Why Is Detroit Called the "Motor City" and "Motown"? (And What's a "Big Three"?)
Detroit is the 'Motor City' for building America's cars — and 'Motown' is both that nickname (Motor Town) and the record label Berry Gordy named in its honor.
People toss these names around all the time, often without knowing the real story behind them — or mixing them up.
Motor City and “Motown” (short for “Motor Town”) come from the same root. Detroit became the manufacturing heart of the American auto industry in the early 1900s. Henry Ford perfected the moving assembly line at his Highland Park plant. That made cars affordable for ordinary people. Detroit exploded into the car-making capital of the world. That’s the “motor.”
The Big Three are the three American automakers headquartered in the Detroit area: General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. (Stellantis now owns Chrysler. For most of the 20th century the trio was “GM, Ford, and Chrysler.”) For generations, these companies were the economic engine of the whole region. Their plants and suppliers meant tens of thousands of jobs.
Now the part people genuinely mix up. Motown is also the name of the legendary record label, and that’s no accident — it’s a tribute. In 1959, Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in a little Detroit house he nicknamed “Hitsville U.S.A.” He named the label after the city’s “Motor Town” identity. Motown Records went on to launch Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5. Its sound changed American music forever. So “Motown” means both the city’s car-making nickname and the record label named in its honor. Same word, two layers of Detroit pride.
Where to see it
The Motown Museum (Hitsville U.S.A.) at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit lets you stand in the actual studio. For the "motor" side, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn tells the automotive story.