The
University of Michigan (
U-M,
UM,
UMich, or
U of M), frequently referred to simply as
Michigan, is a
public research university located in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Originally, founded in 1817 in
Detroit as the
Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, 20 years before the
Michigan Territory officially became a state, the University of Michigan is the state's oldest university. The university moved to
Ann Arbor in 1837 onto of what is now known as Central Campus. Since its establishment in Ann Arbor, the university campus has expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 34 million gross square feet (781 acres or 3.16 km²) spread out over a Central Campus and North Campus, has two
satellite campuses located in
Flint and
Dearborn, and a
Center in
Detroit. The University was one of the founding members of the
Association of American Universities.