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Ecorse, Michigan, located in Wayne County, is a suburb of Detroit. A river by the same name runs through the City and is the origin of the city’s name. The name Ecorse is derived from the city’s original moniker “River Aux Echorches,” meaning “The River of the Barks,” a title given to it by the early French settlers who observed the Native Americans stripping bark from trees along the river in order to build canoes. The French settled the area in its early years, and today their legacy is apparent in the city’s various French street names.

Ecorse was first incorporated as a village in the 1800s but later became a city on September 19, 1941. Leadership was undertaken by W. Newton Hawkins, Ecorse’s first mayor.

Today, Ecorse has a population of 10,530, according to 2007 data. Ecorse’s cost of living is below the national average, and the median household income is $30,421. The median home value is $49,000.

The public school system has a high school and four middle and elementary schools. Nearby colleges and universities include the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Davenport University-Eastern Region-Dearborn, Wayne State University, and the University of Detroit Mercy.

When one considers the abundance of shoreline in the state of Michigan, is should come as little surprise that rowing is a popular sport in Ecorse. The Ecorse Rowing Club was founded in 1873 and today more than 100 members. Each year a regatta is held, which attracts rowing crews from several other cities, both within and beyond the state of Michigan.