Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
2000 census versus only 7 inhabitants/ha for the metropolitan area. This is far below
the profitability threshold of 30 inhabitants/ha required by light rail transit.
8.1.2.
Detroit
The city of Detroit was founded in 1700 by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac. Its
strategic location at the junction of lakes Huron and Erie and on the St. Clair River
made it an ideal location for a trading post for the short-lived French Empire in the
Americas. Following the British conquest (Treaty of Paris 1763) and independence
(1783), the population remained predominantly French until the 1830s. Transformed
into a border crossing between the United States and Canada, the city's industrial
development followed that of other Great Lake cities. Its role as the automotive
capital of North America and headquarters for the major US manufacturers - Ford,
General Motors, and Chrysler - brought the city great success in the early years of
the 20th century.
By 1920, Detroit was the fourth largest city in the US. Labor shortages and
reduced migration inflows after 1924 drove the automotive industry to recruit black
workers from the South. By 1950, African-Americans constituted the ethnic
majority in the city of Detroit. Racial tensions for access to employment, housing,
and many other issues led to the tragic riots of 1967. The municipal population (1.8
million in 1950) had fallen to 1.5 million in the 1970 census, and then to fewer than
one million in the 2000 census, and an estimated 900,000 in the 2006 census survey,
barely half the population of 1950. The metropolitan area, however, continues to
develop and expand disproportionately and Detroit is a good example of urban
sprawl in the Manufacturing Belt.
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
USA
MSA
Central City
suburbs
Figure 8.9.
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint CMSA,
average per capital income, 1999
