detroit, michigan, sits on top of a gigantic salt mine that has been active since 1910.

detroit's unemployment rate was higher in 2009 than it was during the great depression.

in the 1920's, detroit, michigan was a stronghold of the white supremacist organizations known as the ku klux klan and the black legion. police discriminated against blacks who moved north to find jobs, and housing for blacks was extremely limited.

in 1943, packard motors put 3 black workers on the assembly line next to white workers. as a result, 25,000 workers walked off the line.

shortly afterward, the detroit race riot began.

it is currently possible to buy houses in detroit, michigan for as little as us$1.

47% of the citizens in detroit are functionally illiterate. this applies to roughly 1 in 5 people in michigan, and 1 in 3 american high school graduates.