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| subdivision_type = CountryUnited States}}U.S. state>StateList of counties in Michigan>CountyMichigan}}Flag of Oakland County, Michigan.svg}} Oakland| established_title = Settled| established_date = 1818| established_title2 = Incorporated| established_date2 = 1837 (village)1861 (city)Mayor–council government>Mayor–council| leader_title = Mayor| leader_name = Tim Greimel (D)Municipal clerk>Clerk| leader_name1 = Garland Doyle| unit_pref = ImperialPUBLISHER=UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU, May 21, 2022, | area_magnitude = | area_total_km2 = 52.46| area_total_sq_mi = 20.25| area_land_km2 = 51.50| area_land_sq_mi = 19.89| area_water_km2 = 0.95| area_water_sq_mi = 0.37| area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 281| elevation_ft = 922| population_total = 616062020 United States Census>2020| population_footnotes = | population_density_km2 = 1196.16| population_density_sq_mi = 3098.11| population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_urban = | population_density_urban_km2 = | population_density_urban_sq_mi = | population_metro = 4296250 (Metro Detroit)| population_density_metro_km2 = | population_density_metro_sq_mi = | population_blank1_title = | population_blank1 = | population_density_blank1_km2 = | population_density_blank1_sq_mi = | population_note = | postal_code_type = ZIP CodesBloomfield Hills, Michigan>Bloomfield Hills)48320 (Keego Harbor, Michigan)48321, 48326 (Auburn Hills, Michigan>Auburn Hills)48340–48343Area codes 248 and 947>248 and 947www.pontiac.mi.us|Official website}}| footnotes = North American Eastern Time Zone>Eastern (EST)| utc_offset = −5| timezone_DST = EDT| utc_offset_DST = −4Federal Information Processing Standard>FIPS code| blank_info = 26-65440Geographic Names Information System>GNIS feature ID0635224, Pontiac, | pop_est_footnotes = Pontiac (Odawa leader)>Pontiac| nickname = The Yak, Yaktown}}Pontiac ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|É’|n|(|t|)|i|æ|k|}} {{respell|POHN|(t)ee|ack}}) is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan.WEB,www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx, 2011-06-07, Find a County, National Association of Counties, Located roughly {{convert|26|mi|km|1}} northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is variously described as a satellite city or suburb of Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 61,606.WEB, Pontiac city, Michigan,data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2665440, United States Census Bureau, January 30, 2022, Founded in 1818, Pontiac was the second European-American organized settlement in Michigan near Detroit, after Dearborn. It was named after Pontiac, a war chief of the Ottawa Tribe, who occupied the area before the European settlers. The city was best known for its General Motors automobile manufacturing plants of the 20th century, which were the basis of its economy and contributed to the wealth of the region. These included Fisher Body, Pontiac East Assembly (a.k.a. Truck & Coach/Bus), which manufactured GMC products, and the Pontiac Motor Division. In the city’s heyday, it was the site of the primary automobile assembly plant for the production of the famed Pontiac cars, a brand that was named after the city. The Pontiac brand itself was discontinued in 2010 by General Motors. The City of Pontiac also was home to Oakland Motor Car Company, which was acquired by General Motors in 1909.In 1975, the city built the Pontiac Silverdome, the stadium that hosted the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1975 to 2001, when the team returned to Downtown Detroit at Ford Field. Super Bowl XVI was played at the Silverdome in 1982. After 2001, the stadium continued to be used for concerts and other events until it was demolished in 2018. It is now the site of an Amazon Fulfillment and Distribution facility.

History

File:Pontiac Asylum c 1912.jpg|thumb|right|The Pontiac State HospitalPontiac State HospitalFile:Oak Hill Cemetery Pontiac MI B.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Buckland Memorial Chapel at Oak Hill Cemetery ]]Present-day Pontiac, Michigan was traversed for thousands of years by indigenous peoples due to the confluence of the Saginaw Trail and the Nottawassippi River; the river’s indigenous name was replaced with the Clinton River name by settlers coming from New York State where DeWitt Clinton served as Governor. The Saginaw Trail was an important land trail route for indigenous peoples that ran from the Saginaw Bay in Michigan to the Detroit River in present-day Detroit.Early European expeditions into the land north of Detroit described the area as having “extreme sterility and barrenness”.Geer, Curtis M. (1904). The Louisiana Purchase and the Westward Movement, p. 291. George Barrie & Sons. Developments and exploration were soon to prove that report false.The first European-American settlers arrived in what is now the city of Pontiac in 1818. They followed the Saginaw Trail north from Detroit and determined the settlement should be where the trail and the river crossed. Two years later the fledgling settlement was designated as the county seat for Oakland County, due in part to the Michigan Territorial Governor Lewis Cass being receptive to the lobbying of The Pontiac Company’s members that their recently acquired property was ideal for the county seat location.The Pontiac Company, consisting of 15 members and chaired by Solomon Sibley of Detroit, comprised the first landowners in Pontiac. Sibley, along with Stephen Mack and Shubael Conant, Pontiac Company members, also formed the partnership Mack, Conant & Sibley to develop a town. Solomon and his wife Sarah Sibley largely financed construction of the first buildings. While Solomon was the first chair of the Pontiac Company, for two years Sarah Sibley was the most active as the go-between with settlers at Pontiac. Solomon Sibley was constantly traveling as a Territorial Congressman and later a Territorial Supreme Court judge.Deed, “Mill Privilege,” Oakland County, MI; Letter Sarah Sibley to Solomon, 1822, Sibley manuscript files, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library The Sibley-Hoyt house, thought to be one of the first structures in Pontiac, is preserved by its private owner.In the 1820s Elizabeth Denison, an unmarried, free black woman, worked for the Sibleys. They helped her buy land in Pontiac in 1825. Stephen Mack, agent for the Pontiac Company, signed the deed at the request of the Sibleys, conveying 48.5 acres to Elizabeth Denison. She is believed to be the first black woman to purchase land in the new territory of Michigan.Lisette, Swan, Elizabeth 1965; deeds, Oakland County, Michigan; Original Pontiac Company minutes, Pontiac Public LibraryIn 1837 Pontiac became a village, the same year that Michigan gained statehood.Acts of the Legislature of the State of Michigan Passed at the Annual Session of 1837, p. 133. Detroit: John S. Bagg, State Printer The town had been named after the noted Ottawa Indian war chief who had his headquarters in the area decades before, during the resistance to European-American encroachment.Clark, Charles F. (1863). Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, p. 443. Founded on the Clinton River, Pontiac was Michigan’s first inland settlement.Fuller, George Newman (1916). Economic and Social Beginnings of Michigan, p. 490. Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co. Rivers were critical to settlements as transportation ways, in addition to providing water and, later, power.The village was incorporated by the legislature as a city in 1861. From the beginning, Pontiac’s central location served it well. It attracted professional people, including doctors and lawyers, and soon became a center of industry. Woolen and grist mills made use of the Clinton River as a power source.Abundant natural resources led to the establishment of several carriage manufacturing companies, all of which were thriving at the turn of the 20th century. One of the largest carriage manufacturing companies in Pontiac of that era was the O.J. Beaudette Wagon Works, which made bodies for carriages and then transitioned to manufacturing bodies for automobiles. At that time, the first self-propelled vehicles were introduced. Pontiac quickly became a capital of the new automotive industry.Seeley, Thaddeus D. (1912). History of Oakland County, Michigan, Vol. I, pp. 323, 327–31. The Lewis Publishing Company.Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Pontiac had tremendous growth in its population and size as tens of thousands of prospective autoworkers moved here from the South to work in its GM auto assembly plants at Pontiac Assembly. African Americans came in the Great Migration, seeking work, education, and the chance to vote and escape the oppression of Jim Crow in the South.File:Fairgrove Avenue Historic District Pontiac MI B.JPG|thumb|left|Houses in the Fairgrove Avenue Historic DistrictFairgrove Avenue Historic DistrictAs the small “horseless carriage” manufacturers became consolidated under the mantle of the General Motors Corporation, Pontiac grew as the industry grew. It also suffered the same setbacks as other cities during the Great Depression years of the 1930s.Lewis, Pierce. “America Between the Wars: The Engineering of a New Geography.” In McIlwraith, Thomas F. & Muller, Edward K., eds. (2nd ed. 2001), North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent, p. 384. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. The buildup of the defense industry and conversion of the automotive industry to war demands increased the need for labor. Pontiac was a pivotal concentration of wartime production for the United States in World War II. Among many other vehicles and weapons, Pontiac facilities produced thousands of GMC trucks, Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns, naval torpedoes, tank axles, amphibious vehicles, and munitions.The first postwar years after World War II were a time of prosperity, and continued migration of African Americans to the city in the second wave of the Great Migration, but the city changed as suburbs were developed and people commuted by car to work. The more established residents moved out to buy newer housing being built in the suburbs, draining off business and resulting in vacancies downtown. Racist policies and racial animus toward the growing African American population was also an important factor, and until the mid-1960s with the enactment of Fair Housing ordinances, most of the properties in Pontiac neighborhoods contained racially restrictive covenants in the deeds.In order to prevent flooding, Pontiac confined the Clinton River in concrete through the downtown in 1963.WEB,www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20130214/pontiac-studies-uncovering-clinton-river-to-create-waterfront-community-with-video, Pontiac studies uncovering Clinton River to create waterfront community, Blitchok, Dustin, The Oakland Press, 14 February 2013, Theoaklandpress.com, 9 December 2013, Changing ideas about urban living in the early 21st century prompted the city to study uncovering the river to create a waterfront community in the city.In late 1966, Pontiac-born real estate developer A. Alfred Taubman tried to build a large-scale shopping mall on vacant downtown land (where the Phoenix Center now stands). It was unsuccessful. Pontiac resident C. Don Davidson and his University of Detroit architectural class created a more comprehensive plan for development to benefit the city and the entire region around it. In 1969, the city of Pontiac adopted the Pontiac Plan as the official plan for rebuilding the vacant area of the downtown district.WEB,dondavidson.blogspot.com, Pontiac Phoenix Center – Part of an Urban Renewal Project Known as the Pontiac Plan, ca. 1966–1979, Dondavidson.blogspot.com, August 17, 2012, File:Where Is Everyone?.jpg|thumb|right|The Pontiac SilverdomePontiac SilverdomeIn 1965, Davidson overheard news that the Detroit Lions were seeking a new football stadium in Southeast Michigan. Professor Davidson and city leaders made a push to develop a new multi-purpose stadium, which was built and became known as the Silverdome.WEB,1.bp.blogspot.com/_xqzmfoobPOM/Sb9E139coVI/AAAAAAAAAqI/QFn8sZFxRP4/s1600/stadium+1968.GIF, GIF, City to Push for Stadium, 1.bp.blogspot.com, 2016-11-27, Construction began on the 80,000-seat stadium in 1972 and it opened in 1975 as the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium.This was a part of Davidson’s vision for Pontiac. Besides becoming the new home stadium of the NFL’s Detroit Lions, NBA’s Detroit Pistons and USFL’s Michigan Panthers, the arena hosted such events as the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, the 1982 Super Bowl XVI game between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals, and four matches of soccer’s 1994 World Cup.WEB,silverdome-architect.blogspot.com/2009/03/conception-of-pontiac-silverdome.html, Pontiac Silverdome History and Conception: Conception of the Pontiac Silverdome, Silverdome-architect.blogspot.com, February 3, 1971, August 17, 2012, In 1968 there was an outbreak of a flu-like disease called Pontiac fever. After the discovery of the bacterium Legionella pneumophila in 1976 in Philadelphia, blood specimens from 1968 were re-examined and the same bacterium was found.JOURNAL, Cordes, Lester G., Fraser, David W., 1980-05-01, Legionellosis: Legionnaires’ disease; Pontiac fever,www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025712516316005, Medical Clinics of North America, en, 64, 3, 395–416, 10.1016/S0025-7125(16)31600-5, 6993807, 0025-7125, On August 30, 1971, ten school buses were destroyed in a bombing during white resistance to a federal court order to desegregate the city’s public schools.NEWS, Flint, Jerry M., September 1, 1971, Pontiac to Integrate, Despite Bus Bombings, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/1971/09/01/archives/pontiac-to-integrate-despite-bus-bombings.html, December 8, 2021, Construction began in the 1970s on an urban renewal project known as the “Pontiac Plan”. The initial phase of this plan included the Phoenix Center, three office buildings, a transportation center, and a high-rise residential complex. The remainder of the plan was never completed.WEB,dondavidson.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-could-have-been.html, Pontiac Phoenix Center – Part of an Urban Renewal Project Known as the Pontiac Plan, ca. 1966–1979: The Pontiac Plan – Phoenix Center, 1966–1979, Dondavidson.blogspot.com, August 17, 2012, The city has struggled with declining population since 1980, due to industrial restructuring and the loss of jobs, especially in the automotive industry.

Emergency financial manager

From 2009 through 2013, Pontiac was under the oversight of an Emergency Financial Manager appointed by the state government. The Emergency Manager was authorized to make day-to-day executive and financial municipal decisions. The position was not subject to the usual checks and balances, nor to election. The first and second managers, Fred Leeb and Michael Stampfler, were appointed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. The third manager was Louis Schimmel, who was appointed by Governor Rick Snyder.In order to balance the budget, state-appointed emergency managers drastically revised labor union contracts with the city, sold off city assets such as parking meters, and privatized most public services. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office handles all police (saving $2 million a year) and nearby Waterford township has responsibility for fire protection (saving $3 million). Pontiac sold its water treatment plant for $55 million, and outsources garbage collection, animal control, vital records and street maintenance. Many people working in City Hall are employed by contractors. The city payroll has declined from 600 to 50 employees. The Silverdome Stadium, once valued at $22 million, was sold for $583,000 (it would end up being demolished in December 2017). The emergency managers reduced the city’s annual spending to $36 million from $57 million, and erased almost all of its long-term debt.NEWS, Yaccino, Steven, Lessons for Detroit in a City’s Takeover,www.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/us/lessons-for-detroit-in-pontiacs-years-of-emergency-oversight.html, New York Times, 30 November 2014, 2013-03-13, In August 2013, Schimmel resigned as Emergency Financial Manager. Schimmel now serves as part of the four-member Transition Advisory Board for the city.Lou Schimmel resigns, The Oakland Press; accessed November 5, 2014, Other members of the board include Deputy Oakland County Executive Bob Daddow, Rochester Hills Finance Director Keith Sawdon, and Ed Karyzno, administrator of the Michigan Department of Treasury’s Office of Financial Responsibility.WEB, Transition,pontiac.mi.us/emergency_finance_manager/index.php, City of Pontiac, MI, 30 November 2014, In July 2012, Mayor Leon Jukowski and Emergency Financial Manager Louis Schimmel announced plans to demolish the Phoenix Center. Its vacancy rates were high, and the city did not want to continue the high maintenance costs. New thinking about downtown was to re-emphasize the street grid; the city wanted to reconnect Saginaw Street to the downtown area. Owners of the connecting Ottawa Towers filed an injunction, claiming the demolition would devalue their property and result in lost parking. In December 2012, a judge granted an injunction for the Ottawa Towers on an “expedited calendar”, which prevented the demolition of the Phoenix Center for the time being.WEB, Injunction keeps Phoenix Center standing, November 30, 2012,www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20121130/NEWS/121139978/injunction-keeps-phoenix-center-standing, Crain’s Detroit Business, January 10, 2013, In 2010, city leaders and business owners had launched “The Rise of The Phoenix” initiative. This plan was intended to attract businesses interested in downtown retail space. The applicants selected would be given free rent in exchange for multi-year leases (two years or more) as well as one year of free parking in city lots. Some 52 new businesses were recruited to locate in downtown Pontiac, bringing new life to the city. Plans for the development of mixed-use and loft flats in downtown were announced in September 2011 by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA). MEGA estimates the development could generate $20.4 million in new investment and create up to 107 permanent full-time jobs in downtown. The development was to be supported by a state tax break.WEB, SHAUN BYRONOf The Oakland Press,www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/doc4e6f9a12d0b1b835475669.txt,www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/doc4e6f9a12d0b1b835475669.txt," title="archive.today/20130411225343www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/doc4e6f9a12d0b1b835475669.txt,">archive.today/20130411225343www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/09/13/news/doc4e6f9a12d0b1b835475669.txt, dead, April 11, 2013, Large-scale commercial, residential development for downtown Pontiac secures state tax break, Theoaklandpress.com, September 13, 2011, August 17, 2012, On January 26, 2012, West Construction Services began the renovation and restoration of the former Sears building for the Lafayette Place Lofts, the largest construction investment in Downtown Pontiac in approximately 30 years. The {{convert|80000|sqft|adj=on}} project is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified residential and commercial mixed-use development: it will have 46 new urban rental lofts, a fresh food grocery store and café, and a fitness center. Construction was completed during 2012, and the lofts and market opened in December of that year.{{update after|2013}}WEB,www.clickondetroit.com/money/Historic-Pontiac-Sears-building-to-be-transformed-into-Lafayette-Place-Lofts/-/1719116/8505766/-/d98xfmz/-/index.html, Historic Pontiac Sears building to be transformed into Lafayette Place Lofts | Money – Home, Clickondetroit.com, January 26, 2012, August 17, 2012,www.clickondetroit.com/money/Historic-Pontiac-Sears-building-to-be-transformed-into-Lafayette-Place-Lofts/-/1719116/8505766/-/d98xfmz/-/index.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20131111124107www.clickondetroit.com/money/Historic-Pontiac-Sears-building-to-be-transformed-into-Lafayette-Place-Lofts/-/1719116/8505766/-/d98xfmz/-/index.html,">web.archive.org/web/20131111124107www.clickondetroit.com/money/Historic-Pontiac-Sears-building-to-be-transformed-into-Lafayette-Place-Lofts/-/1719116/8505766/-/d98xfmz/-/index.html, November 11, 2013, dead, 10 West Lofts, another development in the area, will bring more residents to downtown Pontiac.WEB,www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/02/12/news/local_news/doc4f36eddeb5120534858680.txt#disqus_thread, Pontiac loft living about to expand, Theoaklandpress.com, February 12, 2012, August 17, 2012,theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/02/12/news/local_news/doc4f36eddeb5120534858680.txt#disqus_thread," title="web.archive.org/web/20120217134057theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/02/12/news/local_news/doc4f36eddeb5120534858680.txt#disqus_thread,">web.archive.org/web/20120217134057theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/02/12/news/local_news/doc4f36eddeb5120534858680.txt#disqus_thread, February 17, 2012, dead, mdy-all,

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|20.29|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|19.97|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.32|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (1.58%) is water.WEB,www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf,www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf," title="web.archive.org/web/20121019111423www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf,">web.archive.org/web/20121019111423www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf, 2012-10-19, live, Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing, September 2012, United States Census Bureau, 2010 United States Census, May 1, 2020, 36 Michigan, Pontiac is bounded by the city of Auburn Hills to the east and north, the city of Lake Angelus to the north, Waterford Township to the west, and Bloomfield Township to the south.The former Pontiac Township included what are now the cities of Pontiac, Lake Angelus, and Auburn Hills. The last remaining portion of the township incorporated as the city of Auburn Hills in 1983. Although the township no longer exists as a civil entity, it is still used as a survey township for land use purposes.

Demographics

{{US Census population|1840= 1904|1850= 1681|1860= 2575|1870= 4867|1880= 4509|1890= 6200|1900= 9769|1910= 14532|1920= 34273|1930= 64928|1940= 66626|1950= 73681|1960= 82223|1970= 85279|1980= 76715|1990= 71166|2000= 66337|2010= 59515|2020= 61606|align-fn=centerPUBLISHER=US CENSUS BUREAU, January 24, 2022, 2010-2020}}

2020 census{| class“wikitable” style@text-align:center;”

Pontiac city, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition{{nobold>Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.}}!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)!Pop 2000WEB, P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Pontiac city, Michigan,data.census.gov/table?q=p004&g=1600000US2665440&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004, United States Census Bureau, !Pop 2010WEB, P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pontiac city, Michigan,data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2665440&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2, United States Census Bureau, !{{partial|Pop 2020}}WEB, P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pontiac city, Michigan,data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2665440&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2, United States Census Bureau, !% 2000!% 2010!{{partial|% 2020}}Non-Hispanic or Latino whites>White alone (NH)|22,875|15,81514,448|34.48%|26.57%23.45%Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans>Black or African American alone (NH)|31,416|30,38429,046|47.36%|51.05%47.15%Native Americans in the United States>Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)|275|242176|0.41%|0.41%0.29%Asian Americans>Asian alone (NH)|1,576|1,3591,408|2.38%|2.28%2.29%Pacific Islander Americans>Pacific Islander alone (NH)|12|213|0.02%|0.00%0.02%|Some Other Race alone (NH)|109|69295|0.16%|0.12%0.48%Multiracial Americans>Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)|1,611|1,8092,763|2.43%|3.04%4.48%Hispanic and Latino Americans>Hispanic or Latino (any race)|8,463|9,83513,457|12.76%|16.53%21.84%|Total|66,337|59,51561,606|100.00%|100.00%100.00%

2010 census

As of the censusWEB, U.S. Census website,www.census.gov, United States Census Bureau, November 25, 2012, of 2010, there were 59,515 people, 22,220 households, and 13,365 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2980.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 27,084 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1356.2|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 34.4% White, 52.1% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 6.2% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 16.5% of the population.There were 22,220 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.4% were married couples living together, 27.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.28.The median age in the city was 33.4 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 9.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 Census

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $31,207, and the median income for a family was $36,391. Males had a median income of $31,961 versus $24,765 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,842. About 18.0% of families and 22.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

{{Multiple image|width=300|direction=vertical|align=right|image1=Franklin Boulevard Historic District Pontiac MI D.JPGFranklin Boulevard Historic District (Pontiac, Michigan)>Franklin Boulevard Historic District|image2=Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District Pontiac MI A.JPG|caption2 = Modern Housing Corporation Addition Historic District}}Regionally, the city was known for the Arts, Beats and Eats Festival,WEB,www.artsbeatseats.com, Home, Ford Arts Beats & Eats, September 2, 2018, a widely attended summer festival featuring an art show, musical concert venues, and a sampling of food from numerous regional restaurants. In 2010, the festival was moved to nearby Royal Oak. The First Annual Scheme Cruise was held September 6, 2015, an event sponsored by the Scheme Street Battle League. The event combined rap battles, basketball competitions, and a car show. Pontiac officials are considering relocating the event to the downtown area of the city.The city is at the north end of the famous Woodward Avenue, which extends as a major boulevard into Detroit. It was originally lined with mansions and prestigious businesses. In the 1950s and 1960s it was popular with young people who would “cruise” and drag-race their hot-rods in the area. Pontiac participates in the annual Woodward Dream Cruise, an event celebrating Woodward’s hot-rod history, with a parade of cars stretching from Detroit to Pontiac.The city hosts two nationally renowned haunted houses: The Realm of Darkness and Erebus. The Realm of Darkness has in previous years been chosen as America’s Best Haunted House. Erebus held the world record from 2005 to 2009 for “Largest Haunted House”; it is 4 stories high.Pontiac was an early location of movie making, with the Raleigh Michigan Studios, renamed as the Motown Motion Picture Studios.WEB, Associated, The,theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/local_news/doc5022b462cad6c048343416.txt,theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/local_news/doc5022b462cad6c048343416.txt," title="archive.today/20130411233504theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/local_news/doc5022b462cad6c048343416.txt,">archive.today/20130411233504theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/08/news/local_news/doc5022b462cad6c048343416.txt, dead, April 11, 2013, Pontiac movie studio reverts to original name after partnership ends, theoaklandpress.com, August 8, 2012, August 17, 2012, Scenes of the 2012 remake of the film Red Dawn were filmed in Pontiac and other Michigan locations, recreating Spokane, Washington. Additionally, downtown Pontiac in August 2012 was the filming site for the tornado-themed disaster movie Into the Storm.WEB,theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/23/entertainment/doc503551018218f921865198.txt, ‘Black Sky’ forming as tornado movie films around Oakland County, Theoaklandpress.com, 2016-11-27,www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/23/entertainment/doc503551018218f921865198.txt," title="web.archive.org/web/20120830233711www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/23/entertainment/doc503551018218f921865198.txt,">web.archive.org/web/20120830233711www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/08/23/entertainment/doc503551018218f921865198.txt, August 30, 2012, dead, mdy-all, The 2013 fantasy adventure film Oz the Great and Powerful was filmed at Motown Motion Picture Studios.WEB,www.slashfilm.com/35-things-we-learned-on-the-set-of-sam-raimis-oz-the-great-and-powerful/, 35 Things We Learned On the Set of Sam Raimi’s ‘Oz: The Great And Powerful’, Slashfilm, January 31, 2013, (Transformers: Age of Extinction) is the latest movie to be filmed within the studio, with the bulk of filming taking place in Pontiac.WEB,www.metromodemedia.com/inthenews/transformers0307.aspx, ‘Transformers 4’ film shooting underway in Metro Detroit, metromode, Pontiac is home to the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial.WEB,www.michiganfallenheroesmemorial.com/contact.html, Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial, Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial, August 17, 2012, dead,www.michiganfallenheroesmemorial.com/contact.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20110112233403www.michiganfallenheroesmemorial.com/contact.html,">web.archive.org/web/20110112233403www.michiganfallenheroesmemorial.com/contact.html, January 12, 2011, mdy-all, It is located within the Oakland County Government Complex off Telegraph Road.

Government

Government form

{{Prose|date=December 2023|section}}

• 1837 - Incorporated as a village by an act of the Michigan Legislature. The first election was held in the same year and voters elected to be governed by a seven member board of trustees.WEB, A History of Pontiac Guide 1818-Today,pontiaclibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pontiac-history-guide-1818-today.pdf, Pomntiac Library,
• 1861 - The State of Michigan redesignated Pontiac as a city which adopted the mayor-council form of government with the city divided into five wards with two aldermen elected from each ward and the mayor elected at large.BOOK,quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/ARX1007.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext, HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY, 93, From 1861 to 1911 the city had a mayor-council type of government, the city having been divided into five wards with two aldermen elected from each ward, and the mayor elected at large.,
• 1911 - The city adopted a new charter providing for a commission form of government consisting of a mayor and two commissioners elected by the city at large on a nonpartisan basis each to three year terms of office.BOOK, Bradford, Ernest Smith,books.google.com/books?id=uwRJAAAAIAAJ&dq=pontiac+mayor+two-year+terms&pg=PA155, Commission Government in American Cities, 1911, 155,
• 1920 - The city adopted a new charter providing for a commission-manager form of government consisting of seven commissioners elected by the city at large on a nonpartisan basis and a mayor elected by one of the seven to act as mayor.
• 1982 - The city adopted a new charter providing for a strong-mayor form of government consisting of seven commissioners and a mayor elected by the city at large on a nonpartisan basis for 4-year terms

Mayor

The mayor of Pontiac is Tim Greimel.The city of Pontiac operates under a strong mayor system. The mayor serves as the chief executive of the city while holding all responsibilities of the city’s executive branch. These responsibilities include proposing a city budget, ensuring that all laws are followed accordingly, as well as delivering a State of the City address.WEB, Pontiac Municipal Code,www.codepublishing.com/MI/Pontiac/?PontiacCH/PontiacCH04.html, 2023-12-06, Codepublishing.com, The Pontiac mayor also is responsible for appointing several positions in office including deputy mayor as well as overseeing the law, financial, police, and fire departments.

Mayoral history

Wallace E. Holland (1974–1986 and 1990–1994) was the first African American elected as Mayor of Pontiac, and the first directly elected Mayor following the adoption of the revised Pontiac City Charter in 1982.Deirdre Holloway Waterman, was an ophthalmologist who was elected as Pontiac’s first female mayor by more than 68% of the vote on November 5, 2013.WEB, Deirdre Waterman takes Pontiac mayorship in landslide (with video),www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20131106/deirdre-waterman-takes-pontiac-mayorship-in-landslide-with-video, 2016-11-27, Theoaklandpress.com, {{dead link|date=October 2022}} She was re-elected in 2017 with 57% of the vote. Her late husband, William Waterman, was a prominent attorney in the community who was appointed in 1988 by Michigan Governor James Blanchard to the District Court in Pontiac and elected multiple times to continue serving; he died in office in 2003. The District Courthouse was renamed in his honor, the William J. Waterman Hall of Justice. Then-incumbent Mayor Deirdre Waterman was removed from the August primary ballot due to unresolved campaign finance violations, but continued as a write-in candidate in the primary election. She was not successful in that effort.In November 2021, Tim Greimel, who previously served as a Michigan State Representative and Oakland County Commissioner in districts that included Pontiac, was elected Mayor in the general election. He won with 61.66% of votes, while his general election opponent Alexandra T. Riley received 37.50% of the vote. Riley, a frequent candidate for office in Pontiac, previously served as a city employee under Mayor Deirdre Waterman and more recent worked for the Genesee County Land Bank Authority.

List of past Mayors of Pontiac {| class“toccolours collapsible collapsed” width50% align“left”

! style="background:#F5DEB3“| Mayors of Pontiac, Michigan|{| class=“wikitable” style="text-align:center“! Image! Mayor! Years! Notes style="height:4em”|| Harry Mitchell| 1932–1933| Resigned April 1933|| Frank B. Ruf| 1933–1936| || F. Homer Newton| 1936–1937| || Victor E. Nelson| 1937–1938AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=LANSING STATE JOURNALURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/ARTICLE/LANSING-STATE-JOURNAL/127644421/ || James C. Mahar†| 1938–1939AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRER URL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/ARTICLE/BATTLE-CREEK-ENQUIRER/127643831/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || Samuel G. Backus| 1939–1940AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=LANSING STATE JOURNALURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/206054539/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127644007 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || George W. Booth| 1940–1942AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=LANSING STATE JOURNALURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/206752132/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127643639 ARCHIVE-URL=, || Joseph H. Potts†| 1942–1943AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=PETOSKEY NEWS-REVIEWURL= NEWSPAPERS.COM, Died in officeAUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=BATTLE CREEK ENQUIRERURL= HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/204419770/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127643181 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || Phillip R. Sauer| 1943–1944| || Arthur J. Law| 1944–1948| || John C. Cowe| 1948–1949| Resigned in August 1949|| J. H. Patrick Glynn| 1949–1950AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL= HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/97502649/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127641889 ARCHIVE-URL=, || John H. Ridgway| 1950–1952AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/97472951/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127641643 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || Arthur J. Law (2nd term)| 1952–1954||| William W. Donaldson| 1954–1958||| Philip E. Rowston| 1958–1962||| Robert A. Landry| 1962–1964|100px)| William H. Taylor| 1964–1970AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=LANSING STATE JOURNALURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/ARTICLE/LANSING-STATE-JOURNAL/143113460/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, 100px)| Robert F. Jackson| 1970–1974Detroit Lions to PontiacBILLYAUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=THE DETROIT FREE PRESSURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/ARTICLE/DETROIT-FREE-PRESS/143111082/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, 100px)| Wallace E. Holland| 1974–1986| First African-American mayor100px)| Walter L. Moore| 1986–1990AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL= HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/99415289/?CLIPPING_ID=127649558 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=TITLE=AGENDA 1987: ROADS, ECONOMY TOP SURVEY NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESS PAGES=1A, 4A VIA=NEWSPAPERS.COM, 100px)| Wallace E. Holland (2nd term)| 1990–1994AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/97858781/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127647613 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=QUOTE=HE HAS HELD THE POST SINCE 1974 WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FOUR YEARS IN THE 1980S WHEN WALTER MOORE TOOK THE JOB FROM HIM, 100px)| Charlie Harrison Jr.†| 1994–1995AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL=HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/IMAGE/97547091/?MATCH=1&CLIPPING_ID=127637260 NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, Died in office in 1995.100px)| Walter L. Moore (2nd term)| 1995–1998 1998–2002| Appointed to complete Harrison’s term|| Willie J. Payne| 2002–2006AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL= HTTPS://WWW.FREEP.COM/STORY/NEWS/LOCAL/MICHIGAN/OAKLAND/2019/10/04/WILLIE-PAYNE-PONTIAC-MAYOR-AUTHOR-OBITUARY/3863939002/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=DETROIT FREE PRESSURL= HTTPS://WWW.NEWSPAPERS.COM/ARTICLE/DETROIT-FREE-PRESS/127691040/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || Clarence Phillips| 2006–2010AUTHORLINK= NEWSPAPER=THE OAKLAND PRESSURL= HTTPS://WWW.THEOAKLANDPRESS.COM/2010/09/01/FORMER-PONTIAC-MAYOR-CLARENCE-PHILLIPS-DIES/ NEWSPAPERS.COM>ARCHIVE-URL=, || Leon Jukowski| 2010–2014||| Deirdre Holloway Waterman| 2014–2022| First female and first female African-American mayor|| Tim Greimel| 2022–present|{{clear}}

City Council

{| class=“wikitable”! District! MemberWEB,www.pontiac.mi.us/council/council_members/index.php, City Council of Pontiac Members, City of Pontiac, ! Position! In office since| District 1| Melanie Rutherford || 2022| District 2| Brett Nicholson|| 2022| District 3| Mikal Goodman|| 2022| District 4| Kathalee James|| 2022| District 5| William Parker, Jr.|| 2022| District 6| William A. Carrington| Pro Tempore| 2022| District 7| Mike McGuinness| President| 2022

Representation in state and federal government

• State officials
  • Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D)
  • State Senator Jeremy Moss (D) — 7th State Senate District
  • State Representative Brenda Carter (D) – 53rd State House District
• Federal officials
  • Senator Gary Peters (D)
  • Senator Debbie Stabenow (D)
  • Representative Haley Stevens (D) – 11th Congressional District

City Tax

The city levies an income tax of 1 percent on residents and 0.5 percent on nonresidents.NEWS, Gibbons, Lauren, Michigan State University, city of East Lansing at odds over proposed income tax,www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/michigan_state_university_city.html, August 16, 2017, MLive Lansing, Mlive Media Group, August 16, 2017,

Pontiac Library

{{As of|2024}}, the Pontiac library board consists of Rosie Richardson (chairperson), Yvette Brinker Marion (vice chairperson), Mattie Mckinney Hatchett (treasurer), Angela Allen (secretary), and H. Bill Maxey (trustee).Library Board Pontiac Library. Retrieved March 19, 2024.

Oakland County Service Center

The East Campus of the Oakland County Service Center is located in Pontiac. It includes the county courthouse and jail for adults.“Complex Map” (www.oakgov.com/maps/Documents/occomplexmap.pdf" title="web.archive.org/web/20150710032719www.oakgov.com/maps/Documents/occomplexmap.pdf">Archive). Oakland County Government. Retrieved on July 9, 2015.

Education

File:St Vincent DePaul Catholic Church Pontiac MI.JPG|thumb|right|St. Vincent de Paul Church ]]Residents are zoned to the School District of the City of Pontiac. The district runs one main high school, Pontiac High School. There were once two high schools, Pontiac Northern and Pontiac Central, but by December 2008 administrators were making plans to consolidate the schools.WEB, DIANA DILLABER MURRAYOf The Oakland Press,www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2008/12/17/news/local_news/doc4948cde5991a8809807968.txt, Pontiac Central to close?, The Oakland Press, December 17, 2008, August 17, 2012, (www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20081217/pontiac-central-to-close" title="web.archive.org/web/20150618120237www.theoaklandpress.com/general-news/20081217/pontiac-central-to-close">Archive)Four charter schools operate in Pontiac; they are Pontiac Academy for Excellence (K-12), Arts and Technology Academy, Walton Charter, and Great Lakes Academy. Pontiac is also home to Notre Dame Preparatory High School, a private Catholic school located in the North East area of the city.

Transportation

{{See also|Pontiac Transportation Center}}

Rail

Amtrak operates passenger service with its Wolverine from Pontiac to Chicago via Detroit and Battle Creek, Michigan. Service is three times daily, both arriving and departing.Commuter rail service was once provided by Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) and later Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA) from Pontiac to downtown Detroit. This service ended on October 17, 1983, after subsidies were discontinued. Efforts continue to restore such commuter service.Class one freight rail service is provided by Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW), which also operates a large classification yard in Pontiac serving the local auto industry. The Grand Trunk Western Railroad (reporting mark GTW) is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway (CN). It constitutes the majority of CN’s Chicago Division (which is part of CN’s Southern Region). It operates in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, forming the CN mainline from Port Huron to Chicago, as well as serving Detroit and Toledo.

Air

Oakland County International Airport serves the city and surrounding areas with commuter air service. When previously owned by the city, it was known as the Pontiac City Airport. But it is located outside the city in neighboring Waterford Township and not on land contiguous with Pontiac’s city limits. Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a larger international airport, is 35 miles south of the city in Romulus.

Bus

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit.

SMART Flex

Launched in March 2021, SMART FlexWEB, SMART Flex,www.smartbus.org/About/News/smart-flex, 2022-02-02, SMART, en-US, is an on-demand public transit service launched in partnership with TransitTech company Via TransportationWEB, Public mobility solutions. {{!, Via Transportation|url=https://ridewithvia.com/|access-date=2022-02-02|website=ridewithvia.com|language=en-US}} as a way to help encourage first-and-last mile connections to existing bus routes as well as trips to universities, grocery stores, local hospitals and other destinations. SMART Flex is available to residents and workers in Dearborn, Troy, Pontiac, and the Hall Road corridor between Utica and New Baltimore to book rides using the SMART Flex app.WEB, 2021-03-26, How to get a ride via SMART Flex, Metro Detroit’s first on-demand transit service,www.wxyz.com/news/how-to-get-a-ride-via-smart-flex-metro-detroits-first-on-demand-transit-service, 2022-02-02, Wxyz.com, en,

Road

The major thoroughfares in the city are: Woodward Avenue (M-1), Huron Street (M-59), and Telegraph Road (US 24). Portions of Woodward Avenue were once known as “Saginaw Street” and “Wide Track Drive” (the portion of “Wide Track Drive” that encircles the downtown business district is now known as the “Woodward Loop“)

• {{jct|state=MI|I|75}} provides a connection northwest to nearby Flint. Detroit is to the south.
• {{jct|state=MI|BL|75|dab1=Pontiac}} runs through Pontiac.
• {{jct|state=MI|US|24}} ends north of Pontiac in at I-75. Southbound, US 24 serves suburban Detroit and Monroe before crossing into Ohio.
• {{jct|state=MI|US-Bus|24|dab1=Pontiac}} serves local business traffic through the city.
• {{jct|state=MI|M|1|name1=Woodward Avenue}} northbound loops around Pontiac’s downtown district (now known as the “Woodward Loop”, continuing its loop back southbound as “Saginaw Street”, then returning to the name of Woodward Avenue and routing directly to Downtown Detroit.
• {{jct|state=MI|M|24|name1=Lapeer Road}} southbound ends in Auburn Hills at I-75. Northbound, the highway connects to Lapeer. Note: M-24 does not intersect with US 24.
• {{jct|state=MI|M|59}} runs west to Howell and east to Utica and several other Detroit suburbs.

Notable people

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Geri Allen, jazz pianist, born in Pontiac
• Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Harvard University, born in Detroit, grew up in Pontiac
• Mark Bego, author, born in Pontiac
• Tim Birtsas, MLB pitcher, born in Pontiac
• Jim Bundren, NFL player, born in Pontiac
• Adolphus W. Burtt, South Dakota Attorney GeneralNEWS, May 5, 1871, Justice Court: Before Justice Burtt,digmichnews.cmich.edu/?a=d&d=OaklandPWG18710505-01.1.3&srpos=3&e=01-01-1871-31-12-1871--en-10--1--txt-txIN-%22burtt%22---------, Pontiac Weekly Gazette, Pontiac, MI, Central Michigan University: Digital Michigan Newspapers, 3, {{sfnRef, “Justice Court: Before Justice Burtt”, }}NEWS, January 10, 1917, Aged Resident of Kalispell Dead,www.newspapers.com/image/237980550/, Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls, MT, subscription, Newspapers.com, 3, {{sfnRef, “Aged Resident of Kalispell Dead”, }}
• Jamal Cain, NBA player for the Miami Heat
• Albert J. Campbell, U.S. Representative from MontanaENCYCLOPEDIA,bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000074, CAMPBELL, Albert James, (1857–1907), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, October 14, 2012,
• Madonna Louise Ciccone, known mononymously as Madonna, singer and actress, lived in Pontiac during childhoodWEB,www.biography.com/people/madonna-9394994, Madonna Biography, Biography.com, 2016-11-27,
• Mary A. Cornelius (1829–1918), writer, social reformerBOOK, Willard, Frances Elizabeth, Frances Willard, Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice, Mary Livermore, A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life, 1893, Charles Wells Moulton,en.wikisource.org/wiki/Woman_of_the_Century/Mary_A._Cornelius, 207–08, CORNELIUS, Mrs. Mary A.,
• Sara Lynn Darrow, United States District Court judge, born in Pontiac
• DDG, rapper and YouTube personality, born and raised in Pontiac
• Pete Dexter, journalist, novelist, and screenwriter, born in Pontiac
• Thomas J. Drake, justice of Utah Territorial Supreme Court and third Lieutenant Governor of Michigan, died in PontiacWEB, Herringshaw, Thomas William, Herringshaw’s Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century: Accurate and Succinct Biographies of Famous Men and Women in All Walks of Life who are Or Have Been the Acknowledged Leaders of Life and Thought of the United States Since Its Formation, 1904, American Publishers’ Association, 314,books.google.com/books?id=Xxg7AQAAMAAJ&q=Thomas+Jefferson+Drake+Scipio,+New+York&pg=PA314,
• Electric Djinn, the solo musical project of NYC-based electronic musician and producer Neptune Sweet
• Dez Fitzpatrick, NFL player for the Tennessee Titans
• Tommy Edman, current second baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Kirk Gibson, MLB player and manager, two-time World Series champion, born in PontiacWEB,arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/team/coach_staff_bio.jsp?c_id=ari&coachorstaffid=114752, Kirk Gibson 23, Arizona Diamondbacks, March 11, 2014,
• Jonas Gray, NFL player, born in Pontiac
• K. J. Hamler, NFL player for the Indianapolis Colts
• Laura Innes, actress, starred in hit television series ER; born in Pontiac
• Isaiah Jackson, NBA player for the Indiana Pacers
• Elvin Jones, jazz drummer of the post-bop era, born in PontiacWEB,www.pas.org/experience/halloffame/JonesElvin.aspx2, Hall of Fame Elvin Jones, Percussive Arts Society, March 11, 2014, {{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• Hank Jones, musician, 2009 recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; lived in Pontiac
• Hayes Jones, hurdler, NCAA champion and 1964 Summer Olympics gold medalist; lived in Pontiac
• Thad Jones, jazz musician, born in Pontiac
• Jack Kevorkian, pathologist, euthanasia activist, painter, author, composer and instrumentalist, born in PontiacWEB,www.biography.com/people/jack-kevorkian-9364141, Jack Kevorkian biography, Biography.com, March 11, 2014,
• Micki King, diver, Olympic gold medalist and 10-time national champion, U.S. Air Force colonel, born in Pontiac
• Rebecca Kleefisch, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin 2011–2019, born in Pontiac
• Henry W. Lord, U.S. Congressman from MichiganENCYCLOPEDIA,bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=L000441, LORD, Henry William, (1821 - 1891), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, March 11, 2014,
• Tony Lucca, actor/singer and former Mouseketeer, born in Pontiac
• Michael Mallory, author/actor, grew up in Pontiac
• Yante Maten, NBA player for the Miami Heat
• Clara McDaniel (born 1948 in Pontiac),BOOK, Bob, Eagle, Eric S., LeBlanc, 2013, Blues - A Regional Experience, Praeger Publishers, Santa Barbara, California, United States, 253/4, 978-0313344237, blues singer and songwriter
• Derek Minor, rapper, born in Pontiac
• Daniel O’Shea, figure skater, 2016 national champion, born in Pontiac
• Kem, R&B/Soul singer–songwriter and producer
• Duane D. Pearsall, physicist and inventorNEWS, Duane Pearsall, inventor of smoke detector, dies in Denver,www.summitdaily.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419905, Summit Daily, Summit County, Colorado, Swift Communications, Inc., 15 April 2010, 13 June 2014,www.summitdaily.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419905," title="web.archive.org/web/20140728100109www.summitdaily.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419905,">web.archive.org/web/20140728100109www.summitdaily.com/article/20100416/NEWS/100419905, July 28, 2014, dead,
• Gary Peters, United States Senator, born in Pontiac
• Howard “Howdy” Quicksell, musician, lived and died in Pontiac
• Walker Russell, pro basketball player, born in Pontiac
• Walker Russell Jr., pro basketball player, born in Pontiac
• Frank Russell, NBA player, Chicago Bulls, first from Oakland County and Pontiac to play in modern NBA; raised in Pontiac
• Campy Russell, basketball player, Michigan and NBA; Best High School Player in America 1971–72, NBA All-Star 1978–79; broadcaster for Cleveland Cavaliers; raised in Pontiac
• Bryan Rust NHL hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2x Stanley Cup Champion
• Alfred Taubman, real estate developer, owned famed Sotheby’s auction house and Michigan Panthers pro football team; born in PontiacJOURNAL,www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_A-Alfred-Taubman_LWZ4.html, 655 A. Alfred Taubman, January 31, 2012, May 30, 2014,www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_A-Alfred-Taubman_LWZ4.html," title="web.archive.org/web/20140531035711www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_A-Alfred-Taubman_LWZ4.html,">web.archive.org/web/20140531035711www.forbes.com/lists/2010/10/billionaires-2010_A-Alfred-Taubman_LWZ4.html, May 31, 2014, live, Forbes, mdy-all,
• Wilma Vaught, U.S. Air Force brigadier general, born in Pontiac
• Martell Webb, NFL player
• Tim Welke, MLB umpire, born in Pontiac
• Donald F. White (1908–2002), Canadian-born American architect and engineer, of African descent; first Black licensed architect in the state of Michigan; he attended Pontiac High SchoolBOOK, Wilson, Dreck Spurlock,books.google.com/books?id=0OaSAgAAQBAJ, African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945, March 2004, Routledge, 978-1-135-95629-5, 600–604, en, Donald Frank White (1908–2002),

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Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is “Dfb” (Warm Summer Continental Climate).{{Weather box|location = Pontiac WWTP, Michigan (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1894–present)|single line = Yes|Jan record high F = 66|Feb record high F = 65|Mar record high F = 84|Apr record high F = 89|May record high F = 95|Jun record high F = 102|Jul record high F = 104|Aug record high F = 102|Sep record high F = 98|Oct record high F = 90|Nov record high F = 79|Dec record high F = 65|year record high F = 104|Jan high F = 31.3|Feb high F = 34.0|Mar high F = 44.3|Apr high F = 57.6|May high F = 69.4|Jun high F = 78.2|Jul high F = 82.3|Aug high F = 80.8|Sep high F = 73.9|Oct high F = 60.5|Nov high F = 47.4|Dec high F = 36.4|year high F = 58.0|Jan mean F = 24.2|Feb mean F = 26.1|Mar mean F = 35.2|Apr mean F = 47.0|May mean F = 59.2|Jun mean F = 68.4|Jul mean F = 72.6|Aug mean F = 71.3|Sep mean F = 63.8|Oct mean F = 51.4|Nov mean F = 39.7|Dec mean F = 30.3|year mean F = 49.1|Jan low F = 17.1|Feb low F = 18.2|Mar low F = 26.2|Apr low F = 36.4|May low F = 49.0|Jun low F = 58.6|Jul low F = 62.9|Aug low F = 61.7|Sep low F = 53.7|Oct low F = 42.3|Nov low F = 32.1|Dec low F = 24.3|year low F = 40.2|Jan record low F = −21|Feb record low F = −22|Mar record low F = −8|Apr record low F = 6|May record low F = 23|Jun record low F = 34|Jul record low F = 41|Aug record low F = 37|Sep record low F = 29|Oct record low F = 15|Nov record low F = 2|Dec record low F = −12|year record low F = −22|precipitation colour = green|Jan precipitation inch = 2.18|Feb precipitation inch = 1.87|Mar precipitation inch = 2.19|Apr precipitation inch = 2.94|May precipitation inch = 3.81|Jun precipitation inch = 3.29|Jul precipitation inch = 3.14|Aug precipitation inch = 3.24|Sep precipitation inch = 2.92|Oct precipitation inch = 2.90|Nov precipitation inch = 3.15|Dec precipitation inch = 2.25|year precipitation inch = 33.88|Jan snow inch = 12.1|Feb snow inch = 9.0|Mar snow inch = 4.1|Apr snow inch = 0.9|May snow inch = 0.0|Jun snow inch = 0.0|Jul snow inch = 0.0|Aug snow inch = 0.0|Sep snow inch = 0.0|Oct snow inch = 0.1|Nov snow inch = 1.7|Dec snow inch = 8.1|year snow inch = 36.0|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in|Jan precipitation days = 12.5|Feb precipitation days = 10.0|Mar precipitation days = 9.5|Apr precipitation days = 11.3|May precipitation days = 12.6|Jun precipitation days = 10.5|Jul precipitation days = 9.7|Aug precipitation days = 9.8|Sep precipitation days = 9.2|Oct precipitation days = 12.0|Nov precipitation days = 10.3|Dec precipitation days = 12.4|year precipitation days = 129.8|unit snow days = 0.1 in|Jan snow days = 8.8|Feb snow days = 7.2|Mar snow days = 3.7|Apr snow days = 0.9|May snow days = 0.0|Jun snow days = 0.0|Jul snow days = 0.0|Aug snow days = 0.0|Sep snow days = 0.0|Oct snow days = 0.1|Nov snow days = 1.6|Dec snow days = 6.7|year snow days = 29.0|source 1 = NOAAWEB,www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=dtx, NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, September 4, 2021, WEB,www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00206658&format=pdf, Station: Pontiac WWTP, MI, U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, September 4, 2021, }}

See also

• (:Category:Images of Metro Detroit|Images of metropolitan Detroit)
• Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic
• Saginaw Trail
• Woodward Corridor
• Pontiac fever

Notes

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References

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External links

{{Commons category}}

• City of Pontiac, Michigan
• Tocqueville in Pontiac – Segment from C-SPAN’s Alexis de Tocqueville Tour

{{Pontiac, Michigan}}{{Oakland County, Michigan}}{{Metro Detroit}}{{Michigan county seats}}{{Authority control}}