Michigan City of Hamtramck Celebrates Its Heritage

Almost completely surrounded by Detroit, Hamtramck has a spirit all its own.
Michigan City of Hamtramck Celebrates Its Heritage
Dancers fill the streets of Hamtramck for its annual Polish Day Parade. (Caitlyn Lunsford)
9/14/2009
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Hamtramck.jpg" alt="Dancers fill the streets of Hamtramck for its annual Polish Day Parade. (Caitlyn Lunsford)" title="Dancers fill the streets of Hamtramck for its annual Polish Day Parade. (Caitlyn Lunsford)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1826249"/></a>
Dancers fill the streets of Hamtramck for its annual Polish Day Parade. (Caitlyn Lunsford)
DETROIT, Mich.—Almost completely surrounded by Detroit, Hamtramck has a spirit all its own. Several residents mentioned that although their city is located near some of Detroit’s more blighted areas, they have always felt quite safe in Hamtramck. “It’s kind of like everyone’s hometown,” agreed Mayor Karen Majewski. “And it’s real. We have what other communities are trying to re-create. We have it still intact and that’s one of the really cool things about Hamtramck.”

Ethnic diversity seems to have always been a hallmark of Hamtramck. Named after a French Revolutionary War hero, Colonel Jean Francois Hamtramck, the city began as a French settlement during the 18th century. During the 19th century it evolved into a small German-American farming community.

The automotive industry played a critical role in developing the town, drawing thousands of Polish immigrants to work in the Dodge brother’s automobile plant. The little village flourished, and became incorporated as a city in 1922. The Polish population of Hamtramck reachched its peak in 1970, when the city was 90 percent Polish. The 1970s and 80s saw an influx of Hmong from Vietnam, followed by Albanians and Yugoslavians.

“We came here from the Philippines in 1981, and I grew up here and got married here,” said former Hamtramck resident, Alec. “My sisters and I got jobs outside of the neighborhood, so we moved away, but my parents stayed and have refused to move.”

Although the city is home to many ethnic groups, Hamtramck is still best known for its Polish population. Paul Siebert said he came to the city specifically to watch the Polish Day Parade.

“Hamtramck’s great!” proclaimed Siebert. “We’re Polish, and my grandparents had always lived here. So even though I was raised in the suburbs, my parents frequently brought us kids here for years. I don’t feel nervous at all coming here, but going to downtown Detroit is another story.”

“Oh yeah, it’s still a good place to live,” reminisced Frances Norecki, surrounded by her grandchildren. “My family’s lived here for many years. I attended St Florian’s and then graduated from St. Lads. When we were kids, we used to walk down to Jos. Campau [the city’s main thoroughfare] and just hang out for hours. We had some good times here!”

Ms. Aswan Almaktary a spokeswoman for the Arabic community in Hamtramck said she appreciated the support she has received from the mayor and the rest of the community.

“We feel that we are well represented—we have a city council member who’s Arabic,” said Almaktary. “He was elected despite the fact that we are not a majority ethnic group here in Hamtramck. Whenever there are any issues arising that would impact our community, the mayor and city leaders have been quick to act on it.”

Over the past thirty years, a large number of immigrants from the Middle East (especially Yemen) and South Asia have moved into the city. As per the 2000 census, the city’s foreign born population stood at 41.1 percent, making it Michigan’s most internationally diverse city.