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Downriver is the unofficial, but commonly used, name for a collection of 18 suburban cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan south of Detroit along the western shore of the Detroit River[1]. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Wayne County is a county in the US state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 2061162 with an estimated population of The Detroit River is a river in the Great Lakes system about 32 miles (51 km long and 0

The name derives from the fact that the Detroit River, after running nearly east-west along the banks of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, then bends to flow largely north-south before emptying into Lake Erie. The Detroit River is a river in the Great Lakes system about 32 miles (51 km long and 0 Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Lake Erie (ˈɪəriː is the fourth largest Lake (by surface area of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally Communities to the south of the city can thus be accessed by traveling downriver (as opposed to upriver) along the waterway.

In the early to mid-20th Century, Downriver was mostly populated with workers who were employed by the dozens of auto factories, ship builders, steel mills and chemical plants that called the area home, chiefly The Rouge, Great Lakes Steel, McLouth Steel, and BASF. The National Steel Corporation (1929–2003 was a major American steel producer McLouth Steel is a former integrated steel mill that is located in Trenton Michigan, and is currently idle BASF SE () is a German chemical company and the largest chemical company in the world

Many still think of Downriver as purely industrial and indeed the area is still home to many involved with heavy industry. However, Downriver is actually largely residential, with middle-class neighborhoods, and is known for its boating, fishing, bird watching and waterfowl hunting enjoyed in, or around the Detroit River. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, North America's first and only international wildlife refuge and an extensive network of recreational trails built under the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative are two environmental conservation and recreation projects in the region. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international Wildlife refuge in North America.

The News-Herald is the major local newspaper for Downriver, publishing on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The News-Herald is a Newspaper serving the Downriver area south of Detroit.

Contents

Downriver Communities

Differences of Communities

Northern Downriver communities near Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan (such as Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Wyandotte, River Rouge, Melvindale and Ecorse) were developed in the 1920s-1940s and are identified by brick and mortar homes (often bungalows), tree-lined streets and Works Progress Administration-designed municipal buildings. Allen Park is a city in Wayne County of the US state of Michigan. Brownstown Township is a Charter township of Wayne County in the U Ecorse is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan, named for the Ecorse River. Flat Rock is a city in Wayne County of the US state of Michigan. Gibraltar is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Grosse Ile Township is a Civil township of Wayne County in the U Huron Charter Township is a Charter township of Wayne County in the U Lincoln Park is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Melvindale is a city in Wayne County of the US state of Michigan. River Rouge is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Riverview is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Rockwood is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Romulus is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Taylor is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Trenton is a small city in Wayne County in the southeast portion of the U Woodhaven is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Dearborn is a city in the US state of Michigan. It is located in the Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, and is the tenth largest The Works Progress Administration (renamed in 1939 the Work Projects Administration; WPA) was the largest New Deal agency employing millions of people Communities that developed further south — like Southgate, Riverview and Trenton — in the 1950s-1970s could be more closely identified as tract homes and subdivisions. Through the 1980s, areas such as Huron Township, Flat Rock, Rockwood, Woodhaven and Romulus were undeveloped, some of which still have operating farms. However, those areas are quickly building up.

The Downriver cities of Ecorse, Gibraltar, River Rouge, Riverview, Trenton and Wyandotte as well as Brownstown Township and Grosse Ile Township directly border the Detroit River.

Socially speaking, the Downriver communities collectively have a distinct cultural identity within suburban Detroit although some individual Downriver communities share many similarities with towns in the western, northern and eastern suburbs of Detroit.

Taylor is considered the heart of Downriver which includes the Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus, Michigan State Police Metro South Post, Southland Mall, a state of the art sports complex called the Taylor Sportsplex, Oakwood Heritage hospital, Taylor Meadows and Lakes of Taylor golf courses, Wallside Windows Factory, Cruisin' Telegraph, and a very large park called "Heritage Park" in the center of the city where in August, the city hosts the Junior League World Series. Wayne County Community College is a two year school located in south eastern Michigan. The Michigan State Police (MSP is the State police agency for the State of Michigan. Taylor and Heritage Park also hosts the largest 4th of July festival in Downriver where the fireworks are rated the best fireworks in the Detroit Metro area.

Downriver Cruise

The Downriver Cruise is a large car show and cruise that takes place on M-85/Fort St. in the Downriver cities of Southgate, Riverview, Wyandotte, and Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park may refer to several Towns Neighborhoods Parks and census-designated places in the United States and Canada, as well A lot of people bring their vintage cars to be seen and heard. There are also a lot of places to eat and get souvenirs from.

Population

According to the 2000 census, the 18 Downriver cities and townships had an aggregate population of 361,454.

Some Downriver communities were once known for their large number of people of Southern origin who had migrated to Michigan to work in the automotive industry during the early to mid-20th Century. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive This migration slowed after World War II; today, distinctively or predominantly Southern neighborhoods have not existed in Metro Detroit, including Downriver, for several decades. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

The composition of the workforce in Downriver communities is very diverse as residents work in white-collar and blue-collar occupations. One of the largest employers is the Ford Motor Company which has a large industrial complex in nearby Dearborn and numerous other area plants. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following Dearborn is a city in the US state of Michigan. It is located in the Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, and is the tenth largest In addition, many residents work in professional jobs in downtown Detroit.

Downriver is also home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, in Romulus. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, sometimes called Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Detroit Metro Wayne Airport, Metro Airport, or simply

Prohibition

The proximity to Canada, coupled with residents associated with the Purple Gang, made Downriver one of the nation's major bootlegging hubs during prohibition. The Purple Gang was a mob of bootleggers and hijackers in the 1920s Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as Noble Experiment, refers to a Sumptuary law which prohibits Alcohol According to "Intemperance: The Lost War Against Liquor" by Larry Englemann, "Soon after the passage of prohibition thousands of residents of the downriver communities began participating in rum-running and consequently reaped nearly unbelievable riches from their activities. During the prohibition years, in Ecorse and the other downriver towns, crime paid. Lavishly. [1].

Famous Downriver Residents or Natives

References

  1. ^ http://detroit.about.com/od/tips/f/downriver.htm/

External links

The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Lee Majors (born April 23, 1939) is an American Actor, primarily known for several high profile roles on television in the 1960s 70s and Bill Morrison is an American Comic book artist and Writer, and co-founder of Bongo Comics (along with Matt Groening and Steve Bongo Comics is a Comic book publishing company founded in 1993 by Steve and Cindy Vance Bill Morrison, Mike Rote and Simpsons Bedford Drive is an Alternative rock band from Southgate Michigan which is located "down river" from Detroit Michigan. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9 1959 is an American professional wrestler and Actor. Ransom Eli Olds ( June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American Automobile industry, for whom both the Oldsmobile Heinz Prechter ( January 19, 1942 &ndash July 6, 2001) a German born Mary Lynn Rajskub (sometimes credited as Marylynn Rajskub) (ˈraɪskʌb (born June 22 1971) is an American Actress, Artist Joseph Jason "JJ" Putz (born February 22, 1977 in Trenton Michigan) is a Major League Baseball closer for the Seattle The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. James Swan can refer to James Swan (boxer James Swan (interior designer Tom Arnold is the name of Tom Arnold (actor, an American actor Tom Arnold (politician, a British politician Tom The MC5 ( Motor City Five) was an American Hard rock band formed in Lincoln Park Michigan in 1964 and active until John Varvatos (born in Detroit, Michigan) is an American contemporary menswear Fashion designer Jennifer Valoppi is a multi- Emmy Award winning journalist who has been recognized four times on the floor of the United States Congress and is a 2006 recipient

Dictionary

downriver

-adjective

  1. Closer to the mouth of a river

-adverb

  1. Travelling in the direction of the river current.
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