Why Are So Many from Michigan Falling for this ‘Detroit City Limit – Population 704′ Sign?

We all know you shouldn't believe everything you see online. That includes Facebook groups. There are been multiple occasions that this Detroit City Limit sign has been posted to various Michigan-themed Facebook communities.

The OP will state something like, 'wow, check out this old Detroit sign.' Of course Detroit's population is many, many times larger than a paltry 702. There weren't cars nor roads when a fledging settlement of Detroit. The city traces its history back to 1701 with a community sprouting up around the fort that also bore the name Detroit. That early 1700s date was the last time Detroit's population was less than 1000 people.

The Detroit seen in the viral Facebook posts? It's Detroit, Texas. It's a small town in extreme northeast Texas in Red River County. While there are other small Detroits, in Oregon (population 203), in Maine (population 885), in Kansas (population 102), in Illinois (population 83) and Alabama (population 237), it's the Detroit, Texas city limit sign that many online are confusing for an old-time Michigan sign.

READ MORE: Indiana Once Posted These Odd 'Welcome to Michigan' Signs

Texas has a distinct city limit sign style that displays

City Name

City Limits

Pop. xxxx

So should you see the false Detroit City Limits image posted on Facebook, know it's not Motown. It's not Michigan. And please don't share it along - it only encourages tired, lame comments about Detroit's population decline over the decades.

In Detroit, Texas, they do proudly display an affinity for our Detroit, as a sign at the center of town proudly proclaims that Detroit as the Little Motor City