Washtenaw County (/ˈwɒʃtɪnɔː/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791.[3] The county seat is Ann Arbor.[4] The county was authorized by legislation in 1822, and was organized as a county in 1826.[1] Washtenaw County comprises the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area. The county is home to the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College, and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

Saline /səˈliːn/ is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,810.

The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which attracts people from all over the United States and its sister cities Brecon, Wales, United Kingdom (established 1966) and Lindenberg, Germany (established 2003).

Before the 18th century, Native Americans traveled to what is now Saline to hunt wildlife and gather salt from the salt springs they found nearby. In the 18th century, French explorers canoed up to the area and also harvested the salt. They named the local river Saline, which means "salty" in French. Europeans settled the area in the 19th century, most of them coming from England and Germany. Together with Orange Risdon, a government surveyor who is generally considered to be the city's founder, the residents named the town Saline, which was officially established in 1832. In 1870 railroad service, provided by the Detroit-Hillsdale-&-Indiana Railroad, first reached Saline.[6] In 1875 Salinians built one of the city's most famous landmarks, the Second-Empire frame, ​2 1⁄2-story residential building, the Davenport House, a.k.a. Curtis Mansion. The town continued to grow, and in 1931 the Village of Saline became the City of Saline.[7] The Saline Fisheries Research Station was built on the site of a pioneer grist mill.[8] The city of Saline had its own newspaper since ca. 1874 [9] but the Saline Reporter was shuttered by its owner, Digital First Media, in 2014. The Saline Post, an independent outlet, now serves the community.

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 8,810 people, 3,699 households, and 2,336 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,068.1 inhabitants per square mile (798.5/km2). There were 3,923 housing units at an average density of 920.9 per square mile (355.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 1.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 3,699 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost 2,500 miles (4,000 km). The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that have been superseded by an Interstate, US 12 remains as an important link for local and regional destinations.

The highway's western terminus is in Aberdeen, Washington, at an intersection with US 101, while the highway's eastern terminus is in Downtown Detroit, at the corner of Michigan and Cass avenues, near Campus Martius Park.