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Your destination - Detroit
Detroit is The Motor City and still the world’s leading automobile
manufacturing center. Detroit is located in southeast Michigan on the
Detroit River, which separates the city from Ontario, Canada, and is
strategically situated at the point that connects the upper and lower
regions of the Great Lakes water system. The city’s New Center Area is home of the Fisher Tower, an art deco skyscraper and world headquarters of General Motors Corporation. Detroit is also headquarters to Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation. Downtown is the site of the Civic Center, a complex which includes
the Cobo Hall convention center. Fronting the river is the Renaissance Center and its five skyscrapers. Downtown historic buildings include the 47-story Penobscot Building, the Book Building, and the David Stott Building. Detroit population, estimated at a little more than one million, is dominated by African Americans. The metropolitan area, which includes a variety of ethnic communities, has a population of more
than 4,300,000.
Economically, Detroit is a major port of the Great Lakes industrial basin,
linked to European and Asian markets. In recent years, automobile
manufacture and other heavy industries have relocated many of their plants, some of which have been replaces by a diversification of light industries in an attempt to revitalize city employment. The city is served by the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Amtrak, a modern interstate highway system, and a monorail.
Notable points of interest are City Historical Museum, which houses the
Motor City Exhibition; the Institutes of Arts; the Science
Center; the Museum of African American History; the Motor Sports Hall of Fame; the Holocaust Memorial Center; the Detroit Zoo; and the Henry Ford Museum in nearby Dearborn. Also a wide range of cultural attractions, including the Symphony Orchestra; the Chamber Music Society ; the Michigan Opera Theater; the Festival of Arts;
and the Ford International Jazz Festival.
The area offers a wealth of recreational opportunities: more than 400
fishing lakes; Metropolitan Beach, one of the world’s largest freshwater
beaches; and the city’s largest park, Belle Isle, site of the Yacht
Club, For professional sports fans, Detroit is the home of the Detroit
Tigers major league club; the Lions NFL team; the Pistons NBA team; the Red Wings NHL team; the Rockers soccer team; and the Grand Prix.
The city dates back to the French establishment in 1701 of Fort Ponchartran du Detroit on the channel connecting Lake Erie and Lake Huron. During the French and Indian War in 1760, this city was captured by the British, who lost it following the American Revolution. It was incorporated as a city in 1802. Recaptured by the British in 1812, it was returned to the United States the following year.
By 1900, as the U.S. expanded westward, it had evolved from a small trading post into a regional trade center. By the time Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837, Det. was emerging as a thriving transportation hub for Midwestern industries. The arrival of the railroads enhanced the area’s impact on the Great Lakes waterways and stimulated the growth of the city’s auto industry.
Today, as this city approaches its 300th anniversary, the region is recognized as a leading center of 21st century technology.
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