“Curious Metro Detroit Kids” is a new Metro Parent series that helps families explore the city and answer kids’ curious questions along the way. From shiny sculptures to zoo facts, we break it down so parents feel ready — and maybe even a little cool — explaining it.
Send us your child’s funniest, weirdest or most creative metro Detroit questions — and we might feature it in an upcoming What’s That? article! Email us at editor@metroparent.com.
Have you ever wondered why Detroit is called the Motor City? A long time ago, Detroit became the place where cars were made faster and cheaper than anywhere else. This helped millions of families get their very own cars and changed how people traveled forever. Let’s take a fun journey to learn why Detroit earned this cool name.
So… why is Detroit called Motor City?
A long time ago, before there were cars everywhere, most people got around by horse, train or walking. But that changed in the early 1900s when something big happened in Detroit. A man named Henry Ford built a car company there called the Ford Motor Company. He and other smart inventors started making cars faster and cheaper by using assembly lines – that means workers added one piece at a time as cars moved down a long belt.
Soon, other car companies popped up in Detroit too, like General Motors and Chrysler. These three were called the “Big Three.” So many cars were being made in Detroit that people all over the world started calling it the Motor City.
How to Explain to Your Kids
Imagine your toy cars being built in a super cool factory. Instead of building a whole car all at once, one person puts on the wheels, another adds the doors, and someone else paints it. That’s how car factories in Detroit worked – and still do today!
Tell your kids: “Detroit is called the Motor City because a long time ago, it became the best place in the world to make cars. A lot of smart people worked together to make cars faster, so families like ours could afford them.”
You can even show them pictures or toy cars made by Ford, Chevrolet, or Dodge – all brands that started right in Detroit.
Fun facts about cars
- The Model T, the first affordable car for families, was built in Detroit in 1908.
- Detroit once made more than 1 million cars in one year!
- In 1956, Detroit built the first section of what would become the Interstate Highway System – so the cars had roads to drive on.
- Every year, Detroit hosts the North American International Auto Show, where new cars and crazy concept cars are shown off.
- Even car horns have history here – early Detroit car horns were inspired by bicycle bells.
Where to learn more about the history
Want to take your child on a real Motor City adventure? Here are some great places to visit (or explore online):
- The Henry Ford Museum: See real old cars, including one of the very first Fords.
- Detroit Historical Museum: They have a “Streets of Old Detroit” exhibit where kids can walk through what the city looked like 100 years ago.
- Automotive Hall of Fame: Learn about the famous people who helped make Detroit a car-making capital.
Many of these places also have virtual tours online, so you can learn right from your home.
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