The target market for our area is the City of Saginaw and the surrounding urbanized area. Michigan and many of its previously auto dependent cities has been the poster child of the economic rollercoaster of the past several months. In this case, the widespread speculation that people are leaving the area is correct. In many cases, the people who are staying are left in struggling communities without many options for relocation . While the population for the entire State of Michigan has increased marginally between 1990 and 2007 (by 776,525 residents) the population for Saginaw County and the City of Saginaw has decreased dramatically. Between 1990 and 2007, Saginaw County lost approximately 4.6 percent of its population During that same time frame, the City of Saginaw lost more than 19 percent of its population.
African American populations are increasingly exposed to and affected by environmental threats. In the last ten years, the city’s population has continued to decline while the percentage of black or African American residents has increased. The total population of Saginaw County is 206,300. Of that total population, 19.2% are black or African American; however within the City of Saginaw the black or African American population accounts for 43.3%. In 1998, the African American infant mortality rate was more than two and a half times that of the white infant mortality rate. Specifically, the Michigan infant mortality rate for African American infants was 16.8, while for white infants it was 6.3[1]. In 2006, 10.2 babies died per one thousand live births in the City of Saginaw. The rate was 7.1 for Saginaw County, compared to Michigan’s rate of 7.4 deaths per thousand births (The Saginaw News, Dec. 4, 2007). Additionally, while the County overall lost population during the past 18 years, the City of Saginaw lost 6.5% of its population between 2000 and 2005. In an ironic coincidence, the City of Saginaw homeownership has increased during the last twenty years but the value of the homes has decreased as well, leaving many people without an option for mobility. Poverty is pervasive in the County. Though Michigan has struggled economically, Saginaw County and the City of Saginaw have been especially hard hit.
Michigan is the only state where poverty rose and incomes fell last year, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau released in April of 2008. In Saginaw County, the poverty rate in 2007 was 16.8%. Michigan’s poverty rate was 14%, while the poverty rate in the nation was 13%. In 2006, 10.2 babies died per one thousand live births in the City of Saginaw. The rate was 7.1 for Saginaw County, compared to Michigan’s rate of 7.4 deaths per thousand births (The Saginaw News, Dec. 4, 2007). There is a wealth of statistics that could demonstrate the extent of risk and need for this area.
Though the county and even the entire state are struggling, it is often more telling to provide a detailed snapshot than a panoramic view. For this, data relative only to one zip code in Saginaw County was investigated. Zip code 48601 encompasses the mid-eastern portion of the City of Saginaw, along with smaller portions of two townships; Buena Vista Charter Township to the east and Bridgeport Charter Township to the south. According to the 2000 Census, the 48601 zip code was home to 47, 826 people while he median age in this area was 30.8.
