Detroit. The Motor City. The Paris of the Midwest.
The fame of our beloved city stretches far beyond our Michigan boundaries and makes itself known around the nation. While many know we can all thank Detroit for our cars and Motown, there are quite a few surprising facts that even most locals don’t know.
Here are a few cool facts about Detroit that you probably weren’t aware of.
Canada Views
Even though many know you can see Canada from Detroit, you probably didn’t know its the only place in the U.S. that you can look south at the country of Canucks.
Private Phone Numbers
Although the ability to have a private phone number came around during the 1800’s, party lines were popular until Detroit decided to change the trend. In 1879, Detroit was the first city in the United States to give its locals their own individual phone numbers, thus outdating the party lines.
Vernor’s Ginger Ale
Michigan’s cure for a stomach ache came into existence right here in Detroit by James Vernor in 1870. The story tells us that Mr. Vernor originally came up with the drink before the Civil War, but he was called to serve and didn’t have the chance to sell it. He stored it up in an old oak cask while he was away and discovered that his drink had been transformed by the keg upon his return.
Better Made Potato Chips
Detroit, Michigan is the Potato Chip Capital of the nation and home to Better Made chips. Almost seven pounds of chips are consumed by Detroiters alone every year while the rest of the country only consumes about four pounds. If you really think about it, eating that many chips is quite gross, but we just can’t resist that Better Made crunch!
Do You have a Floating Post Office?
If you don’t live here in Detroit, the answer is no. We have the only floating post office in the entire country, and it’s called the J.W. Westcott II. In the beginning, the Westcott was just meant for sending maritime reports to cargo vessels informing them of the port conditions. In 1948, it was transformed into a post office and acquired the first floating zip code in the world – 48222.
First Mile of Concrete Highway
In 1909, the Wayne County Road Commission made history with the creation of America’s first concrete mile long highway. The road was built between 6 Mile and 7 Mile at Woodward Avenue. As a little side note, the reason why these roads are called 6, 7, 8 mile, and so on is because that is how far each road is from Detroit’s point of origin, Campus Martius Park.
The Theatre District
Most people flock to New York City to go and see amazing live performances, but we Detroiters don’t have to. Since Detroit has the second largest theatre district in the country, we can enjoy the luxury of seeing live performances right in our own backyards.
Sports Team Soiree
Thanks to the recent move of The Detroit Pistons, we now host all of our sports teams in one city. They may not be the best teams in their respective sports at the moment, but we love them anyway.
No Such Thing as Hungry
It’s impossible to go hungry when you make a visit to Detroit. With over 136 bars and a slew of cultural restaurants crammed into one city, how could you not find something the whole family can enjoy?
Scraping Skies
The Marriott Hotel located in the infamous Renaissance Center is the second tallest hotel in North America, just shy of the Marriott in Manhattan, New York.
Detroit has a ton of more historical facts you can learn about, but we’ll leave the further investigation to you.
We’ve always been proud to represent Detroit as a local carpet and flooring business, and we hope these cool facts have increased your appreciation of our awesome city!
