Lansing

Lansing is the capital of Michigan, where the Grand River and the Red Cedar River meet in the south-central part of the state. Ransom E. Olds began building cars there in 1897, and the Oldsmobile brand was made in Lansing for more than a century.

In 1847 the state legislature chose a site in the forest on the Grand River as a new capital, away from Detroit, and the town took its name from Lansing in New York, the home of many of its first settlers. The Michigan State Capitol, designed by Elijah Myers and finished in the 1870s, has a cast iron dome and a painted interior. The car industry made Lansing a factory city in the 20th century, with Reo Motor Car, the second company of Olds, building cars and trucks along the rivers. Earvin Magic Johnson, the basketball player, was born in Lansing and played at the high school and college nearby.

General Motors builds Cadillac sedans at its Grand River plant downtown and Chevrolet crossovers at the Lansing Delta plant west of the city. Neogen, based in Lansing, makes tests for food safety and animal health.

The R. E. Olds Transportation Museum, near the river, shows cars built in Lansing from the first Oldsmobiles to the last. Potter Park Zoo, on the Red Cedar River, keeps red pandas and snow leopards. The Lansing River Trail follows both rivers through the city for walking and cycling. The Lansing Lugnuts play minor league baseball at a downtown ballpark, and the team name recalls the car factories of the city.