Detroit was originally a fur-trading center founded by the French in 1701. Over the next few decades, control of the area fell to the British and finally the Americans in 1796. It was incorporated into a city in 1815.
Industries
While Detroit will forever be known by its Motor City moniker, its original industries included stove manufacturing and ship building. In the 1960s, the city's music industry earned it yet another nickname: Motown.
More Information
- Between the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, Detroit is the country's biggest international border crossing.
- Detroit was home to the first concrete road before Henry Ford formed the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and GM in 1908.
- The Renaissance Center is perhaps the most distinctive building in the Detroit Skyline. It opened in 1977.
Transportation/Attractions
These days, the Detroit People Mover can take residents and visitors alike to many of the city's attractions, including three casinos, Campus Martius Park, Ford Field and Comerica Park.Several neighborhoods within Detroit host summer concert series, including Midsummer Nights in Midtown and Rockin' on the Riverfront.
Annual Detroit events include:
- January/February: North American International Auto Show, Winter Blast!
- March/April: Art X Detroit, Walk America (Detroit), St. Patrick's Day Parade, Detroit Music Awards
- May/June: Downtown Hoedown, Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Festival of the Arts (now midsummer concert series), Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Target Fireworks, Eastern Market's Flower Day, River Days and Parade of Lights
- July/August: Comerica CityFest (New Town, 2009), African World Festival, Michigan State Fair (ended 2009), APBA Gold Cup
- September/October: Labor Day Parade, Detroit International Jazz Festival, Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix (to return in 2012), Dally in the Alley, Focus: HOPE Walk for Diversity, Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Bank Marathon
- November/December: America's Thanksgiving Parade, Noel Night (Midtown)
