Tri-Cities (Michigan) - The Greater Tri-Cities Region

The Greater Tri-Cities Region

The larger and more well known Tri-Cities is the region surrounding the cities of Saginaw, Bay City, and Midland. This region, which is also considered to be part of the Flint/Tri-Cities area, includes much of Bay County, Saginaw County, and Midland County. These three counties make up the Greater Tri Cities, a common term describing this region of Michigan. The combined population of these three counties was 403,070 as of the 2000 Census, and the population was estimated at 398,482 of the July 1, 2006, Census estimate.

Due to their close proximity, the governments of Bay County and the cities of Midland and Saginaw agreed to own and share a centrally located airport through a special municipal body. The airport's name is an initialism formed from the names of the three owning communities: Midland, Bay County & Saginaw. MBS International Airport, located in Freeland, Michigan was formerly known as Tri-City Airport but was renamed to MBS International Airport in 1994 to prevent confusion with other airports named "Tri-City Airport”.

Several large corporations have operations in the Greater Tri Cities Region. The Michigan Sugar Company, which is a cooperative owned by 1,250 farmers, operates a factory and has its headquarters in Bay City. General Motors operates Powertrain plants in Flint, Bay City, and Saginaw. The Dow Chemical Company world headquarters is based in Midland. Delphi Corporation operates Delphi Saginaw Steering Systems in Saginaw. S.C. Johnson and Son has a manufacturing facility in Bay City making Ziploc products.

Local media outlets include: WNEM, CBS TV5 operates out of Saginaw and is licensed to Bay City. WEYI, NBC 25 is also licensed to Saginaw. NewsRadio 790 WSGW and FM Talk 100.5, are the area's local news, talk and sports affiliates. Other highly rated stations in the Tri-Cities include WIOG, WCEN, WHNN, and WSAG. The Saginaw News, Bay City Times and Midland Daily News are available through the region, as well as Great Lakes Bay (Regional Lifestyle Magazine).

In January 2009 local community and business leaders began to refer to the Greater Tri-Cities area as the Great Lakes Bay Region with the hope that a cooperative regional focus could spur economic development in the area.