Jackson, Michigan

When it comes to cities, Jackson, Michigan is home to just one and serves as the county seat for Jackson County in the state of Michigan. The city's population was 33,534 as of the 2010 census, a decrease from the previous census figure of 36,316. It is about 40 miles (64 kilometres) west of Ann Arbor and 35 miles (56 kilometres) south of Lansing, and it is situated along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127. In the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, which covers all of Jackson County and has a population of 160,248 people, Jackson serves as the focal point of activities.

It was named for President Andrew Jackson when it was established in 1829.... Known as Michigan State Prison (also known as Jackson State Prison), it was the state's first prison and is still operating today. When politicians gathered in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1854 to argue against the expansion of slavery, the city became known as the "birthplace of the Republican Party." However, the political party now formally recognises Ripon, Wisconsin, as the location of the party's founding meeting, which was held in 1854 in Jackson. In spite of this, the Republican Party can trace its origins back to Jackson, where a plaque can be seen in the city's Under the Oaks City Park, which has hosted a number of Republican presidents over the decades.

As an early automobile manufacturing hub, Jackson drew southerners and immigrants to the city's many industries, resulting in a substantial rise in the city's population at the beginning of the twentieth century, which was already large.