Windsor-Detroit
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The Windsor-Detroit region is an international urban area centered around the American city of Detroit, Michigan, and the Canadian city of Windsor, Ontario. The area covers the Canadian regions of Chatham-Kent, Essex and Lambton counties in Ontario and American counties of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Wayne, Genesee, Washtenaw and Monroe in Michigan.
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[edit] Overview
The Windsor-Detroit region is not officially recognized as a single metropolitan area by either the Canadian or American governments. Windsor, however, is historically linked to the rise of American industry and farming in the Detroit area. To this day Windsor is still economically, culturally, and geographically bound to Detroit.
[edit] Demographics
Together, the two metropolitan areas have a population of almost 6,000,000 people, with 5.4 million[1] in Detroit, 375,000 people in Essex County [2] (Windsor) and 125,000 in Lambton County (Sarnia)[3]. The Detroit side contains well over one half of the population of Michigan, whereas Windsor and Sarnia contain only 2 percent of Ontario's population. An estimated 46 million people live within a 480 km (300 mile) radius of the area.
Growth in the region is steady. While the majority of people who live in Metro Detroit live outside of Detroit itself, Windsor has a balanced population between the city of Windsor itself and the rest of Essex County. There are over 30 different communities within Metro Detroit, all ranging in population from the hundreds to the tens of thousands. Windsor's CMA, however, has only eight official municipalities consisting of LaSalle (pop. 25,000), Tecumseh (pop. 25,000), Amherstburg (pop. 20,000), Leamington (pop. 30,000), Kingsville (pop. 20,000), Essex (pop. 20,000), Lakeshore (pop. 30,000) and of course Windsor (pop. 210,000). 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(according to Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990).
[edit] Economy
Detroit is the center of a manufacturing powerhouse and home to the Big Three automobile companies. As a result, Windsor is home to the Daimler-Chrysler Canadian Headquarters and car plants for the "Big Three." While the inner city of Detroit has experienced economic difficulties over the years, the affluent suburbs are magnets for immigrants, wealth, and population growth. Windsor's economy is reliant on the automotive industry, but has diversifed. As an example, Casino Windsor, the largest in Canada, attracts visitors from the Metro Detroit region. In fact, Kwame Kilpatrick stated that Detroit is transitioning "from a manufacturing economy to a casino economy." in his re-election campaign. Casino Windsor has major expansion plans and renovations and MGM Grand Detroit announced in March 2007 they were recruiting a thousand new employees for their permanent hotel and casino opening late 2007.
Many people commute across the Windsor-Detroit International border daily. Professions identified in the 1988 Free Trade Act are permitted TN Visas for legal work in the United States and Canada. As an example, a large number of nurses in Detroit hospitals are Canadians living in Windsor. One of the nation's largest law firms, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone P.L.C., has offices in both Windsor and Detroit. The U.S dollar is readily accepted as currency in Windsor.
A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the region and $13 billion in annual production depend on the Windsor-Detroit international border crossing. [4] With many new businesses in the suburbs, the region is competitive in emerging technologies including biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, cognotechnology, and hydrogen fuel cell development. Incentives to bring more suburban companies to downtown Detroit include a wireless Internet zone, heavy infrastructure, the NextEnergy center, business tax incentives, entertainment, an International Riverfront, and residential high rises.
[edit] See also
- Ambassador Bridge
- Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
- Golden Horseshoe
- Quebec City-Windsor Corridor
- 2020 Summer Olympics
- Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival
[edit] References
- ^ JULY 1, 2005 POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR METROPOLITAN, MICROPOLITAN, AND COMBINED STATISTICAL AREAS (Areas defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of December 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ 2001 Community profiles. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ 2001 Community profiles. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
- ^ Detroit Regional Chamber (2006) Detroit/Windsor Border Update: Part I-Detroit River International Crossing Study
[edit] External links
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