Lansing, Michigan is the state's capital and is the fifth-largest city in Michigan. Lansing Township was named as the state’s capital in 1847, which is 10 years after Michigan became a state. It was 12 years after that in 1859 that the city of Lansing was incorporated. Interestingly, it is the only U.S. state capital that isn’t also the county seat. Ingham County’s seat is located in Mason, Michigan.
Located in Lansing are the Michigan State Capitol, the state Supreme Court, and the state Court of Appeals. Lansing is also the headquarters for six insurance companies: Jackson National, Accident Fund Insurance, Delta Dental of Michigan, Auto-Owners Insurance, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan and Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance.
The city of Lansing has several unique neighborhoods. There is Downtown Lansing, historic Old Town, and REO Town (which is pronounced “rio” town, not R.E.O. town). Lansing is also broken up into four sections: Eastside, Westside, Northwestside, and Southside.
One of the state’s largest colleges, Michigan State University, is minutes from Downtown Lansing in the neighboring city of East Lansing. Lansing is also home to Lansing Community College as well as the Thomas M. Cooley Law School, which is the largest law school in the nation.
There is plenty of entertainment to be found in Lansing and the surrounding areas. Those who enjoy the outdoors can kayak along the Grand River or the Red Cedar River. The Grand River is actually the largest river in Michigan and flows through downtown Lansing. The Red Cedar River is a tributary of the Grand River and flows through the campus of Michigan State University. In addition to the two rivers, there are also two major lakes in the area: Park Lake and Lake Lansing.
The city is home to the Lansing Lugnuts who play at Jackson Field and are the minor league affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.