Brochure printed by The Farm Reality Company in 1910 and designed by architect William Pitkin. Edited and prepared for publishing by Roy Richard

History of Metawaneenee Hills

The Metawaneenee Hills community in Flint, Michigan, was developed by the Farm Realty Company around 1910. It was created during a period of intense growth in Flint, driven by the automobile industry. The neighborhood is known for its historic homes and, like many early 20th-century developments in the city, reflects patterns of residential segregation.
This brochure from The Farm Realty Company, produced in 1910, marks it as one of Flint's early subdivisions. This was the same period when the city's population swelled dramatically due to the booming auto industry.
Many of the homes in Metawaneenee Hills are considered "relatively historic," built no later than 1939.

Metawaneenee Hills' development coincided with other major residential projects in Flint, often backed by the city's powerful automotive industry, such as Civic Park.

In the early 20th century, exclusionary practices, including racial deed restrictions, were used in many Flint neighborhoods to control who could live in certain areas.

The name "Metawaneenee" likely has Indigenous origins. Many place names in the Genesee County area, including the name of the county itself, have roots in the early Indigenous peoples of the region, such as the Ojibwe.
Like many older neighborhoods in Flint, Metawaneenee Hills has faced challenges in recent decades due to deindustrialization, but its legacy as one of the city's historic communities remains.

Buy it on Amazon