Detroit information
Before the automobile age, Detroit was once considered the most beautiful city in America. But the fast-moving city that put the world on wheels--Henry Ford built his first car here in 1896--took a sharp, wrong turn in the 1980s when a dying auto industry created massive unemployment. Detroit was hit by hard times, much of its urban shimmer and charm depleted.
However, Detroit's past failures have now been replaced by visionary hearts. A vivacious new mayor, Dennis Archer, who ran on a robust reformist platform, has inspired the city with excitement about the future. The new and dazzling theater district, including the lavish Fox Theater, is now second only to New York's Great White Way in its lively streaming crowds.
The city boasts museums, art galleries, zoos, major league sporting events and Belle Island, the nation's largest urban island park. Three gambling casinos will be running by 2001. Detroit, reformed and restored, now rightfully deserves the nickname assigned to it in the 1970s: the Renaissance City. But Detroit's greatest attractions remain its seasoned inheritances. The city's cultural heritage includes its industrial factories, first-rate museums, and grand homes of the automotive tycoons. What is most remarkable about the city is its will to survive and prosper despite its difficult past.
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