Southwest Detroit

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Southwest Detroit is the city's most international corner, a patchwork of neighborhoods from Hubbard-Richard and Hubbard Farms to Springwells and Delray, with Mexicantown at its heart. Its roots run deep: Ste. Anne de Détroit, founded in 1701, is the second-oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the United States, and Holy Redeemer on Junction Street was once called the largest Catholic parish in North America. Waves of newcomers shaped it, from the Hungarians who made Delray Detroit's "Little Hungary" to the Mexican and Latino families who fill West Vernor with bakeries, taquerias and murals today. Clark Park is the neighborhood's front yard, with a rink that residents saved in the early 1990s when it was the last outdoor rink left in the city. Two bridges to Canada start here: the Ambassador Bridge and, since July 27, 2026, the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

1. Skate or watch youth hockey at Clark Park's outdoor rink in winter, and come back for the park's festivals in summer.
2. Step inside Ste. Anne de Détroit, the city's founding parish, and Holy Redeemer on Junction Street.
3. See a show at El Club, an independent all-ages venue on West Vernor.
4. Eat your way around Vernor: Mexican and Italian at El Barzon, sandwiches at Detroit 75 Kitchen on Fort Street.
5. Explore Historic Fort Wayne's 1840s fort and barracks on the volunteer coalition's guided walks.
6. Find Detroit's Hungarian story in Delray at Holy Cross Hungarian Catholic Church, consecrated in 1925.