Detroit () (^[1], pronounced ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. 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 American automobile industry — and an important source of popular music, legacies celebrated by the city's two familiar nicknames, Motor City and Motown.^[2][3] Other nicknames emerged in the twentieth century, including Rock City, Arsenal of Democracy (during World War II),^[4] The D, D-Town, Hockeytown, and The 3-1-3 (its area code).^[5]

In 2006, Detroit ranked as the United States' eleventh most populous city, with 918,849 residents.^[6] At its peak, the city was the fourth largest in the country, but it has rapidly declined in population since the 1960s.

The name Detroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area, a sprawling region with a population of 4,467,592^[7] for the Metropolitan Statistical Area, making it the nation's eleventh-largest, and a population of 5,405,918^[8] for the nine-county Combined Statistical Area as of the 2007 Census Bureau estimates. The Detroit-Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada-U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000.^[9]

History

The city name comes from the Detroit River (), 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. Detroit's city flag reflects this French heritage. (See Flag of Detroit, Michigan.)

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 on white settlement 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 in the 1880s.

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] Then a Lieutenant, the future president Ulysses S. Grant was stationed in the city. His dwelling is still at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Because of this local sentiment, many Detroiters volunteered to fight during the American Civil War, beginning with the "Iron Brigade" which defended Washington, D.C. early in the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as saying "Thank God for Michigan!" 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, and for Washington Boulevard, recently electrified by Thomas Edison.^[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; it also served to encourage truck manufacturers such as Rapid and Grabowsky.

The industry spurred the city's spectacular growth during the first half of the twentieth century as it drew tens of thousands of new residents, particularly workers from the Southern United States, and became the fourth largest city in the nation. At the same time, thousands of immigrants from Europe poured into the city, adding to competition for jobs and housing. Detroit is home to the Lakeside Foundry. Social tensions rose with the rapid pace of growth and pressure on neighborhoods.

With the introduction of prohibition, smugglers used the river as a major conduit for Canadian spirits, organized in large part by the notorious Purple Gang.^[15] Strained racial relations were evident in the 1920s trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician acquitted of murder after he shot into a threatening mob who gathered after his move into an all-white area.^[16]

Cadillac Motor Co..(c.1910)
Cass Ave. at Amsterdam St.

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 erupted into a full-scale riot in 1943.^[19]

Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument of the Civil War with the old Detroit City Hall.

An extensive freeway system constructed in the 1950s and 1960s not only facilitated commuting, but was often built in the middle of the traditionally black communities. Many Detroit inner-city neighborhoods endured a painful decline from the 1960s and 1970s leaving some areas of the inner-city with urban blight. The Twelfth Street riot in 1967, the construction of new auto plants in Detroit's suburbs, as well as court-ordered busing accelerated white flight from the city, while many black people were victims of discriminatory loan and sales practices that denied them home ownership in the suburbs.

Commensurate with the shift of population and jobs to its suburbs, the city's tax base had declined. 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 combative 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 impacted 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. 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 and was reinforced by the construction of the Renaissance Center in the late 1970s. This complex of skyscrapers, designed as a "city within a city," slowed but was unable to reverse the trend of businesses leaving the city's Downtown until the 1990s.

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 (1993) arose on the city skyline. In the ensuing years, three casinos opened in Detroit: MGM Grand Detroit and MotorCity Casino, which have now added permanent resorts and Greektown Casino which is scheduled to open its permanent resort at the end of 2009 . 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, 2006 Super Bowl XL, 2006 World Series and WrestleMania 23 in 2007, all 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] Along the river, upscale million dollar condos are going up, such as Watermark Detroit, some of the most expensive the city has ever seen.

Geography

Topography

A simulated-color satellite image of Detroit, with Windsor across the river, taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.

Detroit skyline along the Detroit River.

A view of the city from Belle Isle Park.

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. The city 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. Not far from Zug Island, the southwest part of the city sits atop a salt mine that is below the surface. The Detroit Salt Company mine has over of roads within it.^[23][24]

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.^[25] and 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.^[26] 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.^[27]

Surrounding municipalities

The cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park both lie entirely within the boundaries of the city of Detroit.

Cityscape

Detroit International Riverfront at night during the Season of Super Bowl XL.

Architecture

Detroit's skyline at Hart Plaza.

Penobscot Building (1928) left, with the Dime Building (1912).

St. Joseph Catholic Church (1873) is a notable example of Detroit's fine ecclesial architecture.

Wayne County Building (1897) from Monroe Street by John and Arthur Scott.

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, residential high-rises are found in neighborhoods such as the East Riverfront extending toward Grosse Pointe and the Palmer Park neighborhood just west of Woodward. Neighborhoods constructed prior to World War II feature the architecture of the times. Wood frame and brick houses in the working class neighborhoods, larger brick homes in 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 neighborhoods built in the 1950s are found in the far west and closer to 8 Mile Road. Some of the oldest extant neighborhoods include Corktown, a working class, formerly Irish neighborhood, and Brush Park. Both are now seeing multi-million dollar restorations and construction of new homes and condos.

Many of the city's architecturally significant buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places and the city has one of the nation's largest surviving collections of late nineteenth and early twentieth century buildings.^[28] There are a number of architecturally significant churches, including St. Joseph Catholic Church and Saint Anne de Detroit Catholic Church.

There is substantial activity in urban design, historic preservation and architecture^[29] A number of downtown redevelopment projects ? of which Campus Martius Park is one of the most notable ? have revitalized parts of the city. 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 riverfront properties condemned under eminent domain, with their 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

Historic homes in the Indian Village neighborhood on the east side.

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;^[31] 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

Renaissance Center with giant decal for the 2005 MLB All-Star Game.

Entertainment and performing arts

Fox Theatre lights up 'Foxtown' in downtown Detroit

Important music events in the city include: the Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, the Motor City Music Conference (MC2), the Urban Organic Music Conference, the Concert of Colors, and the hip-hop Summer Jamz festival.

The city of Detroit has a rich musical heritage and has contributed to a number of different genres over the decades leading into the new millennium.

In the 1940s, Detroit's blues scene saw the long-term residency of John Lee Hooker in the city's Southwest neighborhood of Delray. Hooker, among other important blues musicians migrated North from his home in Mississippi bringing with him the Delta Blues to northern city's like Detroit. During the 1950s, the city became a center for jazz, with stars performing in the Black Bottom neighborhood.^[37] Prominent emerging Jazz musicians of the 1960s included: trumpet player Donald Byrd who attended Cass Tech and performed with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers early in his career and Saxophonist Pepper Adams who enjoyed a solo career and accompanied Byrd on several albums. The Graystone International Jazz Museum documents jazz in Detroit.^[38][39]

Hilberry Theatre at Wayne State University.

Detroit has also been home to many popular rock bands from the 1960s and 70's. During this period, local and national acts performed regularly at venues such as the Grande Ballroom and the Eastown Theater. Popular local bands producing and performing music included artists like: the MC5, The Stooges, Bob Seger, Amboy Dukes featuring Ted Nugent, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Rare Earth, Alice Cooper. The group Kiss emphasized the city's connection with rock in the song Detroit Rock City and the movie produced in 1999.

In more recent times, Detroit has maintained a thriving music scene that has produced a number of artists who continue to shape music. During the late 1990s and into the new millennium, the band Sponge has continued to tour and produce music as well as artists such as Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker. The city also has an active garage rock scene that has generated national attention with acts such as: The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, Electric Six, and more recently by bands like The Hard Lessons and former P-Funk Allstar drummer Gabe Gonzalez's Funk Band The Enemy Squad.

Detroit hip hop rose to prominence in the late nineties with the emergence of Eminem, Slum Village, D12, Anybody Killa, Insane Clown Posse, Twiztid, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, DJ Clay, J Dilla, Obie Trice, Proof, and Esham. Detroit Soul artists include Aaliyah, Dwele, Amp Fiddler, and Kem.

Prominent Detroit Techno artists include Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson.

Tourism

Detroit Institute of Arts

Greektown in Detroit

The city's Greektown and casino resorts serve as an entertainment hub. Other events include the Electronic Music Festival typically attracts crowds of over a million visitors. Within downtown, Campus Martius Park hosts large events such as the Motown Winter Blast. As the world's traditional automotive center, the city hosts the North American International Auto Show. Held since 1924, America's Thanksgiving Parade is one of the nation's largest.^[43]

CityFest in the New Center with Cadillac Place in the background.

Dotty-Wotty House - a part of the Heidelberg Project.

River Days, a five day festival on the International Riverfront, marked the opening of the River Walk along the east river leading up to the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival fireworks with about 3.5 million visitors.

Artist Tyree Guyton created the controversial street art exhibit known as the Heidelberg Project in the mid 1980s, using junk and abandoned cars, clothing, shoes, vacuum cleaners, and other garbage Guyton found in the neighborhood near and on Heidelberg Street on the near East Side of Detroit.

Sports

Looking towards Ford Field the night of Super Bowl XL.

In college sports, Detroit's central location within the Mid-American Conference has made it a frequent site for the league's championship events. While the MAC Basketball Tournament moved permanently to Cleveland starting in 2000, the MAC Football Championship Game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit since 2004, and annually attracts 25,000 to 30,000 fans. 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.

Sailboat racing is a major sport in the Detroit area. Lake St. Clair is home to many yacht clubs which host regattas. Bayview Yacht Club, the Detroit Yacht Club, Crescent Sail Yacht Club, Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, The Windsor Yacht Club, and the Edison Boat Club each participate in and are governed by the Detroit Regional Yacht-Racing Association or DRYA. Detroit is home to many One-Design fleets including, but not limited to, North American 40s, Cal 25s, C&C 35s, Crescent Sailboats, Express 27s, J 120s, J 105, Flying Scots, and many more.

The Crescent Sailboat and L Boat were both designed and built exclusively in Detroit. Detroit also has a very active and competitive junior sailing program.

Comerica Park 2007

Joe Louis Memorial was dedicated in 1986.

Detroit was given the name "City of Champions" in the 1930s for a series of successes both in individual and in team sport.^[49] Gar Wood (a native Detroiter) won the Harmsworth Trophy for unlimited powerboat racing on the Detroit River in 1931. In the next year, 1932, Eddie "The Midnight Express" Tolan, a black student from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, won the 100- and 200-meter races and two gold medals at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Joe Louis won the heavyweight championship of the world in 1937. Also, in 1935 the Detroit Lions won the NFL championship. The Detroit Tigers have won ten American League pennants (The most recent being in 2006) and four World Series titles. The Detroit Red Wings have won 11 Stanley Cups (The most by an American NHL Franchise),^[50][51] the Detroit Pistons have won three NBA titles, and the Detroit Shock have won two WNBA titles. In 2007, Detroit was given the nickname "Sports City USA" in recognition of its numerous sports teams with good game statistics and the high amount of dedicated sports fans.^[52]

Detroit has the distinction of being the city which has made the most bids to host the Summer Olympics without ever being awarded the games: seven unsuccessful bids for the 1944, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 games. It came as high as second place in the balloting two times, losing the 1964 games to Tokyo and the 1968 games to Mexico City.

Detroit has also hosted WWE's WrestleMania 23 in Ford Field. It was held 20 Years after WrestleMania III was held in nearby Pontiac, Michigan.

On May 31st and June 1 of 2008, The Red Bull Air Race is scheduled to run along the Detroit River.

Media

The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are the major daily newspapers, both broadsheet publications published together under a joint operating agreement. Media philanthropy includes the Detroit Free Press high school journalism program and the Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit.

The Detroit television market is the eleventh largest in the United States;^[53] however, these estimates do not include large areas of Ontario, Canada (Windsor and its surrounding area on broadcast and cable, as well as several other cable markets in Ontario, such as the city of Ottawa) which receive and watch Detroit television stations, so the actual audience ranking may be higher.

Detroit has the eleventh largest radio market in the United States,^[54] though this ranking does not take into account Canadian audiences.

Economy

The Renaissance Center is General Motors' world headquarters

There are hundreds of offices and plants in the automotive support business including parts, electronics, and design suppliers. The domestic auto industry is primarily headquartered in Metro Detroit. New vehicle production, sales, and jobs related to automobile use account for one of every ten jobs in the United States.^[57] The area is also an important source of engineering job opportunities. A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Windsor-Detroit region and $13 billion in annual production depend on the City of Detroit's international border crossing.^[58]

The Detroit area is accustomed to the economic cycles of the auto industry.^[59] A rise in automated manufacturing using robot technology, inexpensive labor in other parts of the world, and increased competition have led to a steady transformation of certain types of manufacturing jobs in the region. Local complications for the city include higher taxes than the nearby suburbs, with many unable to afford the levies on property^[60] In March 2007, metropolitan Detroit's unemployment rate was 6.5%.^[61] In the city, the unemployment rate was 14.2% at the end of 2005, leaving Detroit with more than one-third of residents below the poverty line.^[62] This is in part attributed to white flight following court-ordered busing during the 1970s. Parts of the city have abandoned and burned out shells of buildings. Though the city has struggled with finances, since 2006 it has balanced its budget with more funding available to demolish blighted properties.

Over a century of Detroit business leaders have belonged to the Detroit Club.

The Big Three automakers have collectively lost market share to foreign rivals.^[63] However, Detroit's automakers have continued to gain volume from previous decades with the expansion of the American and global automotive markets. In 2003, Cadillac outscored all other luxury automakers in two of three quality surveys by AutoPacific, Strategic Vision, and J.D. Power.^[64] General Motors led all other automakers in Strategic Vision's Total Quality Index (TQI) for 2006.^[65] In 1994, with rising demand for sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks, the industry fought Clinton administration's efforts to implement an across the board Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) increase.^[66] In 2005, the Bush administration asked Congress for the authority to reform the CAFE standard from a single average to six different size based categories in an effort to resolve the issue.^[67] In the late 1990s, Detroit's automakers had gained market share and were enjoying record profits until the recession of 2001 and the subsequent September 11, 2001 attacks caused a severe decline in the stock market along with a pension and benefit funds crisis. Although retiree health care costs remain a significant issue, General Motors' investment strategy generated a $17.1 billion surplus in 2007 for its $101 billion U.S pension portfolio, a $35 billion reversal from its $17.8 billion in underfunding.^[68] With rising oil prices and war, consumers chose to purchase fewer trucks and SUVs. This negatively impacted the profits of Detroit's automakers. As a result, GM and Ford have implemented their respective turnaround plans. Concern among analysts over restored profits has fueled economic uncertainty in the metro Detroit area.^[69]

Comerica Tower in the city's financial district.

Firms in the suburbs pursue emerging technologies including biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, cognotechnology, and hydrogen fuel cell development. The city of Detroit has made efforts to lure the region's growth companies downtown with advantages such as a wireless Internet zone, business tax incentives, entertainment, an international riverfront, and residential high rises. Thus far, the city has had some success, most notably the addition of Compuware World Headquarters, OnStar, EDS offices at the Renaissance Center, PricewaterhouseCoopers Plaza offices adjacent to Ford Field, and the 2006 completion of Ernst & Young's offices at One Kennedy Square. However, Comerica Bank decided to move its headquarters from Detroit to Dallas in 2007 while maintaining its substantial presence in the region. On November 12, 2007, Quicken Loans announced its development agreement with the city to move its world headquarters, and 4,000 employees, to downtown Detroit, consolidating its suburban offices, a move considered to be a high importance to city planners to reestablish the historic downtown.^[73] The construction sites reserved for development by the agreement include the location of the former Statler on Grand Circus Park and the former Hudson's location.^[74]

Compuware World Headquarters

Some Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Detroit include General Motors, auto parts maker American Axle & Manufacturing, and DTE Energy.^[75] Detroit is home to Compuware and the national pizza chain Little Caesars. Downtown Detroit has major offices for Electronic Data Systems, Visteon, Delphi, Ford Motor Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte Touche, KPMG, the Jeep and Dodge Truck arm of DaimlerChrysler, GMAC, and OnStar. Other major industries include advertising, law, finance, chemicals, and computer software. One of the nation's largest law firms, Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone P.L.C., has offices in both Windsor and Detroit. Compuware's new headquarters, GM's move to the Renaissance Center, and the State of Michigan's redevelopment of Cadillac Place in the New Center district have provided new synergies for the redevelopment of downtown.

MGM Grand Detroit.

Media reviews of Detroit's economy tend to reflect the economic cycles. In 2007, downtown Detroit was named among the best big city neighborhoods in which to retire by CNN Money Magazine editors.^[77] On the other hand, Detroit was named "America's Most Miserable City" by Forbes in January, 2008 because of the highest rate of violent crime and the second highest unemployment, along with other factors, in a major US city. ^[78]

Demographics

Per Capita Income by location. A divide manifests at city boundaries.

Metro Detroit suburbs are among the more affluent in the U.S. in contrast to lower incomes found within the city limits.^[79] A 2007 report shows the city of Detroit's median household income at $34,512, a 12% increase over the Census estimate,^[80] and per capita income was $14,717 at 2000 Census. As of that Census, 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 units per square mile (1,043.6/km²). In 2006, Detroit's population was estimated to be 918,849, a decline of 3.4% since 2000, showing a much smaller exodus from the city than in past decades.

The city's population increased more than sixfold during the first half of the twentieth century, fed largely by an influx of Eastern European, Lebanese and Southern migrants to work in the burgeoning automobile industry.^[81] However, since 1950 the city saw a major shift in its population to the suburbs. The city population dropped from its peak in 1950 with a population of 1,849,568 to 918,849 in 2006. This is partly attributable to the construction of an extensive freeway system during the 1950s and white flight.

As of 2006, the city of Detroit was 81.2% Black American, 14.3% White American, 2.4% Asian American, 0.6% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander American, 2.54% from other races American, and 1.5% from two or more races. 3.9 percent of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 10.5% of Detroit's population. The city's foreign-born population is at 5.3%.

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.

There is a wide age distribution in the city, 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.

The Detroit suburbs in Oakland County, Macomb County, and northeastern and northwestern Wayne County are predominantly white. Of the African-Americans who live in the metropolitan area, about 70% live within the Detroit city limits. Metro Detroit's ethnic communities are diverse and include descendants of the French founders, as well as Irish, Germans, Scots, Poles, Italians, Greeks, Albanians, Armenians, Shiites, Jews, Arabs, and Lebanese who settled during the city's early twentieth century industrial boom. Metro Detroit has the largest concentration of Belgians outside of Belgium;^[81] Cadieux Street on the city's east side north of Grosse Pointe constituted the heart of one of the few distinctly Belgian neighborhoods in the U.S. during the early- and mid-twentieth century. In Detroit and the metro area, there is a large Chaldean population and a large concentration of Arab Americans in Dearborn.

Law and government

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center houses the City of Detroit offices.

The historic Guardian Building is Wayne County headquarters.

Manoogian Mansion: Official residence of the Mayor of Detroit

Under Mayor Kilpatrick's administration, the city's government has a balanced budget and is seeing new growth in business and tourism.^[85] With a decreased population compared to prior decades, the city planned a reduced workforce and more consolidated operations.^[86] In addition, Detroit had asked for pay cuts and other "give backs" from the municipal unions that represent city employees.^[87] In the 2000s, Detroit had fought off legislative efforts to turn control of the city-owned Water and Sewer system to the suburbs.^[88]

Detroit's courts are state-administered and elections are nonpartisan. The Probate Court for Wayne County are located in the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in downtown Detroit. The Circuit Court is located across Gratiot Ave. in the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, in downtown Detroit. The city is home to the Thirty Sixth District Court, as well as the First District of the Michigan Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Crime

Although crime in Detroit has declined in recent decades, the city has been perceived as a place of high crime, an image the city has tried to fight using actual statistics. For example, proponents point to a 2006 study, where crime in downtown Detroit (CBD) is much lower than national, state and metro averages.^[89] Still, the city's crime ridden sections have brought it notoriety. In 2006, the city had the sixth highest number of violent crimes among the twenty-five largest cities.^[90] According to a 2007 analysis, Detroit officials note that about 65 to 70 percent of homicides in the city were confined to a narcotics catalyst.^[91] As with many border cities, there is an ongoing problem with smuggling, including drugs, human trafficking, and illicit commerce aimed at avoiding taxation.^[92] In 1985, the city had the label of "murder capital of the world".^[93]

In 2000, the City requested an investigation by the United States Justice Department into the Detroit Police Department which was concluded in 2003 over allegations regarding its use of force and civil rights violations.^[94] The city proceeded with a major reorganization of the Detroit Police Department. Mayor Kilpatrick is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[95] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. On March 24, 2008, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was charged with nine felonies, making history as the first mayor of Detroit to be charged with a crime while in office.^[96][97]

Education

Colleges and universities

Old Main, a historic building at Wayne State University.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Detroit Public Library.

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 was re-established following a city referendum in 2005. The first election of the new eleven-member board of education occurred on November 8 2005.^[98] Due to declining enrollment the city planned to close 95 schools, and the state mandated deficit reduction plan calls for the closure of a total of 110 schools.^[99][100] The State officials report a 61% graduation rate for Detroit's public schools.^[101][102]

Private schools

Detroit is served by various private schools, as well as parochial Roman Catholic schools run by the Archdiocese of Detroit.^[103]

Infrastructure

Health systems

St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit.

Transportation

Ambassador Bridge from the Canadian side of the Detroit River.

Air

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. Bishop International Airport (FNT) in Flint, Michigan is the second busiest commercial airport in the region. Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET), previously called Detroit City Airport, is on Detroit's northeast side. Although Southwest Airlines once flew from the airport, there is currently only charter service and general aviation.^[108] Willow Run Airport, in far-western Wayne County near Ypsilanti, is a general aviation and cargo airport.

People Mover train comes into the Renaissance Center station.

Mass transit

Mass transit in the region is provided by bus services. Ridership on the region's mass transit systems increased by 8.4% in 2006.^[109] The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) provides service to the outer edges of the city. From there, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) provides service to the suburbs. Cross border service between the downtown areas of Windsor and Detroit is provided by Transit Windsor via the Tunnel Bus.^[110]

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. Amtrak provides service to Detroit, operating its service between