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Detroit Pride radiates throughout the Motor City.

Whether it’s a dozen “Made In Detroit” t-shirts everywhere you look downtown, a hot new restaurant popping up using local ingredients, or a packed-full crowd at Comerica Park chanting the city’s name, one thing is for sure about Detroiters – we’re proud to call this city home.

In fact, when Hello Innovation decided to uproot our office from St. Clair, MI. a few years ago, we had the opportunity to move anywhere to help expand our growing, innovate business; Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York... the choices were endless! But when it all came down to it,  we settled on Detroit without even giving it a second thought. Why? Because we have opportunity to be a part of something that was even bigger than ourselves. The chance to make a meaningful move to help revitalize a city that we could be proud of.

But I’m sure many of you out-of-towners are thinking to yourself, “What is there to be proud of in Detroit? Your city doesn’t look so great to us.” Well, naysayers, I’m here to tell you that there is plenty to be proud of when it comes to the city of Detroit. Here are just a few examples:

Our ‘Ahead-Of-The-Curve’ History

I guess you could call it our “hipster quality.” What can we say, we just have a knack for being ahead of the curve. Cars? They don’t call us the Motor City for nothing! Concrete highways? We had ‘em first. Electric stop lights? Well yeah, they went up on our concrete highways!

Now many tech innovators from all around the world are flocking to Detroit as part of the “tech gold rush,” and the energy is contagious. It’s just another generation of inventions, innovations and life-changing creations that are sure to come out of the Motor City. (We told you first.)

A History of ‘Made In Detroit’ Creations

We’ve been creating awesome things since this city was founded. Cars and trucks, of course. (We are Motor City, after all.) But we’re pretty damn good at making other things too, such as planes, missiles and tanks. In fact, when the United States entered into World War II, Detroit’s automobile industry was put at a halt, and we were agile enough to switch over to producing tanks and bombers for all of our soldiers.

But we’re not only aces at industrial creations. We are also credited with creating carbonated pop (or soda for you out-of-towners), and the first ice-cream float—a mix of Vernor’s Ginger Ale and Sanders vanilla ice cream (known locally as a Boston Cooler, for its invention on Boston Boulevard in Detroit).

Our Delicious Craft Beer

If you’re looking for something with a bit more kick to it than pop, try one our many delicious craft breweries. Some Detroit staples include Detroit Beer Co., Atwater Brewery, Motor City Brewing Works and more—and that’s just in the city of Detroit. We also have a ton of delicious beer bars in the heart of the city that allow you to test out other microbrews from throughout the state of Michigan, such as Oberon on the first day of Spring. (What can we say? Oberon Day is a statewide holiday.)

Our Midwestern Hospitality

Maybe it’s because we sometimes feel as though everyone else is against us (Detroit vs. Everybody, after all), but somewhere along the line, Detroiters developed a very strong sense of community with one another. But, that doesn’t just extend to other people who live in our city. If you are ever visiting our wonderful state, you are sure to get a friendly smile when you pass by someone, a “good morning” from everyone you run across at the start of your day, and even a friendly stranger that is happy to chat with you about anything and everything—particularly our weather or our sports teams. (We have strong opinions about both.) So don’t hesitate to say hello!

The Way We Cycle Our City

While we may be known for our automobiles here in Detroit, we are also home to a large bicycling community. In fact, for many residents who live and work in the city, it’s become one of the most efficient ways to get around. We even have numerous cycling events happening weekly, monthly and yearly throughout Detroit, such as the Slow Roll, the Tour de Troit and the Motor City Bike and Brew Tour. Just don’t drink and peddle! (But if you do consume too much of our delicious locally-made brews, we have designated cyclers for you!)

Unmatched Coney Dogs

If there is one thing that Detroit does better than anyone else, it’s Coney Dogs. A delicious heap of chili, onion and mustard goodness poured on top of a perfectly cooked hot dog. It’s our state food, our state honor and even perhaps our state hero. While other states may argue political stance or college football rivalries (although we have a few of those too), we argue American Coney Island vs. Lafayette Coney Island here in Detroit.

These two restaurants house the top 2 Coney connoisseurs (who also just happen to be neighbors and brothers) who constantly compete for the “Best Coney in Detroit” title. A person’s stance on this subject has been known to break up marriages and turn best friends against each other for years. But man, are they worth it. (And in my eyes, Lafayette takes the cake!)

Our Music Full of Heart and Soul

Detroit has an awesome musical history. The famous Motown sound was founded here by Berry Gordy Jr. in 1957, pumping out hit artists such as The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Supremes. The style and sound of Motown would go on to influence all of popular music and culture, even the pop and hip-hop that we still listen to today. However, Motown wasn’t the only sound created in Detroit. Techno is another sound whose origins begin in the Motor City back in the 80’s, before eventually finding massive popularity over in Europe. Rock on!

A Melting-Pot of Food Options

When you need to take a break from our delicious Coney Dogs, you will find that you are surrounded by a very well-cultured food scene here in Detroit. From authentic Mexican food, to a whole neighborhood full of Greek creations, to family-made Polish and Middle Eastern eats, there is no shortage of food options to satisfy your cravings.

A History of “Getting Back Up”

Above all, the one thing that we are most proud of in the city of Detroit is our resilience, our unwavering spirit, and our need to get back up after we have fallen. While many others would like to cast our city aside and leave us out to dry, we are a stubborn and hard-working city that will fight back (while channeling the great Joe Louis, of course). As I said before, we Detroiters are a proud people, and we aren't afraid to scream it to world!

What part of Detroit are you most proud of? Be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below!