Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the county seat of Wayne County. The population was 713,777 at the 2010 census. Detroit is a primary cultural, financial, and transportation center in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.3 million people.

The city serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.

Detroit has experienced a long-term decline in economic strength due to a number of factors, including the shifting of population and jobs to suburbs and other states. Indicative of this decline is a greater than 60 percent drop in population since its peak of 1,849,568 at the 1950 census and some of the highest crime levels in the United States.

Detroit filed for bankruptcy in July 2013, the largest city to do so.

www.detroitmi.gov/
www.visitdetroit.com/