North Corktown (also known as Briggs) is a neighborhood located in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, bounded roughly by

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

on the south, Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard on the north,

I-96 Interstate 96 (I-96) is an east–west Interstate Highway that runs for approximately entirely within the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 (US 31) and Bu ...

on the west, and the John C. Lodge Freeway on the east. North Corktown was originally part of the Corktown neighborhood. This changed with the construction of

, which severed Corktown into two separate neighborhoods.

History

North Corktown came into existence after the construction of

. Before this period North Corktown was part of the Corktown neighborhood. The name Corktown comes from the neighborhoods early residents. In the 1830s

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Immigrants from

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

began living in the area that is today Corktown and North Corktown. The early residents built many Queen Anne style homes as well as row houses on relatively narrow lots. In the 1960s the neighborhood began to steadily decline, largely due to freeway construction and

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

projects. During the 1990s Briggs had a much higher rate of poverty and a higher percentage of white residents than most of Detroit. A high portion of the white residents in Briggs were either from Appalachia or had family roots there.''Racial Situations: The Class Contradictions of Whiteness in Detroit''

Redevelopment

Since the 1990s the neighborhood has seen increased investment. Older homes have been restored, and new housing has been constructed throughout the neighborhood. In 2007 the

MotorCity Casino MotorCity Casino Hotel is a casino and hotel in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It was opened in December 1999 and is one of three casino hotels in the city. There are four hotels in the Detroit–Windsor area, including the Ontario-owned ...

and hotel resort was completed in North Corktown. This has brought much attention to the neighborhood as well as jobs, retail, restaurants, and tourists. Also, Hostel Detroit, opened its doors to travelers in Spring 2011. It is located on Vermont Street.

References

* * *

External links

Greater Corktown Development CorporationOfficial Neighborhood Association home Page
{{Detroit Neighborhoods 1967 establishments in Michigan Appalachian culture in Michigan Irish-American culture in Michigan Neighborhoods in Detroit

History

Redevelopment

See also

References

External links