Southwest – Corktown
Corktown is a trendy, youthful area with industrial-chic bars, intimate live-music venues, and hip breweries. Slows Bar BQ is a favored food joint, but there are also relaxed spots to eat Mexican and Japanese cuisine. Thrift stores, quirky boutiques, and secondhand record stores line the streets. The vast, derelict Beaux Arts building housing the Michigan Central Train Depot is earmarked for development. Sprawling over fifty acres, architectural styles range from Colonial Revival to late Victorian and Federal. Its history is rich, as the number of Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s increased, they began to move west of downtown Detroit into the area now known as Corktown, named after County Cork, Ireland. By the early 1850s, half of the residents of the 8th Ward (which contained Corktown) were of Irish descent.
With easy access to downtown and with great hangout spots along the way, this area has made a ton of progress in the greater downtown Detroit revival.
Southwest – Delray
With its many springs, the land in Delray (which comes from the Spanish phrase “of the kings”) was an attractive settlement for the French in the 1800s. It’s been a largely industrial neighborhood. The population boomed as German, Polish and Hungarian immigrants moved in. Delray was incorporated as a village in the late 19th century and annexed by Detroit in 1906. When Detroit’s industry was booming in the 1920s, so did Delray. The neighborhood had the largest Hungarian population outside of Budapest and was also incredibly diverse, with African-American, Polish, Mexican, Armenian, Italian and Irish families.
Southwest – Hubbard Farms
This historic neighborhood and historic district is located in Southwest Detroit along the Detroit River. Originally a Pottawatomie village and burial ground, this area was split into five ribbon farms. Named after Bela Hubbard, a local geologist and a Realtor, this neighborhood has a classic, timeless feel. The construction and the affluence of the area is reflected in its diverse architectural styles and choices.
The eclectic style and history of this neighborhood has become a calling ground for artists and their spaces. Hubbard Farms has an unusual density of artist-in-resident spaces or other creative outlooks, like the music venue El Club and the What Pipeline contemporary art gallery. The neighborhood sports two community gardens and a large park. Managed by the Clark Park Coalition, Clark Park serves as the neighborhood’s town square. It is the main location for festivals, fairs, sporting events and other community activities.
Southwest – North Corktown
After the construction of 1-75, Corktown was separated into two neighborhoods and North Corktown was born. Since the 1990s, this neighborhood has had an economic revival. Older homes, with some built at the end of the 1800s, have been restored and newer homes have been constructed throughout the neighborhood. The MotorCity Casino and resort was completed in North Corktown in 2007 and contributed largely to the restoration of the district.
The North Corktown Neighborhood Association was formed in 2013 to bring the neighborhood together and help develop the community. From planning neighborhood events, such as parties and cookouts, to directing the community maintenance event Motor City Makeover, the association focuses on community improvement. With North Corktown’s location near the Michigan Avenue Business District, residents are a short walk away from pop-up food trucks, trendy stores and bars like the Nancy Whiskey.
Southwest – West Vernor
During the 1860s and the 1870s, there was a small area that was a quiet farming community. This would soon be known as the West Vernor Junction Historic District, the Lawndale Historic District, and the Springwell’s Historic District. However, by the early 1900s the farms began to be divided into residential subdivisions. A few commercial buildings were constructed during this time, but commercial development began to rapidly increase in the 1920s after the Ford River Rouge Complex was constructed nearby. The commercial district contains one of the few concentrations of early wood frame commercial buildings in Detroit- and many of these buildings still survive today. The Most Holy Redeemer Church is one of these buildings and is currently over 100 years old.
A walk through the area will surely give you an old-world feel of Detroit. Primarily composed of two-story wood frame and brick commercial buildings, it is one of the few commercial districts to survive through the economic problems in the last century. Working together, the community of West Vernor wants to improve on the neighborhood’s policies, public spaces, streetscapes, bolster up small businesses and improve housing in the region. Residents of the area have strong social networks, cultural traditions, and community organizations that build a vast community of togetherness and hope.
Southwest – Springwells
The name of the Springwell’s neighborhood cites the original village founded in 1783. A sprawling community of small villages, which included Dearborn and Buckland, this region was gradually subdivided into smaller units and absorbed by Detroit. In 1919, the Village of Springwell’s was incorporated and by 1924, it was absorbed by Detroit as a neighborhood. The name cites the original village founded in 1783 and absorbed by Detroit in 1885. Named for the abundance of springs and wells, this neighborhood has a warm and inviting community.
With popular eateries from the classic Vince’s Italian Restaurant to the newer kid on the block El Asador Steakhouse, the neighborhood offers diverse dining options that attract food lovers from near and far. The business district boasts plenty of shopping and amenities, while neighborhood parks, public art, faith-based institutions, and schools cater to the area’s families. Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, a local non-profit, works on increasing the neighborhood’s economic activity and attracting new businesses and residents to the area.
