Tag Archives: Michigan

Detroit (meaning “strait”, a narrow passage of water toward Lac Érié ) was founded in 1701 by French explorer and military officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. This was the first permanent European settlement in what is now Wayne County Southeast Michigan and one of the earliest above tidewater in North America.  Before the French arrived, the area was inhabited by Native American tribes (Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, and others).  Relations between these tribes and the newcomers from Europe were a mix of alliances, trade, intermarriage, and violence.*   

Detroit remained under French control until 1760 (when the British took it during the French and Indian War).  Many French families stayed even after that.  Detroit still has strong French roots — street names, family surnames, and neighborhoods like Grosse Pointe  and Ecorse trace back to those early French settlers.  European immigrants to Southeast Michigan — drawn by economic opportunities enabled by the American founding documents (personal responsibility, religious tolerance, limited government, fiscal conservatism) — came in waves for the better part of 150 years.

1. Poland — Largest group by WWI era, especially in Hamtramck.
2. Germany — Early dominant group (1830s–1880s peak). (Indian Village)
3. Italy — Major wave 1890s–1910s. (Little Italy)
4. Ireland — Significant 19th-century arrivals (Corktown).
5. United Kingdom — Steady skilled immigration. (East English Village)
6. Hungary — Large early 20th-century influx. (Delray)
7. Greece — Established Greektown.
8. Romania — One of the largest Romanian communities in the U.S. (St. George Orthodox Church)
9. Russia — Eastern European wave. (Russian Town Detroit)

Canadians across the river (City of Windsor, and much of Southwest Ontario) trace their English origins to Yorkshire, Cumberland, Devon & Cornwall, Highland Scots and all of Ireland.  Many Dutch, driven out of New York City, traveled past Detroit and settled in Kent County Western Michigan.