Detroit, MI

Famous for cars, Motown music and sports, Detroit is a city of about 920,000 people. It is the largest city in Michigan, and a diverse one at that, with a large population of African Americans, Latinos and Arab Americans. Four million people live in the Detroit metropolitan area.

Detroit was settled in 1701 by an explorer who landed at the site of the present-day Civic Center. It officially became a town in 1802 but burned to the ground in a fire three years later that destroyed every building except one, a fort that no longer stands. In the 1800s Detroit was known for manufacturing stoves and building ships, but that all changed when Henry Ford completed his first car in 1896. The automotive industry led the city through a population boom that lasted into the 1920s, and then the city was a leader of armament production during World War II. But in the decades after the war, the city and its economy fell on hard times. Revitalization efforts began in the 1970s and continue today.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The automotive industry dominates the economy of the Motor City. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler are the city's top three employers, but with the automotive industry in financial crisis, the economy of the city is in a precarious state. Two of the Big Three automakers filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and the city is transitioning into viable new industries. Battery manufacturing, wind-power technology, solar-panel manufacturing and railroad car production are among the new opportunities for the city's engineers.

Healthcare, education and government are other top industries in the city. The Detroit metropolitan area has a workforce of more than 2 million people and the city is home to 16 Fortune 500 companies.

Detroit's top five employers are:

• Ford Motor Company
• General Motors Corporation
• Chrysler L.L.C.
• Detroit Public Schools
• University of Michigan Health System

Detroit has taken advantage of statewide tax incentives for filmmakers, luring film crews for major motion pictures. Detroit is now home to the Motown Motion Picture Studio.

Detroit houses three major casino/hotels: MotorCity, MGM Grand, and the Greektown Casino.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Detroit includes many neighborhoods in and around the city:

• Arden Park-East Boston Historic District is known for the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
• Atkinson Avenue is a middle-class area that also hosts Henry Ford Hospital.
• Boston-Edison Historic District, a historic neighborhood of Detroit, was once home to owners and shareholders of many automobile companies.
• Delray is another residential neighborhood of Detroit that has industrial warehouses in close proximity and is supposedly the most polluted residential area in the city.
• Downtown Detroit is the central business area of Detroit and it contains most of the prominent skyscrapers.
• Greektown Historic District winds through Monroe Street and is one of Detroit's most happening neighborhoods. The neighborhood houses an interesting collection of authentic Greek restaurants, lounges and shops.
• Indian Village is another historic neighborhood that has architecturally significant homes.
• Mexicantown, which has experienced economic growth recently, is known for its delicious Mexican cuisine.
• New Center is a commercial area that offers convenient access to downtown resources and outlying factories.
• Rosedale Park hosts the only privately owned neighborhood recreation facility in Detroit.
• Woodbridge is another Detroit neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying.
• Other neighborhoods of Detroit include Baldwin Park, Belmont, Carbon Works, Fitzgerald, Franklin Park, Grixdale, Martin Park, Ravendale, Russell Woods, Springwells, Van Steuban and Zone 8.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Lovers of art, music and theater will find plenty to do in Detroit. The city has more than 40 museums, theaters and institutions dedicated to the arts. Some of the most popular include:

• Detroit Children's Museum: The museum was founded in 1917 and is the third-oldest children's museum in the country. The museum's Planetarium is a popular attraction.
• Detroit Historical Museum: Established in 1928, the Detroit Historical Museum is one of the country's oldest and largest museums dedicated to a city's history. More than 600 historic artifacts spanning 300 years of history are displayed in 80,000 square feet of exhibit space.
• Detroit Institute of Arts: Since 1885, the DIA has been an important cultural presence in Detroit. The museum's art collection is one of the largest in the United States. It houses important works of art from Africa, Asia and ancient times. The collections are displayed in a 677,000-square-foot building that was renovated in 2007.
• Detroit Symphony Orchestra: Ten Detroit society women founded the orchestra in 1914. Today the well-known symphony plays at Detroit's Orchestra Hall.

Detroit has a long and storied sports history. It is home to professional teams from every major sport, and began the new millennium by constructing new baseball and football stadiums.

• Detroit Tigers: The Detroit Tigers are the city's oldest sports franchise, having played their first game in 1901. Today, the Tigers play at Comerica Park, a $300 million downtown stadium that opened in 2000, complete with a carousel, fountain and Ferris wheel.
• Detroit Lions: The Lions have played for Detroit football fans since 1934. In 2002, the team moved into Ford Field, a brand-new, $500 million, downtown stadium.
• Detroit Red Wings: The Red Wings played their first hockey game in Detroit as the Detroit Cougars in 1926. They have won a total of 10 National Hockey League championships, more championships than any other team in Detroit.
• Detroit Pistons: The Pistons moved to Detroit from Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1957. The team plays at the Palace at Auburn Hills, a 22,000-seat arena that opened in 1988.

LOCAL MEDIA

Detroit is the 11th-largest television market in the country. Major network affiliates in Detroit are:

• WJBK (FOX), Channel 2
• WDIV (NBC), Channel 4
• WXYZ (ABC), Channel 7
• WKBD (The CW), Channel 50
• WTVS (PBS), Channel 56
• WWJ (CBS), Channel 62

Additionally, Detroit is served by two daily newspapers, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News. The newspapers have a joint operating agreement.

EVENTS

Many annual events celebrate Detroit's culture and diversity, including:

• North American International Auto Show (January): First held in Detroit in 1907, the auto show has been held annually except 1943-1952. It occupies 1 million square feet (93,000 m²) of floor space.
• Detroit Electronic Music Festival (May)
• Greektown Arts Festival (June)
• Detroit International River Days (June)
• Comerica CityFest (July)
• Detroit International Jazz Festival (September)
• Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon (October)
• Thanksgiving Day Parade (November)

FUN FACTS

• In 1879 Detroit became the first city to assign individual telephone numbers.
• Henry Ford introduced the first mass-produced automobile, the Model T, in 1908.
• The first four-way, three-color traffic light in the world was installed in Detroit in 1915. It was manually operated by police officers.
• Northland Center, the country's first suburban shopping mall, opened in the Detroit suburb of Southfield in 1954.