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Detroit (pop. 951,270) is known as the Motor City and Motown's hometown. It's also an inland port that's on par with some
of the world's busiest (AAA, 2003). Incorporated as a city in 1815, Detroit spent the decades leading up to the Civil War
as the final U.S. stop on the Underground Railroad. The area also was earning a reputation for, among other things, the manufacturing
of cigars and kitchen ranges. So why did Detroit become the Motor City instead of the stove-making capital of the world? It's
in large part due to the influence of a farmer's son named Henry Ford. In 1896, Ford built his first car in Detroit - not
an entirely earth-shattering event since the automobile had already been around for a while. It was the method of building
cars that he would later devise - the moving assembly line - that put the world on wheels. Ironically, it was a former autoworker
that led the way for Detroit's other famous 20th century contribution - Motown. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. with just an $800
family loan, the upstart record company introduced the world to Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokie Robinson, Michael Jackson,
the Temptations, Diana Ross and others. At the start of the 21st century, metro Detroit is starting to reap the rewards of
decades of work put into revitalization. You can learn more about Detroit - it's history and future - by contacting the Detroit
Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.visitdetroit.com.
Click here to go to the Visit Detroit Web Site:
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