Driving Around Downtown Detroit, Michigan in 4k Video
Filmed on Tuesday, July 4 2023, I drive around the downtown area of Detroit, MI to see what's going on.
The city's name comes from the French word détroit meaning 'strait' as the city was situated on a narrow passage of water linking two lakes.
in 1701, Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit was founded by a group of 100 French settlers, which would become the future city of Detroit.
France offered free land to colonists to attract families to Detroit; when it reached a population of 800 in 1765, this was the largest European settlement between Montreal and New Orleans.
By 1773, after the addition of Anglo-American settlers, the population of Detroit was 1,400.
The region's economy was based on the lucrative fur trade, in which numerous Native American people had important roles as trappers and traders.
During the French and Indian War, British troops gained control of the settlement in 1760 and shortened its name to Detroit.
Following the American Revolutionary War and the establishment of the United States as an independent country, Britain ceded Detroit along with other territories in the area.
Prior to the American Civil War, the city's access to the Canada-US border made it a key stop for refugee slaves gaining freedom in the North along the Underground Railroad.
In 1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. Ford's manufacturing-and those of automotive pioneers William C. Durant, the Dodge Brothers, Packard, and Walter Chrysler-established Detroit's status in the early 20th century as the world's automotive capital.
In 1920, the city's population was fourth largest in the nation.
Business in Detroit boomed along with its growing automobile industry, leading to an increase in downtown's population and wealth. Much of the downtown area's architecture was built during this boom, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and still attracts the attention of architects.
Jobs expanded so rapidly due to the defense buildup in World War II that 400,000 people migrated to the city from 1941 to 1943.
Detroit hit it's peak population of 1.849 million in the 1950 census, which was about 1/3rd of the entire state's population.
Over the next sixty years, Detroit's population declined to less than 10 percent of the state's population.
During the same time period, the sprawling Detroit metropolitan area, which surrounds and includes the city, grew to contain more than half of Michigan's population.
The 1970s saw a decline of the US auto industry. Buyers chose smaller, more fuel-efficient cars made by foreign car makers as the price of gas rose. Automakers laid off thousands of employees and closed plants in the city.
High unemployment was compounded by middle-class flight to the suburbs. The result for Detroit was a higher proportion of poor in its population, reduced tax base, depressed property values, abandoned buildings, abandoned neighborhoods, and high crime rates.
However, in recent years, the downtown area has seen tremendous growth and redevelopment.
Throughout the late 2010s, a large amount of business and investment have continued to enter the city and transform it. As of 2019, businesses such as Shinola, Google, Moosejaw, and Nike occupy the once-vacant street fronts. Investments such as new bike lanes, the Little Caesars Arena and QLine have been successful in attracting newcomers to the city.
The population of full time residents in downtown Detroit is relatively low. As of the 2020 census, there were 6,151 people living downtown.
Today, downtown Detroit hosts around 80,000 workers which make up about one-fifth of the city's total employment base.
While Detroit has one of the highest violent crime rates in the nation, the downtown area has lower crime than national and state averages.
Because of its unique culture, distinctive architecture, and revitalization and urban renewal efforts in the 21st century, Detroit has enjoyed increased prominence as a tourist destination in recent years. The New York Times listed Detroit as the ninth-best destination in its list of 52 Places to Go.
Time Magazine named Detroit as one of the fifty World's Greatest Places of 2022 to explore.
#driving #drivingtour #travel
Пікірлер: 113
Great video! Showing one of the cleanest and quietest downtowns nationwide!
Detroit has a lot of potential. I won't count it out. It's a beautiful city.
Detroit has to figure how to get more foot traffic near the convention center. Lots of parking structures with nothing on the ground level is one major problem.
@cortezmiller1899
10 ай бұрын
Exactly
@lafawnodon1889
2 ай бұрын
Detroit Has Many Many People Departed From City Residence Limits That What The Corporate Really Is Need More Digitalb Innovatal Work Sites We U
@lafawnodon1889
2 ай бұрын
Detroit Has Many Many People Departed From City Residence Limits That What The Corporate Really Is Need More Digitalb Innovatal Work Sites We U
@lafawnodon1889
2 ай бұрын
Detroit Has Many Many People Departed From City Residence Limits That What The Corporate Really Is Need More Digitalb Innovatal Work Sites We U
@lafawnodon1889
2 ай бұрын
Detroit Has Many Many People Departed From City Residence Limits That What The Corporate Really Is Need More Digitalb Innovatal Work Sites We U
"Frankai Very Important Bridge You Just Passed Over!?"Need An Arch Over This One!!!"Important And Vital."To Welcoming Residence As Well As Others To Downtown Detroit!!!🎉🎉😊😊🎉
That looks nice to me, specially after all the bad press we read about the city.
@exploreusacities
Ай бұрын
Detroit's reputation is worse than they deserve
When the worst things detractors can find is not enough people on the street, it means Detroit is indeed the comeback city!
@gatosimple2354
7 ай бұрын
Dirás la ciudad del engaño¿ Usted iría a vivir si no hay grandes fábricas?
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Born raised and a career spent in southwest Detroit. The biggest deception of Detroit is the online reputation.
@bhuvanordhruv
Ай бұрын
@@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComebackis downtown lively on most days?
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
Ай бұрын
@bhuvanordhruv we were there yesterday, and it sure was.
@exploreusacities
Ай бұрын
I have a new video of downtown Detroit coming soon, there were quite a few people out wandering
I live in Jacksonville Florida (thankfully 3 blocks from the beach. Our downtown is pitiful, this is much nicer. I feel like Detroit gets a bad wrap. They have all 4 major sports, the town can’t be that impoverished otherwise it could never support all of that
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for noticing!
Wtf I was not expecting to see a nice clean quiet downtown lol I was thinking Eminem 8 mile. As an introvert this is pretty close to a dream town. I could wander around aimlessly and not engage in small talk.
@exploreusacities
Ай бұрын
lots of parts of Detroit are very nice, some of them are like Gary, Indiana...videos coming soon
Detroit Rock city!!
I just moved from Detroit to Phoenix, Arizona and let me say I somehow miss Detroit very much, born and raised there. Such a beautiful city and has potential if it weren’t for abandoned buildings everywhere 😢
Video and Detroit🤩👍!!!
@charliespeary2503
15 күн бұрын
There seems to be some demographic denominator in regards to the city’s decline and it’s subsequent revival. I just can’t put my finger on it.
Cidade linda porém vazia. As pessoas precisam se divertir, andar, conversar. Ouvir música, dançar. Ver as lojas, as vitrines. Levar as crianças para um passeio no parque, no shopping. Essa cidade ainda é muito bonita
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Should see it when there's a major event in town. It get plenty crowded!
@JoseCarlos-gg1it
2 ай бұрын
@@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComebackque bom. A cidade precisa ser dinâmica. Que a paz e o amor ao próximo prevaleça
@dwaynetaylor2463
2 ай бұрын
We have the Riverwalk and a Island park 🏝️ ( Belle Island)...they need to include that.
Приємно бачити місто яке знов відроджується.
Wonder what the steam coming out of the street was?
@exploreusacities
11 ай бұрын
I have no idea, but I googled "underneath Detroit Michigan" and discovered that there is an abandoned salt mine 1,200 feet below Detroit with 50 miles of roads!
@martyaz
11 ай бұрын
@@exploreusacities And Springfield is honeycombed underneath with coal mines.
@russellcalhoun
11 ай бұрын
Detroit has a relatively large (and also pretty underutilized) municipal steam heating system in its urban core, just like New York or some other older American cities. It is excess steam generated from electricity production and many older buildings still use it to this day.
@mikeslaton6498
9 ай бұрын
It's common in all large Urban district's.
@phillittle9321
4 ай бұрын
Salt mine is still active, and it's huge.
And detrort
someone pls explain why sewers have steam in it?
@johnottinger1663
Сағат бұрын
I was told that the electric company generates electricity from steam and in the early years of Detroit the power company sent the discarded steam through a separate underground system for businesses and retailers to use.
@johnottinger1663
Сағат бұрын
I don’t think anyone uses it really. And you see it being vented off all over the downtown area.
I felt very sorry for those who live in all this sadness😢The public authorities should stow the city and put Brazilian and American music there with a stage for lively singers.build beautiful buildings.make sure Americans don't feel sad.. tradutor. Português brasileiro.Tive muita pena de quem vive com toda essa tristeza😢O poder público deveria arrumar a cidade e colocar lá a música brasileira e americana com um palco para cantores animados.construir prédios lindos.fazer com que os americanos não se sintam tristes😭😱😳😩🥺
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Are you commenting about this video? What sadness?
@PollyC8
19 сағат бұрын
Tf you mean by sad? Downtown looks perfect for me to live in.
So much for big American city. 10 people on street whole video
@exploreusacities
6 ай бұрын
Americans drive cars, walking is for poor people
@willhopson1277
5 ай бұрын
There weren’t a ton walking but there were a few. It’s better than a lot of downtowns
@costaskl6589
3 ай бұрын
@@exploreusacitiesthat explains the obesity
@JayJay-xy5ch
2 ай бұрын
@@exploreusacitiesAmericans are funny, lol. Imagine calling the people walking poor? Hahaha lol. You have a poor brain
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Detroit is a quiet downtown where nobody bothers you. Nothing wrong with that.
Drive into the getto area.
@exploreusacities
Ай бұрын
Next time I’m in Detroit I shall
@detphemale
29 күн бұрын
What is a Ghetto?
@bobs1356
29 күн бұрын
@@detphemale it was a joke we call it the getto.
Never been to the US, why is this city so empty? Is there too much crime or something?
@exploreusacities
4 ай бұрын
We don’t huddle on the streets, we are enjoying our huge houses with big yards.
@spigney4623
4 ай бұрын
This is not a normal american city. Its been deserted for the suburbs.
@rikarozayyy4011
3 ай бұрын
This city was known for car manufactures! Employed hundreds of thousands! Then the car manufactures moved to across seas or other states! There were no more jobs and people had to abandon the city to find work. It was a very rich city back then.
@FrankaiVideos-DetroitsComeback
2 ай бұрын
Detroit is America's comeback city and it's River Walk has been named the nation's finest.
The abandoned city of Detroit looks better than the Moscow province of the Golden Horde 🤣🤣🤣
Don't change the name. of HART PLAZA,. Leave it alone.
@exploreusacities
11 ай бұрын
What's Hart Plaza?
@russellcalhoun
11 ай бұрын
@@exploreusacities A large public gathering space/outdoor concert venue at the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson right on the river.
@lafawnodon1889
3 ай бұрын
"Hart Plaza Was Named After A Reknown Detroit City Council Man Who Passed Serveral Years Ago His Name Was Gary Hart Salute Leave The Name Site Along,
I wonder why people are claiming Detroit is improving? Is General Motors coming back with jobs?
@mikeslaton6498
9 ай бұрын
Silly Question. Look at the industry and technology centers. G.M ? you think that's all there is ? Also another question - do you understand the difference between the city limit and the metro area?? THere are are 5.9 million people living in the urban sprawl and you think that they all are dependent on G.M? . Nope. You do not have to live across the street to get a job in a city.
@turbokid8719
9 ай бұрын
@@mikeslaton6498 nah Detroit has long a long way to go with the US economy collapsing maybe it’s a good thing our government got so corrupt it turned this entire country into a welfare state & a banana republic. Tech companies are laying off people so what tech companies are moving to Detroit?
@BasedQ585
9 ай бұрын
Go visit videos can’t do it justice. Detroit is maybe my top 5 favorite place just to go kick it
@turbokid8719
9 ай бұрын
@@BasedQ585 yeah it just probably has long way to go still with the economy collapsing & hopefully they don’t make the same mistakes as Portland & Chicago with voting incompetent politicians
@dougclendening5896
8 ай бұрын
The places he's showing would have been desolate surface parking, no plants or flowers, and even more abandoned buildings, let alone anything new or clean looking. The city is no longer at rock bottom and leadership isn't corrupt anymore. You need to think bombed out vs a fresh slate. Not a fresh slate vs a filled in city, yet.
Feels like Downtown Oakland
@danielr3661
9 ай бұрын
Downtown Oakland is nothing but empty storefronts, grafitti and thieves lol
@steffanij
9 ай бұрын
@@danielr3661 exactly. Now go get your bah bah and take a nap.🍼
@danielr3661
9 ай бұрын
@@steffanij why? Because i told you a fact?
@steffanij
9 ай бұрын
@@danielr3661 Detroit is a shit hole just like Downtown Oakland. That's the fact. I'm in Oakland right now. Been here my whole life. U know nothing
Wouldn't walk down one of those streets if you paid me - with or without people on them.
Ya lo estan remozando los edificios solamente para venta , pero si es remizado ¿ De que sirve ?, si no tienen grandes fabricas, ademas es una pequeña parte de que le estan remozando, la gran mayoria d e esos edificios estan abandonados, mal aspecto. ¿ Usted iria a vivir a Dedirot si no hay centros laborales ?
Where is the people 😂
@exploreusacities
9 ай бұрын
I told 'em to scram
@mattthomas1442
8 ай бұрын
I live in Downtown Detroit and I can tell you that unless there is a sporting event or concert going on you don't get a ton of foot traffic, especially on 4th of July when this was filmed. People from the suburbs aren't going to go out of their way to walk around Detroit on the 4th if nothing is going on and you don't have any people that work down there since it's a holiday. The people that did probably go down here probably just hit up the casinos and weren't walking around.
@Larant88
8 ай бұрын
😂
@gimel77
6 ай бұрын
Seemed like there was a good amount of people walking around, especially for a holiday.
@mormemento
4 ай бұрын
USA is empty, cos all are living in suburbs. NY, Chicago is better
The place is a ghost town.
@mikeslaton6498
9 ай бұрын
Nope was just there. full of people. Video filmed on a Sunday morning ? If it's Ghost town why are rent's so high and there are so many business opening?
@Nelsonsky1
8 ай бұрын
u just talking trashes....just STFU
@pica6888
6 ай бұрын
Well it’s a holiday so nobody is working.
@gimel77
6 ай бұрын
Seemed like any other normal American city, there were quite a bit of people out and about, especially for 4th of July.
@coreyaintzero8006
3 ай бұрын
@@gimel77 looks nothing like Boston. It’s annoying how crowded Boston gets on the 4th. This seems kinda peaceful tho I like it
Ghost town lol
@exploreusacities
4 ай бұрын
I didn’t see any ghosts
@chriswil5919
3 ай бұрын
You don’t know the time or day .. If you believe Detroit look like that all the time then you jus misinformed person… And why do ppl like you be so concerned about Detroit?! It’s weird.. Where you from ??
@chriswil5919
3 ай бұрын
It’s obvious it’s super early on a Sunday on some of the video ..
@chriswil5919
3 ай бұрын
@@exploreusacitiesYou should do a video in Detroit in the even in the summer time Friday/Saturday Sunday.. Ppl believe what they see even if it’s the truth…
Looks like a zombie apocalypse.
@spencerenright
6 ай бұрын
Are you seeing things? I don't mean to be rude, but what on earth about it looks like a zombie apocalypse?
@albelikov
6 ай бұрын
Empty streets. Zombies are resting. They will come out at night. The first months of Covid were like this.
@gimel77
6 ай бұрын
No it doesn't.
@coreyaintzero8006
3 ай бұрын
@@spencerenrightthere’s just no one around it’s eerie lol
@gimel77
3 ай бұрын
@@coreyaintzero8006 What?