I've spent a good deal of time studying the history of Detroit during "The Gilded Age", that era after The Civil War up until the development of the automobile industry. Detroit was immensely economically diverse, had a strong manufacturing infrastructure and drew immigrant populations, all of which helped set the stage for the birth of the auto industry. In 1900 the city [[a smaller Detroit in area than today) already had a population of over 250,000 people.

In the 1880's Detroit was looking to be an international city seen on par with the great cities of Europe. We have the development of the Grand Blvd, the purchase and decade plus long development of Belle Isle, the Art Museum and the International Exposition along the Detroit River in 1892. Detroit was on it's way to become something different. I can't help but feel the auto industry completely changed everything.

So I'm throwing it out to the crowd. What would Detroit have looked like if the auto industry never took root here?