Wayne County

County in southeast Michigan; area 1,593 sq km/615 sq mi; population (1990) 2,111,700. The Huron River and the River Rouge both flow through the county. Its administrative headquarters is Detroit; the city and its suburbs occupy nearly all but the southern section of the county. Commercial fishing, salt mining, and shipbuilding are all practised here. There are also nurseries and vegetable, dairy, and stock farms.

Wayne County was known as the country's auto centre, and it had many major industrial installations. With declines in the US automobile industry from the 1970s, many Wayne County communities underwent severe economic stress. In the same period, there was significant commercial expansion, with corporate office buildings springing up, particularly around Dearborn.

Wayne County

County in north-central Ohio; area 1,443 sq km/557 sq mi; population (1990) 101,500. Its administrative headquarters is Wooster. Diversified farming includes dairy, fruit, grain, livestock, and poultry. There is manufacturing at Orrville and Wooster. Natural resources include gas, oil, coal, sand, and gravel. Salt is produced, and there is a major fish hatchery south of Wooster. A number of Amish communities are scattered throughout the county.