Talkback: Why I love Detroit
What is your favorite spot or part of Detroit? What makes you stay, if you’re a resident. Or, what makes you come back to visit, if you’re a tourist or former resident?
Born and raised in Detroit. There were great schools, museums and theaters. More single family homes than any other city on earth. There were a lot of jobs and opportunity. Then the 60s came and the federal government decided to fix Detroit, they fixed it into what it has become now. But there are still parts of Detroit to be very proud of and like in the past this city will remake itself again.
i visted your great city 40 yrs ago stayed with a friend , at madison heights, had a great time , we used to go to a club called the poison apple loads of junk hanging on the ceiling, a great city and great people
I am from Detroit. I moved to California in 2002. It is quite funny……my brother, also from Detroit, who now lives in Arizona, agrees……..when someone asks us about Detroit (we say nothing but good things about it…..people, food, cars, music, sports)……and we are always excited to return home (yes I still call it home), but once we get there for a visit, we both agree (dirty, rundown, etc.) The truth, since moving to CA, I have met many people originally from Detroit, and there is just “something” special that makes who they are. Detroit, poverty, racial injustice, crime, rusting away……all can be balanced by history, tradition, hard work, and diversity.
Being a native and longtime resident of Detroit/Metro Detroit (MD) about 25 years, the list is endless. One of the best things in Detroit and MD is the local coney island-style restaurants. Detroit style coney dogs ARE THE BEST HOT DOGS IN THE WORLD!!!! Not Nathan’s, Chicago style, or any other hot dog. I grew up on these. The first thing I do when I make return trips to Detroit and last thing before I leave is go to a coney island. Anytime of day is perfect for a coney dog. Skinless franks with a snap when you bite into them, the Detroit coney-style chili, fresh chopped onions, and yellow mustard. The original institutional restaurants are Lafayette Coney Island and All American Coney Island in the downtown area. Other chains are Leo’s, National, and Kerby’s. Detroit coney dogs will be always on my mind. If I had a last meal, Detroit coney dogs please. Other institutional foods are Better Made potato chips, Faygo pop, Vernors ginger ale, and Sanders candy and ice cream toppings.
The museums in Detroit/MD are places that I remember going to a lot with my parents and school field trips. The DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) is a great museum. The multi-panel mural “Detroit Industry” by Diego Rivera is a must see. Also The Henry Ford (Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum) is a great as well. The Village is an outdoor 19th century village with homes and building of some of the greatest American inventors, scientists, innovators, and other famous people. The Museum is a large collection of industrial equipment, history of manufacturing, the auto industry, historically significant automobiles, and a great place for any train buff.
All the festivals down at Heart Plaza along the Riverfront. Ethnic festivals, music festivals, fireworks, and many other events.
Detroit is Motown. Hitsville USA. Whenever I hear a Motown song from the late 50’s to the early 70’s, I think of my hometown Detroit. A distinct music genre indigenous to the Motor City.
Of course all of the professional and collegiate sports teams. Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings, Univ. of Michigan, Michigan State. Whenever they are on TV, I watch and once in a while, listen or watch online.
The Spirit of Detroit will always live in me until the day I die.
I was raised in Detroit, left over 30years; return frequently to visit family; I LOVE Detroit…..
Detroit is an old city that has been misused and abused over the years by it’s leadership, mega corporations and it’s citizens. The remaining residents are hanging in their for two reasons, they either love the city and will not leave or they can’t afford to leave.
Detroit is not a black thing or a white thing; corruption has not skin color; corruption began during the turn of the last century when new arrivals were not allowed access to work w/o being abused; freedoms for some turned in to greed for others; Philly, Chicago and other large urban areas that have urban blight due to terrible leadership and poor crack downs are in the same boat as Detroit. I never believe the hype news that comes out about Detroit, it’s mostly blown out of proportion; I’m not blind or stupid, the problems do exist but not to the magnitude the press reports……….. I’ll always be a Detroiter; I may return some day; sooner than I expect….. like I told a guy in the elevator the other day at my job, he called himself busting my chops for wearing a Lions t-shirt, I told him I left Detroit, Detroit has not left me!
I’m origianally from Flint, Mi,about 60miles north of Detroit up I-75. My father lives in Detroit, and I was born there. Detroit is rich in history and culture, from the assembly line, to the “I have a dream” speech, which was originally given at the Cobo. Detroit is enriched in the arts, and intellectual prowess. It gave us Motown, The Winans family, The Clark sisters. It does have it’s downsides, much ado to the car industry, but there is also a wealth of young intellectuals that are moving to change that. Good luck Detroit I love you, from Belle-Isle to 8mile!
I grew up just outside Detroit, but spent every weekend for 18 years in Hamtramck, which is right there. I spent some school lunches at Trapper’s Alley, and often played gigs and hung out in Detroit when I was in college at U. of M. Detroit has been struggling for a long time, but so have all the people in Michigan. Detroit is a perfecdt metaphor for what most of the people in Michigan have become, people who try. Most of us immigrants of Eastern European (I’m Polish) or Middle Eastern decent, we try, and try again to do what we dream of. Not what we can do, mind you, but of what we dream of doing in our lives. The things that most other people rule out as impossible, Detroiters will go for. It’s that spirit that I love, and carry with me in SF. I have lived in California for many, many years, but I will always be from Michigan.
It can sometimes be hard to like Detroit, but I love it more than any place on Earth. There is no pretense of superiority among its residents, and Detroit has the goods. To paraphrase an interview I read recently, Detroit may not always be attractive on the surface, but it’s impressive where it matters. Music, art, work ethic, perseverance against adversity, innate character of the people. With all that and two coneys with everything, what else do you need?
I was born and raised in Detroit. I grew up on the west side (Fenkell)and eventually moved to the downtown area (E.Jefferson). I currently have been living in Georgia for a year now and love it! Detroit has great potential and the food was wonderful. I miss going to Southern Fires Resturant! I can not say that I miss the current Detroit but I definitely miss the old Detroit growing up as a little girl. I have tons of family there and will always be proud of where I came from.
I was raised in Detroit, moved away, and came back after 14 years. Having divided those years between the East and West Coasts, I can say that I love Detroit and am happy to be back home.
Living in Detroit is like being a part of a vibrant painting with all of the colors running together. If you live here, you see explosions of images, both triumphant and tragic, constantly unfolding in front of you. The ethnicity of the people and the neighborhoods, the contrasts between the rich and the poor, and the fact that pratically everybody you know is from here are experiences that we all share. My history, like hundreds of thousands of others, includes a family photo in front of the Rackham Memorial Fountain at the Detroit Zoo, an afternoon watching the Detroit Tigers, coffee and a fancy pastry in the Kresge Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts, an early morning shopping trip to the Eastern Market, a visit to Santa at downtown Hudson’s, cider and warm donuts at the cider mill, and a cruise up or down Woodward Avenue. Life is real is Detroit, it’s raw and unfiltered, and you experience things here that other cities don’t offer. I know how Detroiters are going to respond to almost any situation and that makes me comfortable. Good times or bad, I’m with them all the way.
I miss Detroit, I have not been back for a while. I came to Detroit when I was young and always love Downtown. I miss the 4 of July events, all the downtown fun that we had, the concerts and just being in the community. Just being in the city is great.
Tha Reasonz I Luv Detroit Is Cuz Is That Deal Doe b, We Ride Or Die Man We Keepz It Poppin’ Maaaannn We Too Cold Fuck Mexico Fuck Puerto Rico Fuck South Cat Fuck Those Haterz & Fuck All Them Haterz We That Deal……From 8-Mile East To Joy RD..
I love the Detroit metro area because of it’s beauty, the people, and the culture.
Michigan has some of the most beautiful land in the United States. The four seasons are breathtaking, and who can forget how beautiful it is when the leaves change color in fall.
I moved to Phoenix for work just over a year ago, and hate the dry, barren, hot land that is called Phoenix. I despise every second I spend in Phoenix, and dream of the day when I will call Michigan home again.
I left my family, friends, and everything dear to me behind to feed myself and keep a job.
I love Detroit because I know our collective actions will leave a legacy. I know I can personally impact the future which is yet to come. I’ve lived a lot of places and have never felt this sense of community or purpose – people working together for kaizen. I couldn’t be happier about being in a place that you really feel home.
I live in Phoenix now, but I grew up in Romulus, not far from Detroit. I miss going to Greek Town and getting the small little coffee that would keep me awake. Hart Plaza and the weekend summer Festivals. Being able to see The joe Lewis fist. Of course miss going to The Joe for Hockey!! All the history in the city. The bleacher seats at Tiger Stadium. All the different ethnic foods. And the people. People are nicer there than here. We were all trying to get along because we were all in the same boat. I wish I had never left.
I was born and raised in hamtramck, a small, quiet, town surrounded completely by detroit. for some reason, i have this unexplainable pride for this city. i moved out to the suburbs a few years back but going down to the city for the nitelife, the fairs and events, and the sports, makes it all worth it. most detroiters have been victimized someway but what doesnt kill you makes you stronger. i never plan on leaving, I own a successful family dining establishment on WOODWARD avenue and i never want to sell or leave.
I attended the Super Bowl in Detroit in 2006. I am a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, PA and had heard much about Detroit being a depressed city. While I did see areas of blight, the one thing I do remember is the resiliency of the Detroit natives. They were all too willing to answer questions, give advice on what to see and you could generally tell that they were PROUD of their hometown and wanted the people visiting to see the things they were proud of and for those visitors to have a great time while they were there. Mission accomplished! Coming from Pittsburgh, where we had our fair share of problems as well after the collapse of the steel industry, I could appreciate the “hometown pride” that all the folks showed us while we were in their fair city. When I run across people from Detroit in the years since that time, I always make a point to tell them how welcome they made us feel and what a great time we had while in their city.
I was born and raised in Detriot, lower east side! I went to the same high school my sisters went to, my mon went to and all my Aunts (Dominica HS). I went on to earn a 4 yr degree from Wayne State. My experience growing up in Detriot has made me the woman I am today. I am self sufficient, educated and street smart. I have wonderful memories of Hart Plaza, Greek Town and Checker Burgers. I still remember my Grandmother taking me to Crowley’s on Michigan Ave, what a great store…Granted, Detriot is going through some tough times but it will rise from the ashes as it always has. Good luck Detriot!!!
I’m a displaced Detroiter living in Oklahoma. What do I miss? Marcus Hamburgers, Buddy’s Pizza, Better Made Potato Chips, the Red Wings, U of Michigan Sports, and beleive it or not the weather!
I have not been to Detroit much over the last 15 years but as a former resident of nearby Sarnia, Ontario I used to make frequent trips to see blues concerts or baseball, basketball, hockey or football games. I always loved the charm of the area around old Tiger Stadium. I have many, many fond memories of the Motor City. I now live about eight hours away, but my most recent trip, about four years ago to Comerica Park, was fantastic. Keep up the good work Detroit.
Was born and raised in Detroit then moved to SF. I miss the DIA, the passion for sports teams, driving thru downtown and seeing the houses that were once majestic, Indian Village and Belle Isle. Don’t know if they still happen, but loved the Ethnic Festivals every weekend in Hart Plaza growing up and the Jazz Festival- which I know is gone.
People are always interested when I tell them I grew up in Detroit. I think the image is that it’s dirty, lots of crime and nothing but cars. The cars part is the only part I agree with.
I moved here from the Chicago area in 1991. Most people thought I was crazy but I came here to open a business with $400 in my pocket and an old beat up van. 5 months later I had one of the first coffee houses in Detroit. My coffeehouse is closed now but I stayed loving the honesty of people here and their creativity to rise up after they’ve been knocked down 50 times. Here things happen that cannot happen elseware. It is kind of a hopeful wild west kind of place where you can build something from nothing. I can’t shake it from me and I doubt I will ever move away. It has more creativity than anyplace else I have been and I have lived on or visited 4 continents so far in my 42 years on this Earth. How can any of you fault this city for that?
Glad to hear a lot of more positive comments on here, and most of the haters have gotten bored with posting nothing! I just saw Eminem’s video Beautiful wow, what a beginning and what a beautiful picture he painted of his struggle and our struggle here in Detroit. I read that Kid Rock was man of the year in Hour magazine another person repping well for us. He said it best, “I stay here for the people, it sure ain’t the weather.” I visited West Virginia for a convention and had a horrible time, no one cared we were there, no one asked where we were from just acted like we were invading our space! It is so different here, I welcome visitors and everyone else does. We want to know you, where you are from and want to invite you back. That’s why I love it here and can never leave!
I was born in raised in Detroit, I love it> i moved away after my mom passed in 07, I currently reside in Pensacol,Florida.I let it be known everyday where I’m from.I was raised on Detroit’s westside (Joy Road), i love are city because we are fighters we make good out of any bad situation that’s what makes us tough.The media paint sthi sugly crude picture of Detroit yes we have our issues but who don’t? There’s no place in the world like Detroit we are very multi-cultural, the food is great go anywhere else and order chilli cheese fries there will be beans in it(not authentic),Bread Basket, we have Belle Ille, the Tastefest, Festivals downtown, MotorCity, MGM, Greektown and so much more.yeah it gets cold in the winter just bundle up it’s still alot to do. I love my city and never turned my back even when I moved. Detroiters always pull themselves up by the boot straps and keep on moving.WE ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Music is definitely a factor. While much of what made Detroit a world class city, including the long gone and much missed WKNR Keener 13 radio in neighboring Dearborn and a second to none independent music scene (which flourished over and above the Motown label’s accomplishments) are no longer with us, such major draws as the annual Jazz Festival and the various related city-sponsored gatherings in the downtown area during the summer months continue to set a standard of excellence.
The close proximity to Windsor, Ontario is another major plus. Windsor is likewise a world class city with great people, shopping, eateries, churches, etc. and a five minute drive by bridge or tunnel.
It’s who I am, even though I’ve lived in metro Chicago for 35 years. It’s how I view the world, from an assembly-line, lunch bucket viewpoint. It’s reality. Can’t tell you how much I hurt, reading the knocks on Motown. Detroit may be dead as a city, but all of us Detroiters out there in financial print journalism will make sure its perspective doesn’t disssipate.
I was born and raised in Highland Park Michigan samck dab in the middle of Detroit, and now I live in Richmond Ca. but Detroit will always be home. People focus on all the problems, but it is a Beautiful city. I tell people all the time, it’s my favorite place on the face of the Earth. The people are tough and proud, and beautiful. Even in the best of times Detroit was a rugged city. If they ever get some semu competent government It’ll come back. I like so many others will always love Detroit, it’ll always be No 1 in my heart
I cannot put my finger on it but there is something about the city of Detroit that endears it to many of us. Yes, there is much more freedom and I suppose that carries a lot more weight than anticipated. The population that lives in Detroit is unique and hospitable. It’s just a special place. Yes, Detroit is going through some rough times right now but still holds a special place in many of our hearts.
I’m not sure what Detroit some of these people are talking about, the Detroit of the past of today. I too, grew up in Detroit. The best of Detroit is long gone. If not for the auto industry, Detroit would have been another Toledo. Sure it WAS a beautiful city, with stately old homes in beautiful tree lined streets. Downtown was fun to visit. You could get anywhere on the buses. But the reality of Detroit today is a bankrupt school system; burned out hulks of houses, some by the block and rampant unemployment. Take off the rose colored glasses people and take a real look at Detroit.
WOWED……..Is how I feel right now. I was born and raised in Detroit, until 18. The beautiful memories I have of the place. I lived far east then, 8 mile and Lahser Rd area before I left. Each story I’ve read of the 13, all touched a memory in my heart, an put a smile on my face. I also believe Detroit will regain its strength, threw entrepreneurship. Detroiters are strong folks with the will and tenacity of a lion. In the 70″S we had a home garden and we were middle class on the west side. I miss the Brownstones, and beautiful architect churches and buildings. Florida has its palm trees, but something mystical and precious still lives within the land of Detroit.
I love Detroit as I was born and raised here. Fellow Detroiters have an inner toughness to them that I respect.
I was born here. I have lived from L.A. to Atlanta to Houston to Dallas to Wichita to Phoenix and everywhere in between and I keep coming back here because this is where the REAL people live. KEEP ON MOVING BIG D!
In June 2009, five teens and two adult women from our WI parish worked at the Spirit of Hope Community Church & Day Care on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Detroit. We had the pleasure of being part of that community for one week. Every day we either worked in the church’s urban garden (where vegetables are grown for those in need),or spent time with the beautiful children in the day care center. We became friends with strangers who love their families, neighbors and community. Together they will get through these challenging times.
We were welcomed with open arms by every one we met. Local teens joined us with our work. Mid-week we were on a main highway and had a flat tire in the rented mini-van. We exited on to a side street and pulled over near a stop sign. Neighbors came out to help us, and others that stopped asked if we needed assistance. Having a flat tire is not fun – especially in the middle of a city you are not familiar with – but each one of us learned a lesson about the warm hospitality of the people who live in Detroit. Our last day in the city, we visited the downtown area and traveled on the ‘people movers’ an elevated train that circles the downtown. We couldn’t help but notice how clean the city was. We had lunch near Tiger Stadium & visited the river front where the River Days festival was taking place, and also a center with a beautiful fountain. As I walked with two of the teens, one family was having a lunch near the fountain. We walked by and the little girl reached her hand out and offered me her cookie. I smiled and said, ‘No thank you’ as her parents also smiled at her gesture. We took many photos, and all agreed we will visit our friends in Detroit again and bring our families back, too. I have read so many comments here. What goes through my mind is that we Americans at times tend to focus on the negative (whether in our personal lives, community and country) versus focusing on all of the good we are blessed with. Don’t you think we move forward by building on all of the good? I can honestly write that in our entire week in Detroit – we never experienced any negative behavior from the residents. Quite the opposite. Every city and community has its areas
that one needs to be careful in visiting. Many people are desperate in these times, but please remember that there are even more good people in our cities & communities who are also experiencing difficult times. These individuals are strong and proud, and will persevere by being creative (ie urban gardens)& supporting each other. Our greatest gift to them is to show our support and say ‘thanks’ for a wonderful visit to your city.
Detroit is my home.Born and raised,now I live in Omaha with husband, kids, grandkids I go back every chance I get.
I love Detroit because you can see every slice of Americana just by taking 8 mile from Lake St. Clair to out past Novi. Even places like Singapore or London can’t ebmbody their countries like we can.
I love Detroit because I can ask all the wanna be tough New Yorkers, “If New York is so tough why don’t you see them vacationing in Detroit?”
I love the tenacity, the determination adn the grit we have. Every trial and tribulation, every economic disaster, every bad thing that the rest of the world thinks are just the type of things that keep us going.
I love our sense of humor. You can’t live here without one. We don’t get mad, we are merely amused.
Hey Chicago, you think you have corruption? We even allow dead animals to vote! We’re a true bastion of freedom.
We have something truly unique. We have the friendliest border in the world. Windsor feels like home to alot of us and we enjoy terrific relations with most Canadiens. We cheer for the Spitfires and they cheer for the Red Wings. The Freedom Festival is a sight to behold. Show me another international border where both countries just party for a week.
There is nowhere like Detroit. And for all of you haters out there I say “Welcome to Detroit!”
Now GO HOME!
Everyone says the best view of Detroit is from the south in Windsor,Canada…that’s right,south. I disagree. The best view of Detroit is in the middle of Eastern market on a Saturday morning. From there you can see the wonderful diversity that makes up this area.
I’ve spent 1/2 my 40 years defending, praising, and cursing this town. I’ve been infatuated with it since I could drive a car. I grew up in the burbs, and still live a mile outside the city, but I call it my own and I’m proud of it.
The music, sports, nightlife, and suburbs of Detroit are world class.
…I know the rest will catch up someday.
I love Detroit because it’s getting better every day, and although I can’t take my kids to all the places I enjoyed as a little kid there, I celebrate that I can take them biking from Belle Isle to Eastern Market on the cool Dequindre Cut and the lovely Riverwalk, which I never had growing up. We can still go to my favorite store J.R.Hirt, in Eastern Market, and the Detroit Institute of Art where we have enjoyed films, classes, and artworks. Detroit makes up for its lack of world-class ambiance with a vibe that’s so funky and gritty, you can’t find it elsewhere.
Detroit is a lof like Buffalo — heavy industry roots and all. My first visit in 1999 was a pilgrimage to see a game at Tiger Stadium before it closed. I came back twice more that summer, and saw the first game at Comerica as well as the All-Star Game and first World Series Game. Baseball is a grand diversion in our weakened big cities…a metaphor for hope.
i was born & raised in Detroit…1967 to the back drop of riots for equality, Dr. King at Hart Plaza, Black Bottom Community, Motown Records, Henry Ford Autos, Labor, Civil Rights and the Black Arts Movement, and administrators who governed for the people like Mayor Coleman Young. I have always loved it. Detroit was a place of my youth that gave many examples of poor people doing well for themselves and their communities. Detroit was the hallmark of how hard work could produce stable families and pretty neighborhoods.
Though I have lived in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Brooklyn & the Bronx–all cities rich with their own shine–I returned to Detroit to raise a family and give them the values and midwest charm I enjoyed as a girl. I do not regret that move home, though I am saddened by the opportunists who have made a mess of our lives on the local, state and national levels.
Detroit is a beautiful representation of 4 aesthetic seasons, ethnic & music festivals, street markets, Belle Isle, access to the river or lakes and awesome bike trails. The people around and of Detroit are still hard working and kind. Many of our communities are sustaining their beauty and making small developments. The economy is teaching us to remember what really matters. And Detroiters are no strangers to struggle or the need for change. We hold the light for those who think that down means out. Detroit is a renaissance city–always able to be reborn.
I love this gritty, unsinkable city because it has made me very rich, to be blunt. The opportunities here are legion if you are educated, hard working, entrepreneurial, willing to take chances, too smart to work for or with the death-wish auto companies, and if you are ethically opportunistic and sensible about your personal mores.
Detroit has some of the wealthiest suburbs in America. I am 15 minutes away from Downtown Detroit in Grosse Pointe, a jewel of five, small wealthy suburbs nestled on lovely Lake Ste. Clair, a rather large lake between Great Lakes Erie and Huron. Lakeshore Drive is featured repeatedly in films as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful residential highways in the United States– and it is. Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills are tonier with wealth but more noveau riche and brash– but brother are the folks there loaded.
Commute? Traffic jams? Not here, because of the economic slump. 15 to 30 minutes tops.
Do you needle artists from other areas know how many Billionaires and Millionaires we have here? They are usually not auto related and the cost of living is as low as Knoxville and/or Central Missouri? Keep on digging at us you morons: We NEED you to stay away from us with your xenophobia, racial hatred and inbred political conservatism.
The world-famous Detroit Institute of Arts, our celebrated Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Cranbrook School of Art, the University of Michigan 40 minutes in Ann Arbor round out our considerable cultural attributes. Did you know that about FIVE Million people live in our 5 county metropolitan area? That is about TWO percent of the Country folks, roughly one American in fifty.
Still ready to write us off? Keep laughing idiots: We have 8% of the world’s fresh water and the geniuses and industrialists that thirst in Utah, Arizona, California and Texas will be coming hat in hand for THEIR survival.
One last trivial thing. You snobby snots who praise Skyline Chili or Nathan’s for Hot Dogs are pikers when compared to Lafayette Coney Island, routinely put on “ten best” lists for excellence. Know why? Michigan Law requires wildly superior ingredients before sale and our Hot Dogs kick the stuffing out of the rest of the country.
Oh sure, lots of people hate Detroit. They are usually uneducated, lazy, shiftless, voluntarily poor racial miscreants who do not accept blame for their own odious fate.
Go away creeps. The rest of us will restore Motown to its greatness.
Where to even begin with my ties to Detroit. For starters I was born in Dearborn, backdoor to the motor city. My aunt has worked in Detroit for 30 years at harper hospital off of jefferson. Im suburb raised all the way but I have lived in Detroit for a period of time when I was a child. Some weekends my father would have me and we would stay in the north side of the city. Detroit to me is special because its the area where I’m from. People from New York, Chicago, L.A, and so on say thats where they are from. I do the same. It angers me to see what its become over the years. Even now the city is half deserted, the industry that once shined has left its ghost present in the empty shells that once produced cars. Even the plants a few miles from me are on the brink. Where ever I end up living I’m always going to put old english D on my rear window, and a slogan proclaiming my life story living next to a city that went under due to greed, ignorance and useless violence.
Im not from the D, (Lansing originally) but I have always been fascinated by so many sides of the city. As a kid, my dad and I used to go to Tiger games or the auto show, and I was greatly stimulated by the visual experience. I wondered what happened in all those now-empty buildings, who lived in all those abandoned houses? What was city life like in the mid 1950s when the city (and the country) was a great place for the middle class? Almost every part of the history of the 20th century is contained within the city. Industrialization, racial strife, suburbanization and globalization (to name a few) all unfold right before your eyes. Detroit was the real side of our country. The non-Wall Street, Silicon Valley starbucks side. The side that made things, and did it well. That was the side that made us the most powerful nation ever, and the side that has been left to die along with Detroit.
I’ve never been there. From a distance I’d say I like what I hear from those who do. At least those who have time and access to computers and the web. The spirit of grit and vision is as american as it gets. I hope the successes grow, and snowball. That is the way it happens. Not by the nay sayers, nor the ones that can only see what is, but by those who can dream, and work hard enough to make those dreams come true. Wastelands are the wilderness of our times. Our ancestors faced equal challenges, right down to the violence and daily threat of harm, as well as corruption in places of power.For good to happen there is good for all of us, the whole country. After all, we are a country, and united in whatever destiny we carve out for ourselves. Go Detroit.
I love Detroit! I was born and raised in the Motorcity and I will always Love and support my city. I proudly wear my Motown or Detroit Piston or any other kind of t-shirt that shows where I come from, when I visit another city. I walk proud! I grew up in the Brewster Projects when the water sprinklers came on in the summer and watered the grass. When I walked barefoot on the hot cement and summers seemed endless. When selling drugs was not heard of. I moved to Georgia in 2005 for a change of life and when it didn’t work out I came back home. When the Greyhound bus driver announced that Detroit was the next stop I thanked God!!! I wanted to kiss the ground when I got off that bus. I love my city and I know it’s on its way back. (Smile)
Over the years, Detroit seemed more a region to me stretching from Ann Arbor to the Great Lakes, a mix of urban and country. Fresh water lakes define the landscape in my view, not the old decaying buildings in the city. Four distinct seasons also provide variey in what people can do, from swimming to skiing.
Now racial tensions emanate from the mostly black city, where 42% of the 100k student have to attend summer school (2009)because of a failing, corrupt education system. This leads to a lot of crime and violence. The city is full of hatred too – many people blaming the past instead of looking to the future.
My sense though is that the city is reaching bottom and can turn it self around. This could provide some excellent opportunities to capitalize on down the road.
I like the Detroit region for its past and its future – but not so much for what it stands for today.
I love the comments from people in Warren and Novi cities that border Detroit and they could be 2 to 5 miles outside of Detroit ripping into it. It is funny to me. I live in Waterford which is 30 minutes north of Detroit, but if I go to another state or country and tell someone that they will say, “Where is that?” And when I say “suburb of Detroit” they won’t see that eight mile line and see how beautiful things are surrounding Detroit. So I will just rep Detroit and rep it proud.
Amen to that! – From a fellow person who spent time in the south in Texas to be precise I know EXACTLY what you are talking about and that is why I came back.
My partner and I reluctantly left Ferndale and the Detroit area 4 years ago because of unemployment and the economy. We moved to greater Atlanta filled with hope for a new life and new opportunities. We are grateful that his new job pays well and he is happy with his position. Unfortunately we would move back to Detroit in a split second. We are tired of the nose in the air attitude of the south, i.e. ( you don’t live in the right area, you don’t drive the right vehicle, you don’t dress the right way, you don’t go to the “right places”.) We would take Detroit and the metro area any time over all the B.S. down here. They STILL call northerners “yankees”, it gets a little tiring after a while. When we are told we must just LOVE it down here, and we reply we’d like to move back…… we are looked at like we are nuts. I guess you really can’t have everything. We miss all our favorite places to visit and places to eat at. We miss our little house in Ferndale. We especially miss our families. We look forward to the day we can return. As Emily Gale used to say in the 1970’s “say nice things about Detroit”. Someone should bring back her ideas……. they are way overdue.
I lived 18 years in Flint Michigan. A area that is economically challenged. I had to move for opportunity…
Detroit isn’t as bad of an area as most of the country thinks. Detroit is the greatest sports city in the world. Any professional athlete that played in Detroit will tell you that… As far as buying property in Detroit, honestly I would not do that!!! its just realistic,i dont care if you pay 12,000… i bought a piece of commercial property in Reno instead… I kind of find it demeaning of being asked “why stay in detroit” i have family and a grandmother who will die in detroit. Detroit and Michigan people in general are mostly very basic people. They are very real and genuine. They actually never complain because the expectation to make a million isnt what is most important to them! I MISS HOME!!!! im going to do great things and always give back to my roots…
I use to live in the city. But i had to leave for the suburbs. Crime is rampant, the police never respond unless your dying. The ex-mayor, the city council, the abandoned homes. It’s so sad, but the people who live there have their heads so far up there butt that they are in denial of how horrible things in the city are! God help Detroit because the people who live there dont care one bit!!! Save your city people!
Detroit is a dangerous and putrid city. The only reason I stay is there are enough suckers to rent my lousy motorcoaches and I can still find more suckers the next day. Michigan Charter Service only exists because of the local populations low expectations.
Detroit may as well be the pit of hell. It’s so hopeless. I’m not a depressed person but when I have to go there, I am nothing but depressed. Everyone there is massively depressed and they have every right to be. There is nothing but flat ugly land, ran down buildings, empty shopping malls.
I hope the city is a ghost town in 5 years.
For everyone who doesn’t like this comment- get real. Get a life. Move.
Having Traveled along the Great Lakes and stayed in all the major cities I can tell you they’ve got some work to do in Detroit. I found MIL to be surprisingly nice, CHI to be over rated, and CLE to be spotless clean. It’s not that Detroit is bad, it’s just that it’s not good. It’s tough to find consistantly safe, clean, or well maintined places in the city. If they can get it together that city will be a real gem….IF.
Detroit is quickly becoming a laboratory for entrepraneurs. It is possibly the best location in the country for a new business that doesn’t have much start-up capital. Web 2.0 businesses are booming here because its cheap, we are adaptable, and we know how to hustle. Health care is a driver of growth here. Exporting engineering expertise is still our biggest competitive advantage, even in the global economy. Auto suppliers are re-tooling to produce new products for aerospace and the green energy sector. Following the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies, there will be plenty of cheap skilled labor to go along with cheap available factory space. If you are looking to remake yourself or remake your company, consider a place where you can work with a blank canvass. Detroit has its problems: vacant houses, poor schools, too much infrastructure for its population, negative perception. It has its advantages as well: cheap land, cheap labor, the opportunity to be a creator rather than a cog, location along major trade routes, grit and determination. If you are scared to create and would rather be told what to do, then Detroit isn’t for you.
Wow people really haven’t read the details of most of the comments because very few have only lived in Detroit. Most have lived elsewhere including myself I’ve lived in metro Lansing, Traverse City and as I’ve mentioned several times Austin Texas and visited umpteen times various other cities. And because of the people I love metro Detroit better than any of those places.
And the point was to interview and show why people stay in Detroit. Right now the auto industry isn’t the reason to stay, but the business opportunities and other things mentioned by the 13 people are reasons for them to stay.
Detroit is a city of promise. The city has all of the attributes to become one the greatest cities in the World. My wife is from Detroit and when we visit, I always feel the love and warmth of the city. Yeah, Detroit is struggling at this moment, but we need to think about the full potential of the city. My wife and I own properties in Detroit. We need to become more responsible and take the time to start controlling the input in the city. It does no good to complain. The best alternative is for all of us to do our part and return Detroit to promise; to put the city back on the map. The time is now, every decision big and small will be crucial to the future success stories and I have faith that the “D” will thrive one day. I believe in the city so much that I will be moving there soon, to be apart of the solution to restore Detroit.
I grew up just outside of Detroit,during the 60’s.Since my dad hauled steel we were part of the auto
industry. And we always, even back then knew it would end…after being in Az and Co. for the last 30 years, I miss the people and the attitude that Detroit nurtures. That is NOT a memory, folks. The honesty, versatility, goodness, and yes, stubborness remains and has seen that City through good times and bad since 1785.
They’ll figure it out…they always have.
Most of the “positive” comments come from people who’ve never been anywhere else.
I lived in the Detroit area for several years in the late 80s, visited several times on business over the years, and returned for a visit a few weeks ago.
Detroit was a cesspool then, and it’s gotten worse. Don’t try to tell us that there’s only one or two burned-out houses; there are THOUSANDS. Crime is rampant. There are no good jobs.
I left Detroit for western Michigan. I’ve been all over the state and I can tell you that the rest of Michigan is beautiful, clean & peaceful. Too bad the state’s economy has been built on an industry that’s been driven into the ground by unions overpaying unskilled people, criminals getting their way, and a corrupt city leadership.
If you love Detroit, it’s simply because you’ve never seen anything better.
Marcus you are hilarious you have like 4 comments on here and you are all the way in California how many years did have you lived in Detroit?
There are plenty of plans to make Detroit a better place, 38 movies were shot here and people are working hard to get that to continue process. People have also mentioned all of the business opportunities. Seriously if you are all the way in California why are you so interested in reading all 97 comments below you and making multiple comments about are city. Like many have said we are glad that the posers stay out!
We have a plan, we will rise. For every one comment on here about people that are from here that don’t like it there are 10 comments from people that love it AND like myself have lived other places and traveled to several other places. And then 10 more who just were born, raised, and never want to leave here. The statistics of the comments tell the true story.
But keep posting though this is a free country and you are so entertaining!
My husband is unemployed and has been for 8 months. But we are staying and we are fighting, I love this city and never want to be any where else after living in Austin Texas and visiting Houston and San Antonio. Nothing compares to here and I would never want to be any where else.
I love love Detroit! I have visited various major cities in the east coast and south and nothing compares to Detroit. Reading, PA almost gave me the same feeling but nothing else ATL, FLA, nothing comes close. Yes the weak are eaten or leave and only the strong survive and we like it like that and aren’t ashamed of it. Detroit is a culture, a feeling, state of mind and we work together and support it each other. And we get out and do things, every weekend is a party downtown from May 1st to Sept 15th and you always run into something you know. Not too mention the sports. I lived in Austin Texas for two years and it taught me Detroit is the best place in the WORLD! Oh and the cultural diversity. It made me laugh when I met people in New Jersey that said “I thought only white people lived in MI.” We have Mexicantown, Greektown, and plenty of nooks and crannies were every other culture can be found and lots of them get their own celebrations in the festivals downtown. Here’s to a city that can have a hoe down, techno fest and African celebration pratically in the same 30 day stretch!
Stephen from Fort Collins says “DETROIT IS A CESSPOOL”!
That might be a bit harsh, but otherwise, the tone of his message is actually quite sound. Namely, that no amount of happy memories and positive thinking will help Detroit into the 21st Century.
Holly from Memphis says…
“DETROIT HAS A RICH HISTORY”
She paints a picture of proud Detroit traditions. To her it’s all peaches and cream because it once was a nice place.
The comments contained herein seem to take one of these two approaches…
1. I like Detroit because I have good memories
2. I do not like Detroit because it is decrepit and irrelevant.
While the task was to write about “Why I Love Detroit” I expected to see SOMEONE say SOMETHING about how it was a viable city with a credible chance of surviving. “I love how Detroit is doing “X”, “Y” and “Z” to change form a traditional manufacturing town into a “???”. This ought to have come up somewhere in this discussion.
97 comments and nobody recommends a serious path forward. Instead the writers are clinging to their…”I Remember how it was good ol’ days before it became crap” versus “The City is crap and a lost cause”.
Until Detroit finds a real voice to be an advocate for improvement, it will be relegated to the dustbin as a fond memory or written off completely a lost cause.
Detroit isn’t just a city, it’s a culture.
Why do I love Detroit? Because in Detroit everything is within grasp. When you go to a sporting event, you feel closer to the players. When you go to a concert you feel closer to the performers. When you have an idea, you can make it happen. It’s all within your grasp.
It’s truly a beautiful city, full of opportunities and I’m truly spoiled to be a resident of it.
Detroit is a wonderful place to be from. I mean, God gave us Cleveland so that we’d have something to laugh at.
I’ve been away my entire adult life. And yeah, it is the worst place I’ve ever lived in. But it’s still home (GO, WINGS!!!)…
I have lived in the Metro Detroit area for most of my 28 years and have made the decision to stay so I can find out what happens next! There is a sense of real positive possibility among people my age and I want to be part of it.
It is also recently that I’ve really come to appreciate all of the gritty character of Detroit.
To all of the haters out there, you probably have never been to Detroit and experienced everything the D has to offer. You are probably the same people who have never left this country, yet, can somehow claim it is the best country in the world. How can you be certain of this, if you have never experienced anything to compare it to?!
I love my bars in the D… despite living in the suburbs, me and the lady frequent all of our favorites (meaning through the weeks and on the weekends).. Town Pump, Magic Stick, Detroiter, Jacoby’s, Bookies, Park Bar… there’s alot of cool bars and hangouts throughout the neighborhoods… all the chodes stay in Royal Oak and Birm., so it’s a very friendly city if you avoid the lame clubs
I love Detroit.
@ almost 40, Detroit has been in my blood since I was babe.
This city has a life that you can’t find anywhere else and I’ve lived and visited many cities around the U.S.
As a writer and author of romance suspense, I’m a human watcher and I’ve loved the vibe and creative energy Detroit gives me on a daily basis.
There is an unconditional love for this city that gets me up in the morning and makes me smile, despite the 15 minutes of bad news at the beginning of every news show. The problems, the struggles and even the violence in this city hurts my soul, but it won’t make me leave, because I know this too shall pass and the city will become stronger for it.
Even when you say the word Motown it means “something different.” That’s why I named my writing group, Motown Writers Network. I wanted to not only showcase Michigan work, but focus on Detroit talent and literary events in order to bring up the low literacy rate in the city.
There’s nothing in the air or water, that keeps me here. It’s the beating of the heart of the city, that pulses through my veins.
Sylvia Hubbard
Founder of Motown Writers Network
Author of Suspense and Romance centered in Detroit!www.sylviahubbard.com
I LOVE DETROIT!!!!! I currently live in Cleveland, OH. But nothing compares to home sweet home. I plan on moving back one day. Everytime I visit now, I notice things, I didn’t notice before. I wish that people that live in Detroit, understand what they have in a city. I miss Better mades and coney islands. I will always love this city. If you can make in Detroit you can make it anywhere. Mayor Bing, please do right by my city. Coming home soon!!!!!!!!!
I love Detroit and the Metro area because of its diversity and people’s kindness. I love the weather, we get to see the 4 seasons, and by the time we get sick of one, it’s almost time for the next.
People can make excuses about how the place they live/weather/job makes them unhappy, but the truth is that when happiness isn’t within, the environment won’t make a difference.
I love it for the house I haven’t been able to sell for two years that’s worth half as much as I owe.
Why I love Detriot is that it is the place where all my state tax dollars go. Not up north where I live, but in Detroit where they just can’t seem to be unable to pour urine out of a boot with accompaning directions on the heel. My child had to do an internship in Detroit last summer, so I visited on my motorcycle and took a trip around and through the city. I must say this, everybody was friendly! The city itself is trashed, but the people were excellent. I wasn’t shot at or mugged, and when I was lost I asked for directions and was ALWAYS given directions with smiles! We ought to give the city itself to whoever first claimed it – the English, French, the indians, give it to the damn Cleveland Indians! – just get rid of it. Throw in the Detroit politicians for good measure. But keep those good folks in Detroit, ya gotta love ‘em.
All the negativities towards the city of Detroit are absurd. Continue to let the big-timers on Wall Street to rob the hard-working middle class (and the majority of the Midwest) and this country will feel the domino-effect of unemployment, disparity, and a loss of control or one’s own life financially. Hate on the backbone of this country and all of these outsiders will feel the effect… when they lose their job! I love you Detroit, Michigan!!!
Detroit. What a cesspool. Judging by many of the “Rah-Rah-Detroit” comments posted here, civic-pride and blind-faith/stupidity are inextricably linked. Detroit is a dead! Nothing will change that. Not your fond memories of how it once was, not your hopes/dreams for a better tomorrow and especially not your “For gee-willakers sake, we can do any gosh-darned thing that we want if we try hard enough”
I say…BURN IT and move on!
I grew up in the Detroit area. I worked in Detroit for a number of years after college, and then I moved to Texas. I currently live and work in the Medical Center in Houston.
Why is everything in this Why I Love Detroit feature prefaced with “don’t get me wrong”, or “the city has a lot of problems”? I could only read these stories and shake my head, thinking you folks need to travel more. Yes Detroit is more affordable than other big cities, which is not necessarily a positive thing!
What I love about Detroit is the DIA. Around the riverfront and Wayne State there have been some positive changes.
But I’m sorry, I just cannot LOVE Detroit. I was just back recently, and was visiting Tiger Stadium. It was really sad, especially back to the time when Detroit wasn’t the dump it is today.
I invite all of you to come live in Houston. Talk about cities that get a bad rap. Houston is great, and it is a far better place to live than Detroit, and I say this despite getting hit by Hurricane Ike.
The people are a lot nicer and there is a lot more to do. We have great restaurants, parks and museums, and an outstanding mayor and city council.
I’m sorry if this is not LOVING of Detroit. I’ll still visit the DIA when I can. Casinos have ruined the city….
I love the city and area for all the reasons others have listed here. I do hate the 2-way racism that exists. And in a perverse way, I’m glad the area has the reputation it does. It keeps the posers away.
I lived in metro Detroit for 3 years, I moved there from Chicago and I am now on the east coast. I lived in Troy but went to law school downtown near the river everyday. Don’t let the pop culture jokes and media fool you, Detroit is a fine place with the potential to be outstanding in the future. It’s not glamorous like Chicago by any means, but the people are more humble and caring than any other people in the country (trust me, I’ve been around).
Don’t get me wrong, the city has a lot of problems and there is a lot of blame to go around. But I honestly believe that Detroit can return to glory if only some young people would move in and clean up the neighborhoods one by one.
Here’s the truth: Detroit is not an all inclusive utopia with lollipops growing out of the ground, as some people wrote on here. Detroit is not a third world failed state with bullets flying by you either, as some people wrote. Detroit IS a decent Midwestern metro area with some amazing people. If you have never lived there you probably won’t get that. Just looking at a few pictures of a few crumbling buildings is not an accurate or fair assessment of the city.
I have lived in Detroit for almost 50 years. I have seen the best and the worst of this city. Are we perfect? No Can this city turn around? Yes, We Can!!! There are people who live because this is where we want to live. I love my neighborhood. We all take pride in our houses. Manicured lawns. Flowers blooming. Clean sidewalks and streets. The tax base is low and a lot of people have either a low paying job or no job at all. So, what we need are better jobs. Better training, Bigger tax base. Which in turn creates better schools, better services, and a better place for all (city and suburbs)This city has hope. Where there is hope, there are always possibilities!!!
I love Detroit because of the history and the strength. There is nothing this city can’t do. I am so proud of the City and anyone that knows me, can tell. My father grew up in the City and I heard all the wonderful stories – still do! Now I hear him tell my daughter all of the old stories and history. I worked in the city for years. My 16 year old loves the city and everytime we go, which is often, we see something different, go to a different place to eat, shop in a different store. I have never felt anything but safe in MY CITY that I LOVE.
It’s a little unsettling that people from Maine to Washington who have never been to Detroit have such negative comments. As a Detroiter who lives and works in the downtown core, I take offence to their judgemental attitudes.
Detroit has heart and soul not to mention we are the home of Motown. We have theater capacity second only to New York City. We have world renowed Museums, Symphony and a beautiful Opera House. We are proud to have the largest Island Park in the US.
We are home to the Red Wings, Tigers, Lions and Pistons – how many cities have 4 franchises let alone 3 of which are in downtown proper.
There’s a lot the outside world doen’t know about Detroit, so folks take your blinders off and get educated before you make assumptions about our beloved City – Rock City!
I love Detroit, because I know any time I need a loan under the table I can always ask the city council. Heck, they won’t let me into any public meetings, because I’m white, but their loan rates and black market prices are second to none. Woot!
I was born in Detroit and grew up there in the 60’s. My dad was a Detroit police officer for 35 years. When the Tigers won the pennant in 68, we kids stood right at Grand River throwing confetti, and yelling with all the cars honking, etc. Exciting times, and lives that were lived in safety. Detroit was once known as the most beautiful city in America! I love Detroit because even though it has grown a bit wilder, and unkempt, you can still see it’s beautiful bones in its older architecture. It is a city that is alive, and real, and unafraid. I know it seems Detroit was built on the auto industry, but look further and you will see its potential for returning to beauty, as the auto companies shrink. Detroit is the Motor City, but it is also more than that: it is home, where you put down roots and raise up the beauty all around you. We can go no where but up.
Detroit is filled with such rich history. I remember my mom telling me stories of when she was a teen spending the whole day at the Hudson’s store downtown. She always had such fond memories of Detroit. As an adult I was afforded the opportunity to develop my own memories of downtown. Working for the automotive industry for several years the rich history of Detroit resonated in everything I did as an engineer. Red Wings games… Second City… The State Theatre… DSO… Baklava in Greek Town… Eating with my hands at the Blue Nile… The Tram… seeing Escanaba in the moonlight at the GEM right after the big move… and beautiful buildings downtown! Unfortunately, I do not live in Detroit anymore, but I miss its soul. There is no place like it on earth!
I lived in Detroit for 5 years and moved “up” there for work reasons. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I had there but I would never, and I mean never live there again. The only reason someone would stay in Detroit is of they lived there their whole life. It snows 8 months out of the year (I’m from the south, lol) and hot for only two weeks. The rest of the time it’s this gloomy gray matter chasing you all over the city. Should I say city or just a big pile of metal. Everytime my friends and I went out downtown our vehicles got broken into. It’s just a different lifestyle all together and honestly I never got into it. Stay away from Detroit.
Detroit is home! i may live an hour from the city but to be on 75 and see signs for Detroit it just makes me smile. I love the old buildings. Most of all I love that no matter how our sports teams do we still love them to the fullest! Deee-troit Basketball
One of my favorite spots in Detroit is the grand Fisher Building. It exemplifies the magnificent architecture of an earlier period, but remains relevant in times of change and bad luck. Detroit is a grimy, hard place, and we don’t have the luxuries of Chicago or New York, but we’ve got something else: pride, spirit, and strength. I moved here from Atlanta, and while I may miss that Southern Belle, I’m much happier here, living in a city of hopes and dreams and hard knocks. People are real, here–cut and dry. You either make it or you don’t, but whatever happens, this city keeps taking punches and keeps getting back up.
From outside of Detroit and way to be positive with this article. The only thing is the city is in shambles. City council is like a free freak show. Being positive in this situation just hides the many issues that need to be corrected.
I have lived in the Southeast Michigan area pretty much my whole life. We didn’t really go to Detroit when I was a kid because it was “dangerous”. So, because of this I missed out on a lot of wonderful things, such as seeing a Tigers game in Tigers Stadium before it was shut down.
So, as an adult, I find myself exploring Detroit and realizing that Detroit is a wonderful place, filled with great people and pleasent suprises. Sure, Detroit has its share of problems, but I have never once been a victim of the “danger”, whatever that may be. I invite all the naysayers to come to Detroit and find out for themselves.
I LOVE Detroit! I’m actually living in Flint (from the UK) and I have the say the city of Detroit is well and alive! The history is rich, it is full of life and there are so many cultures which makes it beautiful in itself – I love going to Detroit (especially when the Red Wings win and they have their Parade!! Let’s go Red Wings!!). It is not a City to be ashamed of, there are treasures hidden – there is NO perfect City anywhere! Me? I love it!
I am a young professional living outside the city. However, not a day goes by that I don’t wish I had some capital to invest in the city. Even with the economy the way it is, I see big things happening in the next decade.
Very purely: I love Detroit because its home. I remember going to Florida for two weeks in the summer of 1976…and I so looked forward to it as it was my first big trip out of state with my girlfriends. But on the plane ride back, as we taxied down the runway back to Metro Airport on an old Eastern Airlines flight, all four of us were chirping “Yes…Home…Motown. Thank GOD!” We couldnt wait to leave, but more than that,we sure couldnt wait to get HOME.
Thats all it is. Its that simple.
I consider myself a Detroiter, and I’m proud to express that wherever I go. I’ve lived in other places, and traveled the world. There is no other place like Detroit.
Simply said, it has soul – and people in Detroit have true character. We’re a down-to-earth, strong, and creative community, and we have centers of great thought-leadership and innovation that benefit not only the whole country but the world.
My favorite thing about Detroit reflects this soul – the cultural amenities. We have amazing music, theater, dance, arts, architecture here.
It will take a while for people to stop bashing Detroit – it’s been happily done in the media and in Hollywood for decades. Most of the people who do this do not have direct knowledge, so let’s recognize it as what it is — ignorance, but harmful ignorance at that. It’s unfortunate that now this same broad brush that’s been used on Detroit now is so popular to use on American autos.
Who just proved that their hybrid can go 81mpg with good driving technique and their car? No – not Toyota, not Honda. Ford.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wi7ENrJDxG4
Open your minds, allow for the possibility that what you’ve been fed through popular media may not be true and you may need to change your perspective. In the meantime, we’ll be here, moving forward through it all as we always do.
Detroit is third-world America. Don’t believe the media propaganda here. Lies, lies, lies. I dare you to move here, odds are you WON’T stay.
I came to Detroit to do a residency in Emergency Medicine (that was in 1995). I am still here providing emergency medicine care in downtown Detroit. Not all days are wonderful, but by in large, I find the people I care for to be enduring and tough. The people I work with are some of the best in the world. We “have each other’s backs”. I always say that I come to work so I can see my friends.
It is sad to see this city so run down. I see the pictures of what Detroit was and know what it currently is. Detroit is the ugly step child of the US, but with some care, it could blossom again into an industrial thriving community.
Detroit is a interesting place. On one hand, it has the best quality of life in the U.S.(people, food, prices, fashion, schools, etc)(BUT IN THE SUBURBS!). On the other hand it is the most poor, dangerous, corrupted government, unionized, high-tax place in the world(in the Municipal City). The City was high-jacked by organized criminals(Politicians/Union Tools) of the highest order 40 years ago and is quite a spectacle to behold today. You can buy a live-able house there for $2000. You then get welfare ($7000 per year per person and each dependent). You then get an under the table(no tax) minimum wage job ($10,000 per year). Add to that the proceeds from your part-time Drug/Theft/Robbery enterprise, and you can easily bring in $30K with no expenses like food(food stamps), or car insurance or plates(everyone drives without). If they cut out welfare, you could not make it on minwage/crime alone, and Detroit would recover as the slime moved to other big cities(The Unions vetoed that). Bight spots: you can get across the city in 35 minutes in rush hour(that would take 2 hours in LA or ATL. You don’t have to stop for traffic lights. You can actually get custom things made here; steel, autos. furniture, clothes(Aretha’s wacky hat!).Cars are 35% off sticker 360 days. The Air quality is pretty good(smog blows right into Canada). We have two Newspapers(pamphlets now) (although the unions don’t allow un-approved or fact-based articles in them). Great Coney Dogs.
We also have an Obama photo-op happy Governor who gives awesome speeches saying we have to “Invest in Taxes” so we can hire more bureaucrats, then the economy can recover. Did I mention the Coney Dogs?
I have spent my entire life looking at the skyline. I have crossed over to eat at Mexican Village, go to Red Wing games, the theatre, shopping, dating and just enjoying it all. There is nothing like flying in and seeing the Ren. Cen. and Ambassador Bridge. I believe it will come back better than ever. The people of Detroit are ready, we all are.
Though I live in the suburbs, Royal Oak, I have worked in downtown Detroit for 20 years. I walk the streets every day – rain, sun, snow, whatever. The things I love about working in Detroit – the variety of archicture (the Guardian Building is my favorite), John King bookstore (visit this if you are in town, it is awesome, more books than you thought ever existed and then some), the view of the river and being able to see Canada from my window.
I enjoyed witnessing the renovation of the Book Cadillac and Shelby Hotel (two architectural gems), the demolition of Hudson department store and subsequent creation of the Compuware world headquarters on the sight. Other things that I thing are of interest – The layout of the city was designed with Paris in mind. The center of the city is shaped in a semi circle. We call it the necklace. The three major streets shoot out from the center – Woodward (think dream cruise), Gratiot and Michigan Avenune (old Indian trail, the road to Chicago). Other things I love are the arts and culture we have in this city – the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Pewabic Pottery, all the cool clubs like The Lager House and Saint Andrews, and Tyre Guiden’s Heidelberg Project. And on a special note – Tom’s Tavern (you will miss it if you don’t know where it is and you have to knock on the door to get in). There is so much in Detroit to love. You only need to explore it. Once you find it, it is more than special. It doesn’t yell out to you like it does in New York or Chicago. You need to find it – word of mouth is key – but, like buried treasure – when you do find it, you will be so happy you found it that you will tell everyone you know. Detroit is the most underrated and denigrated city in the US. I am so proud of it. I hope you will visit and see what I see. A very cool city and fun place to be.
Detroit Metro has some of the safest family orientated cities in country like Troy,or Sterling Heights,or if you like more middle working class Joe there’s Warren and other cities in Macomb county,then if you like more urban,artistic settings there is the city itself and Mt.Clemens and the old suburbs of Oakland and Wayne county.Detroit Metro has every type of city lifestyle for every type of person.I love Detroit and Metro.I am glad we are getting our pride and sense of community back after yrs of political and media encouraging and exaggerating hate and crime for rating and elections.
i come from detroit and i love its home for cars and music the great out doors and lake michigan people in other stats vote to shut down detroit
amercians realized thad detroit makes amercian cars
I love Detroit because of the great history. America seems to have turned its back on the city but, a long time ago, it was the backbone of the country. I lived in Detroit for 16 years. My favorite place is Downtown.
there are only two cities in the US that compete with Detroit when it comes to heart, soul, and balls: New York and New Orleans. and those are the only two places an honorable detroiter should move. anything else is a cop out. and that includes chicago. and that includes royal oak.
suburban youth of southeastern MI take back your city, take back your birthright! it is sitting there waiting to give you its soul – on the cheap! are you gonna take it? are you man enough to take it?
Detroit is Third-World America! Your stories are all lies, propaganda and over-embellishments. More media B.S. as usual.
I dare you to move to Detroit. Odds are you won’t stay long.
I have worked in Detroit all my life, many years, and lived in Hamtramck, but recently moved to Detroit, almost downtown, to a wonderful loft. I love taking the buses and talking to people, I love everything about Detroit, always have. It’ll come back BIG soon, everyone’s talking about it. My favorite part is SW Detroit and Mexican food, culture, festivals, music.
Detroit has its problems but it also has a lot that is good. The foreclosures are tough, there are vacant houses all over, but if you are a first time home buyer you can get a fantastic deal if you’re careful. There is always opportunity in adversity if you know where to look. You can live for a lot less in Detroit than you can in many other cities. And the music (of all types) is great at all times—jazz (my favorite), rock, soul, R & B, house, techno—the list is endless. And Belle Isle park is a true gem—an island in the middle of the Detroit River that is one of the largest public City parks in the country and was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead the same person who designed New York’s Central Park. Yes, Detroit has a lot that is good going for it. If we all could just learn to live together a little better. Enough said.
Detroit is a Great, real and very interesting place.
TOTALLY underestimate. I tour outsiders around the city all of the time and get the same response. “This place is really cool – I had NO idea. I cant believe the things that I hear in the media vs. what is really here”
Please come and see the city – it is moving up big time.
Watch carefully America! The Midwest is in the process of a rebirth. The Post-Industrial region is transforming. Watch for the Death of the South and the Sun-Belt.
In the near future – Water will be the new Oil – and Detroit is at the Center of it all – Maximum fresh water.
Also, Cities with character, culture, interest, and genuine are in demand – the trends support this. 75 million Millennials want this -it is a demographic shift from Old People moving to the SUn. ANd it is just beginning. Detroit is far cooler than Houston.
Watch Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Vegas……STRUGGLE and wither. VIVA Detroit, the Midwest and the East Coast!!!!
I’ve noticed a pattern among the people who slam Detroit. They don’t live here, they never have, and they never will. They talk of crime as if they’ve experienced it, but they haven’t. They talk of decay as if they’ve lived through it, but they haven’t. Their entire perception is based on what they’ve seen on TV. And with that, they display their ignorance.
If I was opening a business, I’d do it in the Detroit area. Detroiters have a work ethic that can’t be matched. The cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. Detroiters are genuinely friendly, not self-absorbed like the “coasties” who have posted comments here. I feel sorry for those who have had to leave due to job loss. But I know that if they can, they will be back. Most do return. This area gets in your blood.
To those who hate Detroit: I pity you. While you’re running from a wildfire, or picking up after a tornado, or sitting in your daily 3-hour traffic jam, or watching your lakes dry up, or trembling from the latest gang war in your neighborhood… I’ll be sitting on a pier on the Detroit River, watching the freighters cruise by and waiting for a nice, fresh perch to take the hook. And talking to every friendly stranger who stops by to say, “Catching anything?” Because that’s how we do things in Detroit.
The taxes are way too high to operate a business in Detroit. Unless you have strong ties to the area, having a business in a low tax state makes for good business sense. The guy mentioned L.A. and NYC and those are also high tax states. Virginia, Florida, or Utah would be better.
I love Detroit because it’s original and keeps on trying. I worked downtown for the past year and got a new perspective of how great Detroit is. Walk along the river, hang out in Hart Plaza, get coffee in Campus Martius… And don’t get me started on the great suburban life, especially Dearborn. I love Detroit!
I have lived in 10 cities (including the Harlem) most suburban but four urban in my 48 years. While Detroit is not my hometown, it is where I live now and where I feel the most at home. The people have a crazy mix of pride and poor self-esteem about Detroit that make for complicated politics and publicity.
I do love it for many of the reasons and places people above listed. And having traveled all over the USA, and knowing there are places , regardless of how special they are to residents and natives, I could never call home. It’s not for everyone but it’s for me!
I love Detroit! It has an amazing history. It has residents whose families have immigrated from all over the globe! It has so much to do and so much to see. It has everything – from the sublime to the ridiculous! and you can never say it is not interesting. It has many people who are willing to not take themselves too seriously! We try hard NOT to live up to our reputation. For every bad story I hear about Detroit, I also know of people coming from all walks of life to live together and help one another. I love Detroit!
I grew up in the Metro Detroit area. It was a very unplesant experience. Crime was everywhere. Rude people. Few job opportunities. Once, I was almost shot by a low life who was having a bad day. I keep my wife and kids out of that place.
I’m from Downriver but have been participating in the city since I was 12 – 13 years old. I have to say out of all the places I have lived, there is no comparison to Detroit. Its a real town … I miss it disturbingly. There is a pride that I walk with everyday knowing that my roots are from the D. Its not due to its “bad” reputation but it is a cultural center for American Ingenuity. Where else models social-economics better than in Detroit? Where else can you say that there are generations of people that started musical revolutions that today can only be copied? Where else can I say that while 18 & 19 year olds were partying at frat houses … I was at an abandon theater bangin Techno in the city in which it was created! My upbringing is unique from being at the Shelter when the 3 floors were distinct but all party goers ventured into each others areas and showed love to eating Duly’s on a dirty plate in Southwest at 5:00 a.m. on the way back home! Detroit luv … Thanks for making me the soldier I am today! … There is no lifestyle that can possibly come close to the experience I had back there as a kid.
LETS GO REDWINGS! Thats the sound i miss most about Detroit (or as I like to call it Hockeytown). I live in Florda and anyone I meet down here from the Detroit area is very proud and is passionate about local Detroit sports. Detroiters and Michiganders know hos to REPRESENT!
I grew up in Detroit, and love it because it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than it is–hardworking and caring. We wake up in the winter and shovel our own snow and sometimes our neighbors. When a car battery stops a car, dozens of bystanders offer a charge AND know how to do it! The art institute’s Rivera murals and anywhere on the lake are my favorite spots. Thank you for covering the wonderful, too-often forgotten, midwest cities.
Unbelievable. How can ANYONE in their right mind “love Detroit.” It was the most disgusting place I ever lived. It is rampant with racism (both white and black) and the crime there is unbelievable. Just because there are a few nice buildings left does not mean it is a “lovable” city. Jeesh!!
I am a life-long Detroiter. I lived in Europe for two years and came back home. I am amazed at the ‘authoritative voice’ of the critics who have never lived or visited here. Detroit is a wonderful place for local artists, musicians and entrepreneurs and an enigma and a ’scary place’ for people who only know it from television and newspapers. Yeah, we have bad neighborhoods but so do all other large cities whose bad neighborhoods seem to escape the camara lens of the national media. Yeah, there are negative aspects of our city, but our negative vibe has been over-sold and sensationalized by media. Just came back from Newark, NJ and NYC a couple months ago on a visit – Newark – a big city and a dump and no doubt a jewel to many of the people who live there – just like Detroiters. Go to NYC outside of Manhattan, you find its no better than any other big city including Detroit. The only difference between Detroit and some of the other big cities everyone touts is that they hide their ’special cousins’ so no one has to see them and we let ours sit at the table with the rest of us. We have our beautiful homes and neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown, national and historic landmarks, we have contributed significantly to the country. We are real, we are strong and we know who we are.
I think Detroit is a great city but people overlook it. American Idol doesn’t even hold auditions there nor does MTV ever have Real World Detroit. If people only knew how great Detroit once was and still is. I hope Detroit comes back and shines again, because it’s a beautiful city with so much great architecture and history.
Marcus,
I looked on Google for stories about economic refugees flooding into Canada, simply because I haven’t heard anything about this supposed phenomenon. And I live here. The only articles I read involved a flood of illegal mexican immigrants, many of whom came from Florida, who were crossing at the Detroit border into Canada. These were not “Detroiters.”
Wow this was a real media piece of work. Detroit has its problems, Yes and they are not going anywhere as long as we continue to be the most racially divided city in this country!
People Wake Up!
I was born at Harper Hospital, next door to the mighty Majestic Theater and the Magic Stick.
I spent most of my life in Detroit, and while I moved away three years ago, I’d move back in a second if I could find a job there.
Detroit will always be home.
A day doesn’t pass where I don’t miss at least a dozen different things about The D, including – but not limited
to – the free summer music festivals like Arts, Beats & Eats,, the Joe Louis fist, the view of Canada from Hart Plaza, movies at the DIA, LaShish (R.I.P.),
The Blue Nile, knowing all the anchors names and the call letters of the local TV stations, The Metro Times, WHFR, the old WDET,
shows at St. Andrew’s, Coney Islands on every corner and 7-11s on every other corner.
The neglected old mansions and burned out shops tell stories that I never tire of hearing.
That’s why I’d almost always avoid the freeway and drive straight down Woodward to go see a show.
I now live very close to my immediate family, but most of my friends are still back home in Detroit.
But, the ones who know me best have names like Greenfield, Southfield, Dequindre and Gratiot.
These streets know my name, and they know me better than I know myself.
I’m grateful to have one job, let alone two jobs, and to have family nearby.
I currently live in a very pleasant area with a nice climate, but it lacks something
Why do I love Detroit?
The city has soul.
The negative comments here have nothing to contribute. They are the by-product of this recent American all-consumer middle-man mentality, buy sell but do not make anything. To create any product with your hands and make it last, you have to get your hands dirty, work with harsh chemicals (turpentine anyone?), and focus. Detroit for much of the past 150 years has been an industrial city and for about 115 years Americans have been proud of their industrial spirit and with cities like Detroit. It is only since the late 60s-early 70s that Detroit became a blot on the American scene. Before then this country was proud to have Detroit’s support at war and with the peaceful prosperity that followed, but today we’re prosperous spoiled children ashamed of our parents hard-working past.
Secondly, why even take pride in commenting what is obvious? Much of Detroit’s neighborhoods and schools are unquestionably a mess and disastrous–hello! But I suppose these brilliant observers of Detroit’s decline also the type to take pride when they recite “Roses are red, violets are blue”. Lame! How about something new and different?
As a native Detroiter, I am sad to see how things are going ! But I truly believe this is only temporary. If the auto industry fails, I am confident that Detroiters can be innovative enough to fill those factories with other industries! I was just discussing Detroit’s situation with a general Manager from a company here in Beijing, as we both agreed that other industries will come in to Detroit if the auto industry doesn’t recover. Detroiters have alot of faith and grit!It is a truly wonderful city! It needs to pick itself by its bootstraps a rock alittle!
I am a life long resident of Detroit. I will NEVER move. I love my city and I love my state. My dear husband who after 15 years of automotive work passed away this year…. loved this city as well. I know this city gets a bad rap. But I love it and I will stay with it!!!!!!!!!!!! Raising my daughter and unborn son in a place that has 4 seasons, has hardworking, nice people, best music and food and is culturely diverse.
The goverment is corrupt but find me a city that doesnt!!!
My father moved the family to the Detroit area just after WWII, to take a teaching position at Wayne State University. After military service in the ’60s, I attended Wayne State on the Vietnam-era GI Bill, lived on or around the downtown campus, got an unexpected job downtown, and bought an old house in a downtown historic district and stayed for another seven years.
Picnics watching freighter traffic on Belle Isle; going to Windsor for lunch; ad hoc dinners at the New Hellas Cafe in Greektown; riverfront ethnic festivals, and post-midnight coney sessions at the Lafayette…it doesn’t get much better than that. Hang in there, Detroit.
Freddy,
With reference to your “we’d go over the border…” story. Things aren’t so fun-loving anymore. Last year The Canadian City of Windsor – other side of the river as you might recall – was over-run with thousands of Detroiter’s who were describing themselves as “Economic Refugees”!!!! Google it for yourself to see the pictures and read the stories from last summer. The Province Ontario gov’t had to get special assistance from the Canadian gov’t to help with the tent cities and camps popping-up everywhere. It is an ongoing problem in Windsor and it is getting worse everyday.
Has it come to this? Is the USA becoming Canada’s Mexico? Families scrambling across the Canadian border under the cover of darkness looking for a better future. Look out Canada. Build a fence and build it now! Once this really gets started it is impossible to stop. Believe me, from my vantage in Cali’, I know of what I speak when it comes to illegals.
I maintain that we ought to pay close attention to what is happening in Detroit as it may be the fate of the rest of us.
It is an ethnically diverse, unpretentious place full of hard working, honest and warm people who helped build this country. It a city that was the cornerstone of our victory in WWII, establishing unions that ended worker exploitation, and a haven for those escaping racial persecution in the South.
In addition, I’ve always believed that while Detroit is not San Francisco in terms of sheer beauty, it has always done something truly significant; put the nation on wheels and has kept them there.
Lastly, Detroit is in Michigan a truly great state for 4 seasons recreation and adventure. You can travel anywhere in Michigan and never feel as if you fell off a cultural cliff. Michiganders are well educated, talk like regular folks, and treat visitors with genuine hospitality.
I was born there, I was raised there, and it will always be home to me. I remember going across the the border on Saturday nights when I was 19 so I could drink legally. We’d cross back over and spend hours in Greek Town enjoying the sights, tastes and smells that only Detroit could provide. The nightlife always had something to offer if you knew where to look. It took me moving to Chicago to realize how much of a culture I really had back home. In a city like Chicago, no one remembers your face and if they do, they don’t remember from where. In Detroit you’re remembered and your memories are shared.
I was born and raised in the city of Detroit, and moved to Central California about 10 years ago. I recently visited Detroit (home) back in March 2009; and although it was evident that the city is going through hard times now, I found the city to be vibrant with the many downtown casinos, and I believe they can turn things around for the better in the future. I really miss the hot summer nights cruising around Belle Isle, and late night Coney Island runs to the downtown Lafayette Coney Island. Hang in there Motor City! I have faith that my next car will be a GM brand in a few years!
Best few is behind home plate at CoPa looking over the skyline on a friday night. Second best place, rooftop of cheli’s. Third….anywhere in greektown
Ahhh, Detroit. Like a newborn Mole Rat, Detroit is an equally ugly City with a face that only a Mother could love. I regret that much of the negativity posted here is well deserved. Its population has dwindled to less than a third of what it was at its peak. Crime, Drugs, Abandoned buildings…I can’t decide if it’s more like a War Zone or a Third World Country!!!!!
The astonishing and rapid downfall of the Motor City is indicative of what happens when lose sight of what serves the needs of the Country and community and instead focus on quarter-to-quarter greed and manipulation.
Detroit has become a symbol of the path we have chosen as a Nation. Wall Street’s short-sighted, “race-to-the-bottom†mentality has driven jobs and our children’s futures to other shores. One poster referred to Detroit as a “burned-out-shell of a City”. Still, we should pay attention to the example of Detroit and learn from its failure. Such a lesson is vital because without some major changes in this country, we will have many more ugly children.
I agree with Angie A. I live in Maryland, and I miss my home. I don’t know why so many people have a negative opinion of Detroit, and cares so little about it. Detroiters are part of the US as well, and a lot of great people have come from this area. The area needs to be respected, and the city needs to be rebuilt.
I’ve been in Detroit all my life, my favorite spot is the skyline. It is so beautiful, even to a young “project girl” staring out of her subsidized housing window.
I stay in Detroit because its authentic to me, I fit. We are perfect together, and my family is here. Detroit is everything that is not reported on the 10 O’Clock news. God brought us through this far, why on earth would he leave us now?
Just an awesum town,alot to do see,great places to eat,love the casinos,best fishing around,the people are great. If you never been here….don’t complain,but you ARE missing out for sure.Detroit Rocks !!
Oh, boy, this is my hometown. I get so, so sick of people badmouthing it. The media loves to stick it to us whenever they can. But, if not for Detroit, there’d be on Motown, no Iggy Pop and punk music, wonderful beautiful Detroit Techno, the MC5, Aretha (bad hat and all), The Whit Stripes, and on and on and on. Or maybe no U.S. (arsenal of democracy). The rest of the country can turn its back on us if they’d like, but we’ll keep on doing what we do, bruises and all, and wait for everyone else to catch up to the real innovators.
I love Detroit because it is a big city with a small town feel. The people here are not pretentious and are hardworking. I love Detroit because it has been the recipient of so many firsts, like the Davison Freeway, first black music company (Motown, anyone?) and it’s right here at our fingertips. I love Detroit because like treasure, you have to search to find it. My second favorite city is Chicago but it’s all right there–I become overstimulated. But my wonderful, beautiful Detroit, I have to seek to find–it makes me all the more appreciative in the end. With the exception of 9 months in Flint and 4 years at school at U-M Ann Arbor, I’ve been here all my life. When I received my J.D. degree, there was no other choice but to stay. Those born and raised here that have left for other opportunities ALWAYS refer to Detroit as their hometown, whether they were actually born and raised in Detroit or just outside of it. This is because, no matter what others say or what we say about each other, we are PROUD to say we are DETROITERS!!!!
I was born and raised in Detroit. I love that city and am very proud to be from there. People from Detroit carry a sense of pride to be from such a great city. My father is a retired Detroit fire fighter and my whole family took pride not only in our neighborhood but in the whole city. It is a great city and it is such a shame how everybody thinks that it is a waste of space. Well it is not and Detroit will continue to be a great city no matter what people think.
I have lived in Detroit all my life and it would be difficult to live anywhere else. We have a great population of people that are nice and genuine. Detroit is an understated gem of America that is often overlooked. We have alot of potential, but it’s unfortunate that no one ever gives us the chance. Detroit is a great place to be. I would like to comment on the comment below: We are not in denial, In fact, we know how lousy the city can be. But why be pessimist. We move on from the cliche of Detroit being poor, crummy, and dirty and turn to the aspects of great downtown, great people, and great culture. And also, things have greatly improved from 10 years ago, which includes the freeways!
Detroit is not perfect and has never claimed to be. People don’t, and won’t, see the true Detroit. Not the burned houses or the bums, but the people in the neighborhoods and the culture we have that other American cities don’t. I LOVE DETROIT!
I love Detroit for the city it was when I was a kid and the city it is set to become. I love the jewels and venues and the architecture. I love the riverfront. I live in Washington, DC and hate it, but am planning my return for Summer, 2011 and cannot wait. I con’t care at all about the negative comments here. I’m glad the negative people are gone, good riddance to you.
I love Detroit because of the unbridled creativity and resourcefulness of its residents. When you have nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose! In Detroit, you can do anything you want, with the entire community cheering you on. What makes Detroit great is invisible to a casual visitor, and I’m not surprised by the negative comments from some of the “tourists”. You’ve got to know the ins and outs to get to the beautiful heart of the misunderstood city. I have lived in London, New York, and San Francisco, but no place compares to this crazy town. It’s gritty authenticity is incomparable.
The people who love Detroit, while at first pass, appear opptimistic and greatful…..are actually, in denial about how crummy it is….this denial will be the downfall of their city…just as the denial of the automotive execs about their crummy cars…is now their downfall…
I visited about 10+ years ago. The highways almost wrecked my car and the city scared me worse than when I was in south central LA during the riots.
I notice a pattern here a feel nice blah question while important news is brewing. Like GM’s plans re. reverse 100:1 stock split and pending bondholder shaft. What an amazing hint from pravda. The rally is a gift, time to get your house in order.
I moved from the Chicago area to attend Michigan State forty years ago, then moved to the Detroit area after graduation. Jewels of the city include the Gem Theater, the Fox Theater, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Belle Isle, and the summer ethnic festivals. People here are hard-working, friendly, and non-judgmental. It is a fantastic sports town, too. We’re within driving distance to wonderful metroparks, lakes, and more. I wouldn’t and won’t move anywhere else. I found my home. Thank Henry Ford for your 40 hour workweek, too.
I love Detroit because like the roach it’s inhabitants will be all that’s left after an atomic bomb, which is how i describe the look of Detroit- atomic blast.
Lived in MI. 40yrs before I moved to CO. Michigan is very segragated and that is one reason I don’t love Detroit. To all of you who are anchored there GOD BLESS and keep with the positive attitude.
I love the antics of that crazy city council! Monica Conyers is hilarious!! Non stop entertainment with that bunch of fools!
I love Detroit because it is genuine. I moved to SE Michigan to attend U of M 8 years ago. Since that time, I’ve left and returned. Many other places that are ranked as “top cities” are plastic and show no true personality. And unfortunately we allow the beauty of their sky lines to mask their problems. We fall for cities that are like “beautiful/handsome dates”, but lacking substance in substance. Detroit, with all of its problems, represents (simultaneously) the best of America (the ability to move up the social ladder) and the worst (what can happen when both racism and poverty are left unchecked). Detroit is like the person you’ve been married to for a long time; they may no longer be the beauty they once were, however, their inner beauty, love and loyalty towards you remains unchanged.
I grew up in Detroit. I often miss it. I haven’t lived there for 38 years though. After college even in the 80s there just wasn’t the opportunity there, so I moved to Minnesota where I got a great job. I look at my old street in Detroit on Google maps. A third of the houses are missing. Burnt down or torn down. I men tioned visited Belle isle fro my relatives last time I was there. I have very fond memories. They told me it was too dangerous to go there. too many gangland shootings and innnocents get shot also.
My brother stayed in Detroit. He is only 48 and got dumped by Chrysler 1 year and 3 months before he qualified for his pension. Maybe that could have been me if I had stayed in Detroit?
You gotta live where there is work.
Thank you for such a positive story about Detroit. As someone who grew up in the Detroit area, worked downtown for several years, attended University of Detroit, and drove and took the bus in Detroit daily, I can identify with the article. Some of my favorite Detroit memories, the Detroit Art Institute, prom night driving Belle Isle with several high school friends, historic Fort Wayne, the Thanksgiving parade, joint fireworks with Windsor for our joint U.S. Canada Independence Days, opening days at Tiger Stadium, Greektown, the RenCen on the river.
I appreciate such a hopeful article and look forward to Detroit rising again.
I’m a born and bred Michigander and have lived in the Detroit area all my life. I work in sales, and when people ask me where I’m calling from, they always seem sorry for me. If you’ve never been to Detroit, you don’t know what you are missing. Yeah, Detroit has it’s problems. But it also has so much to offer. Belle Isle, great sports teams (well, except the Lions….)awesome nightlife and outdoor festivals, the Dream Cruise, etc. For all the people out there who think we’re a lost cause, don’t go bad mouthing what you don’t know.
I would love to move back to Detroit one day. I think there’s a lot of potential and opportunity there. The key is to be creative–a person looking for a standard 9-5 job will be frustrated in Detroit at this point. However, an enterprising person with a good idea could do well.
25 years ago people were very negative about Brooklyn. They called it a “burned out shell” and said that it could never come back. Now, its a vibrant, economically healthy area with 2 bedroom condos going for nearly a million dollars.
As an African American entrepreneur, operating inside a densely populated African American city, I have a chance to make a profit! I can also be a living, breathing, tangible hope for future generations of African American children while recirculating my money back into my community, with those who support my business.
My favorite place is home, looking over the Detroit River into the world’s most beautiful park; Belle Isle and into our friendly foreign neighbor’s border; Canada.
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I was born and raised in Detroit and thus far have read several comments, some good and bad. I’m now retired from the U.S. Army and currently work for the DoD. As an African-American male, just surviving in a large city and succeeding is a great accomplishment within itself. I just visited Detroit this past month, and was truly saddened by the changes! As I drove through downtown, my old neighborhoods (Grand River & Livernois)(Joy Road & Schaefer) to visit relatives, I had to stop the car and shed a tear! However, I still love the “D” baby!!! Yeaahhh!! People who don’t understand; never will! When I was a child the excitement the city brought still resonates throughout my 43 year old body, as if I was a youngster awaiting the great summer block parties! When I tell my kids how much fun I had growing up in Detroit, they are intrigued with what; a “mobile swimming pool”? You see; yes Detroit is all these things and more of what was said by others, but for me it’s the love that my city, family, and friends have always generated despite it all!! As I surprised my my failing health Aunt Elizabeth on the Eastside with a visit, she had a meal waiting like she always did when we visited from SW Detroit after church on Sundays. I’m going to always remember the good times and will never turn my back on “DETROIT”! The day will come when we will rise once again!! As I drove to the airport to return to Houston, I promised myself that my kids will come and see Belle Isle, historical musuems & theaters, “Hitsville U.S.A.”, Greenfield Village, Greektown, and numberous other wonderful things to see and do! I want them to know where I come from, it’s rich history, and why I’m as resilient as the city I’ll always call home!! “DETROIT”, no place like it baby!