"Motor City" (Detroit) is the 11^th most populous city in America with 886,671 people. However things were not always this way. Detroit first started out as a port for French fur traders. In 1820 the overall population was only around 1,200.

Detroit was founded by French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701, and originally given the name: "Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit". It prospered as a fur trading post, and was able to offer some protection to French ships sailing the Great Lakes region.
In 1760 during the French and Indian war, the British gained control of the settlement and shortened the name to it's modern one of "Detroit". The Indians who had formed friendly relations with the French settlers became upset with the British and in 1763 launched a series (under Chief Pontiac's leadership) of attack which became known as Pontiac's Rebellion. Eventually the Indian's lost against the British, and in 1796 Detroit passed into the United States under the Jay Treaty. From 1805 to 1847, Detroit was the capital of Michigan. Also since Detroit was located along the Great Lakes waterway, it became a transportation hub and grew steadily from the 1830s with the shipping.
A thriving carriage trade in 1896 prompted Henry Ford to build his first automobile. And not too soon after Ford Motor Company was able to mass-produce the new Model T automobile (1904). With Ford making the new Model Ts, the Dodge brothers, Louis Chevrolet, Detroit was undoubtably the world's automotive capital.

In the 1950s Detroit suffered a massive population decline, due to many factors. Houses and buildings were abandoned and decayed as a result. Events such as the 12^th Street Riot, and racial discrimination in general caused the above. However in 1973 Detroit elected it's first black mayor: Coleman Young. Young's actions were not looked at kindly by many whites.