Change the Name of Dearborn to Henry Ford, Michigan?

**Hermod** · January-24-15, 10:46 AM

Fordson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordson_tractor

**Trumpeteer** · January-24-15, 11:58 AM

And the OP's last of his total of 2 posts on this important topic was almost 2 years ago.

**G-DDT** · January-24-15, 12:37 PM

Oh, incidentally it would be more apropos, to name Cincinnati "New Kroger". Maybe even the Over the Rhine area, which would be as bad as calling the Cass Corridor something lame like-Hey! Waitaminnit!

**antongast** · January-24-15, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by Shollin

So I assume then Mexicantown in Detroit is racist? Or Poletown is racist? Or referring to Hamtramck as Poletown is racist? What about Chinatown? Dearborn has the highest percentage of Arabs in the US. Why is it racist to give this Arab enclave an Arab nickname? Seriously, people cry racism over anything.

Islamabad doesn't have a particularly large population of ethnic Arabs. Danny's suggestion is more akin to calling an Irish neighborhood "Little Italy" on the basis that most of its residents are Catholic.

**iheartthed** · January-24-15, 04:47 PM

Name it Fordlandia. There is an abandoned town named Fordlândia [[pronounced Ford-lan-gee-ah in Brazilian Portuguese) not too far from where I'm currently parked for the next few days.

**Ray1936** · January-24-15, 06:21 PM

Went to 1st through 4th grades at William Ford Grade School at Ford Road and Chase, 1942-46. I remember to this day how it was drilled into the kid's heads that William Ford was named after the father of Henry Ford. I can assure you, no one who ever attended that school did not know the namesake. Which was good, I think. Moved to Detroit in '46 and attended Monnier School, never had an inkling who the heck Monnier was [[in my autumn years learned he was an area land owner who donated land for the school and the Monnier branch library).

**Hermod** · January-24-15, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Ray1936

Went to 1st through 4th grades at William Ford Grade School at Ford Road and Chase, 1942-46. I remember to this day how it was drilled into the kid's heads that William Ford was named after the father of Henry Ford. I can assure you, no one who ever attended that school did not know the namesake. Which was good, I think. Moved to Detroit in '46 and attended Monnier School, never had an inkling who the heck Monnier was [[in my autumn years learned he was an area land owner who donated land for the school and the Monnier branch library).

I was lucky, I went to Anthony Wayne Elementary School which was named [[non-PC today) after the guy that defeated the forest Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and drove them out of Ohio [[we were well versed in that story).

**Danny** · January-24-15, 10:53 PM

I suggest of turn Dearborn into 'Dearbornistan'!

**56packman** · January-25-15, 01:08 PM

There are already three cities in the boundaries of what we know as "Dearborn" , the first is "Dearborn" which is largely bounded by Michigan ave to the north, all the way to the south, between Southfield X-way to the west, that is where the workin' Joe lives. Then there is "Deer-Bern" which is the upscale, Ford management white collar area, North of Michigan Ave, starting at the Southfield X-way to the east and going to the western border. Lastly, there is "Deed-a-born" which is everything east of the Southfield X-way, and should be self-explanatory.

**chicagoforlife** · January-25-15, 06:32 PM

I'm just confused on why everything should be named for one family. Whenever I've been in Detroit I could lose count at how many things have the name Ford on them, that name is already established as a legendary name in not only Michigan but all over the world.

There is a city here in Illinois about the second tier of suburbs south of Chicago named Ford Heights, it was originally called East Chicago Heights, Ford opened a stamping plant there in the 1950's and in some kind of annexation dispute they renamed the town to Ford Heights in the 1980's. It's a pretty poor area though and resembles a lot of the Southland suburbs.

**Detroitnerd** · January-25-15, 07:41 PM

Behind every proposed name change lurks a city facing an identity crisis, hoping that by slapping a label on it, its changing destiny may be avoided.

**313WX** · January-25-15, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

Behind every proposed name change lurks a city facing an identity crisis, hoping that by slapping a label on it, its changing destiny may be avoided.

I.E. East Detroit ---> Eastpointe...

And better yet, the DOA proposal of Harper Woods ---> Grosse Pointe Heights

**Mackinaw** · January-26-15, 11:49 AM

OP, as a longtime [[though now former) NJerseyan like you in addition to Detroit native, having had the benefit of such faraway perspective on Detroit and vicinity, I must ask: why? What is the logic of changing any city's name to the name of its most famous/productive resident, even a legendary one? What benefit, tangible or intangible, is had to anyone? Is not the freeway, the primary road, the hospital, the school, the _____ [[there's so much), and most of all the ongoing massive industrial production and HQ that we still have to this day, enough to remind us of a significant person? And when his significance is considered alongside his negative attributes, can't we be satisfied that we've done enough already to memorialize.

I vote no. Buy a Ford instead.

**canuck** · January-26-15, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Name it Fordlandia. There is an abandoned town named Fordlândia [[pronounced Ford-lan-gee-ah in Brazilian Portuguese) not too far from where I'm currently parked for the next few days.

Poor you. I sympathize...

**iheartthed** · January-29-15, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by canuck

Poor you. I sympathize...

Yeah, some say that you can actually grow tired of perfect weather.

**RaumVogel** · January-29-15, 05:19 PM

Knutson....My Grandfather was an engineer for Ford from 1916 to 1962. He worked with a Knutson. Could that be a relative of you'rs?

**G-DDT** · February-02-15, 10:21 PM

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

OP, as a longtime [[though now former) NJerseyan like you in addition to Detroit native, having had the benefit of such faraway perspective on Detroit and vicinity, I must ask: why? What is the logic of changing any city's name to the name of its most famous/productive resident, even a legendary one? What benefit, tangible or intangible, is had to anyone? Is not the freeway, the primary road, the hospital, the school, the _____ [[there's so much), and most of all the ongoing massive industrial production and HQ that we still have to this day, enough to remind us of a significant person? And when his significance is considered alongside his negative attributes, can't we be satisfied that we've done enough already to memorialize.

I vote no. Buy a Ford instead.

I now have a greater respect for NJ thanks to you and the two guys I met in Louisville from there. Changing a name won't change a destiny or a nature [[like why do Jehovah's Witnesses think by calling themselves "Bible Students" that folks are going to be more receptive to them? If anything, that extra time they waste until folks catch on, will most likely generate more animosity against them.). Besides, I find it rather peculiar living in a county named after a "Mad" general whose ghost can't find his own bones....