Detroit

Getting Around

The early 1900s found the first mile of concrete pavement in the United States on Woodward Avenue, and the tide of transportation has moved forward ever since.

City Proper

Population: 1,514,000
Area: 360.6 sq km (138.7 sq mi)
Ethnic composition: 21.6% white;75.7% black; 0.4% American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut; 0.8%, Asian and Pacific Islander; 1.5% other
Nicknames: Arsenal of Democracy, The Motor City, Motown

Metropolitan Area

Population: 3,785,000
Description: City and suburbs in three-county area
World population rank1: 66
Percentage of national population2: 1.4%
Average yearly growth rate: 0.3%

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  1. The Detroit metropolitan area's rank among the world's urban areas.
  2. The percent of the total US population living in the Detroit metropolitan area.

The main arteries that frame and connect the city include the famous avenues of Woodward, Jefferson, Michigan, Grand River, and Gratiot. One of the better-known boulevards is named after Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist who settled in Detroit. With industrialization exploding, the late 1920s found tunnel and bridge access, commencing with the opening of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge. Easy mobility has always been a priority for the city's visionaries. Public transportation by taxi, bus, train, and trolley is readily available.