How did Metro-Detroit suburbs get their names?

[Burnsie]

"Michigan Place Names" by Walter Romig, originally published in 1973 and later reprinted by WSU Press, has the answers to almost all of these questions.

[Former_Detroiter]

Erin TWP. was at the southern corner of Macomb County. It was a Irish farming settlement. When East Detroit was named, it maintained its Irish culture. Fewer Irish families live in there at the time. When more Germans, Polish and Italian Families came. Other Irish families move away. By the 1990s The name East Detroit was changed to Eastpointe. The people want their suburban name not to look like East Side Detroit. But to have a 'Grosse Pointe' of the East.

It was also rumored that East Detroit was changed to Eastpointe because they didn't want "Detroit" in the name of the city.

[Onthe405]

It was also rumored that East Detroit was changed to Eastpointe because they didn't want "Detroit" in the name of the city.

Changing the name to "Eastpointe" served both purposes: for those unfamiliar with the city's past, it could theoretically pass as some kind of prestigious association with the Grosse Pointes . . .although any native instantly knows otherwise.

It also eliminated the [[quite frequent) confusion of "I live in East Detroit" = "I live on the East side of Detroit" which took on a negative association as the reputation of Detroit declined.

Geographically, naming it anything with "pointe" in it was silly. GP is actually a large point out into Lake St Clair. Heck, Eastpointe it isn't even the easternmost of the suburbs . .SCS sits east of that. The best argument for proximity to GP is that it's closer than Oak Park or Novi!

[iheartthed]

Changing the name to "Eastpointe" served both purposes: for those unfamiliar with the city's past, it could theoretically pass as some kind of prestigious association with the Grosse Pointes . . .although any native instantly knows otherwise.

It also eliminated the [[quite frequent) confusion of "I live in East Detroit" = "I live on the East side of Detroit" which took on a negative association as the reputation of Detroit declined.!

Was it really that frequent? There are plenty of suburbs and satellites in the U.S. that are "East" or "West" of their primary city [[and even a state), and they don't seem to warrant changing the name.

[Onthe405]

Was it really that frequent? There are plenty of suburbs and satellites in the U.S. that are "East" or "West" of their primary city [[and even a state), and they don't seem to warrant changing the name.

Agreed. Many other cities have suburbs named "E, W, N, or S" conjoined with with the primary city without confusion. In weighing the two motives, abandoning the "Detroit" part of "East Detroit" was the more significant reason.

However, I lived there, and it was surprising how many times people would say "what street?" or "what cross streets?" , and then being puzzled by the location outside of the Detroit city limits. Another factor might have been that East Detroit is so small and doesn't have any particularly notable identifiers [[waterfront, corporate offices, major shopping center, etc), folks may not be aware of its existence.