The Detroit River became the busiest commercial hub in the world as it carried over 65 million tons of shipping commerce each year. The city's population rose to be the fourth-largest in the nation by 1920, after New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia, with the expansion of the automotive industry in the early 20th century. During the late 19th and early 20th century, it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region. In 1701, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and Alphonse de Tonty founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit. The Metro Detroit area, home to 4.3 million people, is the second-largest in the Midwest after the Chicago metropolitan area and the 14th-largest in the United States as well as a significant cultural center. Detroit had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the United States.

city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. Young International Airportĭetroit Department of Transportation, Detroit People Mover, QLineĭetroit ( / d ɪ ˈ t r ɔɪ t/ dih- TROYT, locally also / ˈ d iː t r ɔɪ t/) is the most populous city in the U.S.

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