Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Hamtramck is about north of downtown Detroit and is surrounded by Detroit on most sides. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 28,433 and was by far the most densely populated municipality in Michigan.
Known in the 20th century as a center of Polish-American life and culture, Hamtramck has since attracted new immigrants, especially from Yemen, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. In 2013, it reportedly became the first Muslim-majority city in the U.S. In 2015, Hamtramck became the first city to have a Muslim-majority city council in U.S history, with four of the six members being Muslim. In 2022, Hamtramck became the first city with a fully Muslim city council.
Etymology Hamtramck is named for the French-Canadian soldier Jean-François Hamtramck, the first American commander of Fort Shelby, the fortification at Detroit. It was originally known as Hamtramck Township.
History
Hamtramck was originally settled by German farmers, but Polish immigrants moved into the area when the Dodge Brothers plant opened in 1914. Poles previously made up a large proportion of the population. It is sometimes confused with Poletown, a traditional Polish neighborhood, which used to lie mostly in the city of Detroit and includes a small part of Hamtramck. As of the 2010 American Community Survey, 14.5% of Hamtramck's population is of Polish origin whereas in 1970 it was 90% Polish.Seidner, Stanley S. (1976). In Quest of a Cultural Identity: An Inquiry for the Polish Community. New York: IUME, Teachers College, Columbia University. ISBN ERIC ED167674.
In 1910 Hamtramck, then a village, had 3,559 residents. Between 1910 and 1920 Hamtramck's population grew by 1,266 percent. The growth of Hamtramck and neighboring Highland Park broke records for increases of population; both municipalities withstood annexation efforts from Detroit."Detroit Suburbs Ahead in Census." The New York Times. May 16, 1920. Retrieved on April 11, 2009. Circa the 1920s and 1930s, people had bars active and publicly made them visible, which was against Prohibition.
Hamtramck was primarily farmland, although the Detroit Stove Works employed 1,300 workers to manufacture stoves. In 1901, part of the township incorporated as a village to gain more control over the settlement's affairs, and by 1922 the village was reincorporated as a city to fend off annexation attempts by the neighboring city of Detroit. By the mid-1920s, 78% of the residents of Hamtramck owned their own houses or were buying their houses.Vinyard, p. 184. Around that time, the factory workers made up 85% of Hamtramck's heads of households. Of those factory workers, about 50% were categorized as not skilled workers.Vinyard, p. 183-184. In 1910, the newly founded Dodge Main assembly plant created jobs for thousands of workers and led to additional millions of dollars in the city. Dodge Main quickly expanded and became important to Hamtramck. Before the construction of Dodge Main, Hamtramck was a largely rural town. The establishment of the Dodge Main assembly plant led to a large influx of Polish immigrants who pushed out the incumbent German politicians. It was after this that Hamtramck was considered a Polish-American town.
By the end of the 20th century and the closing of Dodge Main, followed closely by General Motors razing of key parts of the Polish neighborhoods, the ethnicity of the region quickly shifted from traditionally Polish descendants to new Middle Eastern and South Asian immigrants. By the elections of 2015, the city is suggested to have been the first to elect a Muslim-majority council in the country.
Over the past thirty years, a large number of Muslim immigrants from the Middle East (especially Yemen), South Asia, and the Balkans have moved to the city. As of the 2010 American Community Survey, the city's foreign born population stood at 41.1%,https://www.census.gov making it Michigan's most internationally diverse city (see more at Demographics below). The population was 43,355 in the 1950 Census and 18,372 in 1990.
In November 2021, Hamtramck elected a completely Muslim-American city council and a Muslim mayor, becoming the first municipality in the United States to be governed entirely by Muslim Americans. In 2023, the city drew scrutiny for its ban of the rainbow flag on city property and perceived homophobia.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , all land.
Hamtramck is mostly surrounded by Detroit except for its small common border with Highland Park, which is also mostly surrounded by Detroit. Hamtramck is about from the center of Detroit. The I-75 freeway roughly runs along its western border, and I-94 runs near its southern border.
According to Keith Matheny of the Detroit Free Press, the urban layout assists recent immigrants who do not yet have the credentials to drive an automobile, as Hamtramck is "uniquely walkable" and a "tight size".
Culture Hamtramck flourished from 1910 to 1920 as thousands of European immigrants, particularly Poles, were attracted by the growing automobile industry. The city has grown increasingly ethnically diverse in subsequent years but still bears many reminders of its Polish ancestry in family names, street names and businesses. A 2018 survey found that Hamtramck schoolchildren spoke 16 native languages. A motto often associated with the city is "A League of Nations". Neal Rubin of The Detroit News wrote in 2010 that, despite the demographic changes, "In a lot of ways, Hamtramck still feels like a Polish enclave."Rubin, Neal. "First-generation seniors at Hamtramck High adopt culture of prom ." The Detroit News. May 18, 2010. Retrieved on April 15, 2014.
In 1987, Detroit television station WDIV ran an episode of a local sitcom called Hamtramck, created by local radio personalities Tom Ryan and Tom De Lisle, with a cameo by Detroit Tigers manager Sparky Anderson. It received poor reviews and was protested by many Polish Americans, and was canceled before another episode aired.
After six decades of double-digit percentage declines in population between 1930 and 1990, Hamtramck's population began to grow in the 1990s. It fell slightly between 2000 and 2010 but grew 26% in the 2010s, surpassing 28,000. These large gains were despite a small decrease in households since 1980.
The Hamtramck Historical Museum and the Polish Art Center are next door to each other.Zaniewski, Ann. "You haven't lived here until ... You visit the Hamtramck Historical Museum ." Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2013. Retrieved on April 15, 2014.
In 1997, the Utne Reader named Hamtramck one of "the 15 hippest neighborhoods in the U.S. and Canada" in part for its punk and alternative music scene, its Buddhist temple, its cultural diversity, and its laid-back blue-collar neighborhoods. In 2003, Maxim Blender selected Hamtramck as the second "Most Rock N' Roll City" in the U.S., behind Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York City. Hamtramck is home of several of Michigan's most distinguished music venues.
In January 2004, members of the Al-Islah Islamic Center requested permission to use loudspeakers to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer. This set off a contentious debate about the noise, which garnered national attention. In July, Hamtramck amended its noise ordinance, allowing the prayer calls to be broadcast.
Hamtramck Disneyland is an art installation in the city built on two garages out of metal.
Hamtramck festivals Pączki Day Polish immigrants and residents of Hamtramck and southeastern Michigan celebrate Tłusty Wtorek (Fat Tuesday), known locally as Pączki Day,Pączki Day by lining up at the city's numerous Polish bakeries to purchase pączki. On Pączki Day, several local bars host parties with live entertainment and free pączki.Pączki Day , City of Hamtramck website.
Hamtramck Music Festival The "Hamtramck Music Festival" is an annual Independent music festival held in March in Hamtramck. In 2011, almost 200 bands played the Blowout at 14 venues over four days.
St. Florian Strawberry Festival Held annually in the first weekend in May at grounds at St. Florian Church.
Hamtramck Labor Day Festival The Hamtramck Labor Day Festival is held on Labor Day weekend, ending with the Polish Day Parade on Labor Day. The festival includes live music on two stages, a carnival area, beer, and food tents extending the half-mile (1 km) stretch of Joseph Campau Street, from Caniff to Carpenter.
Pride 365 launch and protest In response to a decision by the city council to ban pride flags on city flagpoles, multiple LGBT activist groups organized into a coalition.
Planet Ant Film & Video Festival Held at the Planet Ant Theater, the festival celebrates independent movies and the people who make them, featuring comedies, dramas, documentaries, animation and music videos.
Economy General Motors' Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant, one of the automaker's premiere facilities, produced the Chevrolet Volt, the Cadillac CT6, the Chevrolet Impala and the Buick Lacrosse; it was closed in March 2019, and retooled as Factory ZERO to build the upcoming GMC Hummer EV.
In April 2009, American Axle announced that it planned to close its plant at the Hamtramck/Detroit city limit, thus eliminating several hundred jobs in the area. As of February 2014, most of the 1.9 million-square-foot former facility has been demolished.
The Polish Art Center, at 9539 Joseph Campau Street, is a local institution in Hamtramck. The center promotes the preservation of Polish heritage through its display of cultural artifacts, often exhibited at festivals, schools and libraries. The center also hosts lectures, book signings, workshops, folk-art demonstrations, and pisanki-making classes.
The Ukrainian American Archives & Museum of Detroit is located at 9630 Joseph Campau Ave. It was formerly at 11756 Charest Street. The Museum's purpose is "to educate and inform the general public about the culture, art, and history of Ukrainians, their immigration to the United States and the contributions of Americans of Ukrainian descent to America; to engage in research in these areas; to maintain archives for the deposit of documents and other records relating to these topics; to acquire, preserve, exhibit artifacts of artistic, historical, and scientific value relating to these subjects; to sponsor public programs in order to study and preserve the heritage of Ukrainian Americans."
For more than 85 years, Kowalski Sausage Co. has manufactured meat products at 2270 Holbrook Street, which are distributed in the metropolitan Detroit area.
Notwithstanding the statement in the credits that it was filmed "in Detroit, Michigan", the 1998 Indie film Polish Wedding was filmed mainly in Hamtramck, particularly at a house on Wyandotte Street. Theresa Connelly, who wrote and directed the film, had spent her childhood in Hamtramck.
In 2010, citing general budget woes and the city of Detroit withholding a portion of shared revenue for the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant straddling the cities' border, Hamtramck requested that the State of Michigan allow it to declare bankruptcy. The request was denied.Michigan Town Is Left Pleading for Bankruptcy, by Monica Davey | The New York Times, published December 27, 2010 Receivership was avoided when a deal was struck between Hamtramck and Detroit that required Detroit to pay $3.2 million in collected taxes to Hamtramck and Hamtramck to pay Detroit nearly the same amount for a water and sewage bill that was in arrears.Hamtramck, Neighboring Detroit Settle Tax Dispute, by Kate Linebaugh |The Wall Street Journal, published March 23, 2011
The United States Postal Service operates the Hamtramck Post Office at 2933 Caniff Street."." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on April 17, 2009. The post office annex is at 14600 Dequindre Street in Detroit."." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.
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