Changing Places - Detroit Flashcards
What brought wealth to Detroit in the 19th century?
Shipping (due to access to the Atlantic from the Great Lakes)
Exogenous factors affecting Detroit in the 20th century:
- Great Migration
- White Flight
- Car Industry (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors) + Foreign competition (Japan - Honda, Toyota).
- Race riots
- Oil Crisis
Endogenous factors affecting Detroit in the 20th century:
Access to the Great Lakes
Large amount of flat land
Located in the Steel (Rust Belt)
Character of Detroit
- Abandoned buildings
- High crime rate
- Car industry
When was the Oil Crisis?
1970s
When was the Great Migration? How many people migrated and why?
Started in 1910, continued until the 1970s.
6 million African Americans moved from the rural south to the urban north and west where there were more jobs.
When did the period of ‘White Flight’ begin and why?
Started in the 1950s and escalated as a result of the 1967 Race Riots.
- Policies in Detroit exacerbated racial tension due to segregation.
Describe Detroit’s change in population throughout the 20th century?
1900 - 250,000 people
1950 - 1.9 million people (peak population)
1980 - 1.2 million people
2010 - 600,000 people
The population peaked in 1950 as a result of heavy investment into the city’s built environment by the car industries. Many people moved to get cheap, low skill jobs. It decreased from 1950 as a result of White Flight and increased foreign competition resulting in downsizing of the car industries.
When were the Race Riots?
1967
Explain the changes in Detroit’s population during the 20th century:
The population peaked in 1950 as a result of heavy investment into the city’s built environment by the car industries. Many people moved to get cheap, low skill jobs. It decreased from 1950 as a result of White Flight and increased foreign competition resulting in downsizing of the car industries.
What were the Big Three?
Ford
General Motors
Chrysler
What year did Detroit file for bankruptcy?
2013
What companies acted as foreign competition to the Big Three?
Toyota
Honda
What state is Detroit located?
Michigan
What is the average income of the city of Detroit?
$27000
