History Downriver is a collection of 21 suburban cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan south of Detroit along the western shore of the Detroit River. The name derives from the fact that the Detroit River, after running more or less west along the banks of Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, then bends to flow largely south before emptying into Lake Erie. Communities to the south of the city can thus be accessed by traveling downriver, as opposed to upriver, along the waterway.
Communities Downriver communities near Detroit and Dearborn such as Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Wyandotte, River Rouge, Melvindale and Ecorse were developed through the 1920s-1940s and are identified by brick and mortar homes, often bungalows, tree-lined streets and Works Progress Administrationdesigned municipal buildings. Communities that developed further south, like Southgate, Taylor, Riverview, and Trenton in the 1950s-1970s are more closely identified as tract homes and subdivisions. Through the 1980s, areas such as Huron Township, Flat Rock, Rockwood, Woodhaven and Romulus were undeveloped, some of which still have operating farms. Illustration 1: Downriver, Michigan
The Downriver cities of Ecorse, Gibraltar, River Rouge, Riverview, Trenton and Wyandotte as well as Brownstown Township directly border the Detroit River. Grosse Ile is an island community located in the middle of the Detroit River between mainland Downriver communities and the Canadian towns of LaSalle, Ontario and Amherstburg, Ontario. Socially speaking, the Downriver communities collectively have a distinct cultural identity within suburban Detroit although some individual Downriver communities share many similarities with towns in the western, northern and eastern suburbs of Detroit. Taylor is the most populous city in the Downriver area and includes the Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus, Michigan State Police Metro South Post, Southland Shopping Center, a state of the art sports complex called the Taylor Sportsplex, Oakwood Heritage hospital, Taylor Meadows and Lakes of Taylor golf courses, Wallside Windows Factory, Cruisin' Telegraph, and a very large park called "Heritage Park" in the center of the city where in August, the city hosts the Junior League World Series. Romulus is home to Michigan's busiest airport, Detroit Metro Airport, and it also includes the Romulus Athletic Center, an indoor fitness center, water park, and conference center.