Detroit

Detroit, Michigan 

Detroit is a city in southeast Michigan and the county seat of Wayne. It is situated across from Windsor, Ontario, Canada on the Detroit River, which joins Lakes Erie and St. Clair. The city was established in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French trader. He constructed a fort on the river and gave it the name Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit in honor of his patron (the French term for "strait" is "détroit"); later, the British referred to it as simply Detroit. The city's name came to represent the American auto industry during the 20th century. Population: 713,777 (2010); 1,820,584 in the Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn Metro Division; 4,296,250 in the Detroit-Warren-Livonia Metro Area; 639,111 in 2020; 1,793,561 in the Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia Metro Division; 4,392,041 in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn Metro Area. 

Topography 

The city has a total area of 142.87 square miles (370.03 km2), of which 138.75 square miles (359.36 km2) is land and 4.12 square miles (10.67 km2) is water, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The largest city in Southeast Michigan and Metro Detroit is Detroit. It is located near the Great Lakes in the Midwest of the United States. 

As the only international wildlife refuge in North America, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge enjoys a special location right in the middle of a significant urban region. The Refuge spans 48 miles (77 km) of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline and consists of islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront property. 

The city is situated on a till plain made up primarily of glacial and lake clay, and it gently slopes from the northwest to the southeast. The Detroit Moraine, a large clay ridge that rises about 62 feet (19 m) above the river at its greatest point and is the city's most noticeable topographical feature, is where the older sections of Detroit and Windsor are situated. The city's highest point is three blocks south of 8 Mile Road, directly north of Gorham Playground on the northwest side, at a height of 675 to 680 feet (206 to 207 m). Along the Detroit River, at a surface height of 572 feet, Detroit is at its lowest elevation (174 m). 

Between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, Belle Isle Park is a 982-acre (1.534 sq mi; 397 hectares) island park in the Detroit River. The Detroit-based MacArthur Bridge serves as its land link. The James Scott Memorial Fountain, the Belle Isle Conservatory, the Detroit Yacht Club on a nearby island, a half-mile (800 m) beach, a golf course, a wildlife center, monuments, and gardens are just a few of the attractions in Belle Isle Park. At the island's Sunset Point, one can see both the skylines of Detroit and Windsor. 

The original French design, with avenues extending from the shoreline, and true north-south roadways based on the Northwest Ordinance township system are the two road systems that span the city. North of Windsor, Ontario, is the city. The only significant city along the U.S.-Canada border where one must go south in order to enter Canada is Detroit. 

Detroit has four border crossings: the Ambassador Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, and the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel all allow for the passage of trains to and from Canada. The Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, which is close to Zug Island and the Windsor Salt Mine, serves as the fourth border crossing. The southwest region of the city, which is close to Zug Island, was built over a 1,500-acre (610 ha) salt mine that lies 1,100 feet (340 m) below the surface. There are more than 100 miles (160 km) of roadways inside the Detroit salt mine operated by the Detroit Salt Company. 

Climate 

Like other areas of the state, Detroit and the rest of southeastern Michigan have a hot, humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), which is influenced by the Great Lakes. The city and its immediate suburbs are located in USDA Hardiness zone 6b, while the farther-flung northern and western suburbs are typically in zone 6a. Summers are warm to hot, with temperatures reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on 12 days. Winters are cold, with moderate snowfall and temperatures not rising above freezing on an average of 44 days per year, while dipping to or below 0 °F (18 °C) on an average of 4.4 days. May to September is the warm season. Between 25.6 °F (3.6 °C) in January to 73.6 °F (23.1 °C) in July, is the range of the monthly daily mean temperature. The official record low maximum is 4 °F (20 °C) on January 19, 1994, while the record high minimum is 80 °F (27 °C) on August 1, 2006, the most recent of five occurrences. The official temperature extremes range from 105 °F (41 °C) on July 24, 1934, down to 21 °F (29 °C) on January 21, 1984. Between temperatures of 100 °F (38 °C) or higher, which last happened on July 17, 2012, it may take a decade or two. With a growth season of 180 days, the average window for freezing temperatures is from October 20 through April 22. 

The amount of precipitation is moderate and generally distributed throughout the year, though warmer months like May and June typically receive more of it. Annual precipitation averages 33.5 inches (850 mm), but historical ranges have ranged from 20.49 inches (520 mm) in 1963 to 47.70 inches (1,212 mm) in 2011. Snowfall averages 42.5 inches (108 cm) per season, with measurable amounts normally falling between November 15 and April 4 (rarely in October and very infrequently in May). However, historically, snowfall has ranged from 11.5 inches (29 cm) in 1881-82 to 94.9 inches (241 cm) in 2013-14. With an average of just 27.5 days having 3 in (7.6 cm) or more of snow cover, a deep snowpack is uncommon. In the Detroit area, thunderstorms frequently occur. These often take place in the spring and summer. 

Architecture 

Detroit's waterfront may be seen in perspective and displays a diversity of architectural types. One Detroit Center's (1993) post-modern Neo-Gothic spires were intended to allude to the city's Art Deco buildings. These structures create a distinctive and unmistakable skyline when they are combined with the Renaissance Center. The Guardian Building and Penobscot Building in downtown Detroit, as well as the Fisher Building and Cadillac Place in the New Center neighborhood next to Wayne State University, are examples of the Art Deco style. The Detroit Opera House, Detroit Institute of Arts, and the largest Fox Theatre in the United States—all of which were constructed in the early 20th century—are important buildings in the city. 

While there are high-rise buildings in the Downtown and New Center regions, the rest of the surrounding city is made up of single-family homes and low-rise buildings. Residential high-rises can be found outside the city's center in affluent areas like the East Riverfront, which stretches near Grosse Pointe, and the Palmer Park neighborhood to the west of Woodward. Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, and the University Sector are some of the historic areas anchored by the University Commons-Palmer Park district in northwest Detroit, close to Marygrove College and the University of Detroit Mercy. 

The National Register of Historic Places includes 42 noteworthy buildings or locations. The architecture of the time can be seen in pre-World War II neighborhoods, including Brush Park, Woodbridge, Indian Village, Palmer Woods, Boston-Edison, and others. Working-class neighborhoods tend to have wood-frame and brick houses, middle-class neighborhoods tend to have larger brick homes, and upper-class neighborhoods tend to have elaborate mansions. 

Along the main Woodward and East Jefferson roads, which served as the city's spines, are some of the oldest neighborhoods. Along the Woodward corridor, in the far west, and in the northeast, there may also be some newer residential construction. West Canfield and Brush Park are among the oldest areas still in existence. Existing homes have undergone multi-million-dollar repairs, while new houses and condominiums have been built here. 

One of the largest remaining collections of late 19ths- and early 20th-century structures may be found in the city. St. Joseph's, Old St. Mary's, the Sweetest Heart of Mary, and the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament are a few of the city's churches and cathedrals with noteworthy architectural features. 

Architecture, historic preservation, and urban design are all highly active in the city. Parts of the city have been revitalized through a variety of downtown redevelopment initiatives, among which Campus Martius Park is one of the most noteworthy. Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, are all close to Grand Circus Park and the city's theater district. The Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons' new arena, Little Caesars Arena, which also includes residential, lodging, and retail space, debuted on September 5, 2017. The project's designs call for the reconstruction of the abandoned 14-story Eddystone Hotel as well as mixed-use housing on the blocks that surround the arena. It will be a component of The District Detroit, a collection of properties owned by Olympia Entertainment Inc. that already includes, among other things, Comerica Park and the Detroit Opera House. 

The Detroit International Riverfront consists of a three-and-a-half-mile riverfront promenade that is only halfway finished and has a mix of parks, homes, and commercial spaces. It stretches from Hart Plaza to Belle Isle Park, the biggest island park in a U.S. city, via the MacArthur Bridge. Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor, Michigan's first urban state park, are located on the riverside. The second phase is a two-mile (3.2-kilometer) extension from Hart Plaza to the Ambassador Bridge, making the parkway's total length from bridge to bridge five miles (8.0 kilometers). The pedestrian parks are intended to encourage residential rehabilitation of riverfront sites taken via eminent domain. 

Other significant parks are Chene Park, Palmer (north of Highland Park), and River Rouge (on the southwest side), which is Detroit's largest park (on the east river downtown). 

Economy 

The city is home to a number of significant organizations, including three Fortune 500 firms. Manufacturing (especially automotive), finance, technology, and health care are the industries with the highest representation. General Motors, Quicken Loans, Ally Financial, Compuware, Shinola, American Axle, Little Caesars, DTE Energy, Lowe Campbell Ewald, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and Rossetti Architects are some of the most notable businesses with headquarters in Detroit. 

A total of 80,500 individuals are employed in downtown Detroit, making up one-fifth of all jobs in the area. Downtown houses sizable offices for Comerica, Chrysler, Fifth Third Bank, HP Enterprise, Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Ernst & Young in addition to the several Detroit-based businesses mentioned above. The Ford Motor Company is located in Dearborn, a nearby city. 

North of the core business center, in Midtown, thousands more people work. The Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, and the Henry Ford Health System in New Center are the three main institutions that make up Midtown. Shinola, a watchmaker, as well as a number of small and emerging businesses, are located in Midtown. TechTown, a hub for research and business incubators, is based in New Center and is a component of the WSU system. With the new Ford Corktown Campus being built, Corktown is expanding just like downtown. A rapidly expanding retail and restaurant culture is also present in Midtown. 

Since there has been a noticeable trend of businesses coming from outlying communities around Metropolitan Detroit into the downtown core, many of the city's downtown employment are relatively new. In 2003, Compuware finished building its global headquarters in the city. The Renaissance Center houses OnStar, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and HP Enterprise Services. The offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers Plaza are close to Ford Field, and in 2006, Ernst & Young finished construction of its office complex at One Kennedy Square. Most notably, one of the biggest mortgage lenders, Quicken Loans, consolidated its suburban locations in 2010 and moved its international headquarters and 4,000 employees to downtown Detroit. As its first presence outside the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C., the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office inaugurated the Elijah J. McCoy Satellite Office in the Rivertown/Warehouse District in July 2012. 

According to data from the US Department of Labor, the city's unemployment rate in April 2014 was 14.5%. 

The Detroit RiverWalk, Campus Martius Park, Dequindre Cut Greenway, and Green Alleys in Midtown are just a few examples of the public-private partnerships the city of Detroit has established in an effort to spur regional growth. Other public-private partnerships have also been established. To encourage reconstruction, the city itself has cleared some land while keeping a number of unoccupied historically significant buildings. Despite its financial difficulties, the city issued bonds in 2008 to fund continued efforts to demolish abandoned buildings. Downtown experienced $1.3 billion in renovations and new building two years prior, which resulted in a rise in the city's employment in the construction industry. Downtown received more than $15 billion in new investments from the public and commercial sectors in the ten years leading to 2006. 

Despite Detroit's current financial woes, many developers seem unconcerned by them. One of Detroit's most prosperous neighborhoods, Midtown, has a 96% residential occupancy rate. Many developments have recently been finished or are in various stages of development. The Woodward Garden Block Development in Midtown, the residential conversion of the David Broderick Tower in downtown, the rehabilitation of the Book Cadillac Hotel (now a Westin and luxury condos), the Fort Shelby Hotel (now Doubletree), also in downtown, as well as numerous smaller projects, are among them. The David Whitney Building in downtown was also renovated for $82 million. It is now home to an Aloft Hotel and upscale residences. 

Young professionals are moving into the downtown area, and retail is increasing. According to 2007 research, a trend that has accelerated over the past ten years, the majority of Downtown's new residents are young professionals (57% are between the ages of 25 and 34, 45% hold bachelor's degrees, and 34% hold a master's or professional degree). Downtown and neighboring communities have benefited from $9 billion in investments since 2006; $5.2 billion of the investments came in 2013 and 2014. The amount of construction work has significantly grown, notably for downtown historic building renovation. Downtown no longer has nearly 50 unoccupied buildings; instead, there are just about 13. 

A $20 million, 190,000-square-foot supercenter store for the midwestern retail chain Meijer debuted on July 25, 2013, in the northern part of Detroit. It also serves as the focal point of the brand-new, $72 million Gateway Marketplace shopping center. Meijer built the city's second supercenter on June 11, 2015. By the end of 2022, JPMorgan Chase expects to have invested $200 million in affordable housing, job training, and entrepreneurship. This was announced on June 26, 2019. 

Sports 

Detroit is one of 13 American cities that are home to professional clubs that compete in the continent's four main sports. Since 2017, every single one of these clubs has played inside the boundaries of Detroit, a distinction shared with just three other American cities. Only Detroit in the United States has games for its four top sports teams in the city's central business district. 

There are three active major sports stadiums in the city: Little Caesars Arena (home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings and the NBA's Detroit Pistons), Ford Field (home of the NFL's Detroit Lions), and Comerica Park (home of the Major League Baseball franchise Detroit Tigers). The moniker "Hockeytown" was used in a marketing campaign in 1996. 

Four World Series titles have been won by the Detroit Tigers (1935, 1945, 1968, and 1984). 11 Stanley Cups have been won by the Detroit Red Wings (1935–1936, 1936–1937, 1942–1949, 1951–1953, 1954–1955, 1996–1997, 1997–98, 2001–2002, and 2007–2008). (the most by an American NHL franchise). 4 NFL championships have been won by the Detroit Lions (1935, 1952, 1953, 1957). Having won three NBA championships, the Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990, 2004). The city of Detroit has won championships in all four of the major professional sports leagues since the Pistons' first of three NBA championships in 1989. In 2000 and 2002, new stadiums for the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions were completed, bringing the Lions back to the city limits. 

Due to its central location within the Mid-American Conference, Detroit has frequently hosted the league's championship games in collegiate sports. The MAC Football Championship Game has been played at Ford Field in Detroit since 2004 and annually draws 25,000 to 30,000 spectators, but the MAC Basketball Tournament moved permanently to Cleveland starting in 2000. Both Wayne State University and the University of Detroit Mercy have NCAA Division I and II programs, respectively. Each December, Ford Field hosts the NCAA football Quick Lane Bowl. 

Detroit City FC is the city's professional soccer team. The team, which was established in 2012 as a semi-professional soccer club, now competes in the USL Championship (USLC). Since joining in 2020, the club, known as Le Rouge, has won two NISA championships. In the Detroit neighborhood of Hamtramck, at Keyworth Stadium, they hold their home games. 

The 2005 MLB All-Star Game, the Super Bowl XL in 2006, the World Series in 2006 and 2012, WrestleMania 23 in 2007, and the NCAA Final Four in April 2009 were all held in the city. From 1989 to 2001, 2007 to 2008, and 2012 and beyond, Belle Isle Park in the city served as the site of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix. Both the American Le Mans Series and the Indy Racing League brought open-wheel racing back to Belle Isle in 2007. The Detroit Grand Prix was held at the Detroit Street circuit from 1982 to 1988. 

Detroit is one of eight American cities that have won championships in each of the four major leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA), but it is the only one of the eight that hasn't also won a Super Bowl (all of the Lions' triumphs occurred before the Super Bowl era began). The Tigers, Lions, and Red Wings won the three most important professional sports titles in existence at the time in a span of seven months, earning Detroit the moniker "City of Champions" in the years that followed the mid-1930s (the Tigers won the World Series in October 1935; the Lions won the NFL championship in December 1935; the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in April 1936). Eddie "The Midnight Express" Tolan, a Detroit native, won two gold medals at the 100- and 200-meter races in 1932. In 1937, Joe Louis became the world heavyweight champion. 

With seven unsuccessful bids for the Summer Olympics in 1944, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972, Detroit has submitted the most unsuccessful bids of any city. 

Population 

The city of Detroit is situated in Michigan's Wayne County. It serves as Wayne County's County seat as well. It is the largest city in Michigan and the 28th largest city in the United States, with a 2023 population estimate of 616,710. Detroit's population has declined by -8.28% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 672,351 in 2020, and is now falling at a pace of -1.20% annually. Detroit has a population density of 4,446 persons per square mile, spanning more than 143 miles. 

Detroit has a 41.21% poverty rate and a $44,730 average household income. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Detroit, the median age is 34.6 years, with 32.8 years for men and 36.3 years for women. 

A key port connecting the Great Lakes to the Saint Lawrence Seaway is Detroit, the most populous city in Michigan and the metro Detroit area. Detroit is sometimes referred to as the "traditional center of the automotive sector" and is associated with the US auto industry and its musical legacy, giving it the nicknames "Motor City" and "Motown." Detroit's population fell from 951,270 in 2000 to just 713,777 in 2010. 

The population of Detroit has been falling for more than 60 years, and the 677,116 estimate for 2016 is a 0.94% decline from the 2010 projection. An estimated 3.7 million people live in Detroit's urban region, while 4.275 million people live there overall. The population of the Combined Statistical Area is 5.2 million. 

Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the nation in 1950, but during the past 60 years, its population has declined at the second-fastest rate in the nation (second only to St. Louis). 

Due to this decrease, Detroit today has a significant number of abandoned structures, including homes, and the neighborhood is experiencing urban ruin. 

Top 2 News Websites 

The Detroit News 

Get The Detroit News' most recent breaking local news for Detroit and Michigan, as well as analysis, sports information, photographs, videos, and more. 

Detroit Metro Times 

Detroit's leading alternative source for news, arts, entertainment, music, cinema, gastronomy, fashion, and more has been Metro Times. The most complete club and concert listings in the region, together with hard-hitting journalism, in-depth profiles of regional musicians, artists, and cultural icons, have made MT the most sought-after news and entertainment source for residents in the metro Detroit area. 

Current City Mayor 

On November 5, 2013, Mike Duggan was elected mayor of the City of Detroit. On November 7, 2017, he was returned for a second term. Duggan, a Detroit native, has devoted his whole professional life to the city's efforts to address some of the most difficult problems that Detroiters face, including as crime, blight, and employment opportunities. 

Mayor Duggan set to work in his first term restoring essential city services for all Detroiters. He created the Department of Neighborhoods and assigned employees to each of the seven city council districts to assist locals in addressing issues of blight. Additionally, he actively participated in programs that resulted in the installation of over 60,000 new LED street lights, the removal of nearly 17,000 vacant and derelict homes, and a significant reduction in police and EMS response times, which brought them closer to the national average. 

Additionally, he reinstated fiscal responsibility by working with the City Council to enact three successively balanced budgets in FY2015, FY2016, and FY2017, which resulted in major improvements to the City's bond rating. 

The mayor has continued to demolish run-down homes and has laid up a strategy to deal with all abandoned buildings over the next two years, whether through destruction, rehabilitation, or temporarily boarding them up. Additionally, he developed Project Green Light, a multi-million-dollar Real Time Crime Center that, to date, has partnered with more than 300 Detroit businesses to provide real-time, high-quality video from the businesses. Major crimes have fallen by almost 40% at participating firms since the program's introduction two years ago. 

Having completed his second term and restored city services to the standards Detroiters expect and deserve, Duggan has focused on creating "One Detroit for Everyone." Creating and maintaining affordable housing, regenerating long-forgotten areas, and ensuring that every Detroiter has access to jobs and job training opportunities through the Detroit at Work program are all part of the objective of an equitable revitalization.