Metro Detroit Detroit–Warren–Livonia MSA Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint CSA
—  CSA  —
Cranbrook Art Museum (top left) in Bloomfield Hills and The Henry Ford (top center) in Dearborn are National Historic Landmarks.
A simulated-color satellite image of Metro Detroit, with Windsor across the river, taken on NASA's Landsat 7 satellite.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Largest city	Detroit
Counties	List In MSA: Lapeer Livingston Macomb Oakland St. Clair Wayne   Additional in CSA: Genesee Monroe Washtenaw
Area
• Urban	1,337.1 sq mi (3,463 km2)
• MSA	3,913 sq mi (10,130 km2)
• CSA	5,814 sq mi (15,060 km2)
Elevation	569–1,280 ft (173–390 m)
Population (2010)
• Urban	3,734,090 (9th)
• Urban density	2,792.5/sq mi (1,078.2/km2)
• Metro density	1,097.9/sq mi (423.9/km2)
• MSA	4,296,250 (13th)
• CSA	5,218,852 (12th)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	248, 313, 586, 734, 810, 947

The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. As a major metropolitan area, it is known for its automotive heritage, arts, entertainment, and popular music and sports legacies. The area includes a variety of natural landscapes, parks, and beaches with a recreational coastline linking the Great Lakes.

Definitions[link]

The Detroit Urban Area, which serves as the core of the Metropolitan Statistical Area, ranks as the 12th most populous of the United States, with a population of 3,734,090 as of the 2010 census, and an area of 1,337.16 square miles (3,463.2 km²). This urbanized area covers parts of the counties of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb.^[1] These counties are sometimes referred to informally as the Detroit Tri-County Area, and had a population of 3,863,888 as of the 2010 census with an area of 1,967.1 square miles (5,095 km²).

Michigan map: MSA counties in dark yellow with additional CSA counties in light yellow.

The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the Detroit–Warren–Livonia Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as the six counties of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 4,296,250. The MSA covers an area of 3,913 square miles (10,130 km²).

The nine-county area designated by the United States Census Bureau as the Detroit–Ann Arbor–Flint Combined Statistical Area (CSA) includes the three additional counties of Genesee, Monroe, and Washtenaw, the metropolitan areas of Flint, Ann Arbor, and Monroe, plus the Detroit-Warren-Livonia MSA. It had a population of 5,218,852 as of the 2010 census. This CSA covers an area of 5,814 square miles (15,060 km²). Lenawee County was removed from Detroit's CSA in 2000.

With the adjacent city of Windsor, Ontario and its suburbs, the combined Detroit-Windsor area has a population of about 5.7 million.^[2] When the nearby Toledo Metropolitan Area and its commuters are taken into account, the region constitutes a much larger population center. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300-mile (480 km) radius of Detroit proper.^[3] Metro Detroit is at the center of an emerging Great Lakes Megalopolis.

Economy[link]

The region's nine county area with its population of 5.3 million has a workforce of about 2.6 million with about 247,000 businesses.^[4] In May 2011, the metro area unemployment rate was 11.6 percent.^[5][6] Metro Detroit has made Michigan's economy a leader in information technology, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing; Michigan ranks fourth nationally in high tech employment with 568,000 high tech workers, including 70,000 in the automotive industry.^[7][8] Michigan typically ranks second or third in overall Research & development (R&D) expenditures in the United States.^[9][10] Metro Detroit is an important source of engineering job opportunities. As the home of the "Big Three" American automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler), it is the world's traditional automotive center and a key pillar of the U.S. economy.^[11][12][13] In the 2010s, the domestic auto industry accounts, directly and indirectly, for one of ten jobs in the United States making it a significant component for economic recovery.^[14]

The Renaissance Center, GM's world headquarters

Since 2009, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have managed a significant reorganization of their benefit funds structure after a volatile stock market which followed the September 11, 2001 attacks and early 2000s recession impacted their respective U.S. pension and benefit funds (OPEB).^[15][16][17] In 2009, GM and Chrysler emerged from Chapter 11 restructurings with financing provided in part by the U.S. and Canadian governments.^[18] For 2010, the domestic automakers have reported significant profits indicating the beginning of rebound.^{[19] [20][21][22]}

Southfield Town Center

Metro Detroit serves as the headquarters for the United States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM), with Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is one of America's largest and most recently modernized facilities, with six major runways, Boeing 747 maintenance facilities, and an attached Westin Hotel and Conference Center.

Detroit is a major U.S. port^[23] with an extensive toll-free expressway system.^[24][25] A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Detroit-Windsor region and $13 billion in annual production depend on Detroit's international border crossing.^[26] A source of top talent, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is one of the world's leading research institutions,^[27] and Wayne State University in Detroit has the largest single-campus medical school in the United States.^[28]

From the metro area economy, Michigan was second in the U.S. in 2004 for new corporate facilities and expansions.^[29] From 1997 to 2004, Michigan was the only state to top the 10,000 mark for the number of major new developments.^[29] Metro Detroit is a leading corporate location with major office complexes such as the Renaissance Center, the Southfield Town Center, and Cadillac Place with the Fisher Building in the historic New Center area. Both BorgWarner and TRW Automotive Holdings chose Metro Detroit for their new headquarters. Quicken Loans, Ernst & Young, Ally Financial, Visteon, and OnStar are sources of growth.

Compuware, IBM, Google, and Covansys are examples information technology and software companies with a headquarters or major presence in Metro Detroit. HP Enterprise Services makes Metro Detroit its regional headquarters, and one of its largest global employment locations. The metropolitan Detroit area has one of the nation's largest office markets with 147,082,003 square feet.^[30] Virtually every major U.S company and many from around the globe have a presence in Metro Detroit. Chrysler's largest corporate facility is its U.S. headquarters and technology center in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills. In decade leading up to 2006, downtown Detroit gained more than $15 billion in new investment from private and public sectors.^[31]

Tourism[link]

Tourism is an important component of the region's culture and economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs.^[32] About 15.9 million people visit metro Detroit annually, spending about $4.8 billion.^[33] Detroit is the largest city or metro area in the U.S. to offer casino resort hotels (MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, Greektown Casino, and nearby Caesars Windsor).^[34]

Metro Detroit is a tourist destination easily accommodating super-sized crowds to events such as the North American International Auto Show, the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival, 2009 NCAA Final Four, and Super Bowl XL. The Detroit International Riverfront links the Renaissance Center a series of venues, parks, restaurants, and hotels. In 2006, the four-day Motown Winter Blast drew a cold weather crowd of about 1.2 million people to Campus Martius Park area downtown.^[35]

Detroit's metroparks include fresh water beaches such as Metropolitan Beach, Kensington Beach, and Stony Creek Beach. Metro Detroit offers canoeing through the Huron-Clinton Metroparks as well as downhill and cross-county skiing at Alpine Valley Ski Resort, Mt. Brighton, Mt. Holly, and Pine Knob Ski Resort. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife preserve in North America, uniquely located in the heart of a major metropolitan area. The Refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles (77 km) of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline.

Detroit Institute of Arts.

Metro Detroit contains a number of shopping malls, including the upscale Somerset Collection in Troy and the Great Lakes Crossing outlet mall in Auburn Hills, both major draws for tourists.

The region's leading attraction is The Henry Ford, located in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, which is America's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex.^[36][37] The recent renovation of the Renaissance Center, a state of the art cruise ship dock, new stadiums, and a new RiverWalk have spurred economic development. Nearby Windsor has a 19 year old drinking age with a myriad of entertainment to complement Detroit's Greektown district. Tourism planners have yet to tap the potential economic impact of the estimated 46 million people that live within a 300-mile (480-km) radius of Detroit.^[3][38]

Demographics[link]

A view of the Detroit International Riverfront from Belle Isle.

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,296,250 people, 1,682,111 households, and 1,110,454 families residing within the metropolitan statistical area. The census reported 70.1% White, 22.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population.

As of the 2010 American Community Survey estimates, the median income for a household in the MSA was $48,198, and the median income for a family was $62,119. The per capita income for the MSA was $25,403. The region's foreign-born population sat at 8.6%.

In 1701, French officer Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, along with fifty-one additional French-Canadians, founded a settlement called Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit, naming it after the comte de Pontchartrain, Minister of Marine under Louis XIV. The French legacy can be observed today in the names of many area cities (ex. Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Ile) and streets (ex. Gratiot, Beaubien, St. Antoine, Cadieux). Later came an influx of persons of British and German descent, followed by Polish, Irish, Italian, Lebanese, Assyrian/Chaldean, Greek, Jewish, and Belgian immigrants who made their way to the area in the early 20 century and during and after World War II.^[39] There was a large migration into the city of from the rural South following World War I.^[39]

Today, the Detroit suburbs in Oakland County, Macomb County, and northeastern and northwestern Wayne County are predominantly Caucasian. Oakland County is among the most affluent counties in the United States with populations over one million.^[40] In Wayne County, the city of Dearborn has a large concentration of Arab Americans, mainly Lebanese. Recently, the area has witnessed some growth in Albanian, Asian and Hispanic populations. Immigration continues to play a role in the region's projected growth with the population of Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint (CMSA) estimated to be 6,191,000 by 2025.^[41]

In the 2000s, 115 of the 185 cities and townships in Metro Detroit were over 95% white. Of the more than 240,000 suburban blacks in Metro Detroit, 44% lived in Inkster, Oak Park, Pontiac, and Southfield; most of the African American population in the area resided in Detroit, Highland Park, Inkster, Pontiac, and Southfield.^[42]

	v t e Metro Detroit
Major city	Detroit†
Municipalities over 80,000	Canton Township • Clinton Township • Dearborn • Farmington Hills • Livonia • Sterling Heights • Troy • Warren • Westland
Municipalities 45,000–80,000	Belleville • Beverly Hills • Bloomfield Hills • Bloomfield Township • Canton • Clawson • Dearborn • Dearborn Heights • Grosse Pointe  • Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan • Grosse Pointe Park • Macomb Township • Novi • Northville • Oak Park • Pontiac • Redford Township • Rochester • Rochester Hills • Royal Oak • Saint Clair Shores • Shelby Township • Southfield • Taylor • Waterford Township • West Bloomfield Township
Satellite cities	Adrian • Ann Arbor • Brighton • Flint • Howell • Jackson • Lapeer • Monroe  • Port Huron • Toledo • Windsor
Counties in MSA	Lapeer • Livingston  • Macomb • Oakland • St. Clair • Wayne
Counties in CSA	Genesee • Monroe • Washtenaw
Regions	Southeast Michigan • Great Lakes
Outlying regions	Central Michigan • Flint/Tri-Cities • Northwest Ohio • Southwestern Ontario
Topics	Architecture · Culture · Detroit River · Economy · Freeways · History · Historic places · International Riverfront · Lake St. Clair · Media · Music · Parks and beaches · People · Skyscrapers · Sports · Theatre · Tourism · Transportation
† - Wayne County Seat.

Transportation[link]

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is the region's major international airport. The McNamara Terminal's ExpressTram is used to transport passengers from one end of the terminal to the other

Airports[link]

• Ann Arbor Municipal Airport (ARB)
• Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET) (Detroit) - General aviation only
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) (Romulus) - Major international airport, commercial hub for Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines
• Flint-Bishop International Airport(FNT) (Flint) - Commercial airport
• Oakland County International Airport (PTK) Waterford Township) - Charter passenger facility
• St. Clair County International Airport (near Port Huron, Michigan) - An international airport on the U.S. and Canadian Border.
• Selfridge Air National Guard Base (Mount Clemens) - Military airbase
• Willow Run Airport (YIP) (Ypsilanti) - Cargo, general aviation, charter passenger traffic

Transit systems[link]

Bus service for the metropolitan area is provided jointly by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) which operate under a cooperative service and fare agreement. The Detroit People Mover monorail encircles downtown and a proposed SEMCOG Commuter Rail could extend from Detroit's New Center area to The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor^[43]

Roads and freeways[link]

The Metro Detroit area is linked by an advanced network of major roads and freeways which include Interstate highways. Traditionally, Detroiters refer to some of their freeways by name rather than route number. The Davison, Lodge, and Southfield freeways are almost always referred to by name rather than route number. Detroiters commonly precede freeway names with the word 'the' as in the Lodge, the Southfield, and the Davison. Those without names are referred to by number.

Surface street navigation in Metro Detroit is commonly anchored by "mile roads", major east-west surface streets that are spaced at one-mile (1.6 km) intervals and increment as one travels north and away from the city center. Mile roads sometimes have two names, the numeric name (ex. 15 Mile Road) used in Macomb County and a local name (ex. Maple Road) used in Oakland County mostly.

Education[link]

University of Michigan .

Area codes[link]

Metro Detroit is served by eight telephone area codes (six not including Windsor). The 313 area code, which used to encompass all of Southeast Michigan, has been narrowed to the city of Detroit and a few close suburbs.

• The 248 area code along with the newer 947 area code overlay mostly serve Oakland County.
• Macomb County is largely served by 586.
• Genesee, St. Clair, and Lapeer counties, eastern Livingston County, and part of northern Oakland County are covered by 810.
• Washtenaw, Monroe, and western Wayne are in the 734 area.
• The Windsor area (and most of southwestern Ontario) is served by 519 and 226.

Sports[link]

Professional sports has a major fan following in Metro Detroit. The area is home to many sports teams, including six professional teams in four major sports. The area's several universities field teams in a variety of sports. Michigan Stadium, home of the Michigan Wolverines, is the largest American football stadium in the world. Metro Detroit hosts many annual sporting events including auto and hydroplane racing. The area has hosted many major sporting events, including the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl XVI, Super Bowl XL, the 2005 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, many Stanley Cup Championship rounds, and the first two games of the 2006 World Series.

See also[link]

Metro Detroit portal

• Detroit travel guide from Wikitravel
• Images of Metro Detroit

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
• Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Michigan (arranged by counties and regions)
• Michigan Geology -- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
• Michigan's Official Economic Development and Travel Site.
• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Michigan". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMI.asp. 
• Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.

v t e City of Detroit Architecture · Culture · Detroit River · Economy · Freeways · Government · History · Historic places · International Riverfront · Media · Music · Neighborhoods · Parks and beaches · People · Skyscrapers · Sports · Theatre · Tourism · Transportation Metro Detroit · Michigan · United States

v t e Metro Detroit Topics Architecture Culture Detroit River Economy Freeways History Historic places International Riverfront Lake St. Clair Media Music Parks and beaches People Skyscrapers Sports Theatre Tourism Transportation Major city Detroit Municipalities over 80,000 Canton Township Clinton Township Dearborn Livonia Sterling Heights Troy Warren Westland Municipalities 45,000 to 80,000 Dearborn Heights Farmington Hills Grosse Pointe Macomb Township Novi Pontiac Redford Township Rochester Hills Royal Oak St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Taylor Waterford Township West Bloomfield Township Satellite cities Ann Arbor Brighton Flint Howell Lapeer Monroe Port Huron Toledo Windsor Ypsilanti Counties in MSA Lapeer Livingston Macomb Oakland St. Clair Wayne Counties in CSA Genesee Monroe Washtenaw Regions Southeast Michigan Great Lakes Outlying regions Central Michigan Flint/Tri-Cities Northwest Ohio Southwestern Ontario The Thumb  Michigan  United States

v t e  State of Michigan Lansing (capital) Topics Index Congressional delegation Geography Governors History Islands Legislature Lieutenant Governors Lighthouses Museums National Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places listings People State Historic Sites State parks Supreme Court Tallest buildings Timeline Topics Visitor attractions Regions Upper Peninsula Copper Country Keweenaw Peninsula Gogebic Range Lower Peninsula Central Michigan Southern Michigan Flint/Tri-Cities The Thumb The Greater Tri Cities Michiana Northern Michigan Southeast Michigan Metro Detroit West Michigan Largest Municipalities Alpena Ann Arbor Battle Creek Bay City Bloomfield Township Canton Township Chesterfield Township Clinton Township Commerce Township Dearborn Dearborn Heights Detroit East Lansing Eastpointe Farmington Hills Flint Flint Township Georgetown Township Grand Rapids Holland Jackson Kalamazoo Kentwood Lansing Lincoln Park Livonia Macomb Township Meridian Township Midland Muskegon Novi Pontiac Portage Redford Rochester Hills Roseville Royal Oak Saginaw Saginaw Township St. Clair Shores Shelby Township Southfield Sterling Heights Taylor Troy Warren Waterford Township West Bloomfield Westland Wyoming Ypsilanti Township Counties Alcona Alger Allegan Alpena Antrim Arenac Baraga Barry Bay Benzie Berrien Branch Calhoun Cass Charlevoix Cheboygan Chippewa Clare Clinton Crawford Delta Dickinson Eaton Emmet Genesee Gladwin Gogebic Grand Traverse Gratiot Hillsdale Houghton Huron Ingham Ionia Iosco Iron Isabella Jackson Kalamazoo Kalkaska Kent Keweenaw Lake Lapeer Leelanau Lenawee Livingston Luce Mackinac Macomb Manistee Marquette Mason Mecosta Menominee Midland Missaukee Monroe Montcalm Montmorency Muskegon Newaygo Oakland Oceana Ogemaw Ontonagon Osceola Oscoda Otsego Ottawa Presque Isle Roscommon Saginaw Sanilac Schoolcraft Shiawassee St. Clair St. Joseph Tuscola Van Buren Washtenaw Wayne Wexford

Coordinates: 42°21′29″N 83°12′54″W / 42.358°N 83.215°W / 42.358; -83.215

Detroit
—  City  —
Images from top to bottom, left to right: Downtown Detroit skyline, Spirit of Detroit, Greektown, Ambassador Bridge, Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Fox Theatre, and Comerica Park.
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The Motor City, Motown, Renaissance City, The D, Hockeytown, The Automotive Capital of the World, Rock City, The 313
Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (Latin: We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes)
Location within Wayne County, Michigan and the state of Michigan
Detroit Location within the contiguous United States of America
Coordinates: 42°19′53″N 83°02′45″W / 42.33139°N 83.04583°W / 42.33139; -83.04583Coordinates: 42°19′53″N 83°02′45″W / 42.33139°N 83.04583°W / 42.33139; -83.04583[1]
Country	United States of America
State	Michigan
County	Wayne
Founded	1701
Incorporated	1806
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Dave Bing (D)
• City Council	Members Charles Pugh – Council President Gary Brown – Council President Pro-Tem JoAnn Watson Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. Saunteel Jenkins Andre Spivey James Tate Brenda Jones Kwame Kenyatta
Area
• City	143.0 sq mi (370 km2)
• Land	138.8 sq mi (359 km2)
• Water	4.2 sq mi (11 km2)
• Urban	1,295 sq mi (3,350 km2)
• Metro	3,913 sq mi (10,130 km2)
Elevation[1]	600 ft (200 m)
Population (2010)[2][3]
• City	713,777
• Rank	18th in U.S.
• Density	5,142/sq mi (1,985/km2)
• Urban	3,863,924
• Metro	4,296,250
• CSA	5,218,852
Demonym	Detroiter
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Area code(s)	313
FIPS code	26-22000[4]
GNIS feature ID	1617959[1]
Major airport	Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
Website	DetroitMI.gov

Detroit ( /diˈtrɔɪt/)^[5] is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of Wayne County. It is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people, and serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.

In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and ranked as the 18th most populous city in the United States.^[2] The name Detroit sometimes refers to the Metro Detroit area with a population of 4,296,250 for the six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area,^[6] the United States' eleventh-largest, and a population of 5,218,852 for the nine-county Combined Statistical Area as of the 2010 Census.^[3] The Detroit–Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada–U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000.^[7]

Known as the world's traditional automotive center,^[8] "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, the Motor City and Motown.^[9][10] Other nicknames arose in the 20th century, including City of Champions beginning in the 1930s for its successes in individual and team sport,^[11] The D, D-Town, Hockeytown (a trademark owned by the city's NHL club, the Red Wings), Rock City (after the Kiss song "Detroit Rock City"), and The 313 (its telephone area code)^[12][13] Detroit became known as the "great arsenal of democracy" for its support of the U.S. role among the Allied powers during World War II.^[14]

Detroit and the surrounding region constitute a major center of commerce and global trade. The Detroit area emerged as a metropolitan region with construction of an extensive freeway system in the 1950s and 1960s which has expanded in ensuing decades. Freeways and transit systems have facilitated movement throughout the region with millions of people taking up residence in the suburbs. Between 2000 and 2010, the city's population fell by 25%, from the nation's 10th largest city to 18th.^[15] Commensurate with the shift of population and jobs to its suburbs, the city has had to adjust its role within the larger metropolitan area. Downtown Detroit has seen an increased role as an entertainment hub in the 21st century with the opening of three casino resort hotels, new stadiums, and a revitalized riverfront. The metropolitan region currently holds roughly one-half of the state's population.^[2][6]

History[link]

The city's name originates from the Detroit River (French: le détroit du Lac Érié, 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.^[16][17] Traveling up the Detroit River in 1679 on the ship Le Griffon with Cavelier de 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, along with fifty-one additional French-Canadians, founded a settlement called Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit, naming it after the comte de Pontchartrain, Minister of Marine under Louis XIV. France offered free land in order to attract families to Detroit, which grew to 800 people in 1765, the largest city between Montreal and New Orleans.^[18]

Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded in 1701, is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The present church was completed in 1887.^[19]

François 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. The region's fur trade was an important economic activity. Detroit's city flag reflects this French heritage. (See Flag of Detroit, Michigan).^[19]

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.^[20]

From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan. As the city expanded, the street layout plan developed by Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Justice of the Michigan Territory was followed. 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.^[19]

Prior to the American Civil War, the city's access to the Canadian border made it a key stop along the underground railroad.^[19] 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, including the 24th Michigan Infantry Regiment (part of the legendary Iron Brigade) which fought with distinction and suffered 82% casualties at Gettysburg in 1863. 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.^[21]

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the city's Gilded Age mansions and buildings arose. Detroit was referred to as the Paris of the West for its architecture, and for Washington Boulevard, recently electrified by Thomas Edison.^[19] 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. During this period, Detroit expanded its borders annexing all or part of several surrounding villages and townships.

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant (1904), a National Historic Landmark.

In 1903 Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. Ford's manufacturing—and those of automotive pioneers William C. Durant, the Dodge brothers, Packard, 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.^[19]

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.^[22] Strained racial relations were evident in the 1920s trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician acquitted of murder. A man died when shots were fired from Ossian's house into a threatening mob who gathered to try to force him out of a predominantly white neighborhood.^[23]

Chauncey Hurlbut Memorial Gate (1894) – restored in 2007. East Jefferson at Cadillac Blvd.

With the factories came high-profile labor unions in the 1930s such as the United Auto Workers which initiated disputes with manufacturers. The labor activism during those years increased influence of union leaders in the city such as Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters and Walter Reuther of the autoworkers. The 1940s saw the construction of the world's first urban freeway system below ground level, the Davison^[24] and the American automobile industry's productive capacity summoned to support the Allied powers during World War II which led to Detroit's nickname as the Arsenal of Democracy.^[25] There have been six ships of the United States Navy named after the city, including USS Detroit (LCS-7).

Industry spurred growth during the first half of the 20th century as the city drew tens of thousands of new residents, particularly workers from the Southern United States, to become the United States' fourth largest. At the same time, tens of thousands of European immigrants located in the city. Social tensions rose with the rapid pace of growth. The color blind promotion policies of the auto plants resulted in racial tension that erupted into a full-scale riot in 1943.^[26]

Consolidation during the 1950s, especially in the automobile sector, streamlined the supply chain. An extensive freeway system constructed in the 1950s and 1960s had facilitated commuting. In 1940, the city held about one-third of the state's population, while the metropolitan region currently holds roughly one-half.^[19] Commensurate with the shift of population and jobs to its suburbs, the city's tax base eroded.

Broadway Avenue Historic District built in the 1890s adjoins the Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District which dates from the 1840s.

During the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Detroit witnessed social unrest, culminating in the Twelfth Street riot in July 1967. The gasoline crises of 1973 and 1979 impacted the U.S. auto industry as small cars from foreign makers made inroads.

Renaissance has been a common theme among city leaders, reinforced by the construction of the Renaissance Center in the late 1970s. This complex of skyscrapers, designed as a city within a city, together with other developments, slowed and eventually began to reverse the trend of businesses leaving Downtown Detroit by the late 1990s.^[19][27][28]

The Renaissance Center along the International Riverfront