Home | Contact Cathy

Neighboring Communities

Detroit | Harper Woods | St. Clair Shores

Detroit, Michigan

 


Renaissance Center

Grosse Pointe’s neighbor, the City of Detroit is the eleventh largest city in the United States. While at times maligned, the City of Detroit remains one of the most exciting and beautiful cities in the country. The population of the city itself dropped to under 800,000 according to the 2010 U.S. Census. This may be attributed to a number of factors including the recent recession, automotive companies restructuring, management of the city’s assets including its schools and the gradual movement of Detroiters to the suburbs. Whatever the reasons, when Grosse Pointers vacation away from the area, they proudly state that they are from “Detroit”. Detroit has a gorgeous waterfront that has been revitalized over the past few years and includes miles of walkways along the river. Detroit was founded by Antoine Cadillac over three hundred years ago and the French translation of Detroit is “of the strait”. The Detroit River connects two of the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie and Lake Huron through Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. The water has played an important part in the history and development of Detroit. Our current leaders are looking to create a more vibrant city by emphasizing its geography as a waterfront city and its position as the southern neighbor to Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Crossing the border to Canada is still quite simple but does require either a passport, Nexus card or enhanced driver’s license due to the restrictions imposed since 9/11. Detroit is home to three major professional teams: The Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions. The Detroit Pistons were just sold and their home is in Auburn Hills, another Detroit suburb. Detroit is a huge sport’s town and even thought the teams may not have winning seasons, fans are still in love with their teams! Detroit is also home to three casinos, too. The casinos are more than just gambling facilities! There are new hotels associated with each one and fabulous restaurants.


Comerica Park

Grosse Pointe is an easy commute to downtown Detroit. Whether you take Jefferson Avenue, I-94 to I-75 or The Lodge, or public transportation, it is only about fifteen minutes. That means that Grosse Pointers may take advantage of all of the fabulous elements that are just minutes away. The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, The Detroit Science Center, The Motown Museum, The Dossin Museum on Belle Isle, The Detroit Symphony, The Detroit Opera House, The Fox Theater, The Renaissance Center, Cobo Hall, Gem Theater, Masonic Temple Theater, Fisher Theater, Bonstelle Theater Hart Plaza, and exceptional four star restaurants are located throughout the city. Greektown, Corktown, Mexican Town, Midtown and the New Center neighborhoods are also vibrant areas. Detroit is also home to several major medical facilities including Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit Medical Center, St. John Hospital and satellite facilities for Beaumont Hospital and University of Michigan. Grosse Pointe has the best of all worlds! We’re able to take advantage of all the big city amenities in our small city environment!

Festivals are held all summer long and emphasize our diverse heritage. They are complemented by music, food and entertainment in a great waterfront setting. Want to get around the city easily? Try the People Mover which loops around the business/entertainment district and is very fun, too! Beautiful historic churches also are scattered throughout the city. There are also exceptional universities, Wayne State , and colleges, College for Creative Studies and Marygrove College, within the city limits. So much to offer and just a few miles from downtown Grosse Pointe, Detroit is a great venue! If you would like additional resources and information, here are a few websites to visit:

~Back to Top~

Harper Woods

This small city located on the western edge of Grosse Pointe was named Harper Woods because of its woods and its major street, Harper. It is comprised of 2.7 miles of land and is divided by I-94, a major expressway in southeast Michigan. Harper Woods has 14,254 residents according to the U.S. 2010 Census figures. Harper Woods has two schools systems. The recently built Harper Woods High School has incorporated twenty first century educational aspects in its new design. A portion of Harper Woods is located in the Grosse Pointe School District. A large mall, Eastland, provides shopping and restaurants for the area. Unlike its Grosse Pointe neighbor, Harper Woods does not have any portion of its city located on Lake St. Clair. Some additional information may be found at:

~Back to Top~

St. Clair Shores


Jefferson Beach

Grosse Pointe’s neighbor to the north is St. Clair Shores. A lovely waterfront community, St. Clair Shores boasts 59,715 residents according to the 2010 U.S. Census. Located along the shores of Lake St. Clair, this diverse community provides 11.5 square miles of land area and 2.7 square miles of water just 13 miles from downtown Detroit. One of the most salient features of the community is that it provides approximately 14 miles of canals. St. Clair Shores is proud of its French heritage and one of the neighboring area’s school districts, L’anse Creuse, takes its name from the original name of St. Clair Shores. There are three school systems in St. Clair Shores, including Lake Shore, Lakeview and South Lake. One of the fond memories of St. Clair Shores was its amusement park, Jefferson Beach, which was the home to the longest roller coaster in the United States at the time. Destroyed by fire, Jefferson Beach evolved into a marina and is one of many such facilities along Lake St. Clair. The “Nautical Mile” which is just north of Grosse Pointe between Nine and Ten Mile Roads, is home to many fine restaurants and bars. Docking is available at many of these restaurants. More information about St. Clair Shores may be found at the following sites:


Fishbone's in St Clair Shores

~Back to Top~