The Wayne County Airport Authority is a governmental entity that operates airports in Metro Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan. The authority operates Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport. [1] It has its headquarters in the L.C. Smith Terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus. [2]
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the official statistical areas designated by the Office of Management and Budget, a federal agency of the United States. Metro Detroit is known for its automotive heritage, arts, entertainment, popular music, and sports. The area includes a variety of natural landscapes, parks, and beaches, with a recreational coastline linking the Great Lakes. Metro Detroit also has one of the largest metropolitan economies in the U.S., with seventeen Fortune 500 companies.
Michigan is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The state's name, Michigan, originates from the Ojibwe word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake". With a population of about 10 million, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area, and is the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit. Metro Detroit is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies.
Willow Run Airport is an airport in Van Buren Charter Township and Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States, and serves freight, corporate, and general aviation. Due to its proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, no major airlines schedule passenger flights to or from Willow Run.
The authority is overseen by an independent board appointed jointly by the Governor of Michigan, the Wayne County Executive and the Wayne County Commission. Prior to the authority's founding, these two airports were operated directly by Wayne County. Michigan Senate Bill 690, signed into law on March 26, 2002, became effective on April 24 of that year, establishing the airport authority. [1] Accordingly, as of 2002, the airports are no longer operated by Wayne County.
The governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the state's 49th governor. She is eligible for a second term under Michigan's term limits, which limit a governor to only two, four-year terms.
Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2018, the United States Census estimated its population as 1,753,893 making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit, the largest and most populous city in Michigan and 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The county was founded in 1796 and organized in 1815.
Although the airport authority was created as a unit of government, it receives no local tax support and is entirely self-sustaining. [3]
Macomb County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan and is part of Metro Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 840,978, making it the third-most populous county in the state. Of Michigan's five largest counties, Macomb experienced the most population growth (102.5%) between 1950 and 1960. The county seat is Mt. Clemens.
Romulus is a suburban city of Metro Detroit, located in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 23,989 at the 2010 census, an increase from 22,979 in 2000, making the city the 80th largest city in Michigan. Romulus is home to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and a General Motors plant that opened in 1975. The city is the westernmost community in the Downriver area of Wayne County.
MBS International Airport, located in Freeland, Michigan, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport, or just DTW, is a major international airport in the United States covering 4,850 acres (1,960 ha) in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport, and one of the largest airline hubs in the country. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a large hub primary commercial service facility.
Jefferson Avenue is a 63.71-mile-long (102.53 km) scenic road along the eastern part of the Detroit metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It travels alongside Lake Erie, the Detroit River, and Lake St. Clair. This road also provides access to many recreational facilities in the area. West Jefferson Avenue is primarily a commercial, while East Jefferson Avenue contains a historic residential district.
Capital Region International Airport, formerly Lansing Capital City Airport, is a public, Class C airport located 3 miles (5 km) northwest of downtown Lansing in DeWitt Township, Michigan. Small areas of the airport are located in Watertown Township, Delta Township, and the city of Lansing. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.
Southeast Michigan, also called Southeastern Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that is home to a majority of the state's businesses and industries as well as slightly over half of the state's population, most of whom are concentrated in Metro Detroit.
Coleman A. Young International Airport is six miles northeast of downtown Detroit, in Wayne County, Michigan. It is owned by the City of Detroit. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a regional general aviation facility. In 2003, it was given its current name in honor of the late former Mayor of Detroit.
Robert Anthony "Bob" Ficano is an American politician, and the former County Executive and former Sheriff of Wayne County, Michigan.
The Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) is the public transit operator serving suburban Metro Detroit. It partners with the Detroit Department of Transportation. Beginning operations in 1967 as the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA), it operates 44 linehaul and three park-and-ride bus routes in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. Its name was changed to SMART in 1989. As of 2008, SMART has the third highest ridership of Michigan's transit systems, surpassed by Capital Area Transportation Authority and Detroit Department of Transportation. SMART has its headquarters in the Buhl Building in Downtown Detroit.
South Bend International Airport is three miles northwest of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. It is the state's third busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic after Indianapolis International Airport and Fort Wayne International Airport.
The Detroit International Riverfront is a tourist attraction and landmark of Detroit, Michigan extending from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, for a total of 5.5 miles. The International Riverfront encompasses a cruise ship passenger terminal and dock, a marina, a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers, and high rise residential areas along with TCF Center. The Marriott at the Renaissance Center and the Robert's Riverwalk Hotel are also situated along the International Riverfront. Private companies and foundations together with the city, state, and federal government have contributed several hundred million dollars toward the riverfront development. Key public spaces in the International Riverfront, such as the RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut Greenway and Trail, William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor, and a cruise ship passenger terminal and dock at Hart Plaza complement the architecture of the area. The area provides a venue for a variety of annual events and festivals including the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, Detroit Free Press International Marathon, the Detroit International Jazz Festival, Motor City Pride, the North American International Auto Show, and River Days.
The ExpressTram is an automated people mover system operating at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, in Romulus, Michigan, USA. The driverless system transports passengers along Concourse A of the airport's Edward H. McNamara Terminal, which is the world's second-longest airport concourse. Detroit Metro Airport serves as the second largest hub for Delta Air Lines, after Atlanta. The ExpressTram entered service when the McNamara Terminal opened on February 24, 2002.
The Detroit Region Aerotropolis is a four-community, two-county public-private economic development partnership focused on driving corporate expansion and new investments around Wayne County Airport Authority's airports: Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Willow Run Airport. The Detroit Region Aerotropolis promotes greenfield expansion in Southeast Michigan, offering development-ready land centered in an expansive network of transportation infrastructure including two airports, three major interstates, and five Class-A rail lines.
Transportation in metropolitan Detroit is provided by a system of transit services, airports, and an advanced network of freeways which interconnect the city of Detroit and the Detroit region. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) administers the region's network of major roads and freeways. The region offers mass transit with bus services provided jointly by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) through a cooperative service and fare agreement administered by the Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Cross border service between the downtown areas of Windsor and Detroit is provided by Transit Windsor via the Tunnel Bus. A monorail system, known as the People Mover, operates daily through a 2.94 mile (4.7 km) loop in the downtown area. A proposed SEMCOG Commuter Rail could link New Center, Dearborn, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and Ann Arbor with access to DDOT and SMART buses. Amtrak's current passenger facility is north of downtown in the New Center area. Amtrak provides service to Detroit, operating its Wolverine service between Chicago, Illinois, and Pontiac. Greyhound Lines operates a station on Howard Street near Michigan Avenue. The city's dock and public terminal receives cruise ships on International Riverfront near the Renaissance Center which complements tourism in metropolitan Detroit.
The Port of Detroit is located along the west side of the Detroit River, and is the largest seaport in the state of Michigan. The port is overseen by the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, a five-member board of directors appointed by the State of Michigan, Wayne County, and the City of Detroit. The authority coordinates river commerce on the waters and shoreline of Wayne County. The port consists of multiple marine terminals handling general, liquid, and bulk cargo as well as passengers. The Port of Detroit's single most valuable commodity is steel, and the largest commodity handled by tonnage is ore. Other important commodities handled at the port include stone, coal and cement.
In 2004, Metro Detroit had one of the largest settlements of Middle Eastern people, including Jews, Chaldo-Assyrians, and Arabs, in the United States. As of 2007 about 300,000 people in Southeastern Michigan traced their descent from the Middle East. Dearborn's sizeable Arab community consists largely of Lebanese and many Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac who immigrated for jobs in the auto industry in the 1920s, and of more recent Yemenis and Iraqis. In 2010 the four Metro Detroit counties had at least 200,000 people of Middle Eastern origin, excluding Jews. Bobby Ghosh of TIME said that some estimates gave much larger numbers. From 1990 to 2000 the percentage of people speaking Arabic in the home increased by 106% in Wayne County, 99.5% in Macomb County, and 41% in Oakland County.
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