Economy of metropolitan Detroit - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The economy of metropolitan Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, is a key pillar of the economy of the United States

Economy of the United States

The economy of the United States is the world's largest national economy. Its nominal GDP was estimated to be nearly $14.5 trillion in 2010, approximately a quarter of nominal global GDP. The European Union has a larger collective economy, but is not a single nation...

. Its ten county area has a population of over 5.3 million, a workforce of 2.6 million, and about 247,000 businesses.
Detroit's six county Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of about 4.3 million, a workforce of about 2.1 million, and a Gross Metropolitan Product of $200.9 billion. Detroit's urban area has a population of 3.9 million. A 2005 PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....

study estimated that Detroit's urban area had a Gross Domestic Product of $203 B.

About 80,500 people work in downtown Detroit, comprising one-fifth of the city's employment base. Metro Detroit has propelled Michigan's national ranking in emerging technology

Emerging technologies

In the history of technology, emerging technologies are contemporary advances and innovation in various fields of technology. Various converging technologies have emerged in the technological convergence of different systems evolving towards similar goals...

fields such as life sciences, information technology, and advanced manufacturing; Michigan ranks fourth in the U.S. in high tech employment with 568,000 high tech workers, which includes 70,000 in the automotive industry. Michigan typically ranks third or fourth in overall Research & development (R&D) expenditures in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Metro Detroit is second largest source of architectural and engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

job opportunities in the U.S. Detroit is known as the automobile capital of the world, with the domestic auto industry primarily headquartered in Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...

. New vehicle production, sales, and jobs related to automobile use account for one of every ten jobs in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

In April 2008, metropolitan Detroit's unemployment rate was 6.9 percent; in May 2011, it was 11.6 percent. Economic issues include the city of Detroit's unemployment rate at 20 percent in May 2011. The suburbs typically have low unemployment. The metropolitan economy began an economic recovery in 2010.

Real estate and corporate location

From the metro area economy, Michigan was second in the U.S. in 2004 for in new corporate facilities and expansions. From 1997 to 2004, Michigan was the only state to top the 10,000 mark for the number of major new developments. Among metro areas with more than one million people, Metro Detroit was fourth in the U.S. from 2007 to 2009 for new corporate facilities and expansions. Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

has one of the nation's largest office markets with 147880000 square feet (13,738,501.6 m²). Major inter-connected office complexes include the 5500000 sq ft (510,966.7 m²) Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters...

, the 2200000 sq ft (204,386.7 m²) Southfield Town Center, and the 1395000 sq ft (129,599.7 m²) Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place

Cadillac Place is an ornate high-rise class-A office complex in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan constructed of steel, limestone, granite, and marble between 1919 and 1923 and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1985. The building houses several agencies of the State of Michigan...

joined with the 487000 sq ft (45,243.8 m²) Fisher Building

Fisher Building

The Fisher Building is an ornate Art Deco skyscraper located on the corner of West Grand Boulevard and Second Avenue in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It is constructed of limestone, granite, and several types of marble, and was financed by the Fisher family with proceeds...

in the historic New Center area.

The metro area's resilience has kept the state's economy growing in spite of difficulties.
From the third quarter of 2006 to the fourth quarter of 2009, Metro Detroit's residential resale housing market struggled, along with the residential real estate trend across the United States creating opportunities for buyers. The Case–Shiller index

Case–Shiller index

The Standard & Poor's Case–Shiller Home Price Indices are constant-quality house price indices for the United States. There are multiple Case–Shiller home price indices: A national home price index, a 20-city composite index, a 10-city composite index, and twenty individual metro area...

projects Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

as the nation's third strongest housing market by 2014, attracting interest from international investors. Among the top fifty metropolitan areas, Detroit ranked as the third most affordable in the United States in a Forbes 2011 report.

Metro Detroit

is home to highly successful real estate developers. Area suburbs are among the more affluent in the U.S. Some of the newer multi-million dollar estates in the metro area include those of the Turtle Lake development in Bloomfield Hills by Victor International. The region is the headquarters for Pulte Homes

Pulte Homes

Pulte Homes, Inc is a Bloomfield Hills, MI based company founded by Bill Pulte. Announced April 8, 2009, Pulte Homes has agreed to acquire Centex - creating the nation's largest homebuilding company in a stock transaction worth $3.1 billion, including $1.8 billion of debt...

, one of the USA's largest home builders, and Taubman Centers

Taubman Centers

Taubman Centers is an owner of United States upscale regional malls and has headquarters in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Taubman Asia subsidiary is headquartered in Hong Kong. It has the highest selling portfolio of malls in any mall company in the United States.Taubman was founded in 1950 by...

, one of the USA's largest shopping mall

Shopping mall

A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

developers. There are a full range of retail shopping centers from upscale stores to discount chains. The inner-ring suburbs have properties such as older malls which, if redeveloped, could become a new source for growth. In 2007, Bank of America with regional offices in Troy

Troy, Michigan

Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...

announced that it would commit $25 billion to community development in Michigan.

The Cool Cities Initiative is an innovative reinvestment strategy for America's northern cities begun by Michigan leaders to rebuild inner cities and downtowns. Immigration continues to play a role in the region's projected growth with the population of Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint (CMSA) estimated to be 6,191,000 by 2025. Cities with existing infrastructure like Detroit are equipped to accommodate future increases in projected U.S. population growth. A 2007 report showed the city of Detroit's average household income at $47,962. Redevelopment

Urban development in Detroit

Urban development in Detroit refers to a series of revitalizations, over many decades, aimed at enhancing the city's economy and quality of life. An early effort, in response to civil disturbance and racial unrest in the late 1960s, was the "New Detroit" committee, a group of business and community...

of historic buildings is priority for the city.

OnStar

OnStar Corporation is a subsidiary of General Motors that provides subscription-based communications, in-vehicle security, hands free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote diagnostics systems throughout the United States, Canada and China. A similar service is known as ChevyStar in Latin...

, Ally Financial, Compuware

Compuware

Compuware Corporation is a software company with products aimed at the information technology departments of large businesses. The company's services also include testing, development, professional services automation, project and portfolio management, cloud-based collaboration and performance...

, Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans Inc., headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is the largest online mortgage lender and the 5th largest retail mortgage lender overall in the USA. The company consists of the QuickenLoans.com online lending site, the Rock Financial brand in southeast Michigan, One Reverse Mortgage, based...

, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...

have brought an increased employment base to downtown Detroit. In decade leading up to 2006, downtown Detroit gained more than $15 B in new investment from private and public sectors. The Detroit Riverfront conservancy has been able to acquire the $500 M investment for Detroit International Riverfront development through a series of public and private grants to complete the first phase of the 5½-mile (8.8 km) parkway along the riverfront east from the Hart Plaza and the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

to the Belle Isle Bridge with phase II west of Hart Plaza to the Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge

The Ambassador Bridge is a suspension bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada. It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States...

. In 2010, Henry Ford Health System

Henry Ford Health System

The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...

and Vanguard Health Systems

Vanguard Health Systems

Vanguard Health Systems is an operator of hospitals and other medical facilities in five U.S. states: Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas. The company's headquarters are located in Nashville, Tennessee...

announced substantial renovations and expansions in New Center

New Center, Detroit

The New Center is a significant commercial and residential historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles north of Downtown...

and Midtown Detroit.

Lifestyles for rising professionals in Detroit reflect those of other major cities. A 2007 study found that Detroit's new downtown residents are predominantly young professionals (57 percent are ages 25–34, 45 percent have bachelor's degrees, 34 percent have a master's or professional degree). This dynamic is luring many younger residents to the downtown area. Some are choosing to live in the grandiose mansions of Grosse Pointe

Grosse Pointe

Grosse Pointe refers to a coastal area in Metro Detroit, Michigan, United States that comprises five adjacent individual communities. From southwest to northeast, they are:*Grosse Pointe Park, city*Grosse Pointe, city*Grosse Pointe Farms, city...

in order to be closer to the urban scene. The 365 acres (1.5 km²) river east development is a plan investing billions of dollars in a new mixed use residential, commercial, and retail space for downtown Detroit to serve the people where they work and live. To spearhead the development, Michigan created the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor

The William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor is a state park in Michigan, and the state's first to be located in an urban area. Located just east of downtown Detroit along a portion of the city's International Riverfront, it covers on the Detroit River, and includes a 52-slip harbor of refuge...

downtown along the Detroit International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

The Detroit International Riverfront is an area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River. The International Riverfront area extends from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, extending a total of 5½-miles and encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail...

. In 2007, downtown Detroit was named among the best big city neighborhoods in which to retire by CNN Money Magazine editors. In 2008, Troy, Michigan

Troy, Michigan

ranked as the fourth most affordable U.S. city with a median household income of 78,800. Oakland County is the fourth wealthiest county in the United States among counties with more than one million people.

Redevelopment of the Fort Shelby Hotel

Fort Shelby Hotel

The DoubleTree Guest Suites Fort Shelby/Detroit Downtown is a restored historic high-rise hotel, located at 525 West Lafayette Boulevard in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. It was originally named the "Fort Shelby Hotel" when it opened its doors in 1916. In 1951 it was renamed the "Pick...

and the Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel

Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel

The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit is a restored historic skyscraper hotel In the Washington Boulevard Historic District of downtown Detroit, Michigan. Designed in the Neo-Renaissance style, and constructed as the Book-Cadillac, it is part of Westin Hotels and embodies Neo-Classical elements and...

has spurred economic growth downtown. Cobo Hall

Cobo Hall

Gavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present complex contains of exhibition...

convention and exhibit facility which hosts the North American International Auto Show

North American International Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...

has begun a nearly $300 million renovation to be completed in 2014. Development of Detroit's west river area and its Michigan Central Station

Michigan Central Station

Michigan Central Station , built in mid-1912 through 1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad, was Detroit, Michigan's passenger rail depot from its opening in 1913 after the previous Michigan Central Station burned, until the cessation of Amtrak service on January 6, 1988...

are the next important challenges for the city.

Finance

Metro Detroit is among the top five financial centers in the U.S. having all of the big four

Big Four auditors

The Big Four are the four largest international professional services networks in accountancy and professional services, which handle the vast majority of audits for publicly traded companies as well as many private companies, creating an oligopoly in auditing large companies...

accounting firms. The area's major financial service employers include Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans

, Ally Financial, Ford Motor Credit Company

Ford Motor Credit Company

Ford Motor Credit Company is the financial services arm of Ford Motor Company, and is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan.Its business activities are concentrated primarily in the area of automobile loans in support of its parent company...

, Bank of America

Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

, Comerica

Comerica

Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA. It has retail banking operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas; and select business operations in several other U.S...

, PNC Financial Services

PNC Financial Services

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is a U.S.-based financial services corporation, with assets of approximately $264.3 billion...

, Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....

, JP Morgan Chase, GE Capital

GE Capital

GE Capital is the financial services unit of General Electric, one of five major units. Its various divisions include GE Capital Aviation Services, GE Capital Real Estate, GE Energy Financial Services and GE Money....

, TD Auto Finance, Deloitte Touche, KPMG

KPMG

KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....

, Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....

, PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers

, Virchow Krause-Baker Tilly International

Baker Tilly International

Baker Tilly International is the world’s 8th largest accountancy and business advisory network by combined fee income of its independent members, being US$3.07bn for fiscal year 2010...

, Plante Moran

Plante Moran

Plante Moran is the 12th largest certified public accounting and business advisory firm in the United States offering audit, accounting, tax and business advisory consulting services. Plante Moran employs over 1,500 people and has 21 offices through Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and in Mexico, India...

Robert Half International

Robert Half International , based in Menlo Park, California, is an American staffing firm, and a member of the S&P 500. Founded in 1948, Robert Half International is the world's first and largest accounting and finance staffing firm, with over 400 locations worldwide...

, and Raymond James

Raymond James

Raymond James Financial is a diversified financial services holding company whose subsidiaries engage primarily in investment and financial planning, in addition to investment banking and asset management...

.

Financial and investment executives have diverse employment opportunities in metropolitan Detroit. Ally Financial, headquartered at Tower 200 of the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

, is among the largest holders of mortgages in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Detroit based Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans

is the fifth largest retail home mortgage lender in the U.S. and the largest online. The metropolitan area has a range of venture capital firms which finance business start-ups and acquisitions. The area's real estate investment trust

Real estate investment trust

A real estate investment trust or REIT is a tax designation for a corporate entity investing in real estate. The purpose of this designation is to reduce or eliminate corporate tax. In return, REITs are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income into the hands of investors...

s (REITs) which include Taubman Centers

Taubman Centers

are an important part of the investment community which owns and operates many major shopping malls across the U.S. Pulte Homes

Pulte Homes

, one of the largest home builders in the U.S. has its own mortgage company. As another example, General Motors

General Motors

General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

invests its $85 B pension trust. Detroit's historic Penobscot Building

Penobscot Building

The Greater Penobscot Building, commonly known as the Penobscot Building, is a skyscraper and class-A office building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Rising 566 feet , the 47-story Penobscot was the tallest building in Michigan from its completion in 1928 until the construction of the Renaissance...

in the downtown financial district

Detroit Financial District

The Detroit Financial District is a historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.It includes...

is in the heart of the city's wireless

Wireless LAN

A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

zone and fiber-optic

Fiber-optic communication

Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information...

network.

Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third Bank is a U.S. regional banking corporation, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is the principal subsidiary of holding company Fifth Third Bancorp ....

which maintains its regional headquarters at tower 1000 of the Southfield Town Center announced a $100 M expansion in the Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

area in order to take market share from Dallas based rival Comerica

Comerica

which also maintains a large presence in Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. Fifth Third announced it would create 350 new jobs in the area and open 30 to 40 new branches.

In 2009, Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans

more than doubled its mortgage volume from the previous year to $25 B, experiencing significant growth in market share. In 2010, Quicken began a new division within the company to provide mortgage services to community banks nationwide.
In 2011, Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans

relocated its headquarters to downtown Detroit, consolidating about 4,000 of its suburban employees in a move considered to be a high importance to city planners to reestablish the historic downtown. In 2011, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan consolidated 6,000 of its employees in downtown Detroit, relocating 3,000 to Tower 500 and 600 of the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

from Southfield.

Information technology

Metro Detroit accounts for the State's national ranking in emerging technology

Emerging technologies

fields such as life sciences, information technology, and advanced manufacturing; Metro Detroit's technology sector is fifth in the U.S. for total employment and fourth in the percent of employment concentrated within the sector. In 2010, the Detroit area became the fastest growing region in the U.S. for high technology jobs. Downtown Detroit maintains a wireless

Wireless

Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

zone. A report by the Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...

based TechNet group found Michigan to be the leading state for stimulating demand for broadband, positioning it during the early 2000s. The Michigan Information Technology Center provides education, support services, and conferencing facilities for the region's information technology companies. The metro area is home to high tech business incubator

Business incubator

Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts...

s such as the Michigan Security Network, a consortium which coordinates business growth of cybersecurity, biodefense, and border security sectors.

Some of the metro area's information technology and software companies with a major presence or headquarters include Compuware

Compuware

, HP Enterprise Services, IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

, Google

Google

Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

, General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

, Unisys

Unisys

Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...

, Fiserv

Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. provides information management systems and services to the financial and insurance industries. Leading services include transaction processing, outsourcing, business process outsourcing , software and systems solutions. The company serves more than 16,000 clients worldwide...

, Covansys, and ProQuest

ProQuest

ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based electronic publisher and microfilm publisher.It provides archives of sources such as newspapers, periodicals, dissertations, and aggregated databases of many types. Its content is estimated at 125 billion digital pages...

. HP Enterprise Services makes Metro Detroit its regional headquarters and one of its largest global employment locations. On June 26, 2009, General Electric announced that it will create software at a new advanced manufacturing and technology center in Van Buren Township

Van Buren Township, Michigan

Van Buren Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,821 at the 2010 census. It is home to Willow Run Airport, Metro Detroit's second busiest airport.-Geography:...

. Comcast

Comcast

Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...

and Verizon maintain a large presence in the area. OnStar

OnStar

, based in the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

is also a source of growth. Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

's largest corporate facility is its U.S. headquarters and technology center

Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center

The Chrysler Headquarters and Technology Center is the world headquarters and main research and development facility for the automobile manufacturer Chrysler Group LLC. It is located in the Metro Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Completed in 1996, the complex has on located near I-75...

in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills, Michigan

Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...

. VisionIT and Kelly IT Resources

Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Troy, Michigan, offering services that include temporary staffing services, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement.Kelly operates in 37 countries and territories...

are other large employers headquartered in the metro area filling a wide range of needs. Five of the world's twenty largest employers began in Metro Detroit.

Manufacturing

As the world's traditional automotive center, Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

is headquarters to America's "Big Three" automakers, General Motors

General Motors

, Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

, and Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

.
Virtually every major global automaker has a presence in the area including technology and design centers. Oakland County's "Automation Alley
Automation Alley
Automation Alley is a technology business association driving the growth and image of Southeast Michigan’s economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development initiatives....

" has over 1,800 of world's advanced technology companies with Metro Detroit ranking fifth in the U.S. in technology sector employment. There are about 4,000 factories in the area. The automotive headquarters for the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) is in the suburb of Troy. OnStar

OnStar

and GMAC are a source for growth. In spite of foreign competition for market share, Detroit's automakers have continued to gain volume from previous decades with the expansion of the American and global automotive markets. In 2008, an economic and financial crisis

Late 2000s recession

The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...

impacted global auto industry sales. For 2010, the domestic automakers have reported significant profits indicating the beginning of rebound.

The area includes a variety of manufacturers and is an important component of U.S. national security. United States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM) is headquartered in Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

together with Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The region has important defense contractors such as General Dynamics

General Dynamics

General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...

. The area is home to Rofin-Sinar

Rofin-Sinar

ROFIN-SINAR Technologies Inc. is a German company based in Hamburg, that develops, manufactures and sells laser sources and laser-based solutions for industrial material processing....

, a leading maker of lasers which are used for industrial processes. Advanced robotics is another important segment in the metro area. On June 27, 2009, General Electric

General Electric

General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...

announced plans to build a new $100 M center for advanced manufacturing technology and software, in Van Buren Township

Van Buren Township, Michigan

in Wayne County

Wayne County, Michigan

-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...

, expected to employ 1,200 people providing a pay range of $100,000 per year. Dow Chemical is a significant company in the metro region. The metro region's large energy producers include DTE

DTE Energy

DTE Energy Co. is a Detroit, Michigan-based utility incorporated in 1995 involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide....

and CMS

CMS Energy

CMS Energy is a public utility supplying electric power and natural gas to Metro Detroit and most of Michigan. Its headquarters are located in Jackson, Michigan. The company has operated since 1890....

.

With its major port status, the city's infrastructure accommodates heavy industry. Marathon Oil Company maintains a large refinery in Detroit, expanded to refine oil sands from Canada. Lafarge

Lafarge

Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...

's cement distribution facility constructed at the city's Springwells Industrial Park in 2005 includes North America's largest cement silo.

Since 2009, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have managed a significant reorganization of their benefit funds structure after a volatile stock market which followed the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

and early 2000s recession

Early 2000s recession

The early 2000s recession was a decline in economic activity which occurred mainly in developed countries. The recession affected the European Union mostly during 2000 and 2001 and the United States mostly in 2002 and 2003. The UK, Canada and Australia avoided the recession for the most part, while...

impacted their respective U.S. pension and benefit funds (OPEB). General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler reached agreements with the United Auto Workers

United Auto Workers

The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...

Union to transfer the liabilities for their respective health care and benefit funds to a 501(c)(9) Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association

Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association

A voluntary employees' beneficiary association is a form of trust fund permitted under American tax law whose sole purpose must be to provide employee benefits...

(VEBA). Manufacturing in the state grew 6.6% from 2001 to 2006, but the high speculative price of oil became a factor for the U.S. auto industry during the economic crisis of 2008 impacting industry revenues. In 2009, GM and Chrysler emerged from Chapter 11 restructurings with financing provided in part by the U.S. and Canandian governments. GM began its initial public offering

Initial public offering

An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...

(IPO) of stock in 2010. The sales revenue from just one of Detroit's automakers exceeds the combined total for the all of the top companies in many major U.S. cities.

Through April 2009, Ford's strategy of debt for equity exchanges erased $9.9 B in liabilities (28 percent of its total). In 2010, Ford earned a net profit of $6.6 billion and reduced its debt from $33.6 billion to $14.5 billion lowering interest payments by $1 billion following its 2009 net profit of $2.7 billion.

Detroit's automakers are building vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors. The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010, and is the most fuel-efficient compact car sold in the United States, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency...

flex fuel hybrid and Buick LaCrosse

Buick LaCrosse

The Buick LaCrosse is a mid-size entry-level luxury sedan produced by General Motors. It replaced the Buick Century and Regal in North America beginning in the 2005 model year.-North America:...

e-assist hybrid. In 2006, Ford

Ford Motor Company

announced a dramatic increase in production of its hybrid

Hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...

gas-electric models, Ford and GM have also promoted E-85 ethanol

Ethanol

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...

capable flexible-fuel vehicle

Flexible-fuel vehicle

A flexible-fuel vehicle or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank...

s as a viable alternative to gasoline. General Motors has invested heavily in all fuel cell

Fuel cell

A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Hydrogen is the most common fuel, but hydrocarbons such as natural gas and alcohols like methanol are sometimes used...

equipped vehicles, while Chrysler is focusing much of its research and development into biodiesel

Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids with an alcohol....

. Two days after the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

, GM announced it had developed the world's most powerful fuel cell stack capable of powering large commercial vehicles. In 2002, the state of Michigan established NextEnergy, a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to enable commercialization of various energy technologies, especially hydrogen fuel cells. Its main complex is located north of Wayne State University

Wayne State University

Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

. In August 2009, Michigan and Detroit's auto industry received $1.36 B in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries which are expected to generate 6,800 immediate jobs and employ 40,000 in the state by 2020.

On quality, Cadillac outscored all other luxury automakers in two of three quality surveys by AutoPacific, Strategic Vision, and J.D. Power

J.D. Power and Associates

J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...

in 2003. Ford led all other automakers in the 2007 J.D. Initial Quality survey.

Trade

The Greater Detroit Foreign Trade Zone (GDFTZ) was created in 1981 through the U.S. Department of Commerce to allow for the reduction of taxes across borders and to attract, retain and facilitate international trade Infrastructure

Public works

Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...

is an important component in the metro area economy. Detroit has an extensive toll-free expressway system

Freeways in metropolitan Detroit

The Roads and freeways in metropolitan Detroit comprise the main thoroughfares in the region. The freeways consist of an advanced network of interconnecting freeways which include Interstate highways. The Metro Detroit region's extensive toll-free expressway system, together with its status as a...

which, together with its status as a major port city, provide advantages to its location as a global business center. There are no toll roads in Michigan.

Metro Detroit is the U.S.A.'s number one exporting region and busiest commercial port. Detroit is at the center of the Great Lakes Megalopolis

Great Lakes Megalopolis

The Great Lakes Megalopolis consists of the group of North American metropolitan areas which surround the Great Lakes region mainly within the Midwestern United States, the Southern Ontario area of Canada, along with large parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and Quebec...

. The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest commercial border crossing in North America, carrying 27 percent of the total trade between the U.S. and Canada. More than fifteen million people and ten million vehicles cross the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel annually. A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Detroit-Windsor region and $13 billion in annual production depend on Detroit's international border

Border

Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...

crossing. The Ambassador Bridge

Ambassador Bridge

enhancement project calls for a twin span with six lanes to be built across the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...

presenting the prospect for expanded capacity.

Many people commute across the Detroit-Windsor International border daily. Professions identified in the Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement which began in 1988 are permitted TN Visas for legal work in the United States and Canada, creating freedom of labor movement. TN status is recognized in the North American Free Trade Agreement

North American Free Trade Agreement

The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...

(NAFTA) which began in 1994. As an example, a large number of nurses in Detroit hospitals also live in Windsor. The 710 miles (1,142.6 km) Quebec City–Windsor Corridor contains over 18 million people, with 51 percent of the Canadian population and three out of the four largest metropolitan areas in Canada, according to the 2001 Census

Canada 2001 Census

The Canada 2001 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 15, 2001. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 30,007,094. This was a 4% increase over 1996 Census of 28,846,761. In...

. Headquartered in Detroit, the international law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone

Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone is the largest law firm in Detroit, Michigan, and one of the oldest law firms in the American Midwest. It is an international firm with offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China, and one of the few American law firms to have international offices in...

P.L.C., is one of the largest in the United States. Metro area business leaders belong to the Detroit Economic Club

Detroit Economic Club

The Detroit Economic Club, headquartered at 211 West Fort Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, was formed in 1934 as a platform for the discussion and debate of important business, government and social issues...

, headquartered at 211 West Fort Street

211 West Fort Street

211 West Fort Street is a skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan. Standing at 27 stories, construction began in 1961 and it was occupied in 1963. The building stands at the southeast corner of Fort Street and Washington Boulevard...

. The U.S dollar is readily accepted as currency in Windsor.

Transportation

Metro Detroit

offers a comprehensive system of transit services for the central city and region. The Michigan Department of Transportation

Michigan Department of Transportation

The Michigan Department of Transportation is a constitutional government agency in the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac...

(MDOT) administers the advanced network of freeways in metropolitan Detroit

Freeways in metropolitan Detroit

and Michigan

Michigan

. The region offers mass transit with bus services provided jointly by the Detroit Department of Transportation

Detroit Department of Transportation

The Detroit Department of Transportation, commonly referred to as DDOT is the public transportation operator of city bus service in Detroit, Michigan...

(DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation

The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation ' is the public transit operator serving suburban Greater Detroit. Beginning operations in 1967 as the "SouthEastern Michigan Transportation Authority" or "SEMTA", it operates 44 "linehaul" and three "park-and-ride" bus routes in Wayne,...

(SMART) through a cooperative service and fare agreement. Cross border service between the downtown areas of Windsor and Detroit is provided by Transit Windsor

Transit Windsor

Transit Windsor is a company that provides public transportation in the city of Windsor, Ontario. Transit Windsor provides transportation to more than 6 million passengers each year, covering an area of and a population of 218,000....

via the Tunnel Bus. A monorail

People mover

A people mover or automated people mover is a fully automated, grade-separated mass transit system.The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks, but is sometimes applied to considerably more complex automated...

system, known as the People Mover

Detroit People Mover

The Detroit People Mover is a automated people mover system which operates on a single set of tracks, and encircles downtown Detroit, Michigan....

, operates daily through a 2.9 mile (4.6 km) loop in the downtown area. Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

provides service to Detroit

Detroit (Amtrak station)

Detroit is an Amtrak station located in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It is served by the . The station was built in 1994 as a replacement for the former Michigan Central Station, which closed in 1988...

, operating its service between Chicago, Illinois

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, and Pontiac

Pontiac, Michigan

Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...

. Greyhound Bus provides nation-wide service to Detroit with its station on Howard Street near Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue may refer to:* Michigan Avenue * Michigan Avenue , a designation for much of both current and former U.S. Route 12 in Michigan...

. Detroit is planning to implement a light rail system linking Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor (Amtrak station)

Ann Arbor Station is an Amtrak station in Ann Arbor, Michigan serving the Wolverine. The station has a ticket office, is fully wheelchair accessible and has an enclosed waiting area. Other amenities include public restrooms, public payphones, vending machines, paid parking, and a taxi stand...

, Detroit Metropolitan Airport

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....

, Ypsilanti

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...

, The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...

, Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan

-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, and Detroit

Detroit (Amtrak station)

's New Center

New Center, Detroit

and a Woodward Avenue Light Rail

Woodward Avenue Light Rail

Woodward Avenue Light Rail is a 9.3 mi proposed light rail line to run along Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The line is the first part of a $10.5 billion, 25-year plan to develop a regional mass transit system that is to include light rail, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail...

to link New Center

New Center, Detroit

, Midtown, and Downtown Detroit

Downtown Detroit

Downtown Detroit is the central business district and a residential area of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Downtown is bordered by the Lodge Freeway to the west, the Fisher Freeway to the north, Interstate 375 to the east, and the Detroit River to the south.Downtown contains much historic...

. These plans may become keys to the region's prospective bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.

As a major U.S. port, Detroit is an important center for transportation & logistics employment including its aviation, rail, truck, and ship docking facilities. Detroit maintains a cruise ship

Cruise ship

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...

dock and passenger terminal on Hart Plaza adjacent to the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

. Commercial vessels

Lake freighter

Lake freighters, or Lakers, are bulk carrier vessels that ply the Great Lakes. The best known was the , the most recent and largest major vessel to be wrecked on the Lakes. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. In the mid-20th century, 300 lakers worked the...

dock at Michigan's 38 deep water ports which provide access to the Great Lakes Waterway

Great Lakes Waterway

The Great Lakes Waterway is a system of channels and canals that makes all of the Great Lakes accessible to oceangoing vessels. Its principal civil engineering components are the Welland Canal, bypassing Niagara Falls between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and the Soo Locks, bypassing the rapids of...

and the Saint Lawrence Seaway

Saint Lawrence Seaway

The Saint Lawrence Seaway , , is the common name for a system of locks, canals and channels that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior. Legally it extends from Montreal to Lake Erie, including the Welland Canal...

. Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is one of America's largest and most recently modernized facilities, with six major runways, Boeing 747

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...

maintenance facilities, and an attached Westin Hotel and Conference Center. Located in nearby Romulus

Romulus, Michigan

Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1976...

, DTW is metro Detroit's principal airport and is a hub for Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

and Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is a United States ultra low-cost carrier operating scheduled flights throughout the Americas. The airline is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit currently maintains a base in Fort Lauderdale, Florida...

. Bishop International Airport

Bishop International Airport

Bishop International Airport is an airport located in the city of Flint, Michigan. The third busiest airport in Michigan, it surpassed competitor MBS International Airport in terms of airline operations in 2002. In 2007, 1,072,420 passengers used Bishop Airport, followed by a slight drop to...

in Flint and Toledo Express Airport

Toledo Express Airport

Toledo Express Airport is a passenger and cargo airport located 10 miles west of the city of Toledo in the extreme Western portion of Lucas County, Ohio, United States, near the border with Fulton County, in the townships of Swanton and Monclova. It is also a base for the Ohio Air National...

in Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

are other commercial passenger airports. Coleman A. Young International Airport

Coleman A. Young International Airport

Coleman A. Young International Airport , also known as Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport, is a public use airport located five nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Detroit, in Wayne County, Michigan, United States...

(DET), commonly called Detroit City Airport, is on Detroit's northeast side, and offers charter service. Willow Run Airport

Willow Run Airport

Willow Run Airport is an airport located in Van Buren Charter Township and in Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation clients...

in Ypsilanti is for commercial aviation. One economic development strategy proposed is an Aerotropolis

Aerotropolis

An aerotropolis is an urban form whose layout, infrastructure, and economy is centered on an airport, offering its businesses speedy connectivity to suppliers, customers, and enterprise partners worldwide. Many of these businesses are much more dependent on distant suppliers or customers than to...

, a concept utilizing Detroit Metropolitan Airport as a central business district. Detroit Renaissance, now known as Business Leaders for Michigan, announced an eleven point strategy to transform the region's economy which includes development of the Aerotropolis

Aerotropolis

.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $244 M in grants for high-speed rail

High-speed rail

High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...

upgrades between Chicago

Chicago

and Detroit. A consortium of investors including the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

has proposed a new larger rail tunnel to accommodate large double stacked freight cars

Double-stack rail transport

Double-stack rail transport is a form of Intermodal freight transport where intermodal containers are stacked two high on railroad cars. Introduced in North America in 1984, double stack has become increasingly common, being used for nearly 70% of United States intermodal shipments...

under the Detroit River which could open in 2015. With the new tunnel potentially emerging near the Michigan Central Station

Michigan Central Station

, a redeveloped station could play a role as a trade inspection facility.

Tourism

Tourism in metropolitan Detroit

Tourism in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan is a significant factor for the region's culture and for its economy, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs. About 15.9 million people visit Metro Detroit annually, spending an estimated $4.8 billion. Detroit is one of the largest American...

is an important economic factor, comprising nine percent of the area's two million jobs. About 15.9 million people visit the area annually spending an estimated $4.8 B. Besides casino gaming, the region's leading attraction is The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford

The Henry Ford, a National Historic Landmark, , in the Metro Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan, USA, is a large indoor and outdoor history museum complex...

, America's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex. The Detroit International Riverfront

Detroit International Riverfront

links the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

to a series of venues, parks, restaurants, and hotels by a riverfront walkway.

The region hosts large multi-day events with crowds of hundreds of thousands to over three million people for annual events such as the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival

Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival

The International Freedom Festival is a multi-day celebration in early July marking Canada Day on July 1 and the American Independence Day on July 4. Detroit, Michigan, USA and Windsor, Ontario, Canada jointly celebrate the multi-day festival which draws about 3.5 million visitors. The...

, the North American International Auto Show

North American International Auto Show

The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...

, and the Motown Winter Blast on Campus Martius Park

Campus Martius Park

Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After the fire of 1805, Campus Martius was the focal point of judge Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city. It is where the "point of origin" of Detroit's coordinate system is located...

. The city's Midtown

Midtown, Detroit

The Midtown area in Detroit is a mixed-use area located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue between Downtown Detroit and the New Center. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway on the east, the Lodge Freeway on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway on the...

and New Center areas anchored by Wayne State University

Wayne State University

attract millions of visitors each year to its museums and cultural centers; for example, the Detroit Festival of the Arts in Midtown draws about 350,000 people. Mall developers consider the metro area's Somerset Collection

Somerset Collection

Somerset Collection is an upscale super-regional shopping mall, with over 180 stores located in a Metro Detroit commercial area on 2800 W. Big Beaver Rd. in Troy, Michigan...

to be among the nation's top privately held mall properties with 2004 gross annual sales of about $600 M and sales per square foot at $620 compared to the national average of $341.

The area has hosted several major sporting events such as Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL

Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...

; in fact, Detroit is the only northern city to have hosted two Super Bowls. Ford Field

Ford Field

Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for...

hosted the 2009 NCAA Final Four

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

; in April 2007 it hosted WrestleMania 23

WrestleMania 23

WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...

. Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

's 2005 All-Star Game

All-star game

An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...

was held at Comerica Park

Comerica Park

Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....

, as were 2006 World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

games due to the Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...

success. Metro Detroit is one of thirteen U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

There are 12 U.S. cities with teams from four major sports, where "city" is defined as the entire metropolitan area, and "major professional sports leagues" as:...

.

The area's 24000 acres (97.1 km²) network of Huron-Clinton Metroparks
Huron-Clinton Metroparks
The Huron-Clinton Metroparks system is a regional park system in Metro Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park system includes 13 parks totalling arranged along the Huron River and Clinton River forming a partial ring around the metro area. Plans are in development to finish the ring by...

receives about nine million visitors annually. About 5.9 million people live in the Windsor-Detroit

Windsor-Detroit

The Detroit–Windsor region is an international urban area centred on the American city of Detroit, Michigan, the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario and the Detroit River between them. The Detroit–Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada-U.S. border, has a total population of...

region, making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America. An estimated 46 million people live within a 300-mile (480 km) radius of Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit

. Thus, the metro area has many opportunities for growth in tourism with great potential for development and expansion. The region's abundance of natural lakes and coastal landscape present investment potential for beachfront resorts and luxury high rise condominiums. In addition, there is the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. It was established in 2001 and is managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service. The refuge is located along the western coast of Lake...

which is the only international wildlife preserve in North America, uniquely located in the heart of a major metropolitan area. The refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles (77.2 km) of the Detroit River

Detroit River

and Western Lake Erie shoreline.

The city of Detroit functions as an entertainment hub for the entire region, as casino resorts, major sports venues, and theatre district increase development prospects for new retail. Detroit is the largest American city and metropolitan region to offer casino resort hotels. The MGM Grand Detroit

MGM Grand Detroit

The MGM Grand Detroit in Detroit, Michigan is one of three casino resort hotels in the city, and one of four in the Detroit–Windsor area. The luxury resort hotel opened on October 3, 2007 with a grand event which included models and celebrities including Ashanti, Kid Rock, male model Cameron...

(2007), Motor City Casino (2008), Caesars Windsor (2007), and Greektown Casino

Greektown Casino

Greektown Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan is one of three casino resort hotels in the city, and one of four in the Detroit-Windsor area. Greektown Casino, LLC is majority owned by Greektown Superholdings, Inc. and Greektown Newco Sub Inc...

(2008) comprise the regions four major casino resorts.

Movie studios in metro area help to establish the state as a legitimate contender in the 12-month-a-year film business. Motown Motion Picture Studios

Motown Motion Picture Studios

Motown Motion Picture Studios is located in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac. Raleigh Studios of Hollywood will operate the movie studio totaling at the Pontiac Centerpoint Business Campus which will produce movies for a film industry expected to employ over 4,000 people in the metro area...

(2009) with 535000 square feet (49,703.1 m²) will produce movies at the Pontiac Centerpoint Business Campus for a film industry expected to employ over 4,000 people in the metro area.

Higher education and research

Metro Detroit has diversified its economic base though initiatives in emerging technologies

Emerging technologies

. Michigan typically ranks third or fourth in overall Research & development (R&D) expenditures in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. In 2011, Detroit received the first U.S. Patent and Trademark Office outside the Washington, D.C. area. Metro area universities provide a source of top talent for the region. The University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

in Ann Arbor is one of the world's leading research institutions and is among the highly ranked institutions in the U.S. The University of Michigan

University of Michigan

schools of Engineering

University of Michigan College of Engineering

The University of Michigan College of Engineering is the engineering unit of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. With an enrollment of 5,514 undergraduate and 2,646 graduate students as of 2009, the College of Engineering is one of the premier engineering schools in the United States...

, Medicine, Business

Ross School of Business

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...

, and Law

University of Michigan Law School

The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

are consistently among the top-ranked in the United States. In 2002, the state constructed the NextEnergy Center just north of Wayne State University

Wayne State University

to focus on fuel cell

Fuel cell

development and alternative energy.

The area is home to many post-secondary institutions of higher learning and research, including: Baker College

Baker College

Baker College is a private not-for-profit American college in Michigan, founded in 1911. Its campuses are located throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan....

, Carnegie Institute, Cleary University

Cleary University

Cleary University is a Michigan based business university with two campuses; the Washtenaw Campus is located in Ann Arbor and the Livingston Campus is located near Howell. Both campus offer certificate, ABA, BBA, and MBA programs.- History :...

, Cranbrook Educational Community

Cranbrook Educational Community

The Cranbrook Educational Community, a National Historic Landmark, in the US state of Michigan was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. Cranbrook campus is in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills consisting of Cranbrook Schools, Cranbrook Academy of Art,...

, Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University

Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...

, Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University

Lawrence Technological University, also known as Lawrence Tech or simply LTU, is a private university located in Southfield, Michigan. The school offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in engineering, science, mathematics, architecture, graphic design, and business...

, Oakland University

Oakland University

Oakland University is a public university co-founded by Matilda Dodge Wilson and John A. Hannah whose campus is located in central Oakland County, Michigan, United States in the cities of Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills. It is the only major research university in Oakland County, from which OU...

, Thomas M Cooley Law School-Rochester, Ave Maria School of Law

Ave Maria School of Law

The Ave Maria School of Law, founded in 1999, is a fully ABA accredited Roman Catholic law school, located in Naples, Florida. In the 2009-2010 academic year, there were over 375 students enrolled from a variety of states, countries, and undergraduate institutions...

, Walsh College, Rochester College

Rochester College

Rochester College is a four-year, liberal arts college located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The college was founded by members of Churches of Christ in 1959. Total enrollment for the fall 2011 semester is 1,084 students....

, Madonna University

Madonna University

Madonna University is a private, non-profit, Catholic university located in suburban Livonia, Michigan, on the western perimeter of metropolitan Detroit. Conducted by the Felician Sisters, it has extension campuses in Southwest Detroit, Orchard Lake, Michigan Madonna University is a private,...

, Marygrove College

Marygrove College

Marygrove College is an independent, Catholic, liberal arts college located in Detroit, Michigan. The college is sponsored by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.-History:...

, University of Detroit Mercy

University of Detroit Mercy

University of Detroit Mercy is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational university in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy. Antoine M. Garibaldi is the president. With origins dating from 1877, it is the largest Roman Catholic university...

, the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

, and Wayne State University

Wayne State University

.

On the Canadian side of the border, Windsor's two post secondary institutions have partnered with auto makers to open high tech research and training facilities. The University of Windsor

University of Windsor

The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...

is home to the University of Windsor/DaimlerChrysler Canada Automotive Research and Development Centre. St. Clair College

St. Clair College

St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology is a college in the Southwestern Ontario counties of Essex and Chatham-Kent.-Campus:Its main administration and largest campus sites are in Windsor, Canada. In addition, other campuses are located in Chatham and Wallaceburg. In 2007, St...

has the Ford Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing.

Health care and biomedical

Metro Detroit area is one of the leading health care economies in the U.S. according to a 2003 study measuring health care industry components, with the region's hospital sector ranking fourth in the nation. A 2006 economic impact report showed that the metropolitan region supported 245,379 direct health care jobs with an additional 120,408 indirect and induced jobs. Major health system networks in the region include the University of Michigan

University of Michigan Health System

The University of Michigan Health System is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. UMHS includes the U-M Medical School, with its Faculty Group Practice and many research laboratories; the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, which includes University...

, Henry Ford

Henry Ford Health System

The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...

, Beaumont

William Beaumont Hospital

Beaumont Hospital is a regional medical system in the greater Detroit, Michigan area. It first opened with a 238 bed hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1955...

, Detroit Medical Center

Detroit Medical Center

The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...

, St. John, Oakwood

Oakwood Health System

The Oakwood Health System is a group of 4 hospitals and dozens of medical clinics across the Metro Detroit Area. This health system has been awarded many awards and recognitions for their use of technology in the medical field including the award for best hospital for heart care and also in...

, St. Joseph, Karmanos Cancer Center, and the John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Beginning in 2010, Oakland University

Oakland University

in Rochester

Rochester, Michigan

Rochester is an affluent city in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan on the northern outskirts of metro Detroit. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census...

opened Michigan's fourth medical school in a partnership with Beaumont Hospitals. The school will boost the region's economy with jobs in the life sciences, research, clinical trials, and doctors Wayne State University

Wayne State University

in Detroit has the largest single-campus medical school in the United States, and the nation's fourth largest medical school overall. Detroit Medical Center

Detroit Medical Center

formally became a part of Vanguard Health Systems

Vanguard Health Systems

on December 30, 2010 as a for profit corporation. Vanguard has agreed to invest nearly $1.5 B in the Detroit Medical Center complex which will include $417 M to retire debts, at least $350 M in capital expenditures and an additional $500 M for new capital investment. In 2010, Henry Ford Health System

Henry Ford Health System

The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...

in the New Center

New Center, Detroit

also announced a $500 M expansion in Detroit with plans for a biomedical research center.

In January 2009, the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

established the North Campus Research Complex through its purchase of the former Pfizer research facility with 30 buildings on 174 acre (0.70415364 km²) in Ann Arbor in order to create about 2,000 jobs through establishing commercial partnerships. The Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan

Southeast Michigan

Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro...

administers $100 M of private foundation grants for the regions New Economy Initiative to spur investment in a variety of metro area projects. A BioEnterprise Midwest Healthcare Venture report found that the Detroit - Ann Arbor region attracted $312 M in new biotechnology venture capital investments from 2006 to 2009.

Media

As the traditional automotive center, the region is a major source for related journalism and business news. Gale

Gale (publisher)

Gale is an educational publishing company based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, the United States, in the western suburbs of Detroit. It was part of the Thomson Learning division of the Thomson Corporation, a Canadian company, but became part of Cengage Learning in 2007.The company, formerly known...

publishing and Crain Communications are headquartered in the metro area. The Detroit television market is the eleventh largest in the United States; however, these ratings do not include Canadian cable viewers that watch Detroit television stations; cities served by Detroit channels in Ontario include London

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, and Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay

-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...

; many Western Canadians also watch Detroit channels, such as Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

residents Detroit has the ninth largest radio

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

market in the United States, though this ranking does not take into account Canadian audiences.

Retail

Metro Detroit

has many chain retailers and super regional shopping malls, in both upscale and outlet style venues, which are located throughout suburban municipalities such as Troy

Troy, Michigan

, Novi

Novi, Michigan

Novi is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,224, an increase over the 2000 census count of 47,386. The city is located approximately northwest of the center of Detroit, and northeast of the center of Ann Arbor. The city is located...

, Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills, Michigan

, Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights, Michigan

Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 129,699...

, and Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan

. In the 2000s, some older malls closed, while some inner-ring suburban malls have been remodeled. Others have a new role with "big box" establishments. During the same decade, upscale lifestyle centers

Lifestyle center (retail)

A lifestyle center is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers...

appeared in Detroit suburbs, most nobably The Mall at Partridge Creek

The Mall at Partridge Creek

The Mall at Partridge Creek is an open-air shopping mall in Clinton Township, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, United States. Under construction since 2005, the mall opened to the public on October 18, 2007. The Mall at Partridge Creek has amenities unique to malls in Michigan, including: Bocce...

in Clinton Township. Several suburban municipalities, including Birmingham

Birmingham, Michigan

Birmingham is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan and an affluent suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 20,103...

, Royal Oak

Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....

, Rochester

Rochester, Michigan

Rochester is an affluent city in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan on the northern outskirts of metro Detroit. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census...

, and Grosse Pointe

Grosse Pointe

, contain their own street-side shopping districts.

Many local merchants and restaurants are located within the Detroit city-limits including Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District

Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District

The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District, also known as Merchant's Row, is a mixed-use retail, commercial, and residential district in downtown Detroit, Michigan, located between Campus Martius Park and Grand Circus Park Historic District at 1201 through 1449 Woodward Avenue and 1400 through...

, Greektown Historic District, the Renaissance Center

Renaissance Center

, and those in the Eastern Market Historic District

Eastern Market Historic District

Eastern Market is a historic commercial district in Detroit, Michigan. It is located approximately one mile northeast of the city's downtown and is bordered on the south by Gratiot Avenue, the north by Mack Avenue, the east by St. Aubin Street, and the west by the Chrysler Expressway...

; however, the city of Detroit has few big chain retailers. A 2007 Selzer and Co. poll found that nearly two-thirds of suburban residents said they occasionally dine and attend cultural or professional sporting events in downtown Detroit. The Fairlane Town Center

Fairlane Town Center

Fairlane Town Center is a super-regional shopping mall in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan. Its anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, and Sears. The mall includes an AMC Theatres multiplex, as well as H&M, DSW Shoe Warehouse and Bally Total Fitness among other major stores...

, a super-regional shopping mall in Dearborn

Dearborn, Michigan

, is about 15-minutes from downtown Detroit.

In 2009, German based supermarket chain Aldi

ALDI

ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...

, which opened Detroit locations in 2001 and 2005, and the Michigan based Spartan Stores

Spartan Stores

Spartan Stores Inc. is an American food distributor and grocery store chain headquartered in Byron Township, Michigan. The company distributes national and Spartan brand products to over 400 independent grocery stores in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.-History:...

are the grocery chains operating within the city of Detroit. In 2011, Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...

announced a new Midtown location in the city of Detroit. Many independent grocery stores serve neighborhoods in Detroit; however, a 2009 University of Michigan

University of Michigan

report estimated that neighborhoods within the city-limits of Detroit have sufficient income to sustain from $210 M to $377 M in additional grocery retail spending which has leaked to nearby suburbs and that the city could support up to 1000000 square feet (92,903 m²) of additional retail grocery space. The report noted that retail grocery traffic tends to stimulate growth of other types of retail and that large retail chains have been slow to realize the growth potential for the city. A 2007 Social Compact report showed that city of Detroit residents spend about $1.7 B annually in the suburbs for retail goods and services. As of 2009, "big box" super-centers have yet to open stores within the city limits of Detroit. In August 2009, the Meijer

Meijer

Meijer, Inc. is a regional American hypermarket chain based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer is credited with pioneering the modern supercenter concept in 1962. About half of the company's 196 stores are located in Michigan, with additional locations in...

chain of super-centers announced it would open its first store within the city limits at the $90M Shoppes at Gateway Park. In April 2009, developers announced they had leased 60 percent of the retail space for a planned $90 M open-air mall, the Shoppes at Gateway Park, to be located within the city-limits of Detroit.

The city of Detroit has four Starbucks

Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...

coffee shops which face Michigan based competitors Coffee Beanery

Coffee Beanery

Coffee Beanery is a Flushing, Michigan-based chain of coffee shops operating in the US, Europe, Asia, and US Territories. The company was founded in 1976...

and Biggby Coffee. The city's major bookstore is Wayne State University Bookstore, leaving an opening for a major book store chain. New car dealerships have migrated to the suburbs.

Historic highlights

President Franklin Roosevelt referred to Detroit as the "great arsenal of Democracy
Arsenal of Democracy
"The Arsenal of Democracy" was a propaganda slogan coined by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a radio broadcast delivered on December 29, 1940. Roosevelt promised to help the United Kingdom fight Nazi Germany by giving them military supplies while the United States stayed out of the actual...

." The Ford Motor Company played a pivotal role in the allied victory during World War I and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. With Europe under siege, Henry Ford's genius would be turned to mass production for the war effort. Specifically, the B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...

bomber, still the most produced allied heavy bomber in history, quickly shifted the balance of power. The aviation industry could produce, if everything went all right, one Consolidated Aircraft B-24 Bomber a day at an aircraft plant. Ford would show the world how to produce one B-24 an hour, and at peak production Ford produced 650 per month at Willow Run by 1944. Ford's Willow Run factory broke ground in the April 1941. At the time, it was the largest assembly plant in the world, with over 3500000 square feet (325,160.6 m²). Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, under stress, died in the Spring of 1943 of stomach cancer prompting Henry Ford to re-assume day-to-day control of the Ford Motor Company. Willow Run completed its first B-24 in October 1942, with production increasing substantially by August 1943. Pilots and crew slept on the 1,300 cots waiting to fly the B-24s as they rolled off the assembly line at Ford's Willow Run facility.

Largest employers

Metro Detroit's 25 largest employers
Source: Crain's Detroit Business (2007).

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...	1 American Road, Dearborn Dearborn, Michigan -Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...	55,342	Automotive
General Motors General Motors General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...	300 Renaissance Center Renaissance Center Renaissance Center is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters... , Detroit Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...	41,861	Automotive
Chrysler LLC	1000 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...	32,597	Automotive
Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools Detroit Public Schools is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States. The student population of the Detroit Public Schools is about 65,971 , which is down about 9.7% from the previous school year. Detroit Public Charter Schools educate an additional 56,000...	3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit	17,329	Education
University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...	Main Campus, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...	16,832	Education and research
University of Michigan Health System University of Michigan Health System The University of Michigan Health System is the wholly owned academic medical center of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. UMHS includes the U-M Medical School, with its Faculty Group Practice and many research laboratories; the U-M Hospitals and Health Centers, which includes University...	1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor	16,551	Health care
U.S. Postal Service United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...	1401 W. Fort St., Detroit	15,385	Postal service
U.S. government Federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...	477 Michigan Ave., Detroit	15,328	Federal government
Henry Ford Health System Henry Ford Health System The Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...	1 Ford Place, Detroit	15,139	Health care
St. John Health System	28000 Dequindre, Warren Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 census places the city's population at 134,056, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb....	14,288	Health care
City of Detroit Government of Detroit, Michigan With a charter adopted on July 1, 1974, the government of Detroit, Michigan, is run by a mayor, the nine-member Detroit City Council, and clerk elected on a nonpartisan ballot. Detroit has a "strong mayoral" system, with the mayor approving departmental appointments. The council approves budgets,...	2 Woodward Ave., Detroit	13,762	City government
Trinity Health Trinity Health (Novi, Michigan) Trinity Health is a national Catholic health network of 44 acute-care hospitals, 379 outpatient centers, 26 long-term care facilities, and numerous hospice programs and senior living communities in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Idaho and California...	27870 Cabot Dr., Novi Novi, Michigan Novi is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,224, an increase over the 2000 census count of 47,386. The city is located approximately northwest of the center of Detroit, and northeast of the center of Ann Arbor. The city is located...	13,012	Health care
Beaumont Hostpitals	3601 W. 13 Mile Rd., Royal Oak Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....	15,638	Health care
State of Michigan Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....	Cadillac Place Cadillac Place Cadillac Place is an ornate high-rise class-A office complex in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan constructed of steel, limestone, granite, and marble between 1919 and 1923 and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1985. The building houses several agencies of the State of Michigan... , Detroit	11,177	State government
Detroit Medical Center Detroit Medical Center The Detroit Medical Center, located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has more than 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University...	3800 John R., Detroit	11,003	Health care
Oakwood Healthcare Inc.	1 Parklane Blvd., Dearborn	7,515	Health care
DTE Energy DTE Energy DTE Energy Co. is a Detroit, Michigan-based utility incorporated in 1995 involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide....	2000 Second Ave., Detroit	7,188	Energy company
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield Association The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a federation of 39 separate health insurance organizations and companies in the United States. Combined, they directly or indirectly provide health insurance to over 100 million Americans. The history of Blue Cross dates back to 1929, while the history of...	600 E. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit	7,007	Health care
HP Enterprise Services	500 Renaissance Center, Detroit	6,711	Information technology
Comerica Comerica Comerica Incorporated is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA. It has retail banking operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas; and select business operations in several other U.S...	500 Woodard Ave., Detroit	6,169	Financial services
Wayne State University Wayne State University Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...	658 W. Kirby, Detroit	5,046	Education and research
Wayne County Wayne County, Michigan -History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...	600 Randolph, Detroit	5,091	County government
Visteon Visteon Visteon is one of the world's largest suppliers of automotive parts. The company formed in 1997 and spun off from the Ford Motor Company in 2000. In 2005, Visteon moved to new headquarters in Van Buren Township, Michigan...	1 Village Center Dr., Van Buren Township Van Buren Township, Michigan Van Buren Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 28,821 at the 2010 census. It is home to Willow Run Airport, Metro Detroit's second busiest airport.-Geography:...	4,497	Automotive
Johnson Controls Johnson Controls Johnson Controls, Inc. is a company, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was founded in 1885 by professor Warren S. Johnson, inventor of the first electric room thermostat....	49200 Halyard Dr., Plymouth Plymouth, Michigan Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,132 at the 2010 census. The City of Plymouth is an enclave completely surrounded by Plymouth Charter Township, Michigan.-Geography:...	4,205	Automotive
Quicken Loans Quicken Loans Quicken Loans Inc., headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is the largest online mortgage lender and the 5th largest retail mortgage lender overall in the USA. The company consists of the QuickenLoans.com online lending site, the Rock Financial brand in southeast Michigan, One Reverse Mortgage, based...	20555 Victor Parkway, Livonia Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...	3,923	Financial services

External links

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