Detroit, Michigan
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{{Infobox City
| official_name = Detroit, Michigan | nickname = Motor City | motto = Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus"
(Latin for, "We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes") | image_skyline = DetroitSkyline.jpg | image_flag = Detroit flag.png | image_seal = Detroit Seal.png | image_map = Detroit_Wayne.png | map_caption = Location in Wayne County, Michigan | subdivision_type = Country
State
County | subdivision_name = United States
Michigan
Wayne County | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Kwame Kilpatrick (D) | | area_magnitude = 1 E8 | area_total = 142.9 sq. miles
370.2 | area_land = 138.8 sq. miles
359.4 | area_water = 4.2 sq. miles
10.8 | population_as_of = 2004 | population_total = 900,198 | population_metro = 4,493,165 | population_density = 6,856/sq. mile
2,647 | timezone = EST | utc_offset = -5 | timezone_DST = EDT | utc_offset_DST = -4 | latd = 42 | latm = 19 | lats = 53.76 | latNS = N | longd = 83 | longm = 2 | longs = 51 | longEW = W | elevation = 623 ft
190 | website = www.ci.detroit.mi.us | footnotes = }}
Template:Redirect Detroit (IPA: Template:IPA) (French: Détroit, pronounced Image:Ltspkr.png[[Media:Detroit.ogg|Template:IPA]]) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat for Wayne County. The city is located on the Detroit River, north of Windsor, Ontario. Established in 1701 by French fur traders. It is the center of an industrial area 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."
As of 2004, Detroit ranked as the United States' 11th most populous city with 900,198 residents, half the peak population it boasted 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 burdens of racial disharmony between itself and its suburban neighbors as well as an antiquated 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."
Contents |
History
Template:Main Image:DSCN4750 sieurdecadillaclanding e.jpg
In 1701, French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a fort and settlement at Detroit called Fort Pontchartrain d'Étroit. 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. Detroit fell to the British during the War of 1812 in the Siege of Detroit and was recaptured in 1813. Detroit was incorporated as a city in 1815.
Strategically located 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 Henry Ford to build his first automobile in 1896 in a rented workshop on Mack Avenue in Detroit. In 1904, the Model T was produced in Detroit until 1909 when production moved to larger facilities in Highland Park. Ford's manufacturing, as well as those of 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. Strained racial relations was evident in the trial of Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician who was acquitted of murder after he defended his home from a large mob when he moved from the all-black southeastern part of the city to an all-white area.<ref>Zacharias, Patricia (2003). 'I have to die a man or live a coward' -- the saga of Dr. Ossian Sweet. Detroit News.</ref>
Image:4a22542r.jpg 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 out. 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.<ref>Detroit's 'great warrior,' Coleman Young, dies (November 29, 1997). CNN.com.</ref>
Image:Coleman young.jpg The 1960s saw the rise of heroin and the Detroit gang Young Boys Inc. formed in the 1970s introduced a crack cocaine epidemic. Drug-related property crimes and violence among competing drug dealers rose and urban renewal efforts led to the razing of abandoned homes. Now sizeable tracts have reverted back to nature to become a form of urban prairie with wild animals spotted migrating from the suburbs into the city.<ref>Wild Kingdom. Detroit Blog. Accessed March 8, 2006.</ref>
"Renaissance" has been a perennial buzzword among leaders since the 1967 riots, solidified with the construction of the Renaissance Center in the early 1970s. It was not until the 1990s that Detroit enjoyed somewhat of a revival, much of it centered downtown. In 1996 three casinos-MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, and Greektown Casino- opened.
In 2000, amid some controversy, Comerica Park replaced historic Tiger Stadium as the home of the Detroit Tigers.<ref>Lage, Larry (2003). Comerica Park has what Tiger Stadium didn't - in many ways. The Detroit News</ref> And in 2002, Ford Field brought the NFL's Detroit Lions back into Detroit from Pontiac.<ref>Ford Field. Detroit Lions (accessed April 20, 2006).’‘</ref> The 2004 opening of the Compuware Center gave downtown Detroit its first significant new office building in a decade.
Geography and climate
Image:Large Detroit Landsat.jpg 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 in northeastern Detroit is 626 feet (190.8 m).
Sitting atop a large salt mine,<ref>Zacharias, Patricia (2001). The ghostly salt city beneath Detroit. The Detroit News.</ref> it lies north of Windsor, Ontario. Detroit has three border crossings: the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel has motor vehicle traffic and the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel has railroad access to and from Canada.
Detroit completely encircles the cities of Hamtramck and Highland Park. In its northeast corner are the well-known wealthy communities of Grosse Pointe. 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.
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.<ref>Detroit Weather & Climate (2006). Michigan Vacations (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref> 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.<ref>Monthly Averages for Detroit, MI (2006). Weather.com (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref> 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.<ref>Records and Averages - Detroit (2006). Yahoo! Weather (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
Demographics
| Historical population<ref>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 (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref> | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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). Detroit's population increased more than sixfold during the first half of the 20th century, fed largely by an influx of Eastern European and Southern migrants-both white and black-who came to work in the burgeoning automobile industry. Metro Detroit has a higher percentage of blacks than any other northern U.S. metropolitan area-roughly one quarter of the area population. Altogether, more than one 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.<ref>Race Relations & Cultural Collaboration. New Detroit. Accessed March 8, 2006.</ref>
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 the country's largest concentration of Arab Americans. Chaldean-owned businesses are the retail life of the Detroit neighborhoods,<ref>Lin, Judy. Party store crackdown creates rift (February 16, 2006). Detroit News, reprinted in Chaldean Chat</ref> including some 90% of the city's "party stores" (selling lottery tickets, hard liquor, and snack foods). The southwest side of the city contains a small Chicano community in the area lately renamed "Mexicantown." Up until the 1980s, there was a growing gay community in the Palmer Park area in the north of the city. That community migrated north to the cities of Ferndale and Royal Oak after that community collapsed.<ref>Sharon Gittleman (1/12/06) Gay 'brain drain'. Pridesource.com</ref>
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.
The National Institute for Literacy declared in 1998 that 47% of Detroiters were "functionally illiterate,"<ref>Literacy Volunteers of America-Detroit. United Way for Southeastern Michigan (accessed April 20, 2006)</ref> and some 72% of all Detroit children are born to single unwed mothers.<ref>Meeting on Supporting the Role of Fathers in Families - Statement of Travis Ballard (November 27, 1995). National Congress for Fathers and Children</ref>
Economy
Image:Detroit GM headquarters.jpg Detroit and the surrounding region constitute a manufacturing powerhouse, most notably as home to the Big Three auto companies. 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.<ref>Flint, Jerry (9/9/96). Can Detroit Weather a Downturn?. Forbes, found at faculty.ncwc.edu/denders/eng112/sample_summary.htm</ref>
Image:1101060130 400.jpg In more recent years, the auto industry has attempted to create "greener" automobiles. Gasoline prices combined with better fuel economy from Japan and Europe's vehicles has seen a growth in the development of hybrid technologies. 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. "But I tell you what: Going the way we were going is the highest risk of all."<ref> Dorinda Elliott (1/30/06). "Can This Man Save The American Auto Industry?" Time Magazine.</ref> The company is also promoting the use of existing technologies to equip vehicles with mixed ethanol and gasoline (E85) fuelled systems.
Ford's larger competitor, General Motors, has made a major investment in hydrogen equipped Fuel cells.<ref> Kiley, David (6/13/01). GM buys stake in firm tapping hydrogen power. USA Today.</ref> Automaker Chrysler is focusing much of its research and development into bio-diesel.<ref>PRNewswire (3/22/06). Diesel Jeep Liberty Sales Double Expectations Yahoo News.</ref>
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.<ref>Fortune 500 (2006). CNNMoney.com.</ref> Detroit is home to Compuware and the national pizza chain Little Caesars. Casino gaming also plays a major economic roll, with Detroit currently the largest city in the United States with legal gaming.<ref>Brunker, Mike (3/12/99) Detroit bets big on downtown casinos. MSNBC.</ref>
Government and politics
Template:Seealso With a charter adopted on July 1, 1974, the city is run by the mayor and a city council elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets, and the mayor is not obligated to adhere to any earmarking. 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).<ref>Ward, George E. (July 1993). Detroit Charter Revision - A Brief History. Citizens Research Council of Michigan (pdf file).</ref>
Image:Mayorkwame.jpg 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.<ref>Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Announces Hip-Hop Summit for April 26 In Partnership With HSAN, NAACP, Clear Channel (April 18, 2003). ForRelease.com.</ref> Since taking office, the mayor has been dogged by accusations of impropriety although in 2005 he was re-elected to a second four-year term.
Suburb baiting is a common feature in Detroit politics. In his 1974 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 northern suburbs). When Kilpatrick found himself behind in the polls in 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.<ref>Associated Press (9/19/05). Mayor rekindles tensions between Detroit and suburbs. USA Today.</ref>
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).<ref>Online Directory: Michigan, USA (2006). Sister Cities International (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
Courts
Image:Woodbridge-MI.jpg Detroit's courts are all state-administered and elections are nonpartisan. The Circuit and Probate Courts for Wayne County are located 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, conservatorships and juvenile matters. The divorce/family court docket is run jointly with the Circuit Court.<ref>Wayne County Court System (2004). Wayne County, Michigan website (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
The 36th District Court, with judges elected city-wide, 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.<ref>Michigan's 36th District Court at ‘’www.36thdistrictcourt.org (accessed April 20, 2006).’‘</ref>
In addition to these trial courts, Detroit hosts the 1st District of the Michigan Court of Appeals' and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan located in the Theodore Levin Federal Courthouse building in Downtown Detroit.<ref>Mason, Philip (October 1995). Naming of the Court House in Detroit after Theodore Levin. The Ragens at www.theragens.com/history/ (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
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, hotel excises and from the Detroit-owned Water and Sewer system that provides most of the fresh water and wastewater treatment facilities within the metropolitan area. Detroit has had to fight off legislative efforts to turn control of the system to the suburbs.<ref> Wisely, John (10/25/05). Suburbs ramp up water system fight. The Detroit News.</ref> The city has cut its workforce and closed operations to avoid state-ordered receivership.<ref>Lin, Judy (4/28/05). Detroit triggers loan limit. The Detroit News.</ref>
Crime
| 2004 Crime Statistics<ref>Detroit Crime Barometer (October 2005). Wayne State University.</ref> | ||
| 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 |
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.<ref>Martindale, Mike (10-18-2005). Farmington Hills crime down. The Detroit News.</ref> Template:Quote box 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.<ref>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.</ref> 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.<ref>Quarterly Status Report to the Independent Federal Monitor. Detroit Police Department</ref>
Education
Primary and secondary education
Template:Main Image:Detroitlogo.jpg 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.<ref>Kozlowski, Kim (2-27-2005). Catholic schools fight to keep doors open. The Detroit News.</ref> 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.<ref>MacDonald, Christine (11-23-2005). Detroit schools down by 10,000. The Detroit News.</ref> Detroit Public Schools has closed 29 schools,<ref>MacDonald, Christine (3-17-2006). Detroit schools lose 11,500 kids at a cost of $63M. The Detroit News.</ref> and the state mandated deficit reduction plan calls for the closure of a total of 110 schools.<ref>Bukowski, Diane (2006). Where did the first billion go?. The Michigan Citizen.</ref>
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.<ref>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</ref> As of 2004, Detroit schools were 91% African-American.<ref>Census 2000. School Segregation Data for the School District Area U.S. Census (accessed April 20, 2006). See also Detroit Public Schools Attendance Report. DPS Schools (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
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.<ref>LewAllen, Dave (8-3-2005). Detroiters Vote for New School Board. WXYZ.com.</ref>
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
Image:Fisher Building, Detroit.jpg Template:Main 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.<ref>DTE Energy Music Theatre Listed as 2004 Top Attended Amphitheatre (1/25/05. DTE Energy Music Theatre.</ref> 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.
Image:Motown.jpg Through the 1950's Detroit was a jazz center with stars of the era often came to Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood to perform.<ref>Herb Boyd (9/17/97) Cookin' in the Motor City. The Metro Times.</ref> One highlight of Detroit's musical history was Motown Records success during the 1960s and early 1970s, founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Jr. and home to popular recording acts 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
Image:DetroitDownBrushSt.JPG 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 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 and Detroit Thunder Fest hydroplane race take place in July. Detroit Fashion Week happens 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.<ref>Everyone Loves a Parade. The Parade Company.</ref>
The day before Ash Wednesday, or the festival of Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday, is more frequently celebrated locally as "Paczki Day" by the large Polish population. Many Metro Detroiters join in the festivity by indulging in jelly-filled donuts called paczkis.<ref>Robert Strybel (2/5/01). Polish fast food in America?. polartcenter.com.</ref>
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.<ref>Kim Silarski (5/22/03).Insider Tips. USA Today.</ref>
Media
Image:Cobranded top logo.gif 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 weekly tabloids The Metro Times and Crain's Detroit Business. Detroit is also home to the weekly Michigan Chronicle, the state's largest African American owned newspaper, and the Michigan Citizen.
The Detroit television market is the eleventh largest in the United States.<ref>Nielsen Media Research Local Universe Estimates (9/24/05) The Nielson Company.</ref> 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.<ref>Introduction to The Classic CKLW Page. Thebig8.net.</ref>
Sites of interest
Image:DSCN4745 detroitofficebuildings e.jpg 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.<ref>History of Eastern Market. Eastern Market Mechant's Association (accessed March 8, 2006).</ref>
Image:DIAfront Detroit USA.jpg 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, Northwest Activities Center, Detroit Zoo, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, and the Belle Isle Aquarium. The aquarium and zoo on Belle Isle are currently closed.<ref> City of Detroit Budget Cuts Lead to Closure of 101 Year Old Belle Isle Aquarium (1/14/05). Detroit Zoological Association.</ref> The J.W. Westcott II, the world's only floating post office that delivers to freighters on the Detroit River.<ref>America's Floating ZIP Code 48222 J.W. Wescott Homepage.</ref>
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.<ref>Vivian M. Baulch (1998). Marshall Fredericks -- the Spirit of Detroit. The Detroit News.</ref> 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.<ref>Sarah Karush, The Associated Press (2/23/04). Police arrest two men suspected of vandalizing Joe Louis statue. USA Today.</ref>
Sports
Template:Seealso 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.
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.
Image:Joe-Louis-Arena.jpg Detroit is home to the Flagstar Bank/Detroit International Marathon, the world's only race that twice crosses international borders.<ref>Course Information. Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon.</ref> 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.<ref>History. The Detroit APBA Gold Cup</ref>.
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.<ref>Track History. CART.</ref>
Comerica Park hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game on July 12, 2005, and Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. On December 13, 2003, the largest crowd in basketball history (78,129) packed Ford Field to watch the University of Kentucky defeat Michigan State University, 79-74.<ref>History. FordField.com.</ref> Ford Field will host the 2009 NCAA men's basketball Final Four and the 2010 NCAA men's ice hockey Frozen Four.<ref>Frozen Four Dates and Sites (6/23/05). National Collegiate Athletic Association.</ref>
Infrastructure
Medicine
Detroit is home to three major medical systems: the Detroit Medical Center (DMC), Henry Ford Health System, and the St. John Hospitals. The DMC 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 and is staffed by physicians from the Wayne State University School of Medicine, the largest single-campus medical school in the United States.<ref>Webpage: About the School. Wayne State University School of Medicine (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
Transportation
Image:800px-Eight Mile Road-fixed.jpg 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.<ref>Crawford, Mark (12/04). NAFTA Border Towns. Area Development Online.</ref> The Ambassador Bridge alone is the nation's busiest border crossing, carrying 25% of the total trade between the United States and Canada.<ref>Ambassador Bridge Crossing Summary (5/11/05). U.S. Department of Transportation.</ref>
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).
Image:LightTunnelDetroit.jpg Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET), previously called Detroit City Airport, is on Detroit's northeast side.<ref>Coleman A. Young International Airport. City of Detroit (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref> Although Southwest Airlines once flew from the airport, there is currently no commercial passenger service.<ref>Sapte, Benjamin (2003). [http://www.erau.edu/research/BA590/chapters/ch2.htm Southwest Airlines: Route Network Development since 1971]. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref> 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.<ref>Nolan, Jenny (2003). Willow Run and the Arsenal of Democracy. Detroit News</ref>
Image:Smartlogo.jpg 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.<ref>Bagwell, Jennifer (12/22/99). Mass transit off track. Metro Times.</ref> 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.<ref>Detroit Area Transit Systems. focalhost.com (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
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.<ref>Detroit's Abandoned Train Station. seedeetroit.com (accessed April 20, 2006).</ref>
See also
- Black culture of Detroit
- Detroit in literature
- Detroit in the movies
- East Detroit
- Nain Rouge - a red dwarf long regarded by Detroiters as "the harbinger of doom"
- List of people from Detroit
Notes
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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.
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- 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
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External links
Template:Sisterlinks Municipal government and local Chamber of Commerce
- City of Detroit official website
- Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Detroit Water and Sewerage Department
- Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
Visitor's Guide
Historical research
Current events
- MotorCityRocks.com:Chronicles the Detroit music scene
- detroitblog
- Detroit Sports Online
- Detroit neighborhoods at CityscapeDetroit
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