Welcome to the birthplace of Motown sound, the moving assembly line, and the nation's first floating post office. The city itself houses more than 670k people; but the metropolitan area holds more than 4.3 million - making it the second largest city in the Midwest (after Chicago).

This land traded hands numerous times amongst Native American peoples, most notably the Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi and Iroquois. The French first breached the Detroit River in 1630 and fought with the Iroquois for more than 130 years. During this time, in 1701, the French installed Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. The population swelled as France gave free land here to new settlers, causing Detroit to become the third largest city in the Quebec Province. During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the British conquered Fort Ponchartrain and shortened the name to Detroit. The French and Indian War concluded thereafter and French territories were limited to above the Great Lakes (modern day Canada).

The subsequent British-Iroquois agreement to limit settlements gave American colonists another casus belli (justification for war) for revolution in 1776. Although Detroit was decisively American after the war, Britain recaptured it during the War of 1812, returned at its conclusion, at which time the city officially incorporated in 1815. For the next 50 years, Detroit would serve as crucial passage for slaves traversing the Underground Railroad - assisting in the escape of more than 30,000 people to Canada. Similarly, Detroit men and women contributed valiantly in the Civil War. Michigan fighters were dubbed 'wolverines', suffered 82% casualties in the Battle at Gettysburg, and prompted Abraham Lincoln to proclaim, "Thank God for Michigan!"

In 1896, the carriage trade along the Great Lakes encouraged Henry Ford to build his first automobile in a Mack Avenue workshop he rented - seven years later, Ford Motor Company was born. By 1920, Detroit was the world's epicenter of manufacturing, as automobile legends William C. Durant, the Dodge Brothers, Packard, and Walter Chrysler setup headquarters here.

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