigan-Flint are located there.

Just north of downtown is River Village, an example of a neighborhood where people from different income levels live together. To the east of I-475 are Central Park and Fairfield Village. These are the only neighborhoods between the University of Michigan-Flint and Mott Community College. Both have strong community groups. Central Park was the first area in Flint to replace street lights with energy-efficient LED lights. The neighborhood has seven dead-end streets.

The North Side and 5th Ward are mostly home to African American residents. These areas include historic places like Buick City and Civic Park on the north, and Sugar Hill, Floral Park, and Kent and Elm Parks on the south. Many of these neighborhoods were important centers for early Michigan blues music. The South Side was also a place where people from Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Deep South moved after World War II. These areas often have lower incomes but still show some differences in wealth. The East Side includes the Applewood Mott Estate, Mott Community College, the Cultural Center, and East Village, which is one of Flint’s more prosperous areas. The surrounding area is called the college/Cultural Neighborhood, with strong community groups, lower crime rates, and stable home prices.

Just north of East Village is Eastside Proper, also known as the State Streets, where many of Flint’s Hispanic residents live. The West Side includes the location of the 1936–37 sit-down strike, the Mott Park neighborhood, Kettering University, and the historic Woodcroft Estates. This area was once owned by famous car industry leaders and is now home to many prominent Flint families, such as the Motts, the Manleys, and the Smiths.

Factories connected to General Motors, both past and present, are found throughout the city. These include GM Truck and Bus, Flint Metal Center, and Powertrain South (located together on the city’s southwestern corner); Powertrain North, Flint Tool and Die, and Delphi East. The largest plant, Buick City, and nearby buildings have been torn down.

Half of Flint’s fourteen tallest buildings were built in the 1920s. The 19-story Genesee Towers, once the city’s tallest building, was completed in 1968. Later, the building fell into disrepair and was abandoned. In 2013, an investment company bought the building for $1 and demolished it using a controlled explosion.

Flint has a humid continental climate, which means it has cold winters and warm summers. It is in USDA Hardiness Zone 6a. Winters are cold, with average snowfall and temperatures below freezing on about 52 days a year. Temperatures drop to 0°F or lower on about 9.3 days each year. Summers are warm to hot, with temperatures above 90°F on about 9 days. The average temperature in January is 23°F, and in July, it is 70.9°F. The coldest temperature recorded was −25°F in 1976 and 2015, while the hottest was 108°F in 1936. The average growing season is 153 days, from October 8 to May 7. On June 8, 1953, Flint was hit by an F5 tornado, which caused 116 deaths.

Flint receives about 31.97 inches of rain each year, with more rain in the warmer months. Snowfall averages 52.1 inches annually, with measurable snow falling between November 12 and April 9. The amount of snow on the ground is 1 inch or more on about 64 days each year, with most of these days occurring between December and February.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 81,252 people, with 33,559 households and 18,640 families. The median age was 36.4 years. Twenty-five point three percent of residents were under the age of 18, and thirteen point eight percent were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 92.5 males aged 18 and over.

The population density was 2,429.78 people per square mile (938.1 per square kilometer). There were 40,578 housing units, with an average density of 1,213.46 per square mile (468.5 per square kilometer). Seventeen point three percent of housing units were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0%, and the rental vacancy rate was 12.9%.

One hundred percent of residents lived in urban areas, and zero percent lived in rural areas.

As of the 2010 census, there were 102,434 people, 40,472 households, and 23,949 families in the city. The population density was 3,065.05 people per square mile (1,183.4 per square kilometer). There were 51,321 housing units, with an average density of 1,535.64 per square mile (592.9 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of the city was 37.42% White, 56.56% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.14% from other races, and 3.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race made up 3.88% of the population.

There were 40,472 households, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Twenty-three point one percent were married couples living together, 29.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. Thirty-three point nine percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45, and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 33.6 years. Twenty-seven point three percent of residents were under the age of 18; 11.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 10.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 33,670 estimated households in Flint, with an average of 2.33 people per household. The city has a median household income of $36,194. Approximately 34.4% of the city’s population lives at or below the poverty line. Flint has an estimated 54.8% employment rate, with 13.1% of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher and 83.3% holding a high school diploma.

In 2016, Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press reported that community leaders said Hispanic and Latino people made up close to 6% of the city’s population, and the city had 142 Arab-American families. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, slightly over 1% of Flint’s population was born outside the United States, and over three-quarters of that foreign-born population have become naturalized citizens.

Sports

Atwood Stadium in downtown Flint is a large stadium with more than 11,000 seats. It hosts many events, including baseball games. However, when artificial turf was installed, the stadium could no longer host baseball. Instead, it now hosts semi-pro football with the Flint Fury team. The Flint Fury has played since 2003 and is part of the Great Lakes Football League. The team was started by two players, Charles Lawler and Prince Goodson, who previously played for the no longer active Flint Falcons team. Today, the team is owned only by Charles Lawler.

Mark Ingram II, the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, was born and raised in Grand Blanc. He finished high school at Flint Southwestern Academy. He received 1,304 total votes to win the Heisman. Ingram attended the University of Alabama, where he became their first Heisman winner. He was part of the 2009 National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide football team.

Many people from Flint have played basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA), NCAA Division I, or European professional leagues. NBA champion Glen Rice, Eddie Robinson, three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee, and Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma are all from Flint. Others include Morris Peterson, Mateen Cleaves, and Charlie Bell, who were four of the five starters on Michigan State University's "Flintstones" 2000 National Championship team.

Local teacher and filmmaker Marcus Davenport created a documentary called Flint Star: The Motion Picture, which shows how Flint is connected to basketball. Will Ferrell’s 2008 movie Semi-Pro is about a fictional basketball team called the "Flint Tropics."

On January 14, 2015, the Ontario Hockey League’s Plymouth Whalers moved to Flint after being sold to the owner of Perani Arena. The team was renamed the Flint Firebirds for the 2015–16 season. In September 2022, the Firebirds announced the Leamington Flyers as their partner team.

Flint is partnered with Hamilton, Ontario. Athletes from both cities compete in the CANUSA Games, which take place alternately in Flint and Hamilton since 1957.

Government

The city takes a 1 percent income tax from residents and 0.5 percent from nonresidents. The 1974 Charter is the city's current charter, which gives the city a mayor who has a lot of power. This charter also created the appointed independent office of Ombudsman, while the city clerk is only chosen by the city council. The city council includes members elected from the city's nine wards. A Charter Review Commission is currently appointed to examine the charter for major changes. From April 30, 2015, to April 10, 2018, the city was managed by the state under a financial receivership. During this time, the city had an Emergency Manager because the State of Michigan declared a financial emergency for local government. The Receivership Transition Advisory Board had the power to override council decisions about money matters. The city has used at least four charters (1855, 1888, 1929, 1974).

Law enforcement in Flint is handled by the Flint Police Department, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, and the Michigan State Police. Flint has been ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States by multiple sources. Between 2007 and 2009, violent crime in Flint was among the top five in U.S. cities with at least 50,000 people. From 2010 to 2012, Flint had the highest violent crime rate among cities with more than 100,000 people. In 2015, CQ Press (using FBI statistics) ranked Flint's crime index as the seventh-highest in cities with more than 75,000 people. In 2018, the FBI reported Flint as the sixth most violent city in the United States among those with 50,000 or more people in 2017. Violent crimes increased by 23% compared to 2016, according to the report.

Most politicians are associated with the Democratic party, even though city elections are nonpartisan. In 2006, Flint was the tenth most liberal city in the United States, according to a nationwide study by the nonpartisan Bay Area Center for Voting Research, which analyzed voting patterns in 237 cities with populations over 100,000.

The city elected Karen Weaver as its first female mayor in 2015. She was followed by Sheldon Neeley in 2020.

Education

The following educational institutions are located in Flint:
• University of Michigan–Flint
• Kettering University
• Mott Community College
• Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Public K-12 education in Flint is managed by the Flint Community Schools. Students attend ten elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Flint Southwestern Academy. The city’s original high school, Flint Central High School, closed in 2009 due to financial problems and poor building maintenance by the Flint School District. The building remains standing. Flint Northern High School was changed into an alternative education school at the start of the 2013–14 school year but was later closed in 2014. The state-run Michigan School for the Deaf is located in Flint. The Michigan School for the Blind was previously in Flint but moved from Lansing in 1995.

The Catholic high school in Flint is Fr. Luke M. Powers Catholic High School. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing and serves students throughout the county. The school moved from Mt. Morris Township to the former Michigan School for the Deaf building in Flint in 2013. The building received a $22 million renovation. The Valley School is a small private K–12 school. Flint also has several charter schools, including International Academy of Flint, Flint Cultural Center Academy, and Eagle’s Nest Academy.

The Flint Public Library has 454,645 books, 22,355 audio materials, 9,453 video materials, and 2,496 serial subscriptions.

Media

The largest newspaper in the county is called The Flint Journal, which began publishing in 1876. In June 2009, the newspaper stopped being published every day and instead printed editions on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This change made Genesee County the largest county in the United States without a daily newspaper. In March 2010, The Flint Journal added a Tuesday edition. East Village Magazine is a non-profit publication that provides information about neighborhood issues. It has been published monthly since 1976 and focuses on the East Village neighborhood, which is outside downtown Flint, but it is available throughout the city. The Uncommon Sense was a monthly magazine that included investigative journalism, political analysis, satirical cartoons, and articles about Flint’s music, art, nightlife, and culture. It stopped publishing in 2007. In January 2009, the editors and contributors of The Uncommon Sense started a new publication called Broadside, which was only available in print. The last issue of Broadside was published in April 2014. In early 2009, Flint Comix & Entertainment began distributing a monthly magazine that featured work by local and nationally known comic artists, along with editorials and news.

Two quarterly magazines have been published in recent years: Innovative Health Magazine and Downtown Flint Revival Magazine. Innovative Health Magazine started in 2008 and focuses on medical advancements, health services, and lifestyles in Genesee County. Downtown Flint Revival Magazine reports on new developments, building renovations, and businesses in the downtown area. A new monthly magazine called My City Magazine began publishing in June 2013. It highlights events, arts, and culture in Genesee County. In 2017, an online news source called FlintBeat.com was launched by Jiquanda Johnson, a native of Flint. The website covers news about Flint City Hall, public health, and community stories. University publications include The Michigan Times, the student newspaper of the University of Michigan–Flint; The Technician, the student newspaper of Kettering University; and the MCC Chronicle, a monthly magazine from Mott Community College.

WJRT-TV (ABC) is currently the only television station in Flint that operates from the city. It was once one of ten ABC-owned stations. WSMH (Fox, with NBC on DT2) is licensed to Flint but broadcasts from Mt. Morris Township, a suburb outside Flint. WEYI (Roar) is licensed to Saginaw, and WBSF (The CW) is licensed to Bay City. These stations share studios with WSMH. Other television stations outside Flint that serve the area include WNEM-TV (CBS, with MyNetworkTV on DT2), based in Saginaw and with a news bureau in downtown Flint; WDCQ-TV (PBS), operated by Delta College; and WAQP (TCT), based in Saginaw.

The Flint radio market has a long history. WAMM-AM 1420, now known as WFLT, was one of the first radio stations in the United States to broadcast to the Black community. It was also where Casey Kasem, a famous DJ, began his career. WTAC-AM 600, now WSNL, was a popular Top 40 station in the 1960s and 1970s. It played music by Michigan artists and was among the first in the United States to feature groups like The Who and AC/DC. WTAC changed to a country music format in 1980 and later became a Christian music station, now broadcasting on 89.7 FM as part of the "Smile FM" network. WTRX-AM 1330 also played Top 40 music during the 1960s and 1970s. The city’s first radio station, AM 910 WFDF, began broadcasting in 1922. It later moved to the Detroit area, changed its license to Farmington Hills, and increased its power to 50,000 watts.

Infrastructure

The city of Flint has several bus services. The Flint Mass Transportation Authority (MTA) offers local bus routes for travel within and around the city. Indian Trails provides bus service to other cities, including Saint Ignace to the north, through Bay City, and to Pontiac, Southfield, and Detroit to the south. Indian Trails also connects to Chicago to the west. The MTA’s main bus station is in Downtown Flint, while the Indian Trails station is located at the Flint Amtrak station on Dort Highway, just north of I-69.

I-69 travels east and west through Flint. I-75/US 23 runs north and south through the southwestern part of the city, near the General Motors Flint Assembly complex and Bishop International Airport. I-475 runs north and south through Flint. M-21, also called Corunna Road and Court Street, runs mostly east and west through Flint, west of I-475. M-54, known as Dort Highway after Flint automotive pioneer Josiah Dallas Dort, runs north and south through the eastern part of the city.

Amtrak operates passenger trains on the Blue Water line, connecting Chicago to Port Huron, which is near the border with Canada. The Amtrak station is on Dort Highway, just north of I-69. It was built in 1989 and replaced an older Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) station closer to downtown. Canadian National Railway (GTW’s successor) and Lake State Railway provide freight service to Flint. Canadian National operates from Bristol Yard on the city’s western side, while Lake State Railway operates from the former CSX Transportation McGrew Yard to the north. Although CSX gave control of the Saginaw Subdivision north of Plymouth to Lake State Railway in 2019, CSX still runs trains over Canadian National’s tracks from Flint to Port Huron several times each week. Until the late 1940s, the Pere Marquette Railway ran daily passenger trains through a separate station 1.25 miles away, with trains heading north to Saginaw and Bay City and south to Detroit’s Fort Street Union Depot.

Flint has three passenger airlines and two cargo airlines at Bishop International Airport, which is located on Bristol Road between I-75 and I-69. Dalton Airport, a public airport near Flushing, serves small, privately owned planes. Price’s Airport in Linden also serves the same purpose.

Hospitals in Flint include:
– Hurley Medical Center
– McLaren Regional Medical Center

Flint once had two other full-service hospitals: St. Joseph’s Hospital and Flint Osteopathic Hospital (FOH). In 1988, HealthSource Group, FOH’s parent company, joined with St. Joseph Health Systems. In 1992, St. Joseph Health Systems changed its name to Genesys Health System, and its hospitals were renamed Genesys Regional Medical Center (GRMC). On February 15, 1997, all former Genesys Health System hospitals were combined into one hospital at Genesys Regional Medical Center in suburban Grand Blanc Township (now owned by Ascension Health, later renamed Ascension Genesys Hospital). Flint Osteopathic Hospital was demolished during the Spring/Summer of 2015.

Sister cities

Flint has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Changchun, Jilin, China
• Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• Kielce, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland
• Tolyatti, Samara Oblast, Russia

Books

The following important books are set in Flint or are about the city.

• The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
• The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Daddy Cool by Donald Goines
• The Ghosts of Flint by Anna Lardinois
• Urbantasm (book series) by Connor Coyne

• What the Eyes Don't See by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
• Hanging On by Edmund G. Love
• Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City by Gordon Young
• The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark
• Haunted Flint by Roxanne Rhoades and Joe Shipping
• Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line by Ben Hamper

Music

Flint is home to a growing rap scene, led by artists such as Rio Da Yung OG, Bfb Da Packman, and YN Jay. Flint rap is influenced by Detroit drill and features fast-paced drum beats, dark-sounding melodies, and often uses a tresillo rhythm in the 808. Many artists use a relaxed and casual way of speaking. Flint rappers are known for their lyrics, which are often unusual, sometimes inappropriate, and frequently humorous.

• The city of Flint inspired a song called "Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid)" by musician Sufjan Stevens, which appears on his album Michigan.
• The music group King 810 focuses on Flint in their work, calling it "Murder Town" and describing their experiences growing up during a time when crime rates were rising in the 2000s. They also created songs like "Crow's Feet" and "We Gotta Help Ourselves" to help raise money to address the city's water crisis.
• Flint is where MC Breed, the first successful rapper from the Midwest, was born.
• The rock band Grand Funk Railroad was formed in Flint in 1969.
• Rapper Tech N9ne from Kansas City mentioned Flint's water issues in his song "Poisoning the Well."
• The English rock band Black Midi may have written a song called "Near DT, MI" about Flint.
• Flint is the hometown of the award-winning pop/R&B group Ready For The World.
• Flint is also the hometown of the shoegaze band Greet Death.

Film and television

The following films and television shows have taken place in or were filmed in Flint, Michigan.

• Nash Bridges (1996–2001): In one of the final episodes, a character named Michelle jokes to a man who will soon move to Flint through the witness protection program that the city is similar to Paris. The man, who is from another country, does not understand that she is joking and is excited about moving to Flint.
• The Fitzpatricks (1977–78): This CBS TV drama followed an Irish Catholic working-class family living in Flint. The show was filmed in Hollywood, but the setting was Flint. The families in the show were shown as steelworkers, not autoworkers.
• Flint Town (2018): A Netflix documentary that focuses on the challenges faced by people living in Flint’s struggling urban areas.
• TV Nation (1994–1995): This was Michael Moore’s first TV series. Many segments were filmed in and around Flint, including one where Moore used secret information to find the exact location where a nuclear missile was aimed at the city (ground zero was Chevrolet Assembly, a General Motors plant on Bluff and Cadillac Streets). Moore then traveled to Kazakhstan to try to change the missile’s path away from Flint.
• The Awful Truth (1999–2000): Michael Moore’s second TV show, which included segments filmed in Flint.
• The Flint Police Department appeared in the 31st season of the reality show Cops, which aired in the summer of 2018 and the winter of 2019.
• Flint Police also appeared in a 2015 episode of Cold Justice: Sex Crimes on TNT, which involved testing old rape kits that led to the conviction of three people for criminal sexual conduct.

• To Touch a Child (1962): A film that explores the concept of Community Schools, an idea started by Charles Stewart Mott and later used in schools across the United States.
• With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women’s Emergency Brigade (1979): A documentary about the women who participated in the Flint Sit-Down Strike.
• Roger & Me (1989): A Michael Moore documentary that examines the economic decline in Flint caused by the closing of several General Motors factories in the late 1980s.
• Pets or Meat: The Return to Flint (1992): A follow-up to Roger & Me.
• The Big One (1998): A documentary in which Michael Moore encourages Nike to build a shoe factory in Flint. Moore successfully convinces Nike’s CEO to match his offer to donate money to Buell Elementary School, which later became the site of the infamous Kayla Rolland shooting.
• Shattered Faith (2001): An independent film written and directed by Flint native Stephen Vincent. The movie was filmed in Flint, with most of the cast made up of Flint residents. It also featured actor Joe Estevez.
• Bowling for Columbine (2002): A Michael Moore film that discusses the gun industry and includes a segment about the Kayla Rolland shooting.
• Chameleon Street (1990): A film by Wendell B. Harris Jr. about the life of con man Douglas Street. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
• The Real Blair Witch (2003): A documentary about a group of Flint teenagers who kidnapped and terrorized a fellow student.
• The Michigan Independent (2004): A documentary about the independent music scene in Michigan. Many scenes were filmed in Flint, especially at Flint Local 432.
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004): A Michael Moore film that critiques the George W. Bush administration. It includes footage of students from Flint Southwestern Academy and scenes filmed at Courtland Center, which is in Burton, a Flint suburb.
• Michael Moore Hates America (2004): A film by Mike Wilson that documents small businesses and development efforts in Flint and compares them to how the city is shown in Moore’s documentaries.
• Flintown Kids (2005): A documentary about violence in Flint.
• Semi-Pro (2008): A comedy film starring Will Ferrell, which follows a fictional 1970s ABA basketball team, the Flint Tropics. It was partially filmed in Flint.
• Capitalism: A Love Story (2009): A Michael Moore documentary that discusses the negative effects of capitalism on people and communities.
• The Ides of March (2011): A film starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Some scenes were filmed in downtown Flint, near the Capitol Theatre and the alley around it.
• Minor League (2011): A film starring Robert Miano, Bone Crusher, Dustin Diamond, and Brad Leo Lyon. Many scenes were filmed in Flint, including at Atwood Stadium, where the story’s football team played their games.
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