BTW, a slight correction, but Detroit was technically the 5th largest city by the early/mid 50s [[LA had already surpassed it) and was probably already slowly declining in population by that point.
If it had peaked at 2 million, my suspicion is that it was likely at some point between 1945 and 1950, just as wartime employment was winding down and the soldiers were returning home, yet when suburban sprawl was just kicking into full gear.
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