Detroit : the goods and bads
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11/15/2006
I grew up in a small town in MI, and moved to downtown Detroit for medical school. The positives of this city: Overall, pretty nice people. Lots of interesting bars/clubs/restaurants/concert venues in the downtown and midtown areas, pick up an "Essential Detroit Guide" to find what you're looking for. Sports are huge here. Belle Isle is a gorgeous island park in the Detroit river. The downtown is being remade, and great strides have been made in just the 3 years I've lived here, in order for it to continue people will have to buy all these lofts they're building. The 1930's downtown architecture of the "art deco" genre is very cool as well. Lots of history in this town.
Negatives: Outside of the downtown/midtown area all the way to the suburbs (in kind of a horseshoe shape), the city is in a perpetual state of decay. High crime, I mean like gunshot wounds EVERY night(a great place to learn medicine unfortunately for the people of Detroit - plenty of penetrating trauma and neglected pathology coming in to the DMC). City needs about 1000 more police on the street, but has no money and corrupt politicians. Burned out houses and buildings everwhere. Busted up roads and highways. Poor air quality. Most segregated city in America. Gray skies about half the year. No public transportation(thanks big 3). Terrible drivers. No satisfactory grocery store within the city limits. Homeless people ask me for money almost every day. Education is in a horrible state -teachers underpaid, more schools closing eevery year.
The city needs police, honest politicians(an oxymoron?), and LOTs of progressive idealists in order to improve.
Abhd | Detroit, MI