Population: 925,051

Elevation: 600 feet

County:   Wayne

Land area: 138.8 square miles

Average Temperatures and Precipitation

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Average temp. (°F)

24.8

27.4

36.7

48.0

59.7

69.0

73.6

72.0

64.5

52.5

41.3

30.3

High temperature (°F)

32.5

35.8

46.0

58.7

71.4

80.4

84.8

82.9

75.6

63.0

49.6

37.6

Low temperature (°F)

17.0

19.0

27.4

37.3

48.0

57.6

62.4

61.1

53.3

41.9

33.0

22.9

Precipitation (in)

1.9

1.9

2.6

3.2

2.9

3.5

3.2

3.1

3.4

2.5

2.8

2.5

Local Seasons 

Summer is the most popular time to visit Detroit and the Great Lakes area. Prices in most places peak in July and August. Daily temperatures average in the 70s in Michigan.   July and August heat waves can push them into the high 80s. Depending on the weather, the leaves usually begin to turn in mid-September and reach their most colorful by mid-October. In winter,  Michigan has the only significant downhill skiing in the region. Sudden snowstorms can make winter driving unpredictable and treacherous. Spring is damp and can be chilly, with unpredictable weather and temperatures ranging from the 30s to the low 60s.

Major national holidays in the United States

New Year's Day (Jan. 1)

Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (3rd Mon. in Jan.)

President's Day (3rd Mon. in Feb.)

Memorial Day (last Mon. in May)

Independence Day (July 4); Labor Day (1st Mon. in Sept.)

Thanksgiving Day (4th Thurs. in Nov.)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (Dec. 24 and 25)

New Year's Eve (Dec. 31)

Canadian national holidays (in neighboring Windsor, ON)

New Year's Day,

Good Friday, Easter Monday, (date varies)

Victoria Day (May 22), Canada Day (July 1),

Ontario celebrates a Civic Holiday (August 7).

Labour Day (first Monday in September),

Thanksgiving (second Monday in October), Remembrance Day (November 11),

Christmas, and Boxing Day (December 26).,

Telephones: The country code for the United States is 1. The area codes for Detroit are 313 and 248. To reach Canada, dial 1 + area code + number. The area code for Windsor, Ontario, is 519.  

Getting There

By Plane: 

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)  1 Rogell Dr., 734/247-7265) is in Romulus, about 26 miles west of downtown Detroit. It is served by most major airlines, with nearly 1,000 arrivals and departures daily.   Some sample flying times to Detroit are from New York (2 hours) and London (10 hours)

By Train:  Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL) provides daily service from Chicago (trip time: 6 1/2 hr.) and Ann Arbor (1 hr.) to its station at 11 W. Baltimore St. at Woodward Avenue. Trains also stop at Amtrak stations in Dearborn, 16121 Michigan Ave.; Royal Oak, 201 S. Sherman Dr.; Birmingham, 449 S. Eaton St.; and Pontiac, 1600 Wide Track Dr.

By Car:  Major routes into Detroit are I-75 from the south (Toledo) and north (Flint), I-94 from the west (Chicago), and Route 401 from the east (Toronto).

Transfers Between the Airport and Town

By Bus

Commuter Express runs buses from the metropolitan airport to major downtown hotels from 6:45 AM to midnight;

By Taxi

Taxis to and from the airport take about 45 minutes.

By Car

I-75 enters Detroit from the north and south, U.S. 10 from the north. Approaching from the west and northeast is I-94; from the west, I-96 and I-696. From the east, Canadian Route 401 becomes Route 3 upon entering Detroit from Windsor via the Ambassador Bridge and Route 3B upon entering via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

By Bus

Greyhound 1001 Howard St.,: 800/231-2222

Getting Around the City

The People Mover 313/224-2160 is an elevated, automated monorail that makes a 14-minute, 3-mile circuit of 13 downtown stations. Trains run about every three minutes; the fare is 50¢ (tokens are sold at each station).