Detroit

More than most cities, Detroit, Michigan, has suffered from racial strife and economic downturns throughout its history. For years, the city has struggled with urban decay, crime, and a failing school system, and has had to rely on government assistance in order to remain viable. Although a great deal of economic activity has shifted away from the city, the Detroit metropolitan area remains an important center of the US automotive industry. "Motor City," as Detroit is nicknamed, is also home to the influential "Motown" style of rhythm and blues music, popularized in the 1960s. The city's financial woes culminated in municipal bankruptcy in 2013, and since then city leaders have worked to attract new businesses to Detroit, to revitalize the area economy, and rebuild the city's image.

Landscape

Detroit is located in southeastern Michigan, beside the Detroit River and near Lake St. Clair. Across the river lies Canada, making Detroit an important entry point for international trade. The city's landscape is generally flat, with hills at the northwestern edge. Detroit has an area of approximately 130 square miles, and the metropolitan area is over 2,000 square miles. The city is located 90 miles southeast of Lansing, the state capital, and 170 miles northwest of Cleveland, Ohio.

Detroit's climate is characterized by cold winters and warm, sometimes hot summers. In July, the average high temperature is 74.1 degrees Fahrenheit, and the daytime temperature usually does not exceed 90 degrees. During winter, the weather often becomes bitterly cold, with an average high temperature of 25.8 degrees F. The city receives about 42 inches of snowfall each year, and heavy snowstorms sometimes take place. The worst storm in Detroit history occurred in April 1886, with more than 24 inches of snow burying the city, and drifts up to 12 feet high.

In Detroit, the disparity between urban and suburban areas is more pronounced than in other parts of the country. The northern border of the city is divided from the suburbs by a road called "8 Mile," which runs from Harper Woods to the western suburb of Redford. For decades, the road has been treated like a national border, and suburban police still police the area heavily. In other northern suburbs, such as Oak Park and Southfield, the division is not as stark.

The eastern suburbs of Detroit were once home to many of the industrialists and laborers, including members of the Ford family, who helped build the city. This suburban community includes the cities of Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Village, and Grosse Pointe Park. The western suburbs are comprised of Dearborn, River Rouge, Melvindale, Dearborn Heights, and Redford. At one time, these communities boasted some of the wealthiest families in the area, but as Detroit's problems worsened, the most affluent moved even further away from the city.

People

Detroit went from a city of 1.8 million people in 1950 to 950,000 in 2000. The city lost one half of its population in fifty years. The city's population has continued to decline steeply in the 2010s, reaching 620,376 in 2022 according to the United States Census Bureau. Detroit's demographic composition is startlingly unbalanced compared to other major cities in the United States. In 2022, Black or African Americans comprised 77.8 percent of the population; 10.1 percent of the population was White, 7.5 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 1.6 percent Asian.

Religion is an important aspect of the majority African American culture in Detroit. Many African Americans belong to a neighborhood church, which provides both spiritual comfort and social leadership. Black ministers take an active role in mediation between businesses and workers, and are often active in city government. The endorsement of a large church can be very influential during election season in Detroit.

Detroit's neighborhood housing was constructed between 1915 and 1955, with housing for approximately one million people completed by 1930. The Victorian cottages of historic Corktown, Detroit's first identifiable neighborhood, actually dates from 1840, and remains a vital area, located just west of downtown. Other historic neighborhoods include Rosedale Park, where all homes were custom built in the 1920s and 30s; and LaSalle Gardens, with a large number of beautiful mansions and smaller homes surrounding LaSalle Gardens Park.

During the 1970s and 1980s, many of Detroit's neighborhoods suffered appalling deterioration and vandalism. The night before Halloween, known as "Devil's Night," was plagued by looting and arson, with gangs often setting fire to neighborhood buildings. Fear and lawlessness prevailed, with the police and fire departments fighting hundreds of fires across the city. In the 1990s, city leaders began enlisting thousands of citizens to patrol the streets to discourage Devil's Night mischief, and the annual violence declined greatly, although it has continued on a smaller scale in the twenty-first century.

Economy

The dominant fact of Detroit's finances in the early twenty-first century is the municipal bankruptcy it went through in 2013 and 2014, the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history. Years of financial mismanagement had saddled the city with more than $18 billion in debt, $7 billion of which was eliminated in the sixteen-month bankruptcy. In addition, the bankruptcy exit plan set aside $1.7 billion to address crumbling infrastructure and city services.

Detroit's economy is based on manufacturing, retail trade, health services, and finance. Automobile manufacturers were the foundation of the city's economy, but when the major carmakers began to lose market share to the Japanese during the 1970s, Detroit was hit hard. Many jobs were lost, and some of the manufacturing plants were shut down. The effect on the city's economy was devastating, since so many other businesses were connected to and depended on the auto industry. Major car manufacturing continues to take place in the Detroit area, but on a much smaller scale.

Other industrial products are manufactured in Detroit, including steel, paper products, chemicals, processed food, and many types of machinery. About 242,000 jobs in Detroit are in the manufacturing sector. Other major employers in Detroit, some larger than the automobile manufacturers, are hospitals and health care centers. Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, and others employ thousands of Detroit residents.

Detroit has an excellent central location, on a navigable river that leads to the Great Lakes, which has encouraged the development of port facilities and increased trade. In 2022, more than $61 billion of overseas and Canadian cargo was exported from Detroit. The St. Lawrence Seaway, completed in 1959, provides a link between the city and international shipping routes.

Landmarks

Detroit hosts a variety of annual events that attract and entertain locals and visitors alike. The Detroit Grand Prix is held on Belle Isle each June, part of a three-day downtown event. The annual African World Festival is held during the summer, and is the largest ethnic festival in Detroit. The celebration features musical acts, art markets, cultural activities, and international food offered to the public. The city also holds a Thanksgiving Day parade that passes through downtown Detroit with floats, balloons, and costumed marchers.

One of Detroit's most popular entertainment districts, Greektown, is centered on Monroe Street, and features markets, bars, coffeehouses, shops, and restaurants serving authentic Greek fare. Latino entrepreneurs operate restaurants and shops in an area known as Mexicantown.

There are over 400 city parks in Detroit, the most famous and popular of which is located on Belle Isle. Belle Isle Park is the largest city-owned island park in the United States, and is home to an aquarium and a Great Lakes museum, along with hiking trails and other natural areas. Other large city parks include River Rouge Park, Palmer Park, and Chandler Park, and Hart Plaza, adjacent to Jefferson Avenue on the waterfront. This park is the site of Detroit's weekend ethnic festivals, and features an ice-skating rink and facilities for concerts and plays.

Several unique museums and performing arts halls may be found throughout Detroit. The Detroit Institute of Arts is one of the top art museums in the country, with a collection of 65,000 works from artists ranging from ancient Egypt to the contemporary period. The Detroit Historical Museum traces the entire history of the city, from its early days as a trading post to the industrial period. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Opera House, and the State Theatre are the center of the city's performing arts community. Other theatre companies are located in the theatre district along Woodward Avenue, and many of the city's theaters are housed in restored historic buildings.

History

Detroit was founded in 1701 by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac when he planted the flag of France near the Detroit River. The town grew very slowly and was a frontier trading post for many years. England, France, and the United States all fought for control of the town and the region at various times. Eventually, the port facilities were developed, and when steam powered ships were developed, Detroit became a shipbuilding center for Great Lakes transportation and trade.

Detroit was incorporated as a city in 1815. During the 1820s and 30s, the city played an important role in the flour milling trade.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Detroit's population grew rapidly, reaching approximately 70,000 in 1860. By that time, the city had become a destination for escaped slaves, who either remained in Detroit or moved on to Canada and freedom. Irish and German immigrants also came to the area looking for work.

The man who transformed Detroit into an industrial giant was automobile manufacturer Henry Ford. In 1896, Ford built his first car, and entered into a partnership to establish the Detroit Automobile Company. In 1913, Ford introduced assembly-line production at his Highland Park factory and stunned the industry by paying his workers five dollars per day, double the standard wage.

With the success of the Ford Motor Company, Detroit's growth exploded, and thousands moved to the city from the southern US and Europe to share the wealth. The auto manufacturers gave rise to auto parts suppliers and other related businesses, all of which flourished with the success of the Ford automobile.

During the early twentieth century, Detroit was established as a leading industrial center, producing millions of motor vehicles and other products. World War II forced many factories to retool for war production, and the economy began to decline when the war ended and government orders stopped, although civilian production continued.

The seeds of Detroit's civil strife were planted during the federal government's intervention in the housing situation after World War II. The government helped low-income families obtain bank loans in order to purchase homes in the growing suburbs, but relations between racial and ethnic groups were not peaceful, and federal guidelines actually limited the areas that could be settled by African Americans. Many blacks were forced to remain in the city, as they were usually unable to obtain housing loans.

Factory shutdowns and job losses resulted in a decline in Detroit's population beginning in the 1950s, when the city lost 50 percent of its industrial jobs. The decline hit the black community hardest, as African Americans were often the last to be hired, and the first to be fired.

During the early 1960s, Detroit was at the forefront of a popular music renaissance, led by Berry Gordy, the creator of the "Motown sound." Gordy discovered many of the most famous rhythm and blues singers in music history, including Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and many others.

Detroit's social problems came to an explosive head in the riot of July 1967, when a police raid on an illegal bar led to a standoff with police. The crowd set fire to buildings, and looting was widespread. The National Guard was called in, and the undisciplined troops engaged in firefights in the streets that were later criticized. US Army troops eventually quelled the unrest, but at least forty-three people were killed, hundreds were injured, and more than seven thousand arrested in the incident.

One consequence of the riot was an increased fear of African Americans among the white community. Whites were already leaving the city as a result of crime, bad schools, and housing integration, and the riots accelerated this trend. By the 1970s, most of the white population of Detroit had fled the city for the suburbs.

Another disaster hit the city in the early 1970s, when Japanese competition began cutting into the market share previously taken for granted by the Detroit automakers. The overall downturn in the national economy, along with the losses suffered by the auto manufacturers, led to more hard times for the Motor City. Thousands lost their jobs and left the city.

At the same time, Detroit elected its first African American mayor, Coleman Young. A true revolutionary, he was a staunch civil rights advocate, and was very aggressive in his attitudes and his words. He instituted much-needed reforms in the city's police department, but had an adversarial relationship with the white suburbs surrounding Detroit. Young and his supporters viewed Detroit as a postcolonial city, liberated from its domineering white oppressors, and although he served as mayor for twenty years, his administration had little real effect on the chronic problems plaguing Detroit.

Mayor Dennis Archer, who succeeded Young, began to reach out to the business community and the suburbs.

Detroit has begun to rebuild neighborhoods, and has been successful in attracting new business to the city. Federal government intervention propped up the city's economy for a time, with more than $12 billion invested in Detroit between 1994 and 1999. Following the bankruptcy of 2013–14, new investment offered hope of a renaissance, even as hundreds of buildings in the city stand empty.

Bibliography

Arnaud, Michel. Detroit: The Dream Is Now: The Design, Art, and Resurgence of an American City. Abrams, 2017.

Bak, Richard. Detroit across Three Centuries. Thompson Gale, 2001.

Bates, Beth Tompkins. The Making of Black Detroit in the Age of Henry Ford. U of North Carolina P, 2012.

Davey, Monica. "Detroit Was Crumbling. Here's How It's Reviving." The New York Times, 30 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/30/us/detroit-come-back-budget.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2019.

Davey, Monica, and Mary Williams Walsh. "Plan to Exit Bankruptcy Is Approved for Detroit." The New York Times, 7 Nov. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/us/detroit-bankruptcy-plan-ruling.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2019.

LeDuff, Charlie. Detroit: An American Autopsy. Penguin Books, 2014.

"Detroit City, Michigan." United States Census Bureau, 1 July 2023, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/detroitcitymichigan/PST045223. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.