Culture of Detroit, Michigan
Encyclopedia
The culture of Detroit, Michigan
, has influenced American and global culture through its commercial enterprises and various forms of popular music throughout the 20th and 21st century. Its automotive heritage plays an important role in the city's culture.
Music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s. The metropolitan area boasts two of the top live music venues in the U.S. DTE Energy Music Theatre
(formerly Pine Knob) was the most attended summer venue in the U.S. in 2005 for the fifteenth consecutive year, while The Palace of Auburn Hills
ranked twelfth, according to music industry source Pollstar
. Detroit's major performance centers include Orchestra Hall
home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
, the Detroit Opera House
, the Fox Theatre
, Masonic Temple Theatre
, the Fisher Theatre, and the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts
.
Through the 1950s Detroit was a jazz center with stars of the era often came to Detroit's Black Bottom
neighborhood to perform. One highlight of Detroit's musical history was Motown Records
success during the 1960s and early 1970s, founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Jr. and home to popular recording acts including Marvin Gaye
, Stevie Wonder
and Diana Ross
& the Supremes
. Also during the late 1960s, Detroiter Aretha Franklin
became America's preeminent female soul
artist, recording on the competing Atlantic Records
label.
In the late 1960s, Metro Detroit was the epicenter for high-energy rock music with (MC5
and Iggy and the Stooges), the precursors of the punk rock
movement. Rock acts from southeast Michigan that enjoyed success in the 1970s were Bob Seger
, Ted Nugent
& The Amboy Dukes, Alice Cooper
, The Romantics
and Grand Funk Railroad
as well as more recent acts like Marshall Crenshaw
, Kid Rock
, The White Stripes
, The Von Bondies
and Madonna
. The Detroit area is generally accepted as the birthplace of the Techno movement, which has grown from local radio and clubs to dance venues worldwide. The three musicians most frequently credited with giving birth to Techno are Derrick May, Juan Atkins
, and Kevin Saunderson
. Hip hop rose to prominence in the late nineties with the emergence of Eminem
, the rap artist with the highest cumulative sales. Other Detroit hip-hop artists include Insane Clown Posse
, Aaliyah
, D12
, Royce Da 5'9" Teairra Mari
, Obie Trice
, Trick Trick, Rock Bottom
, and the late Blade Icewood
, Slum Village
.
, Wayne State University and of course the University of Michigan as foundational sparks that allowed the blaze of what's happening creatively online now. "This recession is crippling a lot of people" says Jeff Bloomer. The artist, teacher and former CCS student talks on: "Creativity will not only live online, it will thrive because it can be shared with people all over the world."
's Winter Garden is the site of the annual "Fash Bash", a major fashion event traditionally held in August to celebrate Detroit Fashion Week
. Coordinated by the Detroit Institute of Arts
, the event features celebrities and models showcasing the latest fashion trends.
In 1991, a cultural phenomenon began among hair salons which evolved into the Detroit Hair Wars
. Trendsetting salons, like Hair N Shears II, on The Avenue of Fashion, helped usher in this trend. A showcase of fantastical hair piece creations, often using human hair as the main content, has since become a national trend among African-American hair-styling tours.
Detroit has three major events that are associated with the automobile industry: the North American International Auto Show
(January), Society of Automotive Engineers world congress (April) and the Woodward Dream Cruise
(August). Annual music events in the city include the DEMF/Movement/Fuse-In
electronic music festival (May), Concert of Colors
(July), Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival
(September), Dally in the Alley
(September) and Arts, Beats and Eats (September). Annual art events include the Dirty Show International Erotic Exhibition (February), People's Art Festival
(August), and Noel Night (December).
The Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival
features a fireworks display over the Detroit International Riverfront
and coincides with U.S. Independence day
(July 4) and Canada Day
(July 1). The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
is a major film festival also shared with the city of Windsor. The New Center
summer events and Detroit Thunderfest hydroplane races
which take place in July. Detroit Fashion Week
happens in August. The America's Thanksgiving Parade
, originally the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade, is one of the nation's largest and has been held continuously since 1924.
The day before Ash Wednesday
, or the festival of Mardi Gras
/Fat Tuesday, is more frequently celebrated locally as "Paczki Day" by the large Polish population. Many Metro Detroiters join in the festivity by indulging in jelly-filled donuts called paczki
s.
Founded in 1907 by two Russian immigrant brothers in Detroit, Faygo
pop remains a Detroit tradition. Detroit was also the birthplace of Vernors ginger ale
, the longest-surviving soft drink in the United States, Better Made potato chips and the Coney Island restaurant
.
The Bayview Yacht Club
sponsors the annual Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race
as well as a number of other regional and local regatta
s.
Recently added events include the Motown Winter Blast in February and the Detroit River Days in June .
cuisine, as well as one of the city's three casinos, Greektown Casino
. Certain buildings on Monroe Street are themed to resemble the Parthenon
, Pegasus
, and other forms of Greek architecture
. Greek music is played on Monroe Street throughout the day. Well-known restaurants include The Laikon Cafe, Cyprus Taverna, Pegasus Taverna, and Pizza Papalis. St. Mary Roman Catholic Church
, founded by German immigrants, is located in the heart of the district. Jacoby's German Biergarten (1904), the city's oldest surviving pub, provides a small performance space for up & coming acts in nearby Bricktown. German immigrants also founded St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church on the city's central east side, near the Eastern Market Historic District
. Immigrants contributed to the area's notable architecture
, especially during the Gilded Age
.
Corktown Historic District is the oldest surviving neighborhood in Detroit, dating to the 1850s. The name comes from the Irish immigrants who settled there; they were predominantly from County Cork
. The neighborhood is primarily residential, but the district does include some commercial buildings, mostly along Michigan Avenue
.
Mexicantown had a 6.9 percent population rise to 96,000 from 1990 to 2000, the city's revitalized Mexicantown has improved the local economy. About half the residents are Hispanic
, 25% are African-American, 20% are White and 5% are Arab-American, according to the Southwest Detroit Business Association. It is known for Mexican cuisine
at restaurants such as Mexican Village, Evie's Tamales, El Zocalo and Xochimilco. Restaurants, bakeries, and shops are located on Vernor Highway. Mexicantown has had a thriving economy in the 2000s, as evidenced by new housing and increased business openings. Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
is north of the Ambassador Bridge. West Vernor-Junction Historic District
, another largely hispanic neighborhood, which contains the Most Holy Reedemer Church
is adjacent to Mexicantown.
The Detroit area's diverse population includes French
, Belgian, German
, Hispanic
, Polish
, Greek
, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Black
populations, with each adding its rich cultural traditions. Detroit became famous for its music
legacies; major blues singers, big bands, and jazz artists—such as Duke Ellington
, Billy Eckstine
, Pearl Bailey
, Ella Fitzgerald
, and Count Basie
—regularly performed in night clubs.
The east necklace of downtown links Grand Circus and the stadium area to Greektown along Broadway. The east necklace contains a sub-district sometimes called the Harmonie Park District in the Broadway Avenue Historic District
which has preserved part of the renowned legacy of Detroit's music from the 1930s through the 1950s and into the present. The historic Harmonie Club
and Harmonie Centre are located along Broadway. The Harmonie Park area ends near Gratiot and Randolph. Near the Detroit Opera House
, and emanating from Grand Circus along the east necklace, are other venues including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
and the Gem Theatre and Century Club.
In 1959, Berry Gordy
founded Motown Records
, one of the first black-owned record labels. Over the next decade, a number of top artists, including The Supremes
, The Temptations
, Stevie Wonder
and Marvin Gaye
, signed with the label.
The Second Baptist Church once served as "station" for the Underground Railroad
. A monument to the Underground Railroad
was erected in 2001 at Hart Plaza downtown.
The Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church was founded in 1953 by the Rev. Albert B. Cleage. One of the churches' institutions is the Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural Center & Bookstore, one of the nation's oldest black-owned bookstores.
The Graystone International Jazz Museum documents jazz
in Detroit.
Perhaps the most legendary is Joe Louis
, heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. Louis is memorialized with a sculpture of a giant fist at the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward Avenues, as well as in the name of Joe Louis Arena
.
, Japan Dubai
, United Arab Emirates Turin
, Italy Kitwe
, Zambia Minsk
, Belarus Nassau
, Bahamas Chongqing
, P.R. China
Detroit has a long and very close relationship with nearby:
Windsor, Ontario
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, has influenced American and global culture through its commercial enterprises and various forms of popular music throughout the 20th and 21st century. Its automotive heritage plays an important role in the city's culture.
Entertainment and performing arts
Music has been the dominant feature of Detroit's nightlife since the late 1940s. The metropolitan area boasts two of the top live music venues in the U.S. DTE Energy Music Theatre
DTE Energy Music Theatre
Originally built by the Nederlander Organization in the early 1970s, the DTE Energy Music Theatre is a 15,274-seat amphitheater located in Clarkston, Michigan. It was originally known as the Pine Knob Music Theatre, due to its proximity to the nearby Pine Knob ski area and golf course...
(formerly Pine Knob) was the most attended summer venue in the U.S. in 2005 for the fifteenth consecutive year, while The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills
The Palace of Auburn Hills, often referred to simply as The Palace, is a sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb on the northern outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1988, it is the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association...
ranked twelfth, according to music industry source Pollstar
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...
. Detroit's major performance centers include Orchestra Hall
Orchestra Hall, Detroit
Orchestra Hall is a concert hall located at 3711 Woodward Avenue in midtown Detroit, Michigan. The hall is renowned for its superior acoustic properties and serves as the home of the internationally known Detroit Symphony Orchestra , the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States...
home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
, the Detroit Opera House
Detroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
, the Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre (Detroit)
The Fox Theatre is an ornate performing arts center located at 2211 Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan, near Grand Circus Park. It was originally completed in 1928 as the first movie palace in the world to have sound systems for films. It was listed on the National Register of Historic...
, Masonic Temple Theatre
Detroit Masonic Temple
The Detroit Masonic Temple is the world's largest Masonic Temple. Located in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan, at 500 Temple Street, the building serves as a home to various masonic organizations including the York Rite Sovereign College of North America. The Masonic Temple Theatre is a venue...
, the Fisher Theatre, and the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
.
Through the 1950s Detroit was a jazz center with stars of the era often came to Detroit's Black Bottom
Black Bottom, Detroit
Black Bottom was a predominantly black neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, that was demolished for redevelopment in the early 1960s. It was replaced with Lafayette Park. It was located on Detroit's near East side bounded by Gratiot Avenue, Brush Street, Vernor Highway, and the Grand Trunk railroad...
neighborhood to perform. One highlight of Detroit's musical history was Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
success during the 1960s and early 1970s, founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy, Jr. and home to popular recording acts including Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
& the Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
. Also during the late 1960s, Detroiter Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
became America's preeminent female soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
artist, recording on the competing Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
label.
In the late 1960s, Metro Detroit was the epicenter for high-energy rock music with (MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
and Iggy and the Stooges), the precursors of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement. Rock acts from southeast Michigan that enjoyed success in the 1970s were Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
& The Amboy Dukes, Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, The Romantics
The Romantics
The Romantics is an American New Wave band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1977. The band adopted the name "The Romantics" because they formed on Valentine's Day, 1977. The Romantics achieved popularity in the United Kingdom, The U.S...
and Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
as well as more recent acts like Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
, Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
, The Von Bondies
The Von Bondies
The Von Bondies were an American alternative rock band. The group disbanded in July 2011. Its most recent members were Jason Stollsteimer on vocals and lead guitar, Christy Hunt on rhythm guitar and Leann Banks on bass guitar...
and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
. The Detroit area is generally accepted as the birthplace of the Techno movement, which has grown from local radio and clubs to dance venues worldwide. The three musicians most frequently credited with giving birth to Techno are Derrick May, Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins is an American musician. He is widely credited as the originator of techno music, specifically Detroit techno along with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson...
, and Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Belleville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins...
. Hip hop rose to prominence in the late nineties with the emergence of Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, the rap artist with the highest cumulative sales. Other Detroit hip-hop artists include Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
, Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
, D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, Royce Da 5'9" Teairra Mari
Teairra Marí
Teairra Maria Thomas , better known by her stage name Teairra Marí, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, and dancer. At the age of 16, she was signed to Def Jam and released her first album, Teairra Marí. After disappointing sales, she was let go from her recording contract in the...
, Obie Trice
Obie Trice
Obie Trice III is an American rapper and songwriter. He began rapping at the age of 11, and is most known for his time spent signed to Shady Records. Obie Trice has formed his own record label, Black Market Entertainment.-Biography:...
, Trick Trick, Rock Bottom
Rock Bottom Entertainment
Rock Bottom Entertainment is a record label founded in Detroit, Michigan in June 1997 by founder and C.E.O., Rafael "Rock" Howard. Rock Bottom released the Blow: Based On True Stories Mix Tape album in late 2005. The group/label released the most independently sold album in Detroit hip hop music...
, and the late Blade Icewood
Blade Icewood
Blade Icewood was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Icewood was raised on the westside of Detroit in the vicinity of 7 Mile Road & Evergreen. He was a member of the Street Lord'z rap group and is considered one of the most influential rappers in the Detroit underground rap genre...
, Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
.
Creative studies
Several "New Media" online writers, graphic designers, journalists have emerged from Detroit. Westland native a former Detroit resident Tim "Fuzzy" Jones has taken elements from Hunter S. Thompsons Gonzo style of journalism and added his own flair to the internet and web video. Considering himself a "Graphic Journalist/Humorist", Jones points to places like the now famous C-POP Gallery, the techno music movement and the world class schools like the College for Creative StudiesCollege for Creative Studies
College for Creative Studies is an art education institution in the United States and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. It is a private, fully accredited, four-year college located in Detroit, Michigan...
, Wayne State University and of course the University of Michigan as foundational sparks that allowed the blaze of what's happening creatively online now. "This recession is crippling a lot of people" says Jeff Bloomer. The artist, teacher and former CCS student talks on: "Creativity will not only live online, it will thrive because it can be shared with people all over the world."
Fashion
The Renaissance CenterRenaissance Center
Renaissance Center is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters...
's Winter Garden is the site of the annual "Fash Bash", a major fashion event traditionally held in August to celebrate Detroit Fashion Week
Detroit Fashion Week
Detroit Fashion Week is a week long event that presents Michigan clothing designers and showcases modeling talent in the Detroit, Michigan region. In 2005, the garment industry in Detroit observed fashion week from Monday, August 8, 2005 to Saturday, August 13, 2005, with fringe events that were...
. Coordinated by the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
, the event features celebrities and models showcasing the latest fashion trends.
In 1991, a cultural phenomenon began among hair salons which evolved into the Detroit Hair Wars
Hair Wars
Hair Wars is an annual touring event which has become one of the biggest African-American hair shows in the United States. It is a showcase for artists and salons to create unconventional, elaborate, vibrant hair styles and fashion using primarily human hair as the medium. Creations of note include...
. Trendsetting salons, like Hair N Shears II, on The Avenue of Fashion, helped usher in this trend. A showcase of fantastical hair piece creations, often using human hair as the main content, has since become a national trend among African-American hair-styling tours.
Festivals and events
Detroit has three major events that are associated with the automobile industry: the North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
(January), Society of Automotive Engineers world congress (April) and the Woodward Dream Cruise
Woodward Dream Cruise
The Woodward Dream Cruise event is a classic car event held annually on the third Saturday of August in Metropolitan Detroit, along Woodward Avenue. The WDC Event spans much of the avenue, from Pontiac through Ferndale in Oakland County, Michigan, all the way to the State Fair Grounds inside the...
(August). Annual music events in the city include the DEMF/Movement/Fuse-In
Detroit Electronic Music Festival
The Detroit Electronic Music Festival , and its successors comprise an annual series of electronic dance music showcases held in Detroit each Memorial Day weekend since 2000...
electronic music festival (May), Concert of Colors
Concert of Colors
Concert of Colors is an annual music festival held in Detroit, Michigan presented by New Detroit, Inc., the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services , Arab American National Museum and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra...
(July), Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival
Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival
The Detroit International Jazz Festival is a jazz music festival held each year over Labor Day Weekend in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. and is the largest free jazz festival in North America. Until 2000, it was known as the Detroit-Montreux Jazz Festival. The festival again changed names in 2005,...
(September), Dally in the Alley
Dally in the Alley
Dally in the Alley is Detroit’s largest annual community festival, located in the Cass Corridor district in Midtown Detroit...
(September) and Arts, Beats and Eats (September). Annual art events include the Dirty Show International Erotic Exhibition (February), People's Art Festival
Russell Industrial Center
The Russell Industrial Center, known as The Russell, is located at 1600 Clay Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. The Russell is a , seven building complex, designed by Albert Kahn for John William Murray in 1915...
(August), and Noel Night (December).
The Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival
Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival
The International Freedom Festival is a multi-day celebration in early July marking Canada Day on July 1 and the American Independence Day on July 4. Detroit, Michigan, USA and Windsor, Ontario, Canada jointly celebrate the multi-day festival which draws about 3.5 million visitors. The...
features a fireworks display over the Detroit International Riverfront
Detroit International Riverfront
The Detroit International Riverfront is an area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River. The International Riverfront area extends from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, extending a total of 5½-miles and encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail...
and coincides with U.S. Independence day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
(July 4) and Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
(July 1). The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
Detroit Windsor International Film Festival
The Detroit Windsor International Film Festival , launched in 2008 is a publicly-attended film festival held each June with events taking place in both Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario...
is a major film festival also shared with the city of Windsor. The New Center
New Center, Detroit
The New Center is a significant commercial and residential historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles north of Downtown...
summer events and Detroit Thunderfest hydroplane races
Hydroplane racing
Hydroplane racing is a sport involving racing hydroplanes on lakes and rivers. It is a popular spectator sport in several countries.-International Professional Outboard Hydroplane Racing:...
which take place in July. Detroit Fashion Week
Detroit Fashion Week
Detroit Fashion Week is a week long event that presents Michigan clothing designers and showcases modeling talent in the Detroit, Michigan region. In 2005, the garment industry in Detroit observed fashion week from Monday, August 8, 2005 to Saturday, August 13, 2005, with fringe events that were...
happens in August. The America's Thanksgiving Parade
America's Thanksgiving Parade
America's Thanksgiving Parade, is an annual parade held on Thanksgiving Day in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The tradition started in the city in 1924 by the J.L. Hudson Company department store...
, originally the Hudson's Thanksgiving Day Parade, is one of the nation's largest and has been held continuously since 1924.
The day before Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
, or the festival of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
/Fat Tuesday, is more frequently celebrated locally as "Paczki Day" by the large Polish population. Many Metro Detroiters join in the festivity by indulging in jelly-filled donuts called paczki
Paczki
Pączki are pastries traditional to Polish cuisine . Pączki is the plural form of the Polish word pączek , though many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural. In English, the common pronunciation imitates the Polish pronunciation, but some speakers pronounce the word or...
s.
Founded in 1907 by two Russian immigrant brothers in Detroit, Faygo
Faygo
Faygo or Faygo Pop is a soft drink brand headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. It is distributed in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United States...
pop remains a Detroit tradition. Detroit was also the birthplace of Vernors ginger ale
Ginger ale
Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger. Dr. Thomas Cantrell, an American apothecary and surgeon, claimed to have invented ginger ale and marketed it with beverage manufacturer Grattan and Company. Grattan embossed the slogan "The Original Makers of Ginger Ale" on its bottles...
, the longest-surviving soft drink in the United States, Better Made potato chips and the Coney Island restaurant
Coney Island (restaurant)
A Coney Island is a type of restaurant popular in the northern United States, particularly in Michigan, as well as the name for the chili dog after which the restaurant was named.- Genealogy of the name :...
.
The Bayview Yacht Club
Bayview Yacht Club
Bayview Yacht Club is private, sailing-focused yacht club located in Detroit, Michigan. Bayview is famous for hosting the Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race as well as a number of other regional and local regattas....
sponsors the annual Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race
The Bayview Mackinac Boat Race is run by the Bayview Yacht Club of Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the longest fresh-water races in the world with over two hundred boats entering the race each year....
as well as a number of other regional and local regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
s.
Recently added events include the Motown Winter Blast in February and the Detroit River Days in June .
Ethnic culture
Greektown Historic District is a popular restaurant and entertainment district established by Greek immigrants and residents, having many restaurants that serve GreekCuisine of Greece
Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine, sharing characteristics with the cuisines of Italy, the Balkans, Turkey, and the Levant. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats, including poultry, rabbit and pork. Also...
cuisine, as well as one of the city's three casinos, Greektown Casino
Greektown Casino
Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan is one of three casino resort hotels in the city, and one of four in the Detroit-Windsor area. Greektown Casino, LLC is majority owned by Greektown Superholdings, Inc. and Greektown Newco Sub Inc...
. Certain buildings on Monroe Street are themed to resemble the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
, Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
, and other forms of Greek architecture
Architecture of Ancient Greece
The architecture of Ancient Greece is the architecture produced by the Greek-speaking people whose culture flourished on the Greek mainland and Peloponnesus, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest...
. Greek music is played on Monroe Street throughout the day. Well-known restaurants include The Laikon Cafe, Cyprus Taverna, Pegasus Taverna, and Pizza Papalis. St. Mary Roman Catholic Church
St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (Detroit, Michigan)
St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, formally the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the third oldest parish in Detroit, Michigan. It is located at 646 Monroe Street in heart of Greektown Historic District within Detroit's downtown area. It is often called Old St. Mary's...
, founded by German immigrants, is located in the heart of the district. Jacoby's German Biergarten (1904), the city's oldest surviving pub, provides a small performance space for up & coming acts in nearby Bricktown. German immigrants also founded St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church on the city's central east side, near the Eastern Market Historic District
Eastern Market Historic District
Eastern Market is a historic commercial district in Detroit, Michigan. It is located approximately one mile northeast of the city's downtown and is bordered on the south by Gratiot Avenue, the north by Mack Avenue, the east by St. Aubin Street, and the west by the Chrysler Expressway...
. Immigrants contributed to the area's notable architecture
Architecture of metropolitan Detroit
The architecture of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers blend with...
, especially during the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
.
Corktown Historic District is the oldest surviving neighborhood in Detroit, dating to the 1850s. The name comes from the Irish immigrants who settled there; they were predominantly from County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
. The neighborhood is primarily residential, but the district does include some commercial buildings, mostly along Michigan Avenue
U.S. Route 12 in Michigan
US Highway 12 is a US Highway that runs from Aberdeen, Washington to Detroit, Michigan. In the US state of Michigan it runs for . Previous to the creation of Interstate Highways in Michigan, US 12 ran along Michigan Avenue between Kalamazoo and Detroit, a highway corridor now served by I-94...
.
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
, 25% are African-American, 20% are White and 5% are Arab-American, according to the Southwest Detroit Business Association. It is known for Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine
Mexican cuisine, a style of food that originates in Mexico, is known for its varied flavors, colourful decoration and variety of spices and ingredients, most of which are native to the country. The cuisine of Mexico has evolved through thousands of years of blending indigenous cultures, with later...
at restaurants such as Mexican Village, Evie's Tamales, El Zocalo and Xochimilco. Restaurants, bakeries, and shops are located on Vernor Highway. Mexicantown has had a thriving economy in the 2000s, as evidenced by new housing and increased business openings. Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church
Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded July 26, 1701, is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States. The current church, built in 1886, is located at 1000 Ste. Anne St. in Detroit, Michigan near the Richard-Hubbard neighborhood area, the Ambassador Bridge, and the...
is north of the Ambassador Bridge. West Vernor-Junction Historic District
West Vernor-Junction Historic District
West Vernor-Junction Historic District is a commercial historic district located along West Vernor Highway between Lansing and Calvary in Detroit, Michigan. The district includes and 44 buildings. Parks near the neighorhood include Patton Park and Clark Park, named for U.S. Generals George S....
, another largely hispanic neighborhood, which contains the Most Holy Reedemer Church
Most Holy Redeemer Church (Detroit, Michigan)
The Most Holy Redeemer Church located at 1721 Junction Ave., in Detroit, Michigan is part of the West Vernor-Junction Historic District. The Church was once estimated as the largest Roman Catholic parish in North America...
is adjacent to Mexicantown.
The Detroit area's diverse population includes French
French American
French Americans or Franco-Americans are Americans of French or French Canadian descent. About 11.8 million U.S. residents are of this descent, and about 1.6 million speak French at home.An additional 450,000 U.S...
, Belgian, German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
, Hispanic
Hispanic and Latino Americans
Hispanic or Latino Americans are Americans with origins in the Hispanic countries of Latin America or in Spain, and in general all persons in the United States who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino.1990 Census of Population and Housing: A self-designated classification for people whose origins...
, Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
, Greek
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
, Italian, Middle Eastern, and Black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
populations, with each adding its rich cultural traditions. Detroit became famous for its music
Music of Detroit
This article discusses the Music of Detroit, Michigan. World renowned for its Detroit Symphony Orchestra and music celebrities, the area has a long and rich heritage, including several Platinum artists in different genres whose recordings had surpassed forty million copies by the year...
legacies; major blues singers, big bands, and jazz artists—such as Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
, Pearl Bailey
Pearl Bailey
Pearl Mae Bailey was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
—regularly performed in night clubs.
Broadway Avenue Historic District (Detroit, Michigan)
The Broadway Avenue Historic District is a historic district located on a single city block along Broadway Avenue between Gratiot and East Grand River in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004...
which has preserved part of the renowned legacy of Detroit's music from the 1930s through the 1950s and into the present. The historic Harmonie Club
Harmonie Club (Detroit, Michigan)
The Harmonie Club is a club located at 267 East Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.- History :...
and Harmonie Centre are located along Broadway. The Harmonie Park area ends near Gratiot and Randolph. Near the Detroit Opera House
Detroit Opera House
The Detroit Opera House is an opera house located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the venue for all Michigan Opera Theatre productions and it hosts a variety of other events. It opened on January 22, 1922....
, and emanating from Grand Circus along the east necklace, are other venues including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
The Music Hall Center for Performing Arts is a 1,700-seat theatre located in the city's theatre district at 350 Madison Avenue in Detroit, Michigan...
and the Gem Theatre and Century Club.
In 1959, Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
founded Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, one of the first black-owned record labels. Over the next decade, a number of top artists, including The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, signed with the label.
The Second Baptist Church once served as "station" for the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
. A monument to the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
was erected in 2001 at Hart Plaza downtown.
The Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church was founded in 1953 by the Rev. Albert B. Cleage. One of the churches' institutions is the Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural Center & Bookstore, one of the nation's oldest black-owned bookstores.
The Graystone International Jazz Museum documents jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
in Detroit.
Perhaps the most legendary is Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. Louis is memorialized with a sculpture of a giant fist at the intersection of Jefferson and Woodward Avenues, as well as in the name of Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
.
Sister cities
ToyotaToyota, Aichi
is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of Nagoya.Toyota's main plant, the Tsutsumi plant, is located here. The longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current...
, Japan Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy Kitwe
Kitwe
Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 547,700 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka...
, Zambia Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, Bahamas Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, P.R. China
Detroit has a long and very close relationship with nearby:
Windsor, OntarioWindsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
See also
- Detroit Historical MuseumDetroit Historical MuseumThe Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Avenue in the city's Cultural Center Historic District in Midtown Detroit. It chronicles the history of the Detroit area from cobblestone streets, 19th century stores, the auto assembly line, toy trains, fur trading from the 18th century,...
- Detroit in literatureDetroit in literatureDetroit, Michigan, and its suburbs, is the setting for a number of novels and short story collections, including:* Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Voyage au bout de la nuit, 1932 * Harriette Arnow, The Dollmaker 1954...
- List of films set in Detroit
- List of people from Detroit
- List of songs about Detroit
- Michigan History magazineMichigan History magazineMichigan History magazine traces its roots to the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, an annual single-volume publication first published in 1874 by the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, now called the . With publication of Volume 40 in 1916, the Pioneer Collections ceased production...