Detroit

Detroit
Official seal of Detroit
Etymology: French: détroit (strait)
Nicknames: 
The Motor City, Motown, The D, 313, D-Town, Renaissance City, The Town That Put The World on Wheels, Hockeytown, Detroit Rock City
Motto(s): 
Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus
(Latin: We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes)
Map
Map
Map
Map
Detroit is located in Michigan
Detroit
Detroit
Detroit is located in the United States
Detroit
Detroit
Coordinates: 42°19′53″N 83°02′45″W / 42.33139°N 83.04583°W / 42.33139; -83.04583[1]
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyWayne
FoundedJuly 24, 1701 (1701-07-24)
IncorporatedSeptember 13, 1806 (1806-09-13)
Government
 • TypeStrong Mayor
 • BodyDetroit City Council
 • MayorMike Duggan (D)
 • ClerkJanice Winfrey
 • City council
Members
  • Mary D. Waters – At Large
  • Coleman Young II – At Large
  • James Tate – District 1 Northwest
  • Angela Calloway – District 2 Near Northwest
  • Scott Benson – District 3 Northeast
  • Latisha Johnson – District 4 Far East Side
  • Mary Sheffield – District 5 Central-Near East Side
  • Gabriela Santiago-Romero – District 6 Southwest
  • Fred Durhal III – District 7 West Side
Area
 • City142.89 sq mi (370.09 km2)
 • Land138.73 sq mi (359.31 km2)
 • Water4.16 sq mi (10.78 km2)
 • Urban
1,284.8 sq mi (3,327.7 km2)
 • Metro
3,888.4 sq mi (10,071 km2)
Elevation656 ft (200 m)
Population
 • City639,111
 • Estimate 
(2021)[3]
632,464
 • Rank63rd in North America
27th in the United States
1st in Michigan
 • Density4,606.84/sq mi (1,778.71/km2)
 • Urban3,776,890 (US: 12th)
 • Urban density2,939.6/sq mi (1,135.0/km2)
 • Metro4,365,205 (US: 14th)
DemonymDetroiter
GDP
 • MSA$305.412 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
482XX
Area code313
FIPS code26-22000
GNIS feature ID1617959[1]
Major airportsDetroit Metropolitan Airport, Coleman A. Young International Airport
Mass transitDetroit Department of Transportation, Detroit People Mover, QLine
Websitewww.detroitmi.gov

Detroit (/dɪˈtrɔɪt/; dih-TROYT, locally also /ˈdtrɔɪt/)[7] is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. Detroit had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 census,[8] making it the 29th-most populous city in the United States. The Metro Detroit area, home to 4.3 million people, is the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area and the 14th-largest in the United States. A significant cultural center, Detroit is known for its contributions to music, art, architecture and design, in addition to its historical automotive background.[9][10]

In 1701, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and Alphonse de Tonty founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. During the late 19th and early 20th century, it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region. The city's population rose to be the fourth-largest in the nation by 1920, after New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia, with the expansion of the automotive industry in the early 20th century.[11] The Detroit River became the busiest commercial hub in the world as it carried over 65 million tons of shipping commerce each year. In the late 20th century, Detroit entered a state of urban decay which has continued to the present, as a result of industrial restructuring, the loss of jobs in the auto industry, and rapid suburbanization. Since reaching a peak of 1.85 million at the 1950 census, Detroit's population has declined by more than 65 percent.[8] In 2013, Detroit became the largest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy, which it successfully exited in December 2014.[12]

Detroit is a port on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The city anchors the second-largest regional economy in the Midwest and the 14th-largest in the United States.[13] Detroit is best known as the center of the U.S. automotive industry, and the "Big Three" auto manufacturers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis North America (Chrysler)—are all headquartered in Metro Detroit.[14] The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hub airports in the United States. Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor constitute the second-busiest international crossing in North America, after San Diego–Tijuana.[15]

Detroit's diverse culture has had both local and international influence, particularly in music, with the city giving rise to the genres of Motown and techno and playing an important role in the development of jazz, hip-hop, rock, and punk. The rapid growth of Detroit in its boom years resulted in a globally unique stock of architectural monuments and historic places. Since the 2000s, conservation efforts have managed to save many architectural pieces and achieve several large-scale revitalizations, including the restoration of several historic theaters and entertainment venues, high-rise renovations, new sports stadiums, and a riverfront revitalization project.

An increasingly popular tourist destination, Detroit receives 16 million visitors per year.[16] In 2015, Detroit was named a "City of Design" by UNESCO, the first U.S. city to receive that designation.[17] Time named Detroit as one of the fifty World's Greatest Places of 2022 to explore.[18]

  1. ^ a b c "Detroit". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 27, 2009..
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  7. ^ "Detroit – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary". Merriam-webster.com. April 25, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  8. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Detroit city, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "Michigan - Cultural life". Britannica. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Clark, Anna (May 18, 2015). "An insider's cultural guide to Detroit: The Motor City moves on". The Guardian. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Nolan, Jenny (June 15, 1999).How Prohibition made Detroit a bootlegger's dream town Archived July 9, 2012, at archive.today. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on November 23, 2007.
  12. ^ "Detroit bankruptcy officially over, finances handed back to the city". WXYZ. December 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  13. ^ "Living in the Detroit Metro area". Wayne State University School of Medicine. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Livengood, Chad (March 3, 2019). "Commentary: A MEGA bargain for Michigan's future". Crain's Detroit Business. Detroit. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  15. ^ Emmott, Robin (April 19, 2007). "Massive traffic cripples Tijuana border crossing". Reuters.
  16. ^ "Travel USA Visitor Profile". Michigan Economic Development Corporation Box. Longwoods International. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  17. ^ Hadley Keller (December 16, 2015). "Detroit Named First American City of Design by UNESCO". Architectural Digest.
  18. ^ "Detroit: World's Greatest Places 2022". Time. Retrieved July 13, 2022.