Meet the Market: Michigan

• Motor City: Motor City (or Motown), stems from the early 20th century, when it was the global center of the automotive industry. The auto industry flourished in Michigan for a number of reasons, but one of the simplest explanations is that key innovators just happened to live there: Henry Ford was born on a farm in nearby Greenfield Township, and Ransom Olds settled in Lansing from 1889. These two would go on to be two of the most important pioneers in the automotive industry by the turn of the 20th century.
• The Wayne County Road Commission built America's first mile of concrete highway in 1909. The stretch of road was built at Woodward Avenue between 6 and 7 Mile Roads in Detroit. Pay was about $3 a day for an engineer and $2 a day for a laborer at this time, according to the Free Press in 2012.
• The Detroit Windsor Tunnel was the first traffic tunnel that connected two nations. The nation’s first urban freeway, the Davison, was built in 1942. Detroit also installed the world's first traffic light to incorporate the color yellow. Detroit police officer William Potts, who was nicknamed Mr. Traffic, took the color yellow from railroad signals, according to the Free Press. It was first added to a traffic light at Woodward Avenue and Jefferson Avenue in 1922.
• Michigan is the #1 exporter of transportation equipment in the U.S. The automotive and mobility industry contributes $304 billion to Michigan’s economy annually. 11 assembly plants and 16 vehicle models were assembled in Michigan in 2021. 96 of the top 100 automotive suppliers to North America have a presence in Michigan, and 60 are headquartered here.
• Parts of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech debuted in Detroit. Though the actual speech was delivered during the March on Washington in August 1963, King also said some of the speech during Detroit's Walk to Freedom in June 1963.
• Motown Records was founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy. Gordy founded the company with a small loan from his family. In reference to Detroit’s nickname, he used the word ‘town’ instead. This gave him the name “Motor Town” which soon enough became Motown. Motown helped with artist development. The home of artists such as Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5, has become the central spot for American pop music.

The UFL season kicks off on Saturday, March 30, 2024. Season tickets are now available and single-game tickets will be available for presale starting February 20 and to the public on February 22.