| City of Dearborn | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Hyatt Regency Dearborn | |
| Location in Michigan | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Wayne |
| Settled | 1836 |
| Incorporation (village) | 1893 |
| Incorporation (city) | 1927 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Strong Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | John B. O'Reilly, Jr. |
| Area | |
| • Total | 24.5 sq mi (63.3 km2) |
| • Land | 24.4 sq mi (63.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 591 ft (180 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 98,153 |
| • Density | 4,013.7/sq mi (1,549.7/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 313 |
| FIPS code | 26-21000[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0624432[2] |
| Website | Official website |
Dearborn is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, and is the eighth largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 98,153.[3] The city was the home of Henry Ford and is the world headquarters of the Ford Motor Company. It has a campus of the University of Michigan as well as Henry Ford Community College. Dearborn contains The Henry Ford, America's largest indoor-outdoor museum complex and Metro Detroit's leading tourist attraction.[4][5]
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The area had been inhabited for thousands of years by varying indigenous peoples. Historical tribes belonged mostly to the Algonquian-language family, although the Huron were Iroquoian speaking.
The Dearborn area was settled by Europeans in 1786, after the American Revolutionary War.[6] The village of Dearbornville was established in 1836, named after patriot Henry Dearborn, a General in the American Revolution and Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson. Its origins as a city trace back to a January 1929 consolidation vote that established its present-day borders by merging Dearborn and neighboring Fordson (previously known as Springwells), which feared being absorbed into Detroit. The area between the two towns was, and still remains in part, undeveloped.
Once farm land, this was bought by Henry Ford for his estate, Fair Lane, and the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters. Later developments in this corridor were the Ford airport (later converted to the Dearborn Proving Grounds), other Ford administrative and development facilities, The Henry Ford (the region's leading tourist attraction containing a reconstructed historic village and museum), the Henry Ford Centennial Library, the super-regional shopping mall Fairlane Town Center, and the Dearborn Civic Center. It is planted with sunflowers and often with Henry Ford's favorite soybeans. The crops are never harvested.
In 2005, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) opened in Dearborn, the first museum in the world devoted to Arab-American history and culture. Most of the Arab-Americans in Dearborn and the Detroit area are ethnic Lebanese Christians, who immigrated in the early twentieth century to work in the auto industry, like many immigrants to the area. They have been joined by more recent Arab immigrants from other nations, some of whom are Muslim.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.5 square miles (63 km2), of which, 24.4 square miles (63 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.37%) is water. The Rouge River runs through the city with an artificial waterfall/low head dam on the Henry Ford estate to power his powerhouse. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Branches of the river come together in Dearborn. The river is widened and channeled near the Rouge Plant to allow lake freighter access.
Fordson Island () is an 8.4 acre (33,994 m²) island about three miles (5 km) inland from the Detroit River on the River Rouge. Fordson Island is the only major island in a tributary to the Detroit River. The island was created in 1922 when engineers dug a secondary trench to reroute the River Rouge to increase navigability for shipping purposes. The island is privately owned, and public access to the island is prohibited. The island is part of the city of Dearborn, which itself has no coast along the Detroit River.[7][8]
Dearborn is among a small number of municipalities that owns property in other cities (the 626-acre (2.53 km2) Camp Dearborn in Milford, Michigan, 35 miles (56 km) from Dearborn[9]) and is possibly unique in holding property in another state (the Dearborn Towers apartment complex in Clearwater, Florida). These holdings are considered part of the city of Dearborn, and revenues generated by camp admissions and rent collected are used to bolster the city's budget.
| Detroit | ||||
| Dearborn Heights | Detroit | |||
| Dearborn | ||||
| Melvindale, Allen Park |
Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn.[10] In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the Fairlane Town Center shopping mall. DFCU Financial, the largest credit union in Michigan, was created for Ford and related companies' employees. One of the largest employers in Dearborn is Oakwood Healthcare System. Other major employers include auto suppliers like Visteon, education facilities like Henry Ford Community College and museums like The Henry Ford. Other businesses which are headquartered in Dearborn include Carhartt (clothing), Eppinger (fishing lures), United Airlines Detroit Reservation Center, AAA Michigan (insurance), and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[11] the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford | 33,000 |
| 2 | Oakwood Health System | 5,670 |
| 3 | Visteon | 4,300 |
| 4 | Dearborn Board of Education | 2,681 |
| 5 | Lear | 2,500 |
| 6 | Severstal North America | 1,840 |
| 7 | Auto Club of Michigan | 1,781 |
| 8 | United Technologies Auto | 1,266 |
| 9 | Dearborn Stamping Plant | 1,000 |
| 10 | UM Child Development Center | 963 |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 844 |
|
|
| 1910 | 911 | 7.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,470 | 171.1% | |
| 1930 | 50,358 | 1,938.8% | |
| 1940 | 63,589 | 26.3% | |
| 1950 | 94,994 | 49.4% | |
| 1960 | 112,007 | 17.9% | |
| 1970 | 104,199 | −7.0% | |
| 1980 | 90,660 | −13.0% | |
| 1990 | 89,286 | −1.5% | |
| 2000 | 97,775 | 9.5% | |
| 2010 | 98,153 | 0.4% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 97,775 people, 36,770 households, and 23,863 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,013.2 per square mile (1,549.7/km²). There were 38,981 housing units at an average density of 1,600.0 per square mile (617.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.86% White, 1.28% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 9.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.00% of the population.
33.4% were of Arab ancestry (categorized as "White" in Census collection data), 10.3% Polish, 9.9% German, 6.5% Irish, and 6.0% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. 61.9% spoke English, 29.3% Arabic, 1.9% Spanish, and 1.5% Polish as their first language.
There were 36,770 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.42.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,560, and the median income for a family was $53,060. Males had a median income of $45,114 versus $33,872 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,488. About 12.2% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 and over. As of the 2006 estimate, Dearborn's population was thought to have fallen to 92,382, a decrease of 5.5% since 2000. Over the same period, though, SEMCOG, the local statistics agency of Metro Detroit Council of Governments, has estimated the city to have grown to 99,001, or an increase of 1.2% since 2000. The Census Bureau estimates the 2005 proportion of African Americans to be 4.1% of the total population of the city.
Dearborn has a large community of descendants of ethnic European immigrants from the 19th and 20th centuries, whose ancestors generally first settled in Detroit: Irish, German, and Polish. The city has had a small African American population, many of whose ancestors came to the area in the Great Migration of the early twentieth century.[12]
The city's population includes 40,000 Arab Americans.[13] Ethnic Arabs own many shops and businesses, offering services in both English and Arabic.[14] In the 2010 census, Arab Americans comprised 40% of Dearborn's population; many have been in the city for several generations. The city has the largest proportion of Arab Americans in the United States.[15]
The first Arab immigrants came in the early-to-mid-20th century to work in the automotive industry and were chiefly Lebanese Christians (Syriac-Maronites). Other immigrants from the Mideast in the early twentieth century included a large Armenian-American community, who are Christian. Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs have also immigrated to the area. Since then, Arab immigrants from Yemen, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, most of whom are Muslim, have joined them. Lebanese Americans are still the most numerous group.[16][17] The Arab Muslim community has built the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in North America,[18] and the Dearborn Mosque. More Iraqi refugees have come, fleeing the continued war in their country since 2003.
As of 2010 the population of Dearborn was 98,153. The racial and ethnic composition was 86.7% Non-Hispanic whites (including Arabs), 4.0% black or African-American, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.2% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 4.0% reporting two or more races and 3.4% Hispanic or Latino.[19] 41.7% were of Arab ancestry (categorized as "White" in Census collection data).[20]
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Dearborn, operating its Wolverine three times daily in each direction between Chicago, Illinois and Pontiac, Michigan via Detroit. Baggage cannot be checked at this location; however, up to two suitcases in addition to any "personal items" such as briefcases, purses, laptop bags, and infant equipment are allowed on board as carry-ons. Currently there are two rail stops in Dearborn: the ordinary Amtrak station and a rarely-used station at Greenfield Village. Amtrak operates on Norfolk southern's (NS) "Michigan line". This track runs from Dearborn to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Most of the freight traffic on these rails is related to the automotive industry. Norfolk Southern's Dearborn Division offices are also located in Dearborn.
University of Michigan–Dearborn & Henry Ford Community College are located in Dearborn on Evergreen Road and are adjacent to each other.
Dearborn residents, along with a small portion of Dearborn Heights residents attend Dearborn Public Schools, which operates 34 schools including 3 major high schools. Divine Child High School and Elementary School are in Dearborn as well; the high-school is the largest private coed high school in the area. Dearborn Schools operated the Clara B. Ford High School inside Vista Maria, a non-profit residential treatment agency for girls in Dearborn Heights. Clara B. Ford High School became a charter school in the 2007–08 school year.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit previously operated the St. Alphonsus Elementary School in Dearborn. In 2005 the archdiocese announced that the school would close.[21]
The Arab-American community in Dearborn sponsors an annual Arab-American Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees from the region. In recent years Christian evangelists have tried to hand out religious literature at the festival; others have protested, sometimes with signs or spoken insults about Arabs, Muslims, Catholics and other groups. The city has struggled to deal with reducing confrontations while supporting a major public event and has entered into controversial areas related to free speech.
In 2010 four members of the Christian group, Acts 17 Apologetics, were arrested and prosecuted for "breach of the peace" because they were preaching to a crowd at the annual Arab-American Festival.[22] All the charges, except one of failure to obey a police order, were thrown out by a jury.[23] During the festival, four other people from Apologetics were blocked from handing out Arabic-English copies of the Gospel of John on a public street. Police ordered them to stop filming the incident, to provide identification, and to move at least five blocks from the border of the fair.[24]
A Tea Party candidate in Texas, Sharron Angle, accused the Arab-American festival of being "militant terrorist",[22][25] and said the city was enforcing Islamic law.[22] Angle was sharply criticized by the Mayor Jack O'Reilly, who called her comments "shameful."[22] "He said they were based on distorted Tea Party accounts of the arrest of members of an anti-Islam group at an Arab festival."[22] Angle was defeated in the election. (As noted in the "Demographics" section, most of the Arab-American residents in Dearborn are descendants of Lebanese Christians and are not Muslim.)
On April 22, 2011, the preacher Terry Jones planned a protest outside the Islamic Center of America during the Arab-American Festival. Local authorities required him either to post a "peace bond" or to go to trial. The jury voted to require the posting of a $1 "peace bond", but Jones and his co-pastor Wayne Sapp refused to pay. They were held briefly in jail, claiming violation of First Amendment rights. That night Jones paid the bail and was released by the court.[26] The ACLU criticized the city for violations of Jones' right of free speech, and filed an amicus brief supporting his protest plans. It does not support his ideas.[27] Jones tried to speak at the annual Festival on June 18, 2011, but he was turned away by protesters. Christian missionaries accompanied Jones with their own signs of protest; they yelled insults at Arabs, Muslims, Islam, and Catholics.[28]
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