Detroit (IPA: [dɪˈtʰɹɔɪt]) (French: Détroit, meaning strait, pronounced [detʁwa] (help·info)) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of
Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city located north of Windsor, Ontario, on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. It was founded in
1701 by the Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
It is known as the world's traditional automotive center—"Detroit" is a metonym for the United States automobile industry—and an important source of popular music, legacies celebrated
by the city's two familiar nicknames, Motor City and Motown.[3][4] Other nicknames emerged in the twentieth century, including
Rock City, Arsenal of
Democracy (during World War II), The D, D-Town,
Hockeytown, and The 3-1-3 (its area
code).[5]
In 2007, Detroit ranked as the United States' eleventh most
populous city, with 871,121 residents.[6] At its
peak, the city was the 4th largest city in the country, but has steadily declined in population since the 1960s. The name
Detroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area, a sprawling region with a
population of 4,468,966[7] for the Metropolitan Statistical Area and a population of 5,410,014[8] for the nine county Combined
Statistical Area as of the 2006 Census Bureau estimates. The
Windsor-Detroit area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada-U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,900,000.[9]
History
-
The city name comes from the Detroit River (in French le détroit du Lac Erie), meaning "the strait of Lake Erie,"
linking Lake Huron and Lake Erie, in the historical
context the strait included Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River.[10] Traveling up
the Detroit River on the ship Le Griffon (owned by La Salle), Father Louis Hennepin noted
the north bank of the river as an ideal location for a settlement. There, in 1701, the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a settlement called
Fort Détroit, naming it after the comte de Pontchartrain, Minister of Marine under Louis XIV. Francois Marie Picoté, sieur de Belestre (Montreal 1719–1793) was the last French
military commander at Fort Detroit (1758–1760), surrendering the fort on November 29,
1760 to the British.
During the French and Indian War (1760), British troops gained control and
shortened the name to Detroit. Several tribes led by Chief Pontiac, an
Ottawa leader, launched Pontiac's Rebellion
(1763), including a siege of Fort Detroit. Partially in response to this, the
British Royal Proclamation of 1763, included restrictions in unceded Indian
territories. Detroit passed to the United States under the Jay Treaty (1796). In 1805, fire destroyed most of the settlement. A river warehouse and brick chimneys of
the wooden homes were the sole structures to survive.[11]
Detroit's city flag reflects this French heritage. (See Flag of Detroit,
Michigan.)
From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan. As the city expanded, the street layout followed a plan developed by
Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Justice of the Michigan Territory. Detroit fell to British troops during the War of
1812 in the Siege of Detroit, was recaptured by the United States in 1813 and
incorporated as a city in 1815. Prior to the American Civil War, the city's access to
the Canadian border made it a key stop along the underground railroad.[12]
Many Detroiters volunteered to fight during the American Civil War. Following the death of President Abraham Lincoln, George Armstrong Custer delivered a
eulogy to the thousands gathered near Campus Martius Park. Custer led the
Michigan Brigade during the American Civil War and called them the
"Wolverines."[13]
Detroit's many Gilded Age mansions and buildings arose during the late 1800s. The city was
referred to as the "Paris of the West" for its architecture.[14] Strategically located along the Great Lakes waterway, Detroit
emerged as a transportation hub. The city had grown steadily from the 1830s with the rise of shipping, shipbuilding, and
manufacturing industries. In 1896, a thriving carriage trade prompted Henry Ford to build his
first automobile in a rented workshop on Mack Avenue, and in 1904, the Ford Motor Company was
founded. Ford's manufacturing — and those of automotive pioneers William C. Durant,
the Dodge brothers, and Walter Chrysler—reinforced
Detroit's status as the world's automotive capital. The industry spurred the city's spectacular growth during the first half of
the twentieth century as it drew many new residents, particularly workers from the
Southern United States. Strained racial relations were evident in the trial of
Dr. Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician acquitted of murder after he shot into a large
mob when he moved from the all-black part of the city to an all-white area.[15] With the introduction of prohibition, the river was
a major conduit for Canadian spirits, organized in large part by the
notorious Purple Gang.[16]
Cadillac Motor Co. (c.1910)
Cass Ave. at Amsterdam St.
Labor strife climaxed in the 1930s when the United Auto Workers became involved
in bitter disputes with Detroit's auto manufacturers. The labor activism of those years brought notoriety to union leaders such
as Jimmy Hoffa and Walter Reuther. The 1940s saw the
construction of the world's first urban depressed freeway, the Davison[17] and the industrial growth during World War II that led to Detroit's nickname as the Arsenal of
Democracy.[18] The city faced major challenges
during the war as tens of thousands of workers migrated to the city to work in the war industries. Many of these migrant workers
were blacks and whites from the U.S. south. Housing was difficult to find. The "color blind" promotion policies of the auto
plants resulted in racial tension that had erupted into a full-scale riot in 1943.[19]
With white flight to the suburbs, many Detroit inner-city neighborhoods endured a
painful decline from the 1960s and 1970s leaving many areas of the inner-city with urban blight. The Twelfth Street riot in 1967 and court-ordered busing
accelerated the white flight from the city. An extensive freeway system constructed in the
1950s and 1960s facilitated commuting. The percentage of black residents increased rapidly
thereafter. Accordingly, the city's tax base began a steep decline. Retailers and small business owners departed the city in the
wake of the increased crime rate. Within a few years large numbers of buildings and homes were abandoned, many remaining for
decades in a state of decay. In 1973, the city elected its first black mayor, Coleman
Young. Young's chaotic style during his five terms in office was not well received by many whites, who continued to leave
the city in large numbers.[20]
The gasoline crises of 1973 and 1979
shook the U.S. auto industry as small cars from foreign makers made inroads into the traditional dominance of the domestic
automakers. High-paying manufacturing jobs became scarce. Acute heroin and crack cocaine use afflicted the city with the influence of
Butch Jones, Maserati Rick, and the Chambers
Brothers. Drug-related violence and property crimes rose, and many abandoned homes were demolished as they had become
havens for drug dealers. Sizable tracts have reverted to a form of urban prairie with wild animals spotted migrating into the city.[21] "Renaissance" has been a perennial buzzword among city leaders since the
Twelfth Street riot, reinforced by the construction of the Renaissance Center in the
late 1970s. This complex of skyscrapers, designed as a "city within a city," was unable to reverse the trend of businesses
leaving the city's downtown.
In 1980, Detroit hosted the Republican National Convention which
nominated Ronald Reagan to a successful bid for President of the United States. Four years later, the city again appeared on the national
radar, but for unwanted reasons: rioting in the wake of the Detroit Tigers'
World Series championship left three dead and millions of dollars in property damage.
In the 1990s, the city began to enjoy a revival, much of it centered downtown. Comerica Tower
at Detroit Center (1992) arose on the city skyline. In the ensuing years, three casinos opened in Detroit:
MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, and
Greektown Casino which are now adding resorts. New downtown stadiums were constructed
for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions in 2000
and 2002, respectively; this put the Lions' home stadium in the city proper for the first time since 1974. The city hosted the
2005 MLB All-Star Game and the 2006 Super Bowl XL, both of which prompted many improvements to the downtown area. The city's riverfront is the
focus of much development; in 2007, the first portions of the Detroit River
Walk were laid, including miles of parks and fountains. This new urban
development in Detroit is a mainstay in the city's earnest desire to reinvent its economic identity through
tourism.[22]
Geography
Topography
A simulated-color satellite image of Detroit, with Windsor across the river, taken on
NASA's
Landsat 7 satellite.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 143.0 square miles (370.2 km²); of this, 138.8 square miles (359.4 km²) is land
and 4.2 square miles (10.8 km²) is water. The highest elevation in Detroit is in the University District neighborhood in
northwestern Detroit, just west of Palmer Park sitting at a height of 670 feet (204 m). Detroit's lowest elevation is
along its riverfront, sitting at a height of 579 feet (176 m). Detroit completely encircles the cities of
Hamtramck and Highland Park. On its
northeast border are the wealthy communities of Grosse Pointe. Oakland and Macomb counties lie to the north.
Alter Road divides Detroit and Grosse Pointe
Park; the neighborhood in this area of Detroit's east side is one of the most blighted in the city, whereas the Grosse
Pointes contain multimillion dollar mansions within blocks of the border and many of the wealthiest residences. The
Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only
international wildlife preserve in North America,
uniquely located in the heart of a major metropolitan area. The Refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and
waterfront lands along miles ( km) of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline.
The city is crossed by three road systems: the original French template, radial avenues from a
Washington, D.C.-inspired system, and true north–south roads from the Northwest Ordinance
township system. It sits atop a large salt mine[23] and
is north of Windsor, Ontario. Detroit is the only major city along the U.S.-Canadian
border in which one travels south in order to cross into Canada. Detroit has four border crossings: the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
provide motor vehicle thoroughfare; the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel
provides railroad access to and from Canada. The fourth border crossing is the Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, located near the Windsor Salt Mine and Zug Island.
Climate
Detroit and the rest of southeastern Michigan have a continental climate, which
is influenced by the Great Lakes. Winters are cold with moderate snowfall.[24] The earliest officially
measurable snowfall in Detroit occurred on October 12, 2006.
Winters are generally cold, with nighttime temperatures sometimes dropping below 10 °F (–12 °C), while summers are warm
with temperatures sometimes exceeding 90 °F (32 °C). Average monthly precipitation ranges from about two to four
inches (50 to 100 mm). Snowfall, which typically occurs from
November to early April, ranges from an average of 1 to 10 inches (3 to 25 cm) a month.[25] The highest recorded temperature was 105.0 °F (40.5 °C) on
July 24, 1934, while the lowest recorded temperature was
–24.0 °F (–31.1 °C) on December 22, 1872.[26]
| Weather averages for Detroit, Michigan |
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
| Average high °F |
31 |
33 |
44 |
58 |
70 |
79 |
83 |
81 |
74 |
62 |
48 |
35 |
|
| Average low °F |
16 |
18 |
27 |
37 |
48 |
57 |
62 |
60 |
53 |
41 |
32 |
22 |
|
| Precipitation inch |
1.9 |
1.7 |
2.4 |
3.0 |
2.9 |
3.6 |
3.1 |
3.4 |
2.8 |
2.2 |
2.7 |
2.5 |
|
| Average high °C |
-1 |
1 |
7 |
14 |
21 |
26 |
28 |
27 |
23 |
17 |
9 |
2 |
|
| Average low °C |
-9 |
-8 |
-3 |
3 |
9 |
14 |
17 |
16 |
12 |
5 |
0 |
-6 |
|
| Precipitation cm |
4 |
4 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
8 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
|
| Source: Weatherbase[27] Nov 2006 |
Cityscape
Architecture
-
Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The past meets the present as the city's historic
Art Deco skyscrapers blend with the post
modern neogothic spires of the Comerica Tower at Detroit
Center (1992). Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's
marque. Examples of the Art Deco style include the Guardian
Building and Penobscot Building downtown, as well as the Fisher Building and Cadillac Place in the New Center area near Wayne State
University. Among the city's prominent structures are the nation's largest Fox
Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.
While the downtown and New Center areas contain high-rise buildings, the majority of the surrounding city consists of low-rise
structures and single-family homes. Outside of the city's core, apartments and high-rises are found in neighborhoods such as the
East Riverfront extending toward Grosse Pointe and the Palmer Park neighborhood just west of Woodward. Many of the city's neighborhoods were
constructed prior to World War II, and feature the architecture of the times. Wood frame
and simple brick houses in the working class neighborhoods, larger brick homes in vast middle class neighborhoods, and ornate
mansions in neighborhoods such as Brush Park, Woodbridge, Indian Village, Palmer Woods, Sherwood
Forest, and others. The oldest neighborhoods are along the Woodward and Jefferson corridors, while newer neighborhoods,
built as late as the 1950s, are found in the far west and closer to mile ( km) Road. Some of the oldest extant
neighborhoods include Corktown, a working class, formerly Irish neighborhood, and
Brush Park. Both are now seeing million dollar redevelopments and construction of new homes and condos.
Detroit's architecture is heralded as some of America's finest; many of the city's architecturally significant buildings are
listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as among
America's most endangered landmarks with the city containing one of the nation's largest surviving collections late nineteenth
and early twentieth century buildings.[28]
The city has an active community of professionals dedicated to urban design, historic preservation, architecture, and
investment in the city.[29] A number of downtown
redevelopment projects — of which Campus Martius Park is one of the most notable —
have revitalized parts of the city. In 2006, a state-of-the-art cruise ship dock was added to Hart Plaza. Grand Circus Park
stands near the city's theater district, Ford
Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and Comerica
Park, home of the Detroit Tigers.
The Detroit International Riverfront includes a partially completed
three and one-half mile riverfront promenade with a combination of parks, residential buildings, and commercial areas from
Hart Plaza to the MacArthur Bridge accessing Belle Isle (the largest island park in a U.S. city). The riverfront includes Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor, Michigan's first urban state park. The second
phase is a two mile (3 km) extension from Hart Plaza to the Ambassador Bridge for a
total of five miles (8 km) of parkway from bridge to bridge. Civic planners envision that the newly reclaimed riverfront with
pedestrian parks will spur more residential development. Other major parks include Palmer (north of Highland Park), River Rouge (in the southwest side), and Chene Park (on the east river downtown).
Neighborhoods
-
Detroit has many neighborhoods and historic districts which contribute to its overall quality of life. Several neighborhoods
and districts are listed in the National Register of Historic
Places such as Lafayette Park, part of the Mies van der Rohe residential district. On Saturdays, about 45,000 people shop the city's
historic Eastern Market.[30] The Midtown and the
New Center area are centered around Wayne State University and Henry Ford Hospital.
Midtown has about 50,000 residents, yet it attracts millions of visitors each year to its museums and cultural centers; for
example, the Detroit Festival of the Arts in Midtown draws about 350,000 people.[31] The University Commons-Palmer Park district in Northwest Detroit is near the University of Detroit Mercy and Marygrove College
and has historic neighborhoods including Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, and Green Acres.
Culture and contemporary life
Metro Detroit suburbs are among the more affluent in the U.S.,[32] in contrast to the poorer areas of the
inner-city. Lifestyles for rising professionals in Detroit reflect those of other major cities. This dynamic is luring many
younger residents to the downtown area.[33] Luxury high
rises such as the three Riverfront Towers have views of Hart Plaza and Canada. The New
Center area contains examples of historic housing redevelopment. The Westin
Book-Cadillac Hotel will include a number of luxury condos. The east river development plans include more luxury
condominium developments. A desire to be closer to the urban scene has attracted young professionals to take up residence among
the mansions of Grosse Pointe just outside the city. Detroit's proximity to
Windsor, Ontario, provides for spectacular views and nightlife, along with Ontario's
19-and-older drinking age.[34]
Entertainment and performing arts
-
Live music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s bringing the city worldwide attention.
The metropolitan area boasts two of the top live music venues in the United States: DTE Energy Music Theatre and The Palace of Auburn
Hills. The Detroit Theatre District is the nation's second
largest.[35][36] Major theaters include the Fox
Theatre,The Music Hall, Masonic Temple Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, and the Fisher Theatre.
Orchestra Hall hosts the renowned Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
In the 1940s, Detroit's blues scene saw the long-term residency of John Lee Hooker.
During the 1950s, the city became a center for jazz, with stars performing in the Black
Bottom neighborhood.[37] Berry Gordy, Jr. founded
