Downriver - History

History

In the early to mid-20th Century, the urban communities in the northern and middle parts of Downriver were mainly populated with workers who were employed by the dozens of auto factories, manufacturing suppliers, ship builders, steel mills and chemical plants that called the area home, including the Ford Rouge Plant Complex, Great Lakes Steel, McLouth Steel, and BASF.

While heavy industry is still an important source of jobs, these communities became home to more white collar workers in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries as the economy of Metropolitan Detroit diversified, larger single family houses were developed and improved freeways made commuting longer distances feasible.

Brownstown Township, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, Huron Township and Rockwood in the southern parts of Downriver were predominately rural communities during the first half of the 20th Century. While these communities experienced significant population growth and became more suburban during the second half of the 20th Century and 2000s, some working farms can still be found in these towns.

Today, Downriver overall is largely known as a suburban Detroit region with middle-class residential neighborhoods and recreational opportunities focused on boating, fishing, bird watching and waterfowl hunting areas around the Detroit River. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, and an extensive network of recreational trails built under the Downriver Linked Greenways Initiative are two environmental conservation and recreation projects in the region.

The News-Herald is a local newspaper for Downriver, publishing on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.