Flint was originally established in 1819 as a fur-trading post. Later, lumbering and cart and carriage building became the most important industries there. Since 1902 it has been an automobile-manufacturing center. The General Motors Corporation was started in Flint in 1908. Later Chrysler, Chevrolet, Nash, Champion and Buick also started there. In 1937, sit-down strikes by the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Flint's General Motors plants spurred widespread labor organization. During the 1980's and 1990's massive layoffs at General Motors large-car factories devastated Flint's economy. Attempts at economic diversification and revitalization have had limited success and in 2002 municipal financial problems led the state to take control of the city government. Local institutions include a branch of the University of Michigan, an art institute and the Michigan school for the deaf.
There are many hotels and restaurants in Flint. The city is on the Flint River in the southeast of Michigan, 80 km northeast from Lansing and 720 km northwest from Washington D.C.