Great people, not a lot of jobs
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6/26/2019
I live in Detroit (transplant from the Northland) and love a lot of things about the city, number one being the people. Although I am a minority here, I have always been treated with respect and almost always with immense kindness. The people of Detroit have been kicked around for generations, and they have developed a toughness that is remarkable to say the least. But they will talk to you on the street. People here are generally just awesome.
That being said the gentrification is on. There are a lot of trendy (and fun) things happening in New Center, Midtown, Corktown, the Villages, and downtown. Gross Pointe and the border with Detroit as well. Up and coming areas such as the Avenue of Fashion and the State Fair Grounds will soon blur with trendy Ferndale just on the other side of 8 mile. People are being priced out to the proverbial ghettos of the city, which include the Northwest and Northeast corridors. Just not a lot happening in these areas, so the prices remain low for now. It's pretty crazy watching people who have lived in neighborhoods for generations being forced out of places in DETROIT, of all places.
My dislikes:
-The City Government is trash. Corruption, pandering to corporate elites, a crooked parking system, and immense lack of services. Police are the only part of the government getting any better.
-The roads/infrastructure is in pretty bad shape, which makes traffic problems even though the city was designed for 1.5 million more people.
-The suburbs aren't really my idea of "cool." People here think they live in the woods but I'm from the woods and am here to tell you, a .25 acre plot in a subdivision that has some trees isn't the woods! But Michigan really is a beautiful state, and these places are pretty in their own way. Just a lot of repetitive concrete and box stores, mixed with a few really cool parks/shops.
-There really aren't that many jobs here considering the amount of people that live here. Just not diverse enough, still sucking the teat of the auto industry, and many of the better jobs are still with the Big 3. A lot of haves and have nots.
David | Detroit, MI