Romulus became king of Rome when he killed his brother Remus in a dispute over who would get to rule the city and after whom it would be named. With the brother dead, it was not surprisingly then named Rome. Romulus became a big-time Roman conqueror, adding lands and people to the empire.

Evidently, the city planners here in Michigan were so taken with Mr. Romulus that his name was chosen to honor the city that hosts the Detroit airport.

Tonight I am here in Romulus, and I just remembered that this mythological / historical character was thought to be suckled by a wolf . Maybe the planners here knew their history and mythology, because their naming convention is starting to make more sense to me.

Supposedly, Romulus stood on one hill and Remus on another, and when a big flock of birds flew over Romulus, it was a sign that he was the chosen king.   Well, they do have birds and hills here so I can see why the name might pop into your head.

Looking out from my fourth floor window over the city, I have a Romulusian panorama.   In the foreground, there's the metal framework of a building under construction - evidently a new Holiday Inn.   Through the glass, you can hear the close and constant rumbling of diesel engines from the trucks and generators. There are piles of construction materials sitting in the empty lots nearby. And port-o-potties and pickup trucks.

In the middle distance, cars speed by on highway I-94, headed to downtown Detroit in one direction or Toledo in the other. Just up the road toward Detroit is the famous Uniroyal tire, which stands by the side of the road like a Paul Bunyan spare. Escaping west toward Toledo, almost every exit is decorated with a Tim Horton's coffee shop.

Past the construction project and the highway, the Detroit airport is out there, visible in the haze. And the major runway is exactly lined up with this hotel. The roof just overhead is the last thing the pilots have to avoid hitting as they pull their landing gear up. And they thunder over the building every fifteen seconds, gaining altitude and heading north.

Romulus is a visitor's introduction to the Detroit area. The urban engineers were visionaries; they knew better than to set the bar too high right away. If people saw beautiful landscaping, modern signs, and freshly paved streets, they might get a certain unreasonable expectation of what they'd see further east on I-94.

Romulus (the ruler) was also known for invading bordering cities and capturing their women in order to grow the population of Rome.  Hmmm.  I think I can see why.  Imagine this unlikely discussion: "Honey, we're moving from Miami to Detroit for my new job. Well, actually it's Romulus. It's going to be awesome - it's right near the airport and the interstate."

Maybe the city planners should consider that invading and capturing thing.

#founding myth

The real Romulus