Bay City,

Bay City, the fourth town of Michigan, U.S., is on the right bank of the Saginaw River, which is here spanned by three bridges, 4 miles from Saginaw Bay, and 108 miles NNW. of Detroit. It is an important railway centre, and is mostly substantially built of brick and stone, with 99 miles of straight streets, 10 miles of tramways, and two systems of electric and one of gas lighting. A large trade in timber and salt is carried on, and there is some shipbuilding. Pop. (1860) 1583; (1880) 20,693; (1890) 27,839. On the opposite bank of the river are the consolidated villages of Salzburg, Wenona, and Banks, known as West Bay City, with a pop. of 13,000; and the village of Essex (2000) adjoins the north end of the city. An act of the state legislature of 1887 provided for the consolidation of these with Bay City in 1891.