Detroit

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Detroit


City Picture

Location
Country United States of America
Latitude 42 19 N
Longitude 83 51 W
Time Zone GMT/UTC -5 (Eastern Standard Time)
Statistics
Population 886,675 (2005)
Area 370.2 km² (approximate)
Currency US Dollar (USD)
Electricity 1100V
Language English

History

from Wikipedia entry

Traveling up the Detroit River on the ship Le Griffon (previously captained by La Salle), Father Louis Hennepin noted the north bank of the river as an ideal location for a settlement. There, in 1701, French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a fort and settlement called Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, naming it after the comte de Pontchartrain, minister of marine under Louis XIV. The settlement prospered as a fur-trading center, and the fort offered protection for French ships plying the Great Lakes.

From 1758 to 1760, Francois Marie Picoté, sieur de Belestre II (Montreal 1719 - 1793) was the last French military Commander at Fort Detroit, surrendering on 1760-11-29, the Fort to British Major Robert Rogers (of Roger's Rangers fame & sponsor of the Jonathan Carver expedition to St.Anthony Falls).

Later in 1760, during the French and Indian War, British troops gained control of the area and shortened the name of the settlement to Detroit. Local Native American tribes, many of whom had developed friendly relations with French colonists, became alarmed at this development. In 1763, several tribes led by Chief Pontiac, an Ottawa leader, launched what became known as Pontiac's Rebellion, which included a siege of Fort Detroit; they were ultimately defeated by the British. In 1796, Detroit passed to the United States under the Jay Treaty. In 1805, fire destroyed most of the settlement; a river warehouse and brick chimneys of the wooden homes were the sole structures to survive.[8] Detroit's city flag reflects this French heritage. (See Flag of Detroit, Michigan.)

From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan. As the city expanded, the street layout followed a plan developed by Augustus B. Woodward, Chief Justice of the Michigan territory. Detroit fell to British troops during the War of 1812 in the Siege of Detroit, was recaptured by the United States in 1813 and incorporated as a city in 1815. Prior to the American Civil War, the city's access to the Canadian border made it a key stop along the underground railroad.

Many Detroiters volunteered to fight during the American Civil War. Following the death of President Abraham Lincoln, George Armstrong Custer delivered a eulogy to the thousands gathered near Campus Martius Park. Custer had led the Michigan Brigade during the American Civil War and had called them the "Wolverines."

Detroit's many Gilded Age mansions and buildings arose during the late 1800s. The city was referred to as the "Paris of the West" for its fine architecture. Strategically located along the Great Lakes waterway, Detroit emerged as a transportation hub. The city had grown steadily from the 1830s with the rise of shipping, shipbuilding, and manufacturing industries. In 1896, a thriving carriage trade prompted Henry Ford to build his first automobile in a rented workshop on Mack Avenue, and in 1904, the Model T was produced. Ford's manufacturing—and those of automotive pioneers William C. Durant, the Dodge brothers, and Walter Chrysler reinforced Detroit's status as the world's automotive capital. The industry spurred the city's spectacular growth during the first half of the 20th century as it drew many new residents, particularly workers from the Southern United States. Strained racial relations were evident in the trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, a black Detroit physician acquitted of murder after he shot into a large mob when he moved from the all-black part of the city to an all-white area. With the introduction of prohibition, the river was a major conduit for Canadian spirits, organized in large part by the notorious Purple Gang.

With the factories came high-profile labor strife, climaxing in the 1930s as the United Auto Workers initiated bitter disputes with Detroit's auto manufacturers. The labor activism established during those years brought notoriety to hometown union leaders such as Jimmy Hoffa and Walter Reuther. The 1940s saw the construction of the world's first urban depressed freeway, the Davison and the industrial growth during World War II that led to Detroit's nickname as the Arsenal of Democracy.

Detroit endured a painful decline during the 1960s and 1970s and was often held up as a symbol of urban blight. The 12th Street Riot in 1967 and court-ordered busing accelerated white flight from the city. The percentage of black residents increased rapidly thereafter, as not only did the whites flee the city, but the migration of blacks from the south continued. The city's tax base began a steep decline as retailers and small business owners departed the city in the wake of the riots. Within a decade large numbers of buildings and homes were abandoned on the southeast side of the city, with many remaining for years in a state of decay. In 1973, the city elected its first black mayor, Coleman Young. Young's style during his record five terms in office was not well received by many whites.

The gasoline crises of 1973 and 1979 shook the United States auto industry as small cars from foreign makers made inroads into the traditional dominance of the Big Three automakers. High-paying manufacturing jobs became scarce and the city soon faced the acute heroin and crack cocaine epidemics which afflicted the city at that time with the help of Butch Jones, Maserati Rick, and Chambers Brothers. Drug-related violence and property crimes rose steeply, while many abandoned homes were razed as they had become havens for drug dealers. Devil's Night, a Detroit-area tradition which occurs the night before Halloween, evolved from a night of pranks to a night of large-scale arson across the city. Sizeable tracts have reverted to nature, to become a form of urban prairie with wild animals spotted migrating into the city.[15] "Renaissance" has been a perennial buzzword among city leaders since the 12th Street riot, reinforced by the construction of the Renaissance Center in the late 1970s. In 1980, Detroit hosted the Republican National Convention which nominated Ronald Reagan to a successful bid for President of the United States. Ronald Reagan had stayed at the Renaissance Center. The Detroit Tigers won the 1984 World Series, their first since 1968.

In the 1990s, the city began to enjoy a revival, much of it centered downtown. In 1994, Comerica Tower with its postmodern architecture and neo-gothic spires arose on the city skyline. From 1996 onwards, three casinos opened: MGM Grand Detroit, Motor City Casino, and Greektown Casino. In 2000, Comerica Park replaced Tiger Stadium as the home of the Detroit Tigers,[16] and in 2002, Ford Field brought the NFL's Detroit Lions back into Detroit, from Pontiac. Office construction surrounding the revitalized Campus Martius Park included the 2004 opening of Compuware World Headquarters and the 2006 opening of Ernst & Young's new offices at One Kennedy Square. The city hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game and Super Bowl XL in 2006, both of which prompted many improvements to the downtown area. Additionally, the first portions of the Detroit River Walk were laid down. In the summer of 2006, announcements came for the redevelopment of the Fort Shelby and Book-Cadillac Hotels.

The Airport

Hotels

Getting Around

  • Subway
  • Taxi
    • Which taxi?

Things to See

Things to Do

For general information and a calendar of events, see Metro Times Detroit

Shopping

Where to Eat

Wheat and Rye

Bar and restaurant. From the Sheraton Four Points about a 5 minute walk (the van used to take you, but last time they wouldn't). Turn left out of the hotel and past the first light. Your mother may have told you never to eat anything bigger than your head - make an exception, their sandwiches are ENORMOUS.

Clubs, Bars, Nightlife

Safety Advisories

WARNINGS: Low

State Department Travel Warnings


There are no known safety advisories at this time.


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