Schmap Detroit Neighborhood Guide

Our apologies: your internet browser is not yet fully supported by our Schmap online guides. If you continue, pages in this guide may display or function incorrectly.

Would you like to continue anyway?

Schmap.com supports the following browsers:

Internet Explorer 6 and above
Firefox 1.5 and above
Safari 3 for Pc

MAC

Safari version 1.3 and above
Firefox 2 and above

Detroit - Neighborhood Guide
Download the Schmap Detroit Guide
With Schmap 2.0 you can:

Browse this Schmap Guide on your PC, online or offline.
View Schmap Guides for 200 worldwide destinations.
Bookmark places of interest, plan trips and take virtual tours.
Custom print your own full-color travel guides.
Publish and share schmapplets with your favorite places
Enjoy many more unique Schmap features.

Detroit Home
Schmap Detroit guide and map

Los Angeles may have perfected urban sprawl, but Detroit invented it. Following the dictates of the auto industry, Detroit abandoned its efficient streetcar system in the 1950s and built a network of freeways. Many fine city neighborhoods never recovered and an adequate mass transit system was never built to replace the trolleys. The old spoke pattern of main roads (Jefferson, Gratiot, Woodward, Grand River, Michigan and Fort) emanating from downtown was eclipsed by the freeway system, and these main thoroughfares suffered declines that are yet to be reversed.

Not surprisingly, the Motor City is impossible to navigate without a car. The metropolis has expanded into seven counties, with no end in sight, and the suburban population is more than three times that of the city proper.

Although the landscape is mostly flat, recreational opportunities abound, most of them centered around water. To the northeast of the city sprawls Lake St. Clair, a shallow but large lake filled with boats and fish. The Detroit River is a resource that the city has never fully exploited, though a system of parks and greenways is now gradually taking shape. To the south, the western end of Lake Erie has marshes and great fishing spots. Inland lakes dot western and northern Oakland County, which lies to the city's northwest and has the region's hilliest terrain; here the battle over sprawl is most intense. The area boasts three major river systems: the Clinton, the Rouge, and the Huron, which drain a vast area. The wonderful Metroparks system provides a ring of family-friendly recreation sites around the region, all of them accessible within an hour's drive.

Downtown

In the 1950s, downtown Detroit was such a bustling area of shops, theaters, restaurants, and night life that residents of dreary, staid Toronto rode trains to Detroit for weekend excursions. In subsequent decades, the two cities switched places, but now Detroit is making a comeback.

The old downtown of grand movie houses and department stores is all but vanished, but lively areas have sprung up around the perimeter of the aging banking-and-commerce center. The north end of downtown is the latest hot spot. Comerica Park, a new baseball stadium for the Detroit Tigers, opened in 2000. The National Football League Detroit Lions, who abandoned downtown in the 1970s for suburban Pontiac, are set to return to Ford Field, being built adjacent to Comerica Park. Nearby is the glamorous Fox Theater, the renovated crown jewel of the city's opulent movie houses, as well as the aptly-named Gem Theater, a Second City comedy theater, the Music Hall, and an assortment of restaurants and bars.

On the eastern edge of downtown is Greektown, once just a block of Greek restaurants, now the center of Detroit nightlife, with eateries, bistros and clubs. One of Detroit's three temporary casinos is drawing additional people to the area. Adjacent is the restaurant-and bar area known as Bricktown, and near that is towering Renaissance Center. East of the Renaissance Center, along Jefferson Avenue, new housing and retail developments are taking shape beyond the eateries and clubs of the warehouse district known as Rivertown.

Other pockets of activity include Cobo Convention Center and Joe Louis Arena, home to the National Hockey League's Detroit Red Wings, and the western outskirts, where two more temporary casinos have opened. Most of downtown's sites are linked by the People Mover elevated train system.

Cultural Center/New Center

Detroit's Cultural Center is situated between Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, an impressive complex of hospitals and research facilities. The Detroit Institute of Arts is famed for its Diego Rivera murals, which chronicle history through the eyes of laborers, and Auguste Rodin's sculpture “The Thinker.” Nearby is the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum of its kind in the United States. Families can also enjoy the Detroit Science Center and the Detroit Historical Museum.

Farther north, the New Center Area boasts the ornate, golden-towered Fisher Building and its Fisher Theater, home to touring Broadway shows, as well as the General Motors Building and Henry Ford Hospital.

South of the Cultural Center, a major renovation effort is underway to preserve acoustically rich Orchestra Hall.

The West Side

Near the Ambassador Bridge is Mexicantown, the heart of Detroit's growing Hispanic community, with dozens of great restaurants. Dearborn is home to Ford Motor Company world headquarters, Fairlane Mall, and the area's foremost attraction, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, where the intertwining history of America and the automobile are chronicled. With a large Arabic population, Dearborn also has an intoxicating array of authentic Middle Eastern restaurants.

Farther west is bustling Metropolitan Airport, undergoing a major expansion to handle increasing traffic. A new trade center is taking shape in nearby Romulus. Livonia has Laurel Park Place, a major shopping and entertainment area.

Oakland County

Oakland County is vast and diverse. It is one of the nation's wealthiest counties, and the site of the world's first enclosed shopping mall (the Northland Center). Many other shopping opportunities abound, including the upscale Somerset Collection and the new Great Lakes Crossing.

In the southern part of the county, a vibrant restaurant and nightclub scene has sprung up in once-stodgy Royal Oak. North along Woodward Avenue, Birmingham's thriving downtown features upscale shops of taste and variety.

In the northeastern part of the county, Auburn Hills is home to the Palace of Auburn Hills, the home of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons. It also has the new Chrysler Technology Center. Nearby in Rochester are Oakland University and its acclaimed Meadowbrook Theater. In West Bloomfield Township is the deeply moving Holocaust Memorial Center.

Each August, the Woodward strip from Ferndale to Pontiac hosts the Woodward Dream Cruise, the world's largest rolling participatory auto show and the ultimate 1950s and 1960s nostalgia trip.

The East Side and Macomb County

Go east from downtown along Jefferson Avenue parallel to the Detroit River and you will pass the bridge to Belle Isle, one of the world's great urban parks. The Grosse Pointe area boasts mansions of auto executives and scenic Lakeshore Drive. The nondescript suburbs of Macomb County include some items of interest: The Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, and Metropolitan Beach on Lake St. Clair.

Windsor

One of the few places in the United States where one can travel south into Canada is from downtown Detroit. By tunnel or bridge it's easy to reach Windsor, Ontario, whose clubs and restaurants are an integral part of the metro Detroit entertainment scene. The popular Windsor Casino served as the impetus for Detroit to start building its own casinos.

Copyright 1999-2005 Wcities, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Contact Wcities

Birmingham

Detroit
United States

Birmingham is an upscale town with a population of around 20,000 affluent residents. Its downtown area has developed into a pedestrian-friendly shopping destination, luring customers from the surrounding suburbs and even Detroit itself with its classy shops and restaurants.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: kwei

Cultural Center/New Center

Detroit
United States
Detroit's Cultural Center is situated between Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, an impressive complex of hospitals and research facilities. The Detroit Institute of Arts is famed for its Diego Rivera murals, which chronicle history through the eyes of laborers, and Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker". Nearby is the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum of its kind in the United States. Families can also enjoy the Detroit Science Center and the Detroit Historical Museum. Farther north, the New Center Area boasts the ornate, golden-towered Fisher Building and its Fisher Theater, home to touring Broadway shows, as well as the General Motors Building and Henry Ford Hospital. South of the Cultural Center, a major renovation effort is underway to preserve acoustically rich Orchestra Hall.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Ian Freimuth
Photo: Matthew Daley
Photo: Miles VanMeter

Dearborn

Detroit
United States
Dearborn rose to fame as the headquarters of Henry Ford's auto company, and it still attracts as many immigrants today as in the days when men from all over Europe dragged their families here in pursuit of work on the world-renowned assembly lines. Now, however, assimilation isn't forced and cultural diversity is heralded in Dearborn, home to 30,000 Arab-Americans, the second-largest such community in the country, behind only New York. The city is home to the largest mosque in North America, and shop signs and billboards in Arabic script fill the sides of many streets.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Mike
Photo: Jason JT
Photo: Wayne
Photo: Sebastian Zippel
Photo: bpopek1
Photo: kelly quinn
Photo: ClarK W.
Photo: Just-Us-3

Photo: Vicki Timman
Photo: Owen Miller
Photo: turtelo
Photo: Tim Bradley
Photo: trance.field
Photo: John Deerhake
Photo: Oliver Scheele

Downtown

Detroit
United States
In the 1950s, downtown Detroit was such a bustle of shops, theaters, restaurants, and nightlife that residents of dreary, staid Toronto rode trains to Detroit for weekend excursions. In later decades, the two cities switched places, but now Detroit is making a comeback. The old downtown of grand cinemas and department stores is all but vanished, but lively areas have sprung up around the perimeter of the aging commercial center. The north end of downtown is the latest hot spot. Comerica Park, a new baseball stadium for the Detroit Tigers, opened in 2000. The NFL Detroit Lions, who abandoned downtown in the 1970s for suburban Pontiac, are set to return to Ford Field, adjacent to Comerica Park. Nearby is the glamorous Fox Theater, the renovated crown jewel of the city's movie houses, as well as the Gem Theater, a Second City comedy theater, the Music Hall, and an assortment of restaurants and bars.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Dan Germony
Photo: radiospike
Photo: Naoko McCracken
Photo: Wreford Miller
Photo: Chad
Photo: George Meads, Sr.
Photo: Siaw Wen
Photo: Phil K.

Photo: Sarah Silfies
Photo: Chad Gerth
Photo: Haneesha Goli
Photo: Irina Vasiliu
Photo: motorcitytimmy
Photo: Alessandra Barbagli

Greektown

Detroit
United States
On the eastern edge of downtown is Greektown, once just a block of Greek restaurants, now the center of Detroit nightlife, with eateries, bistros and clubs. One of Detroit's three temporary casinos is drawing additional people to the area. Adjacent is the restaurant-and bar area known as Bricktown, and near that is towering Renaissance Center. East of the Renaissance Center, along Jefferson Avenue, new housing and retail developments are taking shape beyond the eateries and clubs of the warehouse district known as Rivertown.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Lauren
Photo: Eric Rabior
Photo: Joyce Pedersen
Photo: Eileen Tien
Photo: Jason Cromer
Photo: Michael James Ward
Photo: Alex Brasure
Photo: Mike King

Photo: Matt
Photo: Luke Schray
Photo: Bryant Fillmore
Photo: camila rezende
Photo: Sabato Antonio
Photo: Blacklisted

Northern Suburbs

Detroit
United States
When Detroit's inner-city infrastructure began to crumble in the turbulent 1970s, the white and wealthy took refuge to the north, in suburbs like Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, and Grosse Pointe. Today, these leafy-green towns are still home to most of Detroit's well-to-do, as well as the restaurants, boutiques, and golf clubs they patronize.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Luigi Giordano

Royal Oak

Detroit
United States
In the southern part of the county, a vibrant restaurant and nightclub scene has sprung up in once-stodgy Royal Oak. The nightlife has even attracted its share of celebrities--and celebrity crimes; Eminem was arrested here in 2000 on charges of gun possession. The city has also been home to Meg White of the White Stripes and someone with a different sort of fame: Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Jim Renaud
Photo: John Bechtel
Photo: Fuzzytek
Photo: John Hritz
Photo: josueshotwhat
Photo: Mark Coleman
Photo: RodsWorld
Photo: Matt Ross

Photo: Paul D. Keiser
Photo: urbaneapartments
Photo: Mary Lewys
Photo: Phil Mohan IV
Photo: Mark Adler
Photo: c_nilsen
Photo: kenny
Photo: Adam Sparkes

Southfield

Detroit
United States
Southfield stands out for its group of five golden skyscrapers, collectively known as the Southfield Town Centre. The small city is more diverse than its less urban neighbors to the north, and it is home to a nationally recognized public school system.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Photo: Jim Frazier www.jimfrazier.com
Photo: Derek Farr
Photo: Andrew Noyes
Photo: Matthew Boughner

Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Detroit - Neighborhood Guide"
Detroit
Detroit - Historical Background
Detroit - Where to Stay
Detroit - Dining & Drinking
Detroit - Art & Entertainment
Other nearby cities:
Toronto (333 miles)
Niagara Falls (335 miles)
Buffalo (354 miles)
Chicago (402 miles)
Washington DC (621 miles)
Baltimore (647 miles)
Ottawa (684 miles)
Philadelphia (721 miles)
Richmond (723 miles)
St. Louis (734 miles)

Schmap.com
About
News & Reviews
Travel Store
Privacy
Terms of Use
Contact Us
© 2008 Schmap, Inc. All rights reserved.