Detroit–Windsor | ||
|---|---|---|
 Detroit skyline to the right and Windsor to the left of theDetroit River, with theAmbassador Bridge partially visible in the background fromBelle Isle | ||
 Interactive Map of Detroit–Windsor Area
| ||
| Country |
| |
| State/Province | ||
| Principal cities | Detroit, Mich. Windsor, Ont. Warren, Mich. Ann Arbor, Mich. Flint, Mich. | |
| Elevation | 180 m (600 ft) | |
| Population (2019) | ||
| • Metro | 5,976,595 (16th in the Americas) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
TheDetroit–Windsor region is an internationaltransborder agglomeration named for the American city ofDetroit,Michigan, the Canadian city ofWindsor, Ontario, and theDetroit River, which separates them. The Detroit–Windsor area acts as a critical commercial link straddling theCanada–United States border and has a total population of 5,976,595.[1] It is North America's largest cross-borderconurbation.
The Detroit–Windsor area covers the southeastern Michigan counties ofSt. Clair,Macomb,Lapeer,Genesee,Livingston,Oakland,Washtenaw,Monroe andWayne; as well as the southernOntario counties ofEssex,Lambton,Chatham-Kent, and the City ofWindsor.
The Detroit–Windsor region is not accounted for as a single metropolitan area by the U.S. or Canadian government. If it were, the region would be the eighth most populous urban region in North America.[2] Nevertheless, the communities have been historically tied by several partnerships and agreements, including the Detroit and Windsor Tunnel Corporation,[3] the firm that is owned equally by theCity of Detroit andCity of Windsor and operates thetunnel. The cities are historically linked through the rise of the auto industry in both countries due to the U.S.-CanadianAuto Pact in the 1960s, and share geopolitical concerns affecting transportation and shared resources, such as theDetroit River.[4] Many federal, state and provincial bi-national agreements affecting trade and border security also link the region. Today, increasing governmental co-operation is being formalized. On June 15, 2012, the construction of a new bridge between Windsor and Detroit was announced in the two cities by Canadian Prime MinisterStephen Harper, Transport Minister Denis Lebel and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. The bridge announcement was a long-anticipated formalization of a new partnership between Canada and Michigan, with Canada paying the entire Michigan share of the new bridge, including a new interchange withInterstate 75. The jointRoyal Canadian Mounted Police andU.S. Coast Guard Shiprider program of marine border security are examples.[5] The increasing interdependence of Detroit–Windsor was recognized by U.S. regional business and government in 2007 when Windsor MayorEddie Francis was invited to take part in, and speak at, the annual Mackinac Policy Conference, a committee of regional business and political leaders, developed to address the economic and quality of life concerns that matter most toSoutheast Michigan.[6]
Detroit is home to theBig Three automobile companies. As a result, Windsor is home to the Chrysler Canada Headquarters and car plants for two of the "Big Three". The city of Detroit has experiencedsevere economic difficulties over the years. Population loss has been occurring continuously since the 1950s, so that the population has declined more than 60% since its peak, poverty andcrime have become significant problems, and at least 50,000 of the city's structures are abandoned. The affluent suburbs, however, are magnets for immigrants, wealth, and population growth. Windsor's economy is reliant on the automotive industry, but has diversified. As an example,Caesars Windsor casino, the largest in Canada, attracts visitors from theMetro Detroit region. In fact,Kwame Kilpatrick stated that Detroit is transitioning "from a manufacturing economy to a casino economy" in his re-election campaign.[7]
Moreover, Windsor's economy has continued to diversify with several hundred green-energy jobs having been created as of June 2011. More capital investment in the city is expected, especially in the aerospace and air cargo industry. Windsor Airport is currently undergoing a major expansion, with an aircraft maintenance and repair hangar being constructed, as well as cargo facilities for air to rail/road transport.
Many people commute across the Detroit–Windsor International border daily. Professions identified in the1988 Free Trade Act are permittedTN Visas for legal work in the United States and Canada. As an example, over 5,000 Windsor residents work, in the healthcare industry, and 16,000 overall in Metro Detroit as such, the industry is one of Windsor's largest indirect employers. One of the largest U.S. law firms,Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone P.L.C., has offices in both Windsor and Detroit.
A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 257,000 jobs in Michigan and $13 billion in annual production depend on the Detroit–Windsor internationalborder crossing.[8] With many new businesses in the suburbs, the region is competitive inemerging technologies includingbiotechnology,nanotechnology,information technology, andhydrogen fuel cell development.[citation needed]
Together, the two metropolitan areas have a population of almost 6,000,000 people, with 5.4 million[9] in the Detroit area, 375,000 people in Essex County[10] (Windsor), 125,000 inLambton County (Sarnia), and 110,000 inChatham-Kent,Ontario.[11] It is the second largest border region in the world, afterKinshasa-Brazzaville in Central Africa, with some 5,700,000 people living in its metropolitan area.[12] TheDetroit side contains over one-half of the population ofMichigan, whereas Windsor and Sarnia contain only two percent of Ontario's population. An estimated 46 million people, nearly 16% of the U.S. population, live within a 480 km (300 mi) radius of the area,[citation needed] with other metropolitan areas within this radius, such asToronto,Ontario;Hamilton, Ontario;Buffalo, New York;Erie, Pennsylvania;Cleveland,Ohio;Akron, Ohio;Toledo, Ohio;Columbus, Ohio;Cincinnati, Ohio;Indianapolis, Indiana;Northern Kentucky;Grand Rapids, Michigan;London, Ontario;Regional Municipality of Waterloo,Ontario;Flint, Michigan;Saginaw, Michigan;Milwaukee,Wisconsin, andChicago,Illinois.[13]
While about four-fifths of the population ofMetro Detroit lives outside the city itself, Windsor has a balanced population between the city of Windsor itself and the rest of Essex County. The Detroit metro area comprises over 200 cities, villages and townships ranging in population from the hundreds to the hundreds of thousands. Windsor's CMA, however, has only eight official municipalities (with Windsor being a recentseparated municipality), consisting ofLaSalle (pop. 30,200),Tecumseh (pop. 23,200),Amherstburg (pop. 22,000),Lakeshore (pop. 36,611) Leamington-Kingsville (pop. 49,150) and Windsor itself (pop. 229,660). Within each of these municipalities lie several smaller communities that serve as bedroom communities for Windsor's working force. Windsor has recently been given a boost by immigration. However, Detroit itself has less than half of its peak population.[14]
.svg) | ||
| Topics | .jpg) | |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | ||
| Municipalities over 80,000 | ||
| Municipalities 40,000 to 80,000 | ||
| Cultural enclaves | ||
| Satellite cities | ||
| Counties in MSA | ||
| Counties in CSA | ||
Great Lakes megalopolis as defined by theRPA | ||
|---|---|---|
Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census. | ||
| Great Lakes region cities |  | |
| Surrounding cities |
| |
| Cities of states south of region | ||
| Other metro-regions | ||
42°19′21″N83°02′48″W / 42.3225°N 83.0468°W /42.3225; -83.0468
