Detroit

U.S.A.

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Detroit in Michigan State is the seventh largest city in the U.S.
Detroit growth and development was aided by its strategic location on the Detroit River, connecting the upper Great Lakes and the lower Great Lakes, and by its extensive transport links with other major centres.
In 1701 A fort and trading post was established by Antoine de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.
The name Detroit comes from the original settlement's full name, Pontchartrain d'Étroit (Pontchartrain "of the strait").
In 1760, the British captured the fort during the French and Indian War.
Pontiac, the Ottawa leader organised the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley tribes in 1763 to drive the British out and re-establish Native American autonomy.
His five-month siege, was unsuccessful.
In 1805 Detroit became capital of Michigan Territory.
A fire nearly destroyed the settlement.
Detroit rapid growth begin around 1818 with the steam navigation on the Great Lakes and the surrender of Michigan lands by Native Americans.
The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, also helped Detroit's early growth by reducing travel time between New York and Detroit to one-tenth.
The city was a major terminal for settlers of the northern Midwest and a major site for shipbuilding and related activities.
After the admission of Michigan to the Union in 1837, Detroit became the state capital.
After the opening of the railway links to Chicago and other centres in mid 1800s, Detroit became an important transfer and processing point for products such as timber and grain from the interior.
The development of manufacturing followed and by the end of the 19th century Detroit had grown into a major industrial centre manufacturing chemicals, ships, iron, steel, stoves, wheels and axles, leather, and engines.
In 1899, the first motor car factory was established by Ransom Eli Olds and followed by Henry Ford in 1903.
In the 1910s and 1920s with the introduction of mass production the rapid growth of the population continued, only to slow down during the years of the Great Depression.
The strike by car workers in 1936 and 1937 was one of the significant events in the city's history.
During World War II Detroit's industry was converted its operations to the manufacturing of military equipment like tanks, aircraft, and amphibious vehicles.
During the war and early post-war years, the city's economy was booming.
While the city experienced another wave of immigration and reached a peak population in 1957 of about 1,850,000.
Detroit's main manufacturing activities are generating many products associated with the car industry, other goods include steel, metal products, machine tools, office machines, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler Corporation have their international headquarters and many service-oriented industries in research, design, finance, accounting, advertising, and public relations are in the city.
Detroit's city centre is still on the Detroit River where the city's first white settlers landed in 1701.
The main arterial roads and motorway system radiate outwards to the suburbs and district like the spokes of a wheel on the original trails made by Native Americans.
On the city riverfront is the Civic Centre, with the City-County Building, Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium, Cobo Hall and Arena, Joe Louis Sports Arena, and Hart Plaza.
Nearby is the Tiger Stadium, the Medical Centre, the Wayne State University medical school, the General Motors and Fisher buildings, the Pewabic Pottery, the Fort Wayne Military Museum, the Wayne State University, the Detroit Cultural Centre, the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Horace H. Rackham Educational Memorial, the Centre for Creative Studies and the Detroit Institute of the Arts.
As most big American cities, Detroit experienced racial tension, city bankruptcy, social stress and deteriorating neighbourhoods.
In the succeeding years, culminating in serious race riots in the summer of 1967.
In 1973 Coleman Young was elected Detroit's first black mayor, he served a record five terms.
Population just over 1 million.

Detroit was a city that Hui Chin and I came to explore and enjoy but couldn't get out quick enough.
As usual joined a city sightseeing tour to make sure that we will see everything worth seeing by experts.
A taxi driver sensing that we were from overseas diddled us out of a lot of money.
I hope he'll need it for medication.
He overcharged us by a country mile, according to his own peers.
Left us with a sour taste in our mouth.
When Hui Chin and I recall or hear about Detroit, you can guess what we remember first.
On our nine weeks in Tahiti, Easter Island, the South, Central and North America trip he was the third ratbag, scumbag, and lowlife taking advantage of us by ripping us off.

You can click on these photos for an enlargement.

Detroit	Detroit	Detroit

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