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Detroit, Michigan
Flag of Detroit, Michigan
Flag
Official seal of Detroit, Michigan
Seal
Nickname: 
Motor City
Motto(s): 
Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus"
(Latin for, "We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes")
Location in Wayne County, Michigan
Location in Wayne County, Michigan
Country
State
County		United States
  Michigan
   Wayne County
Government
 • MayorKwame Kilpatrick (D)
Population
 (2004)
 • City
900,198
 • Metro
4,493,165
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitewww.ci.detroit.mi.us
"Detroit" redirects here. For other uses, see Detroit (disambiguation).

Detroit (IPA: /dɪˈtʰɹɔɪt/) (French: Détroit, pronounced [[Media:Detroit.ogg|/detʀwa/]]) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the largest city in the state and is the county seat of Wayne County. Located along the Detroit River—French: Rivière du Détroit, meaning "River of the Strait"—and across from the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario, it was established in 1701 by French fur traders. It is the center of an industrial area that is among the most significant in the American Rust Belt. Today it is known as the world's automotive center and an important source of music — legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, "Motor City" and "Motown."

Detroit is the United States' 11th most populous city, with 900,198 residents, according to the United States Census Bureau's 2004 estimate. This is half the population the city boasted at its peak in the 1950s—Detroit leads the nation in terms of declining urban population and its crime rate has created international notoriety. The city struggles with the dual burden of racial disharmony between itself and its suburban neighbors as well as the antiquated nature of its economy.

Residents are generally known as "Detroiters." "Detroit" is also sometimes used as shorthand for the Metro Detroit region, which is also unofficially referred to as "Southeast Michigan."

History

Main article: History of Detroit, Michigan
File:DSCN4750 sieurdecadillaclanding e.jpg
Statue of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac commemorating his landing along the Detroit River

French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a fort and settlement at the site of Detroit in 1701 called Fort Pontchartrain d'Étroit, named after Louis Phélypeaux, the comte de Pontchartrain and for the river that connects Lakes St. Clair to Erie. The British gained control of the area in 1760 following the French and Indian War. Three years later during Pontiac's Rebellion an unsuccessful siege of Fort Detroit occurred with Indians led primarily by Chief Pontiac, an Ottawa war leader. In 1796, Detroit passed to the United States under the Jay Treaty. From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the territorial and state capitol of Michigan. Though Detroit fell to the British for a short time during the War of 1812 (see Siege of Detroit), it was recaptured by General William Henry Harrison in 1813. Detroit was incorporated as a city in 1815.

Situated strategically along the Great Lakes waterway, Detroit emerged as a key transportation center. Steady growth began in the 1830s and subsequent decades saw the emergence of shipping, shipbuilding, and manufacturing industries. A thriving carriage trade prompted the work of Henry Ford, who built his first automobile in 1896. Ford's first plant was a rented workshop on Mack Avenue in Detroit. In 1904, the first factory Ford built and owned on Detroit's Piquette Avenue produced the Model T. By 1909, Model T's production moved to larger facilities in Highland Park, then on the outskirts of Detroit. Ford's manufacturing innovations, as well as contributions from automotive pioneers William C. Durant, the Dodge brothers, and Louis Chevrolet, solidified Detroit as the world's automotive capital. The industry spurred the city's spectacular growth during the first half of the 20th century and drew many new residents, particularly from the southern United States. The strained relations between black and white was made evident in the trial of Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician who, with the assitance of noted attorney Clarence Darrow, was acquitted of murder as he defended his home from a large mob after a move from the all-black southeastern part of the city to an all-white area.[1]

File:4a22542r.jpg
A photograph of the Detroit Cadillac plant on Clifford Avenue, circa 1910.

With the factories came high-profile labor strife, climaxing in the 1930s as the United Auto Workers initiated bitter battles with Detroit's auto manufacturers. The labor activism established during those years brought fame and notoriety to hometown union leaders such as Jimmy Hoffa and Walter Reuther.

Detroit has endured a painful decline during the past several decades, and is often held up as a symbol of Rust Belt urban blight. The city's population has plummeted since the 1950s as residents moved to the suburbs and to different parts of the country. The 12th Street Riot in 1967 and Court-ordered busing accelerated "white flight" from the city. Large numbers of buildings and homes were abandoned, with many remaining for years in states of decay. The percentage of black residents increased rapidly and the first black mayor, Coleman Young, was elected in 1973. Young's style during his record four terms in office was not well received by many white Detroiters.[2]

File:Coleman young.jpg
Coleman Young following his election as mayor, in front of the Spirit of Detroit.

Though the 1960s saw the rise of heroin, use leveled off as the population declined. The Detroit gang Young Boys Inc. was formed in the 1970s and introduced a crack cocaine epidemic. This resulted in an increase in collateral property crimes and violence among competing drug dealers. Ongoing urban renewal efforts have led to the razing of abandoned homes. With the large number of homes razed, sizeable tracts have reverted back to nature to become a form of urban prairie. Wild animals have been spotted migrating from their destroyed former habitat in the suburbs to the city.[3]

"Renaissance" has been a perennial buzzword among generations of city leaders since the 1967 riots, coined with the construction of the Renaissance Center in the early 1970s. It was not until the 1990s that Detroit enjoyed somewhat of a bona fide revival, much of it centered downtown. A 1996 state referendum brought three casinos—MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, and Greektown Casino—with the goal of increasing tourism and stemming the flow of gambling dollars to the nearby Windsor, Ontario casino.

In 2000, amid some controversy, Comerica Park replaced historic Tiger Stadium as the home of the Detroit Tigers.[4] And in 2002, Ford Field brought the NFL's Detroit Lions back into Detroit from Pontiac.[5] The 2004 opening of the Compuware Center gave downtown Detroit its first significant new office building in a decade.

Geography and climate

A simulated-color satellite image of Detroit taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 142.9 square miles (370.2 km²). 138.8 square miles (359.4 km²) of it is land and 4.2 square miles (10.8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.92% water. The elevation at the Coleman A. Young International Airport in northeastern Detroit is 626 feet (190.8 m).

Sitting atop a large salt mine,[6] Detroit is located on the north bank of the Detroit River between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair in southeastern Michigan. It lies north of Windsor, Ontario, which is often referred to by residents of the city as their "neighbor to the south." Detroit features two border crossings: the privately-owned Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel that has motor vehicle and railroad access to and from Canada.

Detroit completely encircles the cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park. In its northeast corner are Harper Woods and the four cities and single village that make up the Grosse Pointes. Detroit has historically been culturally divided into East Side and West Side. The city is crossed by three road systems: the original French template, radial roads from a Washington, D.C.-inspired system and true north-south roads from the Northwest Ordinance township system. To the north of the city are Oakland and Macomb counties.

File:DSCN4745 detroitofficebuildings e.jpg
Downtown Detroit buildings, the historic Art Deco Guardian Building is on the left

Detroit buildings have eclectic architectural styles. Art Deco from the 1920s-1930s mingle with more modern structures in the downtown area and in the New Center adjacent to Wayne State University. The Eastern Market farmer's distribution center is the largest open-air flowerbed market in the United States and has more than 150 foods and specialty businesses.[7]

Detroit and the rest of southeastern Michigan have a typically Midwestern temperate seasonal climate, which is influenced by the Great Lakes. Winters are cold with moderate snowfall while summers can be warm and somewhat humid.[8] The average high temperature in July is 85 °F (29 °C) and in January highs average 33 °F (1 °C). Summer temperatures can top over 90 °F (32 °C), and winter temperatures rarely drop below 0 °F (−17 °C). Average monthly precipitation ranges from about two to five inches (5 to 12 cm), being heaviest in the summer months. Snowfall, which normally occurs from November to early April, ranges from 1 to 10 inches (3 to 25 cm) per month.[9] The highest recorded temperature was 103.0 °F (39.0 °C) on June 25, 1988, while the lowest recorded temperature was −17.0 °F (−27.0 °C) on January 19, 1994.[10]

Demographics

See also: Neighborhoods and projects in Detroit, Michigan
Historical population[11]
Census
year		 Population Rank
1840 9,102 40
1850 21,019 30
1860 45,619 19
1870 79,577 18
1880 116,340 18
1890 205,876 15
1900 285,704 13
1910 465,766 9
1920 993,078 4
1930 1,568,662 4
1940 1,623,452 4
1950 1,849,568 5
1960 1,670,144 5
1970 1,511,482 5
1980 1,203,339 6
1990 1,027,974 7
2000 951,270 10
Detroit in the 1880s.

Overview

Since the city was founded under the French, French colonial influence can be found in many place names (Gratiot Avenue, Beaubien Street, Cadieux Road, Chene Park). Only a small percentage of area residents are descendents of 18th-century French settlers.

Detroit's population increased more than sixfold during the first half of the 20th century, due largely to a massive influx of Eastern European and Southern migrants—both white and black—who came to work in the burgeoning automobile industry. One consequence is that Metro Detroit has a higher percentage of blacks than any other northern U.S. metropolitan area—roughly one quarter of the metropolitan population. Altogether, more than a million African-Americans live in the area, over 80% within city limits. With the suburban outflux, Metro Detroit is among the nation's most racially segregated regions.[12]

Metro Detroit's ethnic communities are diverse and include descendants of the French founders, as well as Germans, Poles, Irish, Italians, and Greeks who settled during the city's early 20th century industrial boom. Metro Detroit has the largest concentration of Belgians outside of Belgium. The Detroit area is also home to a large Chaldean-Assyrian population and to the country's largest concentration of Arab Americans. Chaldean-owned businesses are the retail life of the Detroit neighborhoods,[13] including some 90% of the city's "party stores" (selling high volumes of lottery tickets, hard liquor, and snack foods). The southwest side of the city contains a notable Chicano community and the area has in recent years been renamed "Mexicantown" to reflect the large number of businesses and properties owned by the Hispanic population. Up until the 1980s, there was a growing gay community in the northern part of the city in the area surrounding Palmer Park along Woodward Avenue. That community gradually migrated north to the cities of Ferndale and Royal Oak after that community collapsed.[14]

Population

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 951,270 people, 336,428 households, and 218,341 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,855.1 people per square mile (2,646.7/km²). There were 375,096 housing units at an average density of 2,703.0 people per square mi (1,043.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.55% Black or African American, 12.26% White, 0.33% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. 4.96% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 336,428 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.7% were married couples living together, 31.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.45.

The population was spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median household income in the city was $29,526, and the median income for a family was $33,853. Males had a median income of $33,381 versus $26,749 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,717. 26.1% of the population and 21.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 34.5% of those under the age of 18 and 18.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

In a 1998 government study by the National Institute for Literacy, 47% of Detroiters were deemed as "functionally illiterate."[15] Detroit's population trends may imply that today this figure is significantly higher. At the same time, some 72% of all Detroit children are born to single unwed mothers.[16]

Economy

A United States Coast Guard Cutter passes the Renaissance Center, headquarters of General Motors.

Detroit and the surrounding region constitute a manufacturing powerhouse, most notably as home to the American automobile industry and the Big Three auto companies. General Motors is based in Detroit, Ford Motor Company in nearby Dearborn, and one of the two world headquarters for DaimlerChrysler in Auburn Hills (the other is in Stuttgart, Germany). There are hundreds of offices and plants in the automotive support business: parts, electronics, and design suppliers. Because of its almost singular dependence on the auto industry, Detroit is more acutely vulnerable to economic cycles than most large cities.[17] The most recent blow to the city's economy came on October 8, 2005, when General Motors spin-off Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Since General Motors is a guarantor of Delphi's pension obligations, GM may itself be forced to declare bankruptcy.[18]

File:1101060130 400.jpg
Time Magazine covers the auto industry with Ford's chairman and CEO William Clay Ford, Jr. and its new greener line of automobiles.

In more recent years, there has been a demand on the auto inustry to create "greener" automobilbes. The price of gasoline combined with better fuel economy from [Japan]] and Europe's has seen a growth in the development of hybrid technolgies. In the January 30, 2006 issue of Time Magazine, William Clay Ford, Jr. stated the company will dramatically increase production of its hybrid gas-electric models, promising to produce 250,000 a year by 2010, a tenfold increase from last year's output. "The old way of doing things doesn't work," Ford says. "Is [this] risky? Of course it's risky. But I tell you what: Going the way we were going is the highest risk of all."[19] The company is also promoting the use of existing technologies to equip vehicles with E85 fuel, a mix of 85% corn ethanol and gasoline.

Ford's larger competitor, General Motors, has made a hajor investment in hydrogen equipped Fuel cells.[20] Automaker Chrysler iss focusing much of its research and development into bio-diesel.[21]

Including the Big Three, there are seventeen Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Metro Detroit, including Borders Books and Music, Comerica, Federal-Mogul, Kelly Services, and Lear Corporation.[22] Detroit is home to Compuware and the national pizza chain Little Caesars. Other major industries include advertising, medical services, chemicals, and computer software. Casino gambling also plays a major role in the city's economy, as Detroit is currently the largest city in the United States to have legalized gaming.[23] The city is home to three casinos, a number limited by state law.

Government and politics

See also: List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan

With a charter adopted on July 1, 1974, the city is run by the mayor and city council, the latter being full-time legislators elected at-large on a nonpartisan ballot. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayors not requiring council approval of departmental appointments. Although the council approves budgets, the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking of funds. City ordinances must be approved by the council as well as larger contracts. Municipal elections for mayor, city council and city clerk are held every year congruent to 1 modulo 4 (meaning 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009).[24]

File:Mayorkwame.jpg
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Detroit consistently supports the Democratic Party in local and national elections. Elected first in 2001, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, son of Democratic congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, has been dubbed as "America's hip-hop mayor" because of his fondness for youth culture, flashy dress (fur coat) and a diamond stud earring as well as his sponsorship of a "hip-hop" summit.[25] Since taking office, the mayor has been dogged by accusations of personal and financial impropriety. The mayor denied accusations of wrongdoing and in 2005 was re-elected to a second four-year term.

Suburb baiting is a common feature in Detroit politics. In his inaugural address, former Mayor Coleman Young told the the city's criminals to "hit Eight Mile Road" (the most prominent dividing line between Detroit and neighboring communities) and move to the suburbs. When the Mayor Kilpatrick found himself behind in the polls prior to the 2005 election, his campaign tried to draw attention to his opponent's support in the suburbs. "In Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills and all these places, they do more meth, they do more Ecstasy and they do more acid than all the schools in the city of Detroit put together," said Kilpatrick while debating his opponent, Freeman Hendrix.[26]

Detroit has several sister cities, including Chongqing (People's Republic of China), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Kitwe (Zambia), Minsk (Belarus), Nassau, Bahamas, Toyota (Japan), and Turin (Italy).[27]

Courts

William Woodbridge of Detroit, the first justice appointed to Michigan's territorial Supreme Court.

Detroit's courts are all state-administered and elections are nonpartisan. The Circuit and Probate Courts for Wayne County is located downtown in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (formerly the "City-County Building"). Circuit and probate judges are elected county-wide, with circuit judges handling all cases where more than $25,000 is in dispute, felonies, divorce/custody actions, and matters of general equitable jurisdictions. Probate Court is responsible for estate administration, guardianships and conservatorships for the disabled and minors, juvenile delinquency and neglect proceedings, as well as the divorce/family court docket, which is run jointly with the Circuit Court.[28] Prior to court reorganization in the late 1990s, the city had a separate criminal court called Recorders Court, located at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice across from police headquarters. Judges for the Recorders Court were elected city-wide. The criminal division of the circuit court is still located at the Frank Murphy building.[29]

The 36th District Court is located on Madison Avenue and handles civil disputes where less than $25,000 is in dispute, landlord-tenant matters, misdemeanors, and preliminary examinations of criminal defendants charged with felonies prior to being bound over to circuit court. The 36th District Court incorporated the city's common pleas, traffic court, and misdemeanor prosecutions that were previously handled in Recorders Court.[30]

In addition to the above trial courts, Detroit also hosts the 1st District of the Michigan Court of Appeals' offices, located in the New Center area in what once was the General Motors headquarters building. Also, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is also based in Detroit. The main offices are located in the Theodore Levin Courthouse building on Fort Street in Downtown Detroit.[31] Various judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit also have offices in the Levin courthouse.

Taxes and revenue

In addition to property tax, the city levies an income tax of 2.65% on residents, 1.325% on non-residents, and 1.6% on corporations. Revenue is also obtained from utility taxes, room taxes on hotels and from the Detroit-owned Water and Sewer Department which operates most of the fresh water and wastewater treatment facilities within the metropolitan area. For several years, Detroit has been fighting off legislative efforts to effectively turn control of the sewer and water system to the suburbs.[32]

The city has recently been cutting its workforce and closing operations to avoid state-ordered receivership.[33]

Crime

2004 Crime Statistics[34]
Crime Number per 100,000
Homicide 384 43
Rape 714 81
Robbery 5,452 611
Assault 9,356 1,049
Burglary 12,202 1,368
Larceny 20,640 2,314
Auto Theft 24,573 2,755
TOTAL 73,326 8,220

Despite improvement thoughout recent years, Detroit's crime figures are often among the highest in the U.S. The city is currently listed as the most dangerous city with more than 500,000 by the Morgan Quitno's statistics,[35] but comes after Camden, New Jersey. Detroit is consistently in the top five for homicide rates, and was third in 2004, with a murder rate of 42.1 per 100,000. Detroit murders peaked at 714 in 1974, though the highest murder rate was recorded in 1991, when there were 615 homicides and the city's population was just over a million. This factored into a rate of around 60 murders per 100,000. Preceding murder totals are 395 in 2000, 396 in 2001, 402 in 2002, 361 (which was the lowest count in recent years) in 2003, and a slight jump to 384 in 2004. Many of these problems are blamed on the widespread middle-class flight (which has contributed greatly to urban decay), poverty, de facto segregation of the region, and unemployment. In 2005, there were 374 murders in Detroit.[36]

An analysis of crime in downtown Detroit by the Michigan Metropolitan Information Center at Wayne State University found crime rates in the central city lower than rates for the entire nation, state and other large Michigan metro areas — and improving. Detroit also includes middle-class neighborhoods in which crime is less prevalent than in impoverished areas. Many predominantly white suburbs (though some include sizable African-American and Asian minorities) that boast much higher household income levels than Detroit are among the 25 safest cities in the United States with a population of 75,000 or above.[37]

I issue a warning to all dope pushers, rip-off artists, and muggers. It's time to leave Detroit—hit the road. Hit Eight Mile Road.

Coleman A. Young, 1974 Inaugural Address

The city has faced hundreds of arsons, often in the city's many abandoned homes, each year on Devil's Night, the evening before Halloween. The Angel's Night campaign, launched in the late 1990s, draws tens of thousands of volunteers to patrol the streets during Halloween week. The effort has reduced arson: there were 810 fires set in 1984 and this was reduced to 142 in 1996.[38] In 2004, following scandals and legal decisions, a court-ordered reorganization of the Detroit Police Department was implemented under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[39]

Education

Primary and secondary education

Main article: Detroit Public Schools
File:Detroitlogo.jpg
The current Detroit Public Schools logo.

The city is served by the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) district, various charter schools, and private schools, with the Archdiocese of Detroit running parochial Catholic schools.[40] DPS has 220 schools: 147 elementary, 31 middle, 28 high schools, 10 adult education centers, and 4 vocational schools. Due to rapidly declining enrollment, Detroit Public Schools has projected closing 95 schools by 2009.[41] Detroit Public Schools has closed 29 schools,[42] and the state mandated deficit reduction plan calls for the closure of a total of 110 schools.[43]

In the early 1970s, the federal courts ordered busing to desegregate the system, which helped to accelerate the white flight that had been on-going within the city.[44] As of 2004, Detroit schools were 91% African-American.[45]

In the mid to late 1990s, the Michigan Legislature removed the locally elected board of education amid allegations of mismanagement and replaced it with a reform board appointed by the mayor and governor. The elected board of education returned following a city referendum in 2005. The first election of the new eleven member board of education occurred on November 8, 2005.[46]

Higher education

Detroit has several universities and colleges within its borders. Wayne State University is an internationally renowned university with medical and law schools. Other institutes of higher education are College for Creative Studies, Lewis College of Business, Marygrove College, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne County Community College. The Detroit College of Law, now affiliated with Michigan State University, was founded in the city in 1891 and remained there until 1997, when it relocated to East Lansing. Detroit was once the home of the University of Michigan, which was founded in Detroit in 1817 but later moved to Ann Arbor in 1837.

Culture

Music and performing arts

The Fisher Building, located in the City's New Center area, home to the Fisher Theatre.
Main article: Music of Detroit

Music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s. The metropolitan area boasts two of the top live music venues in the U.S. DTE Energy Music Theatre (formerly Pine Knob) was the most attended summer venue in the U.S. in 2005 for the fifteenth consecutive year, while The Palace of Auburn Hills ranked twelfth, according to music industry source Pollstar.[47] Detroit is home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Opera House. Major theaters include the Fox Theatre, Masonic Temple Theatre and the Fisher Theatre.

File:Motown.jpg
The Logo for the Motown Records label, founded in Detroit.

Through the 1950's Detroit was one of America's most important jazz centers and major jazz stars of the era often came to Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood to perform.[48] One of the highlights of Detroit's musical history was the success of Motown Records during the 1960s and early 1970s. The label was founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Jr. and was home to some of the most popular recording acts in the world including Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross & the Supremes. Also during the late 1960s, Detroiter Aretha Franklin became America's preeminent female soul artist, recording on the competing Atlantic Records label.

In the late 1960s, Metro Detroit also spawned a high-energy rock scene with (MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges), the precursors of the punk rock movement. Rock acts from southeast Michigan that enjoyed success in the 1970s were Bob Seger, Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes, Alice Cooper, The Romantics and Grand Funk Railroad as well as recent acts Kid Rock, The White Stripes, and The Von Bondies. The Detroit area is also generally accepted as the birthplace of the Techno movement, which has grown from local radio and clubs to dance venues worldwide. Detroit is more recently home to many hip-hop artists such as Aaliyah, Eminem, Royce Da 5'9" Teairra Mari, Obie Trice,Trick Trick, D-12, Rock Bottom, Street Lord'z and the late Blade Icewood, Slum Village.

Food & events

A view looking south down Brush Street at the Renaissance Center (rear left) and the Wayne County Building (right). The giant decal on the Renaissance Center was installed for the 2005 MLB All-Star Game. It is 4,612 feet (1,375 m) from the home plate in Comerica Park to the main tower of the Renaissance Center.

Detroit has three major events that are associated with the automobile industry: the North American International Auto Show (January), Society of Automotive Engineers world congress (April) and the Woodward Dream Cruise (August). Annual music events in the city include the DEMF/Movement/Fuse-In electronic music festival (May), Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival (September), and the Concert of Colors, a diverse summer music festival.

The Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival features a fireworks display over the Detroit River and coincides with U.S. Independence day (July 4) and Canada Day (July 1). The Comerica Tastefest (July), Detroit Thunder Fest hydroplane race (July), Detroit Fashion Week happen in August. The America's Thanksgiving Parade, previously names the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade, is one of the nation's largest and has been held continuously since 1924.[49]

The day before Ash Wednesday, or the festival of Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, is more frequently celebrated locally as "Pączki Day" by the large Polish population. Many Metro Detroiters join in the festivity by indulging in jelly-filled donuts called pączkis.[50]

Founded in 1907 by two Russian immigrant brothers in Detroit, Faygo soda (universally referred to as "pop" in the Detroit area) remains a Detroit tradition. Detroit was also the birthplace of Vernors ginger ale, the longest-surviving soft drink in the United States, Better Made potato chips and the Coney Island restaurant.[51]

Media

File:Cobranded top logo.gif
Detroit News and Free Press logos

The major daily newspapers serving Detroit are The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News, both broadsheet publications that are published together under a joint operating agreement. Other Detroit publications are The Metro Times and Crain's Detroit Business, both weekly tabloids. Detroit is also home to the weekly Michigan Chronicle, the state's largest African American owned newspaper, and the Michigan Citizen, another publication that targets African American readers.

The Detroit television market is the eleventh largest in the United States.[52] Broadcast channels in Detroit include WJBK (Fox), WDIV-TV (NBC), WXYZ (ABC), and WWJ-TV (CBS). Other Metro Detroit television stations include WDWB (The WB), WKBD-TV (UPN), WPXD-TV (Pax TV) and WADL-TV (primarily broadcasting infomercials). WTVS is the city's PBS station. Detroiters also receive broadcasts from CBET channel 9, the CBC Television affiliate in Windsor. Depending on location, some viewers can also receive the TVOntario, CTV, Global, A-Channel, Citytv, and SRC networks as well as stations in Toledo, Ohio, Flint, Bay City, and Midland. Comcast has the one cable franchise so far granted by the city.

Detroit is also served by a variety of radio stations. The primary AM stations are WJR 760 (news-talk), WWJ 950 (news), CKLW (Canadian general talk) and WDFN 1130 (sports). Several FM stations include WNIC 100.3 (mix-genre), 101.1 WRIF (Rock), WJLB 97.9 (urban contemporary), WMXD (urban adult contemporary), and WOMC 104.3 (oldies). WDET 101.9 is the city's NPR station. WUOM 91.7 and WEMU 89.1 are also regional NPR affiliates. Windsor radio stations CIMX 88.7 and CBC 89.9 can also be heard in the Detroit area.

In the 1960s, before widespread rock music exposure in national media, Detroit-area radio stations (especially CKLW with its powerful signal) were instrumental in propelling many musical acts to national stardom.[53]

Sites of interest

Front of the Detroit Institute of Art located in the Cultural Center

The Detroit Institute of Arts, located in the "Cultural Center near Wayne State University]], houses the works of Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh. The Cultural Center also has the Detroit Historical Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit Science Center, and the main branch of the Detroit Public Library. Other cultural highlights include the Motown Historical Museum, Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Historic Fort Wayne (Detroit), Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and the Belle Isle Conservatory.

Major parks include Belle Isle (the largest island park within a U.S. city), Palmer, River Rouge, Chene and Campus Martius Parks. Hart Plaza, located between the Renaissance Center and Cobo Hall on the riverfront, is the site of many events and various music festivals. Other city recreational facilities include municipal golf courses (William Rogell, Rouge, Belle Isle, Palmer Park), Northwest Activities Center, Detroit Zoo, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, and the Belle Isle Aquarium. The aquarium and zoo on Belle Isle are closed due to city budget cuts.[54] The J.W. Westcott II, the world's only floating post office that delivers to freighters on the Detroit River.[55]

The most important civic sculpture in Detroit is the "Spirit of Detroit" which, when it was installed in 1958, was the largest cast sculpture made since the Renaissance. The sixteen foot (4 m) tall bronze kneeling man holds a golden orb in one hand and a golden family in the other. The image is often used as a symbol of Detroit and the statue itself is occasionally dressed in sports jerseys to celebrate when a Detroit team is doing well.[56] A memorial to Joe Louis at the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward Avenues was dedicated on October 16, 1986. The sculpture, commissioned by Sports Illustrated and executed by Robert Graham, is a 24 foot (7.3 m) long arm with a fisted hand suspended by a pyramidal framework.[57]

Sports

See also: U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

Like many blue collar cities, Detroit is known for its avid fans, particularly hockey and basketball. Detroit is home to professional teams representing the four major sports in North America. All but two play within the city of Detroit (basketball's Detroit Pistons and Detroit Shock play in suburban Auburn Hills). There are three active major sports venues in the city: Comerica Park for baseball, Ford Field for football, and Joe Louis Arena for ice hockey.

Club Sport League Stadium Logo
Detroit Tigers Baseball MLB Comerica Park Detroit Tigers logo
Detroit Lions Football NFL Ford Field Detroit Lions logo
Detroit Pistons Basketball NBA The Palace of Auburn Hills Detroit Pistons logo
Detroit Red Wings Ice Hockey NHL Joe Louis Arena Detroit Red Wings logo
Detroit Shock Basketball WNBA The Palace of Auburn Hills Detroit Shock logo
Detroit Seminoles Football MCFL Various Detroit Seminoles logo
Detroit Ignition Soccer MISL The Compuware Sports Arena DetroitIgnition.logo

In college sports, the University of Detroit Mercy has a NCAA Division I program, and Wayne State University has both NCAA Division I and II programs. The NCAA football Motor City Bowl is held at Ford Field each December.

Interior of Joe Louis Arena.

Detroit is home to the Flagstar Bank/Detroit International Marathon, the world's only race that twice crosses international borders.[58] Since 1904, the city has home to the American Power Boat Association Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane boat race, held annually on the Detroit River near Belle Isle.[59].

Detroit was also the former home of a round of the Formula One World Championship, which held a race on the streets of downtown Detroit from 1982 until 1988, after which the sanction moved from Formula One to Indycars. CART continued downtown until 1992, when the race was moved to another temporary course on Belle Isle where the race remained until its final run in 2001.[60]

Comerica Park hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game on July 12, 2005, and Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. A world record was set on December 13, 2003, when the largest crowd in basketball history (78,129) packed Ford Field to watch the University of Kentucky defeat Michigan State University, 79–74.[61] Ford Field will host the 2009 NCAA men's basketball Final Four and the 2010 NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four.[62]

Infrastructure

Medicine

Detroit is home to three major medical systems: the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, and the St. John Hospitals. The Detroit Medical Center consists of Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Harper University Hospital, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, and the Karmanos Cancer Institute. It is staffed by physicians from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, which is the largest single-campus medical school in the United States.[63]

Transportation

File:800px-Eight Mile Road-fixed.jpg
Exit onto 8 Mile Road from I-94, with 8 Mile being the city's northern border

Because of its proximity to Canada, industrial facilities, major highways, rail connections and international airport, Detroit has been an important transportation hub. There are three international border crossings at the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Some 35% of U.S. trade with Canada comes through Detroit.[1] The Ambassador Bridge alone is the nation's busiest border crossing, carrying 25% of the total trade between the United States and Canada.[2]

Detroit is the crossroads for three Interstate Highways: I-94 (Edsel Ford Freeway), I-96 (Jeffries Freeway) and I-75 (Fisher and Chrysler Freeways). I-696 (Walter Reuther Freeway) serves the northern suburbs, while I-275 serves the western suburbs and I-375 is a short extension of the Chrysler Freeway. Other major routes are the John C. Lodge Freeway (M-10), the Southfield Freeway (M-39) and the Davison Freeway (M-8).

Colorful Light Tunnel at Detroit's DTW airport.

Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET), previously called Detroit City Airport, is on Detroit's northeast side.[3] Although Southwest Airlines once flew from the airport, there is currently no commercial passenger service.[4] Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), the area's principal airport, is located in nearby Romulus and is a hub for Northwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines. Willow Run Airport, in western Wayne and eastern Washtenaw counties near Ypsilanti is a general aviation and cargo airport. Willow Run served as the primary manufacturing center for the B-24 Liberator during World War II. This and other area industries led to Detroit's WWII nickname as the Arsenal of Democracy.[5]

File:Smartlogo.jpg
SMART Bus logo

Mass transit within the city functions within two separate spheres of influence. Bus services within the city are provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), which terminates at the suburbs' edges. Service in the suburbs is provided by Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART). Although SMART buses pick up passengers within Detroit, it cannot drop them off due to the exclusive jurisdiction the DDOT has over these routes. Combining the systems has been problematic and tainted by the racial politics that has affected all aspects of city-suburban relationships.[6] An automated guideway transit system known as the People Mover provides a 2.9 mile (4.6 km) loop in the downtown area and usually operates daily.[7]

The city is also served by Amtrak with the current rail facility north of downtown via the Wolverine train. This replaced the still standing but neglected Michigan Central Station. The station was vacated in 1988. Warren & Wetmore — who designed Grand Central Terminal in New York City — built and opened the facility in 1913.[8]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Patricia Zacharias 'I have to die a man or live a coward' -- the saga of Dr. Ossian Sweet. Detroit News.
  2. ^ Detroit's 'great warrior,' Coleman Young, dies (November 29, 1997). CNN.com.
  3. ^ Wild Kingdom. Detroit Blog. Accessed March 8, 2006.
  4. ^ Comerica Park has what Tiger Stadium didn't — in many ways. The Detroit News
  5. ^ Ford Field. Detroit Lions.
  6. ^ Zacharias, Patricia (2001). The ghostly salt city beneath Detroit. The Detroit News.
  7. ^ History of Eastern Market. Eastern Market Mechant's Association (accessed March 8, 2006).
  8. ^ Detroit Weather & Climate (2006). Michigan Vacations (accessed April 20, 2006).
  9. ^ Monthly Averages for Detroit, MI (2006). Weather.com (accessed April 20, 2006).
  10. ^ Records and Averages - Detroit (2006). Yahoo! Weather (accessed April 20, 2006).
  11. ^ Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990 (June 1998). U.S. Bureau of the Census.
  12. ^ Race Relations & Cultural Collaboration. New Detroit. Accessed March 8, 2006.
  13. ^ Judy Lin. Party store crackdown creates rift (February 16, 2006). Detroit News, reprinted in Chaldean Chat
  14. ^ Sharon Gittleman (1/12/06) Gay 'brain drain'. Pridesource.com
  15. ^ Literacy Volunteers of America-Detroit. United Way for Southeastern Michigan
  16. ^ Meeting on Supporting the Role of Fathers in Families - Statement of Travis Ballard (November 27, 1995). National Congress for Fathers and Children
  17. ^ Flint, Jerry (9-9-1996). Can Detroit Weather a Downturn?. Forbes, found at faculty.ncwc.edu/denders/eng112/sample_summary.htm.
  18. ^ Isidore, Chris (10-11-2006). Will GM follow Delphi into bankruptcy?. CNNMoney.com.
  19. ^ Dorinda Elliott (1/30/06). "Can This Man Save The American Auto Industry?" Time Magazine.
  20. ^ David Kiley (6/13/2001). GM buys stake in firm tapping hydrogen power. USA Today.
  21. ^ PRNewswire (3/22/06). Diesel Jeep Liberty Sales Double Expectations Yahoo News.
  22. ^ Fortune 500 (2006). CNNMoney.com.
  23. ^ Mike Brunker (3/12/99) Detroit bets big on downtown casinos. MSNBC.
  24. ^ Ward, George E. (July 1993). Detroit Charter Revision - A Brief History. Citizens Research Council of Michigan (pdf file).
  25. ^ Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Announces Hip-Hop Summit for April 26 In Partnership With HSAN, NAACP, Clear Channel (April 18, 2003). ForRelease.com.
  26. ^ Mayor rekindles tensions between Detroit and suburbs (9-19-2005). USA Today.
  27. ^ Online Directory: Michigan, USA (2006). Sister Cities International.
  28. ^ Wayne County Court System (2004). Wayne County, Michigan website.
  29. ^ Bowerman, Bill Court Reorganization and Recent Litigation (January/February 1998). State Notes at www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa/Publications/Notes/1998Notes/Jafe98bb.html.
  30. ^ Michigan's 36th District Court at www.36thdistrictcourt.org.
  31. ^ Mason, Philip (October 1995). Naming of the Court House in Detroit after Theodore Levin. The Ragens at www.theragens.com/history/.
  32. ^ Wisely, John (10-25-2005). Suburbs ramp up water system fight. The Detroit News.
  33. ^ Lin, Judy (4-28-2005). Detroit triggers loan limit. The Detroit News.
  34. ^ Detroit Crime Barometer (October 2005). Wayne State University.
  35. ^ City Crime Rankings by Population Group (2006). Morgan Quitno at www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#500,000+.
  36. ^ Broken Detroit - Death of a City Block (6-17-2001). The Detroit News.
  37. ^ Martindale, Mike (10-18-2005). Farmington Hills crime down. The Detroit News.
  38. ^ Urban Community Intervention to Prevent Halloween Arson - Detroit, Michigan, 1985-1996 (4-11-1997). CDC Wonder at aepo-xdv-www.epo.cdc.gov/wonder/prevguid/m0047208/m0047208.asp.
  39. ^ Quarterly Status Report to the Independent Federal Monitor. Detroit Police Department
  40. ^ Kozlowski, Kim (2-27-2005). Catholic schools fight to keep doors open. The Detroit News.
  41. ^ MacDonald, Christine (11-23-2005). Detroit schools down by 10,000. The Detroit News.
  42. ^ MacDonald, Christine (3-17-2006). Detroit schools lose 11,500 kids at a cost of $63M. The Detroit News.
  43. ^ Bukowski, Diane (2006). Where did the first billion go?. The Michigan Citizen.
  44. ^ Wolfe, Alan (6-21-1998). Enough Blame to Go Around. The New York Times, through the Manhattan Institute at www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_nyt-enough_blame.htm
  45. ^ Detroit Public Schools.
  46. ^ LewAllen, Dave (8-3-2005). Detroiters Vote for New School Board. WXYZ.com.
  47. ^ DTE Energy Music Theatre Listed as 2004 Top Attended Amphitheatre (1/25/05. DTE Energy Music Theatre.
  48. ^ Herb Boyd (9/17/97) Cookin' in the Motor City. The Metro Times.
  49. ^ Everyone Loves a Parade. The Parade Company.
  50. ^ Robert Strybel (2/5/01). Polish fast food in America?. polartcenter.com.
  51. ^ Kim Silarski (5/22/03).Insider Tips. USA Today.
  52. ^ Nielsen Media Research Local Universe Estimates (9/24/05) The Nielson Company.
  53. ^ Introduction to The Classic CKLW Page. Thebig8.net.
  54. ^ City of Detroit Budget Cuts Lead to Closure of 101 Year Old Belle Isle Aquarium (1/14/05). Detroit Zoological Association.
  55. ^ America's Floating ZIP Code 48222 J.W. Wescott Homepage.
  56. ^ Vivian M. Baulch (1998). Marshall Fredericks -- the Spirit of Detroit. The Detroit News.
  57. ^ Sarah Karush, The Associated Press (2/23/04). Police arrest two men suspected of vandalizing Joe Louis statue. USA Today.
  58. ^ Course Information. Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon.
  59. ^ History. The Detroit APBA Gold Cup
  60. ^ Track History. CART.
  61. ^ History. FordField.com.
  62. ^ Frozen Four Dates and Sites (6/23/05). National Collegiate Athletic Association.
  63. ^ Webpage: About the School. Wayne State University School of Medicine (accessed April 20, 2006).

Further reading

  • Burton, Clarence M (1896). Cadillac's Village: A History of the Settlement, 1701-1710 Detroit Society for Genealogical Research. ISBN 0943112214
  • Burton, Clarence M (1912). Early Detroit: A sketch of some of the interesting affairs of the olden time Burton Abstracts. ASIN B00085GX94.
  • Chafets, Zev (1990). Devil's Night: And Other True Tales of Detroit. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 0394585259.
  • Farley, Reynolds; et al. (2002). Detroit Divided. Russell Sage Foundation Publications. ISBN 0871542811. {{cite book}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)
  • Peter Gavrilovich and Bill McGraw (2000). The Detroit Almanac. Detroit Free Press. ISBN 0937247340.
  • Powell, L. P (1901). "Detroit, the Queen City," Historic Towns of the Western States (New York).
  • Farmer, Silas (1889). History of Detroit and Wayne County and Early Michigan Omnigraphics Inc; Reprint edition (October 1998). ISBN 1558889914
  • Parkman, Francis (1994). The Conspiracy of Pontiac. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803287372.
  • Poremba, David Lee (2003). Detroit: A Motor City History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738524352.
  • Sugrue, Thomas J (1998). The Origins of the Urban Crisis. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691058881.

Municipal government and local Chamber of Commerce

Visitor's Guide

Historical research

Current events

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