POLETOWN EAST

The area known as Poletown East borders the enclave city of Hamtramck. The first waves of Polish and Kashubian immigrants who came to Detroit settled in what became known as Poletown in the 1870s, and the neighborhood served as the center of Detroit’s Polish community until the 1990s. Poletown East’s demise came with the demolition of various neighborhoods to make room for a General Motors assembly plant in 1981. Despite the protestation of residents, the City of Detroit relocated the 4,200 people who lived in the area, along with demolishing their 1,300 homes, 140 businesses, six churches, and one hospital. At present, Poletown East is arguably one of the most blighted neighborhoods in Detroit with as many vacant lots and abandoned properties as occupied houses.

Poletown East Property Data

This graphic shows the ownership breakdown of 2,875 parcels in the Poletown East neighborhood. DLBA stands for the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Poletown East Census Data

This graphic shows census data for the Poletown East neighborhood from 1930-2020 highlighting racial makeup of the population and median household income.

Aerial view of the Poletown East neighborhood in 1949 versus 2022. Move the slider to left or right to see how construction of the assembly plant and freeway permanently altered the working class neighborhood of Poletown East.