Today we cut a ribbon officially opening the Little Caesars Arena, the new home to the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons and the hub of Detroit's new entertainment district -- District Detroit. But today's ribbon cutting is more than just a chance to bring together the city leaders who helped bring this project together, it is our chance to celebrate Detroit.
Detroit sits along the shores of the Detroit River, one of the main shipping channels in the Great Lakes. In fact, more international commerce passes through the Detroit Windsor Gateway than the United States trades with China. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, it is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded on July 24, 1701 by the Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
Detroit, also known as: Motown, Hockeytown or the D, is the automotive capital of the world, even as Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley try to chase that title autonomously. It also is known for its rich history in music, including: Motown, Jazz, Electric Music and Punk. It hosts a number of music festivals each year, attracting people from all over the world. Detroit also is known as one of the best Sports Towns in America, with a variety of professional and collegiate teams. Detroit has played host to a number of major events including: The Super Bowl, MLB All Star Game, the NCAA Final Four, Red Bull Air Races and the North American International Auto Show.
The Detroit-Windsor area, a critical commercial link straddling the Canada-U.S. border, has a total population of about 5,700,000, as a combined region (and just 3 million shy of New York City).
Detroiters are proud of their city's rich industrial history and fond of the recognition they receive -- both good and bad. Detroit gave birth to electronic (techno) music and, of course, the Motown sound. Detroit celebrates its first-class status and lays claim to a number of fabulous firsts and best knowns.
Detroit...
• is home to the Motown sound founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in 1957
• is the potato chip capital of the world, based on consumption
• has country's largest island park within a city – Belle Isle Park
• is home to the world's only floating post office, the J.W. Westcott II, can be found on the Detroit River
• is home to one of the largest flower-bedding markets in the world – Eastern Market
• is second in the nation in the sale of fishing rods
• is home to one of the tallest hotels in North America – the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, at 73 stories
• receives freighters from more than 100 world ports on the Detroit River
• has the most registered bowlers in the United States
Detroit firsts ....
Detroit was the first city nation to:
- Assign individual telephone numbers (1879)
- Hold a state fair (the Michigan State Fair was the first held in 1849)
- Pave a mile of concrete road (on Woodward Avenue between Six and Seven Mile roads in 1909)
- Install a traffic light, manually operated by a staff of policemen (1915)
- Share an automobile traffic tunnel between two nations (United States and Canada, 1930)
- Develop an urban freeway (the Davison in 1942)
- Taste an ice cream soda (when a clerk at Sanders confectionery ran out of sweet cream and in desperation used ice cream in 1875.
- Hear the clickety-clack of a typewriter (invested in 1829 by Detroiter Austin Burt)
- Enjoy morning coffee brewed in an automatic coffeemaker (the Coffee Clock invented by George Schuler)
- Drink milk from a paperboard carton (by Pur-Pak in 1930)
The ribbon cutting ceremony is more symbolic of just a new arena opening. It is a symbol that we stand united as a city, not just over sport but over city pride. Congratulations to the Ilitiches and all their companies, in addition to the Detroit Pistons. Detroit, this is our moment. #DetroitPride #DetroitProud @LCA-Detroit #DistrictDetroit
