| GEOGRAPHICS: | PARTICULARS: |
| Population 356,448 |  Downriver is the unofficial 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.The name derives from the fact that the Detroit River, after running more or less west along the banks of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, then bends to flow largely south before emptying into Lake Erie. Communities to the south of the city can thus be accessed by traveling downriver (as opposed to upriver) along the waterway. |
Downriver Calendar of Events
CHARACTERISTICS:
Those communities situated closer to Detroit (Allen Park, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, River Rouge and Wyandotte) were first developed in the 1920s-1940s. The majority of households in this area can be identified by brick and mortar homes (often bungalows), tree-lined streets and Works Progress Administration-designed municipal buildings.
Communities that developed further south (Riverview, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton) in the 1950s-1970s are 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. 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.
NOTABLE DOWNRIVER ALUMNI
Click on the link to bring up their Wikipedia entry (where applicable)
| POPULATION: 28,210 MAYOR: Gail McLeod | NAME ORIGIN: After early city settler Louis Allen, who cut the original path which would become Allen Rd.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 15504 Englewood, Allen Park Sharon Broglin (313) 383-2453 |
| POPULATION: 30,627 SUPERVISOR: Andrew Linko | NAME ORIGIN: Adam Brown was captured here by the Wyandot Indian Tribe at age 8, and later led the tribe’s Deer Clan.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 23451 King, Brownstown Louella Machinski |
| POPULATION: 9,512 MAYOR: Lamar Tidwell | NAME ORIGIN: Formerly named “River Aux Echorches”, which means “River of the Barks.”HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 3869 W. Jefferson, Ecorse |
| POPULATION: 9,878 MAYOR: Mark A. Hammond | NAME ORIGIN: Area settler Fr. Jean Dilhet wrote of “Grosse Roche”; flat limestone sediment on the Huron River.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 25484 Gibraltar, Flat Rock |
| POPULATION: 4,656 MAYOR: Jim Gorris | NAME ORIGIN: After a British Overseas Territory located at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 29450 Munro, Gibraltar (Inside Municipal Complex) (734) 676-3900 |
| POPULATION: 10,371 SUPERVISOR: Brian Loftus | NAME ORIGIN: The Potawatomi Indians called the island Kitcheminishen (Big Island).HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 25020 East River, Grosse Ile (Former Train Depot) (734) 675-1250 |
| POPULATION: 15,879 SUPERVISOR: David Glaab | NAME ORIGIN: Named for the Huron River as part of the initial 1827 survey of Wayne County.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: Information forthcoming. |
| POPULATION: 38,144 MAYOR: Thomas Karnes | NAME ORIGIN: One of two Downriver cities named after former presidents (Abraham Lincoln).HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 1335 Southfield, Lincoln Park Jeff Day (313) 386-3137 |
| POPULATION: 10,715 MAYOR: Wheeler T. Marsee Jr. | NAME ORIGIN: After Melvin Wilkinson, developer of one of the city’s first neighborhoods supporting factory workers.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: Information forthcoming. |
| POPULATION: 7,903 MAYOR: Michael D. Bowdler | NAME ORIGIN: After the Rouge River to the city’s north end, French translation for “Red River”HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 10750 W. Jefferson, River Rouge (313) 842-4200 (mayor’s office) |
| POPULATION: 12,486 MAYOR: Andrew Swift | NAME ORIGIN: For its view of the Detroit River. A portion was once called Wyandotte Heights.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: Information forthcoming. |
| POPULATION: 3,289 MAYOR: Gary Guzzi | NAME ORIGIN: Old Huron Station renamed by settler John Strong for his native city in Ontario.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 32787 Wood, Rockwood (734) 379-0674 |
| POPULATION: 23,989 MAYOR: LeRoy Burcroff | NAME ORIGIN: After Romulus, New York, possibly on the heels of settlor Samuel McMath, who arrived from there.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 11120 Hunt, Romulus Pearl Varner |
| POPULATION: 30,047 MAYOR: Joseph Kuspa | NAME ORIGIN: The area was seen as the south gate to the Metropolitan Detroit area.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 14120 Dix-Toledo, Southgate Jerry Pesci (734) 258-7430 |
| POPULATION: 63,131 MAYOR: Rick Sollars | NAME ORIGIN: War hero Zachary Taylor, who became President after Taylor Township was formed.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 23555 Goddard, Taylor (Inside Municipal Complex) (734) 374-8775 |
| POPULATION: 18,853 MAYOR: Steven Rzeppa | NAME ORIGIN: Trenton was the territory’s third name, after the name of a limestone ridge nearby.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 306 St. Joseph, Trenton (734) 675-2130 |
| POPULATION: 12,875 MAYOR: Patricia Odette | NAME ORIGIN: After a village in the borough of Queens, New York City, New York.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: Information forthcoming. |
| POPULATION: 25,883 MAYOR: Robert A. DeSana | NAME ORIGIN: After the Wyandot Indians who settled here sometime in the 1700s.HISTORICAL COLLECTION: 2624 Biddle, Wyandotte |