This list of neighborhoods in Detroit, the United States, provides a general overview of neighborhoods and historic districts within the city. Neighborhood names and boundaries vary in their formality; some are well defined and long established, while others are more informal. Further names and boundaries have evolved over time due to development or changes in demographics. Woodward Avenue, a major a north–south thoroughfare, serves as a demarcation for neighborhood areas on the east side and west side of the city.
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Areas and neighborhoods
Downtown
Downtown Detroit is the city's central business district and a residential area, bordered by M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to the west, the Interstate 75 (I-75, Fisher Freeway) to the north, I-375 (Chrysler Freeway) to the east, and the Detroit River to the south. The area contains many of the prominent skyscrapers in Detroit, including the Renaissance Center, the Penobscot Building, and the Guardian Building. The downtown area features high-rise residential living along with a number of parks including those linked by a promenade along the International Riverfront. Downtown Detroit was named among the best big city neighborhoods in which to retire by CNN Money Magazine editors.
The Detroit Opera House is located at Broadway and Grand Circus. The "east necklace" of Downtown links Grand Circus and the stadium area to Greektown along Broadway. The east necklace contains a sub-district sometimes called the Harmonie Park District, which has taken on the renowned legacy of Detroit's music from 1930s through the 1950s to the present. Near the Opera House and emanating from Grand Circus along the east necklace are other venues including the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts and the Gem Theatre and Century Club. The historic Harmonie Club and Harmonie Centre are located along Broadway. The Harmonie Park area ends near Gratiot and Randolph. The Detroit Athletic Club stands in view of center field at Comerica Park. Part of the east necklace, the area contains architecturally notable buildings planned for renovation as high-rise residential condominiums such as the Gothic Revival Metropolitan Building at 33 John R St. The Hilton Garden Inn is also in the Harmonie Park area. The east necklace area is serviced by the People Mover at Cadillac station and Broadway station.
Greektown is located less than half a mile (800 m) from the Renaissance Center in the downtown area. The neighborhood is a popular restaurant and entertainment district, having many restaurants that serve Greek cuisine, as well as Hollywood Casino, one of three casino resorts in the city. Certain buildings on Monroe Street are themed to resemble the Parthenon, Pegasus, and other forms of Greek architecture. Greek music is also played on Monroe Street throughout the day. St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, founded by German immigrants, is located in the heart of the district. The Second Baptist Church once served as "station" for the Underground Railroad. The Detroit People Mover has a station at the Hollywood Casino on Beaubien Street between Monroe Street and Lafayette Boulevard.
NameImageLocationSummary Bricktown Historic District Separates the Renaissance Center from Greektown. Bricktown separates the Renaissance Center from Greektown. Bricktown is home to St. Peter and Paul's Catholic Church, the oldest standing church in Detroit, and the Italian Renaissance style Wayne County Building (which was saved from demolition in the early 1980s). The Wayne County Courthouse, once located in the Wayne County Building, was the place where Mae West was once a defendant on a charge of public indecency. Bricktown is known for its live music venues. Jacoby's German Biergarten (1904), the city's oldest surviving pub, provides a small performance space for up & coming acts. St. Andrew's Hall is a venue for national touring acts, as is the Shelter in the basement of St. Andrew's. Broadway Avenue Historic District Broadway between Gratiot and Grand River Boulevard The Broadway Avenue Historic District is located along a single block of Broadway Avenue, and contains eleven commercial buildings built between 1896 and 1926. The area was developed in the late 19th century as a commercial area catering to the women's trade, and included businesses such as hairdressers, florists, corset makers, and fashionable clothiers. Three buildings in the district — the Cary Building, Harmonie Centre, and the Merchants Building — are individually listed on the NRHP. Campus Martius Park Woodward Ave. Campus Martius is a historic district and central gathering place which contains parks, Woodward Fountain, the Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and a large traffic circle surrounded by commercial and residential high-rises including 1001 Woodward Avenue. Since the traffic circles restoration and expansion, it has emerged as a central gathering spot downtown with a mainstage. Capitol Park Historic District Roughly bounded by Grand River Ave., Woodward Ave., Michigan Ave., and Washington Boulevard Capitol Park itself is a triangular plot of land (now a public park) bounded by Shelby Street, Griswold Street, and State Street. A courthouse was built in Capitol Park in 1823–28; when Michigan became a state in 1837, the building served as the state capitol. The Historic District includes the park and seventeen surrounding buildings for a block in each direction, including the Farwell Building, the Griswold Building, the David Stott Building, and the Industrial-Stevens Apartments. Detroit Financial District Bounded by Woodward and Jefferson and Lafayette and Washington Boulevard This is the historic financial district of Detroit which dates to the 1850s and contains prominent skyscrapers. Ornate skyscrapers in Detroit (including the Guardian Building, the Penobscot Building, and One Woodward Avenue), reflecting two waves of large-scale redevelopment: the first in 1900–1930 and the second in the 1950s and early 1960s. Grand Circus Park Historic District Roughly bounded by Clifford, John R. and Adams Sts.; also 25 W. Elizabeth Grand Circus Park Historic District contains the Grand Circus Park, bisected by Woodward Avenue. Noted buildings encircling the park include the David Broderick Tower and David Whitney Building on the south, the Kales Building, and the First Methodist Church on the north. Comerica Park and the Detroit Opera House on the East. 25 W. Elizabeth was a boundary increase added in 2000. Greektown Monroe Ave., between Brush and St. Antoine Sts. Greektown is a primarily commercial district that extends two city blocks. It includes St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, Second Baptist Church, separately listed on the Register, Hollywood Casino, and the Athenium Suite Hotel. The district contains numerous restaurants and Greek-themed shops. Jefferson Avenue Jefferson Avenue runs parallel to downtown along the International Riverfront which contains the Renaissance Center, TCF Center, a cruise ship terminal and dock, residential high rises, and a prominade of parks and marinas extending to Belle Isle. The towering Riverfront Condominiums are among the high-rise residential areas along the riverfront. The University of Detroit Mercy College of Law is across from the Renaissance Center along Jefferson Avenue. The People Mover serves the Renaissance Center and the TCF Center along the riverfront. Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District 1202–1449 and 1400–1456 Woodward Ave. The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District contains thirty-four commercial buildings built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth, many by noted architects. It contains the downtown's historic street-side shopping district. Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings 16-118 Monroe Ave. The National Theatre (1911) at 118 Monroe Ave., the oldest surviving theatre in Detroit, is a part of the city's original theatre district from the late 19th century. Albert Kahn designed the theatre. Park Avenue Historic District Park Ave., between W. Adams Ave. and W. Fisher Freeway In the 1920s, Detroit's prestigious Grand Circus Park was crowded with buildings and development began to spill north from Grand Circus Park up Park Avenue. In 1923, the Park Avenue Association was formed. They planned the street to concentrate high-grade commercial and office space at the south end, and prestigious residential development at the north end, much like New York City's Fifth Avenue. The district includes the Women's City Club, the Royal Palms Hotel, and the Kales Building. Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District 1208–1244 Randolph St. Buildings along this section of Randolph Street have been used for retail since the area was first built up in the 1840s; the building at 1244 Randolph was built during the period of original construction. As the city grew, larger commercial buildings were required and the other structures on Randolph were constructed. Washington Boulevard Historic District Washington Boulevard, between State and Clifford Sts. This district includes the Book-Cadillac Hotel, the Book Tower, the Industrial-Stevens Apartments, and Washington Square (Trolley Plaza) among other architecturally significant buildings. The Detroit Statler Hotel was located on the boulevard until it was demolished in 2005. The street was broadened and ornamented in the early part of the 20th century to resemble New York's Fifth Avenue and European boulevards.
Midtown
Midtown Detroit is an area covering roughly two square miles between Downtown Detroit to the south and New Center to the north along Woodward Avenue. Its boundaries are the Ford, Chrysler, Fisher, and Lodge Freeways. It includes the Art Center and the Medical Center in the northeast quadrant, most of Wayne State University's campus, the Detroit Public Library, and the Detroit Historical Museum in the northwest, and the Cultural Center including various restaurants, galleries, newly constructed lofts/condos and nightlife venues along Woodward in the center, among other things. While the academic core of the Wayne State campus is entirely within Midtown, the campus has expanded outside the boundaries stated here. The academic campus also includes a small area north of the Ford Freeway in New Center; the school's athletic facilities are west of the Lodge Freeway and can be considered part of either Midtown or the adjacent Woodbridge neighborhood.
Art Center two Miles (3 km) north of downtown, is centered on the Cultural Center Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Cultural Center is roughly bounded by Cass Avenue to the west, I-75 to the east, I-94 to the north and Warren Avenue to the south. It also includes the East Ferry Avenue Historic District. Attractions include the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Scarab Club, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the main library of the Detroit Public Library system and the Detroit Science Center. The College for Creative Studies is located adjacent the Scarab Club and opposite the East face of the Detroit Institute of Arts. The main campus of Wayne State University is located adjacent to the area, on the opposite side of Woodward.