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This article refers to the largest city of Michigan. For other places with this name, see Detroit (disambiguation).
Detroit, Michigan
  File:Detroit Seal.gif
Seal of Detroit
File:Detroitonmap.jpg
County Wayne County, Michigan
Area
 - Total
 - Water
370.2 km² (142.9 mi²)
10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) 2.92%
Population

 - City (2000)
- Metropolitan
 - Density


951,270
4,484,140
2646.7/km²

Time zone Eastern: UTC-5

Latitude
Longitude

42°23' N
83°05' W

City of Detroit Official Website
Detroit skyline

Detroit is a city located in Wayne County in the state of Michigan, in the Midwest region of the United States. Established in 1701 by French traders, today it is best known as the world's automotive center and an important music capital -- legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, Motor City and Motown.

Population in 2003 was 911,000, according to U.S. Census estimates, making Detroit the 10th largest U.S. city.[1] That is down from the 2000 census number of 951,270, continuing a decades-long population slide within the city limits. (Population peaked at nearly 2 million during the 1950s.) Steady growth continues, however, in Metro Detroit, the eighth most populous metropolitan area in the United States, with 5.5 million people.

Long a symbol of Rust Belt urban blight, Detroit has endured a painful decline over several decades. As population plummeted, particularly following the 1967 race riot that spurred many residents to leave for the suburbs, large numbers of buildings and homes were abandoned, remaining for years in states of decay. The city's crime rate led the nation. During recent urban renewal, several abandoned skyscrapers and large buildings were demolished or renovated, large numbers of old houses were torn down for new housing developments and an expedited procedure was established to remove abandoned homes near schools. Large numbers of abandoned buildings still remain in numerous blighted areas. While Detroit's rate of violent and property crime has fallen recently, the numbers are still among the highest in the country as is the murder rate, which is inextricably tied to the city's drug trade.

History

Main article: History of Detroit, Michigan
File:DSCN4750 sieurdecadillaclanding e.jpg
Statue of Cadillac commemorating his 1701 landing along the Detroit River
  • 1701 - On July 24, Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac, with his lieutenant Alphonse de Tonty and a company of 100 men, established a trading post on the Detroit River under orders from the French King Louis XIV. They named it Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit at the present site of Detroit, in homage to the Count of Pontchartrain, the Royal Minister of Marine.
  • 1701 - Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church was the first building built in Detroit, started within two days of Cadillac's landing.
  • 1760 - Major Robert Rogers and a group of his Roger's Rangers took formal command of Fort Detroit in the name of Great Britain after the French defeat in the French and Indian War.
  • 1763 - Chief Pontiac besieged Detroit during Pontiac's Rebellion.
  • 1796 - American control over Detroit was established, 13 years after it was assigned by treaty to the United States at the end of the American Revolutionary War.
  • 1802 - February 1, the Town of Detroit is incorporated by the territorial legislature.
  • 1805 - On June 11, a fire burned virtually the entire city. The city's motto: Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus, "We hope for better things, it will rise from the ashes," dates from this event.
  • 1806 - September 13, the City of Detroit is incorporated by the territorial governing council.
  • 1809 - February 24, the territorial governing council repeals the 1806 incorporation of the city.
  • 1812 - On August 16, Detroit surrendered without firing a shot to British army under General Isaac Brock in the War of 1812.
  • 1813 - September: British retreated from Detroit, which served as a base for the invasion of Canada.
  • 1815 - October 24, the territorial governing council enacts the charter for the City of Detroit to be governed by a five-person board of trustees.
  • 1824 - August 5, the newly formed territorial legislature reorganizes city government, creating the Common Council and office of mayor.
  • 1837 - Detroit became capital of the State of Michigan (until 1847).
  • 1837 - 1838 Small bands of self-proclaimed "Patriots", some operating from Detroit, invaded Canada in the Patriot War.
  • 1863 - Anti-draft and race riot in Detroit.
  • 1890 - Reforming mayor Hazen Pingree established vegetable gardens for the poor, which came to be called Pingree's Potato Patches.
  • 1903 - Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in Detroit.
  • 1929 - Ambassador Bridge construction completed.
  • 1930 - Detroit-Windsor Tunnel construction completed.
  • 1943 - A race riot, spurred by competition among black and white residents for wartime factory jobs, resulted in 34 deaths.
  • 1950 - Detroit's population reached its height at 1.85 million.
  • 1962 - Jerome Cavanagh was elected mayor, and launched a series of reforms.
  • 1963 - Great March to Freedom.
  • 1967 - On July 23 the 12th Street Riot, one of the worst riots in United States history, began on 12th Street in the predominantly African American inner city (43 killed, 342 injured and 1,400 buildings burned).
  • 1968 - "Focus: Hope" project was founded by Fr. William Cunningham.
  • 1973 - Coleman Young was elected Detroit's first black mayor -- a position he would hold for 20 years.
  • 1987 - Pope John Paul II visits Detroit.
  • 1992 - On November 5, black motorist Malice Green was beaten to death by policemen Larry Nevers and Walter Budzyn during a struggle. The officers were later convicted and sentenced to prison.
  • 1996 - In November, Michigan voters voted to allow the operation of three casinos in the City of Detroit.
  • 1999 - The Detroit Tigers played their final baseball game in classic Tiger Stadium, which had opened in 1912. The team relocated to the new Comerica Park downtown in 2000. The status of Tiger Stadium remains uncertain.
  • 2002 - The Detroit Lions football team began play in the new, state-of-the-art Ford Field, returning to downtown Detroit after 27 years in suburban Pontiac.

Geography

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

Detroit is located on the north bank of the Detroit River, in southeastern Michigan. It lies north of Windsor, Ontario, leading to the saying in Detroit that Canadians are "our neighbor to the south". Two border crossings exist: the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. A railroad tunnel also connects the two countries.

Located along the Detroit River between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair -- "détroit" is French for "strait" -- the city is the seat of Wayne County and the center of a tri-county industrial zone, one of the most significant in the American Rust Belt. As such, "Detroit" is sometimes used as shorthand for the Metro Detroit region and some residents in areas surrounding the city will describe themselves to outsiders as "Detroiters."

Detroit completely encircles the cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 370.2 km² (142.9 mi²). 359.4 km² (138.8 mi²) of it is land and 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 2.92% water.

In the satellite photograph, the two large bodies of water are Lake St. Clair (northernmost) and Lake Erie. Also notice the three systems of roads: the oldest French roads running perpendicular to the river, radial roads from a Washington, D.C.-inspired system and true north-south roads from the Northwest Ordinance township system.

Detroit sits atop a large salt mine[2].

Culture

Detroit is renowned for its musical heritage, a long and rich history that includes Motown Records, which produced such hometown stars as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations and the Four Tops. Detroit is also often regarded as the quintessential rock 'n roll town. In both attendance and revenue, suburban concert houses such as Pine Knob (now DTE Energy Music Theatre) and the Palace of Auburn Hills consistently outpace venues in larger cities. The area's famously avid rock fans have been celebrated in film and in song (e.g., Kiss' "Detroit Rock City"), and bands undertaking live albums often opt to record in front of Detroit's dependably enthusiastic crowds.

Detroit's influence on popular music cannot be overstated. Contemporary pop artists such as Eminem, Kid Rock and the White Stripes are part of a long lineage of Detroit stars that includes Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, George Clinton and Mitch Ryder. The MC5 is often credited for laying the foundation of heavy metal, the Stooges are considered the godfathers of punk rock, and Detroit was the birthplace of techno music in the mid-1980s.

Within the entertainment industry, Detroit has been widely regarded as perhaps the country's strongest per-capita market, particularly in live music and theater. In 2003, as in most previous years, DTE (formerly Pine Knob) near Clarkston was the No. 1 summer concert venue in the United States in both attendance and box-office gross, according to Pollstar and Billboard magazines. Sister arena The Palace of Auburn Hills typically ranks in the top three, often ahead of such high-profile venues as New York's Madison Square Garden. Music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s, and both the city and suburbs are teeming with live-music clubs and bars.

In recent years, Detroit has assumed a kind of gritty, hip cachet around the world, thanks largely to such modern ambassadors as the White Stripes, techno music, Eminem and the film "8 Mile", along with the nostalgic revival for '60s rock acts the Stooges and MC5. Sales of Detroit fashions and memorabilia have surged, with brands such as Made in Detroit[3] and Pure Detroit[4] enjoying overseas success. International documentarians, particularly British and French, have increasingly trained their cameras on Detroit, exploring the city's cultural heritage and playing up its status as a working-class creative hotbed. [5]

File:DSCN4745 detroitofficebuildings e.jpg
Downtown Detroit contains an eclectic architectural mix of styles from the 1920s intermixed with more modern structures

The Detroit Institute of Arts is considered to house one of the most prominent American collections outside New York, and features showcase pieces by Diego Rivera, Picasso and Van Gogh along with such Detroit artists as Charles McGee.

Detroit is home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Opera House. Major theaters include the Fox Theater, Masonic Temple Theater, Fisher Theater, State Theater, the Music Hall, and the Detroit Repertory Theatre.

Major parks include Belle Isle, Palmer Park, Rouge Park, Chene Park and Campus Martius Park. Other city recreational facilities include municipal golf courses (William Rogell, Rouge, Belle Isle, Palmer Park), Northwest Activities Center, Detroit Zoo, Belle Isle Zoo, Belle Isle Aquarium.

Other cultural centers include the Motown Historical Museum, Detroit Historical Museum, Museum of African American History, Detroit Science Center, Tuskegee Airmen Museum, Historic Fort Wayne, Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the Belle Isle Conservatory.

A memorial to Joe Louis was dedicated (at Jefferson Avenue & Woodward) on October 16, 1986. The scupture, commissioned by Time, Inc. and executed by Robert Graham, is a 24-foot long arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot high pyramidal framework. In 2004 a two men, including a local parks commissioner, defaced the monument with white paint and were sentenced to jail time.

Folklore

Detroit is said to be home to the Nain Rouge, the red dwarf who is said to both attack people and more importantly be a harbinger of doom for the city.

File:Detroit-Griswold st.jpg
Griswold Street on a cloudy December day.

Neighborhoods

Current and historic neighborhoods in Detroit include: Black Bottom, Corktown, Chaldean Town, Mexicantown, Poletown, Greektown, Indian Village, New Center, Old Redford, Palmer Woods, Rosedale Park, Warrendale, Springwells, and Del Ray.

External link: 106 neighborhoods in Detroit

Demographics

Detroit's population more than doubled during the first half of the 20th century, thanks largely to a massive influx of Southern migrants -- both white and black -- who came to the area for the burgeoning automobile industry jobs. Metro Detroit residents with Southern blood possibly comprise a majority of the region's population; they most certainly do in suburban sectors such as Downriver and Macomb County, where newcomers established communities upon their arrival. Traces of the Southern accent can still be heard in these areas, mingling with the more nasal Midwest accent to create a distinctive pattern of speech.

Around Detroit, the old French influence is found prominently in place names ("Gratiot," "Beaubien," "Lafayette"), but there are only a few genealogical traces of those early settlers among contemporary Detroiters.

Detroit's ethnic communities are largely the descendants of those Poles, Irish and Greeks who made their way to the city from New York in the early 20th century. Detroit is home to a large Arab American population and surburban Dearborn is home to the country's largest concentration of Arab Americans.

While less prevalent than in the 1970s and 1980s, perceptions of racial segregation continue to provoke criticism and soul-searching in the Detroit area. 8 Mile Road, the boundary between the city and suburban Oakland County, is more than a line on a map; it is often held up by politicians and sociologists as a symbolic dividing wall between blacks and whites. On the east side, the aptly (if unintentionally) named Alter Road separates Detroit from affluent Grosse Pointe. Detroit is more than four-fifths African-American, while nearby Livonia (pop. 100,545) has been described in news reports as "the whitest American city" since the 2000 census showed its population to be 97 percent white.

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 951,270 people, 336,428 households, and 218,341 families residing in the city. The population density is 6,855.1/mi² (2,646.7/km²). There are 375,096 housing units at an average density of 2,703.0/mi² (1,043.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $29,526, and the median income for a family is $33,853. Males have a median income of $33,381 versus $26,749 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,717. 26.1% of the population and 21.7% of families are 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 are living below the poverty line.

In 2004, Men's Fitness magazine named Detroit the fattest city in the U.S.

Economy

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

Detroit and its suburbs 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). But the auto industry is far more than the Big Three. Dotting the Detroit landscape are countless offices and plants in the automotive support business: parts, supplies, electronics, design. It is not uncommon in Detroit to hear radio ads or to spy billboards in which multimillion-dollar auto corporations make insider sales pitches to one another. But there's a flip side to the automotive dominance: Because of its almost singular dependence on the auto industry, Detroit is more acutely vulnerable to economic cycles than most large cities.

Including the Big Three, there are 17 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in metro Detroit, including Kmart Corporation, Borders Books and Music, Comerica Inc., Federal-Mogul, Kelly Services and Lear Corporation. Metro Detroit is also home to the national pizza chains Domino's and Little Caesars.

Other major industries include advertising, computer software and casino gambling.

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.

Law and government

The city is run by the mayor and a nine-member city council, elected at-large on a nonpartisan ballot. Municipal elections are held every year congruent to 1 modulo 4 (e.g., 1993, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, ...). The current mayor is Kwame Kilpatrick. See also List of mayors of Detroit, Michigan.

Politics

As with most large urban centers in the U.S., Detroit consistently supports the U.S. Democratic Party. The last Republican to be elected mayor of Detroit was over 40 years ago.

Widely considered a hot rising political star when he won election in 2001, Democratic Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been dubbed "America's hip-hop mayor" because of his fond appreciation for black youth culture. Since taking office, however, the 34-year-old mayor and his administration have found themselves dogged by ongoing accusations of scandal and impropriety. Detroit's major media have relentlessly pursued the stories, including reports of wild parties involving strippers at the mayoral mansion[6], though the mayor has strongly denied accusations of wrongdoing.

In 2004, following numerous scandals and legal decisions, a court-ordered reorganization of the Detroit Police Department was underway with supervision of the FBI.

Colleges and universities

Sporting teams

The Detroit International Marathon course crosses the border into Canada on the Ambassador Bridge and returns to America through a tunnel.

On December 13, 2003 a world record was set when the largest crowd in basketball history (amateur or professional) packed the Lions' home stadium, Ford Field, to watch Michigan State University play the University of Kentucky. Kentucky won 79-74 in front of 78,129 fans.

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

Airports


Festivals

Contemporary Issues

Devil's Night, on the evening before Halloween, saw large numbers of arsons each year, often involving abandoned houses. The Angel's Night campaign, launched in the late 1990s, draws thousands of volunteers to patrol the streets during Halloween week. The effort has largely squelched Devil's Night arson: In 2002, there were just 110 fires during the Oct. 29-31 period, according to city officials, representing a 30 percent decline in total fires and a 41 percent decline in suspicious fires. In 2003, the three-day number was 117.

As the city prepares to host a number of major events in coming years, including the 2005 Baseball All-Star Game and 2006 Super Bowl, it faces the challenge of cleaning up and improving its image for an international audience.

The city's crime rate has at various times led the nation. While Detroit's rate of violent and property crime has fallen in recent years, the numbers are still among the highest in the country, as is the murder rate, which is inextricably tied to the city's drug trade.

Notable persons of Detroit

Detroit in literature

Detroit (and its suburbs) is the setting for a number of novels and short story collections, including:

Detroit in Music

Detroit is renowned for its musical heritage, a long and rich history that includes Motown Records, which produced such hometown stars as Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, the Temptations and the Four Tops. Detroit is also often regarded as the quintessential rock 'n roll town. In both attendance and revenue, suburban concert houses such as Pine Knob (now DTE Energy Music Theatre) and the Palace of Auburn Hills consistently outpace venues in larger cities. The area's famously avid rock fans have been celebrated in film and in song (e.g., Kiss' "Detroit Rock City"), and bands undertaking live albums often opt to record in front of Detroit's dependably enthusiastic crowds.

Detroit's influence on popular music cannot be overstated. Contemporary pop artists such as Eminem, Kid Rock and the White Stripes are part of a long lineage of Detroit stars that includes Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Bob Seger, Ted Nugent, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, George Clinton and Mitch Ryder. The MC5 is often credited for laying the foundation of heavy metal, the Stooges are considered the godfathers of punk rock, and Detroit was the birthplace of techno music in the mid-1980s.


Detroit in the movies

Detroit is a setting and/or filming location for several Hollywood feature films including:

Source: Internet Movie Database

Sister cities

Detroit has several sister cities, including

Government

Media

Civic

Cultural

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