RV Communities
Detroit Metro and "The Thumb"
- Michigan
- Western Michigan
- Southern Michigan
- Central Michigan
- Northern Michigan
- Upper Peninsula - Michigan
Area Info
Detroit is one of the biggest and most important of American cities, as well as one of the oldest in the Midwest. It was founded in 1701 by the French (its name, short for "la Ville d'Etroit," means "City at the Straits") at the strategic waterway connecting Lakes Huron and Erie. By 1910, it had moved onto the list of top ten largest cities; by 1920, it was 4th, propelled to prominence by its port, its steel mills, and the new automobile industry. Detroit reached its greatest population—1,849,568—in 1960; but since then has shrunk to half its former size, the only American city to reach over a million in population and then drop below a million.
Still, it continues to dominate its region, and remains an important economic and cultural center. Detroit is renowned for its incredibly diverse ethnic makeup. Most famously, it's the home of the Motown Sound, created by the influx of black Americans who moved to the region in its days of industrial dominance. That economy also attracted large numbers of Poles, who populated the Hamtramck area. Detroit also has one of the largest Middle Eastern populations in the U.S.
To the north, on the other hand, "The Thumb" is another world entirely. Much of it is rural and agricultural, characterized by rolling hills and small towns, by 90 miles of Lake Huron shoreline with fine beaches and picturesque lighthouses, and acre upon acre of crops and pastures. The largest urban areas—Care, Bad Axe, and Sandusky—muster barely 10,000 people among them.
Articles
Metro and State News for Michigan from detnews.com
Procedural vote in health care push splits Michigan's lawmakers
Mar 22, 2010 6:07 am
Washington -- Rep. John Dingell predicted Sunday night the $940 billion health care bill up for final vote in the House will one day been remembered as a legislative treasure akin to the 1964 civil ri...
Police search for suspect in groping of shopper, 13, At Chesterfield store
Mar 22, 2010 6:02 am
Chesterfield Township
OCC trustees approve $2M for campus upgrades
Mar 22, 2010 6:02 am
FARMINGTON HILLS
Fire destroys Highland Park flower shop
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
Highland Park -- Fire destroyed a longtime flower shop on Woodward at Elmhurst Street early Sunday.
State DNRE awards grants to coastal areas
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and Environment is handing out grants to fund conservation work in the state's coastal areas, from the Upper Peninsula to the Lake St. Clai...
Veterans: Exempt clubs from smoking ban
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
Grand Rapids -- Veterans clubs have started a petition drive to have their lodges exempted from Michigan's smoking ban when it goes into effect May 1.
Novi may let library serve alcohol
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
Novi -- Visitors to the new Novi Public Library could enjoy wine and cheese at special events if library and city officials approve. Neither the city nor the library would receive revenue from alcohol...
Neal Rubin: Lem Barney dodges NFL mock draft
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
Lem Barney's wife didn't play pro football, but she knows her husband, so she opened the letter from the NFL. "You need to read this," Jacci said. "I don't wa...
Mar 22, 2010 6:00 am
FBI agents investigating political corruption in New Jersey followed leads in late 2006 that led them to Bernard N. Kilpatrick and raising concerns about upsetting a separate probe by the FBI in Detro...
