Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've lived in the Detroit area (and still visit it quite frequently) and am currently living in the Phoenix area, so I'll chime in.
Culture: Detroit wins the debate on culture based upon its breadth and depth of cultural activities. Detroit has some truly unique attractions such as The Henry Ford, Greenfield Village, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Belle Isle (even though it's in need of some TLC) that Phoenix can't compete with. One of the most unique aspects of the Detroit area are the cultural "enclaves" such as the very strong Jewish cultural presence in the Bloomfield area, the Italian and Polish influence in Macomb county, the Middle Eastern influence in Dearborn and surrounding area, and the African American influences in Detroit (along with their associated unique cultural activities, restaurants, and markets). There is really nothing in Phoenix that compares except for some of the Mexican and Asian markets. In addition, the Detroit Area has a number of well-established community and regional theater groups. Phoenix is improving greatly in the breadth and depth of cultural activities though, so while Phoenix is the "desert" it really isn't a cultural "desert", just that a lot of the cultural locations and activities are less established than comparable activities / venues in Detroit.
Climate: Nothing beats a Detroit summer or a Phoenix winter. The summers in Phoenix tend to last forever (with 90-100 degree highs from mid May - mid September) but the winters in Detroit tend to last forever (with 30 and below weather commonplace from mid November - mid March). I would give the edge to Detroit in terms of a beautiful spring season (mid-March - May) and the fall colors in September and October are also beautiful. Phoenix does have a nice wildflower season in late January / early February. I'd say overall it's a toss up between those who prefer 4 seasons (with a very long, very cold winter) to those who prefer no snow (with a very long, very hot summer) and more mild - warm winters, springs, and falls.
Education Level of the People: The Detroit area wins on an educational level. Plus, there is a greater variety of 4 year and masters educational institutions within 120 miles of Detroit (University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, University of Toledo, Wayne State, Oakland University, University of Detroit, University of Michigan - Dearborn, Unversity of Michigan - Flint, Baker College, Walsh College, Kettering University. Phoenix essentially has Arizona State (and its various campuses), Northern Arizona Unversity, University of Arizona, Thunderbird International School of Management, and Grand Canyon University. Phoenix also has Midwestern University and AT Still University for Masters and Medical training. I believe that Detroit probably has a slightly more educated population. However, there are a number of blue collar workers in Detroit and a number of service industry type workers in Arizona (and their percentages of the total population are probably pretty even). I'd say that this category (by a slight margin) goes to the Detroit area.
Healthiness of the People: By and large, I believe most Phoenicians are more health conscious and outdoorsy than the Detroit area, so I'll have to say that this category goes to Phoenix.
Economy: Both the economy of Phoenix and the economy of Detroit were hit hard during the recession. Phoenix was a boom-town from 2000 - 2007 wheras Detroit had been somewhat stagnant since the mid - 1980s. Both have began steady recoveries within the last couple of years. I believe that wages and quality of jobs are higher in Detroit at the moment but the quantity of jobs is probably greater in Phoenix at the moment. I'd say that this category is a tie between the two regions.
Vibe: Detroit has a "gritty" vibe about it. People from Detroit (and the metro area) are immensely proud of their city / state (even if they do routinely complain about its flaws). Phoenix is more of a transient area with less of a distinct vibe. I'd say that for distinctness, metro Detroit wins this battle.
Scenery: The Detroit area is located in probably the least "scenic" parts of the state of Michigan. There are a number of lakes within the metro area, but it's mostly flat. The Phoenix area has mountains and bluffs that surround the area (as well as within the area). I'd say that the Phoenix area's scenery is superior to Detroit's. However, the state of Michigan is beautiful (especially the inland lakes and towns around the Great Lakes) and the State of Arizona is also beautiful (Prescott, Sedona, the Grand Canyon, the Rim Country) etc. When you factor in the two states, I believe it's a tie but when it comes to the metro areas, metro Phoenix wins.
Pace: Both the Detroit area and the Phoenix area are slower paced versus the East/West coast regions. I'd say that this is a tie.
Amenities and Convenience: Contrary to popular belief, things seem to be much less spread out in the Phoenix area than the Detroit area. The Phoenix airport is more centrally located. Also Phoenix tends to have restaurants/retail positioned where there is a full variety of activities and amenities (retail, restaurants, movie theaters) within a 10 minute drive of most of the populated areas. In the Detroit area (especially the further away from the city center) things become MUCH more spread out. Also, the highway system in Phoenix allows most of the major points of interest to be within a 30 minute drive of pretty much anywhere in the area. There are points of interest in the Detroit area that are easily a 60 minute drive from one another. Phoenix also has a much more centrally located airport. I'd give this category to Phoenix.
Things to Do: Both areas have a large number of things to do on a regular basis. I believe that the Detroit area has a larger variety of cultural activities and the Phoenix area has a larger variety of outdoor activities. Both have plenty of movie theaters, ice skating rinks, bowling alleys, bars, restaurants. I believe the Phoenix area has a better nightlife and restaurant scene versus the Detroit area. I'd probably give the edge here to Phoenix in terms of sheer variety.
Politics: The Detroit area is a moderate - liberal (made up of Democratic and Moderate Republican politicians) dominated area versus the Phoenix area which is moderate - conservative - libertarian (made up of some Democratic politicians - moderate Republicans at the local level and Conservative Republicans at the state level). Both areas have their share of corrupt politicians / issues. I prefer the more moderate nature politically of the Detroit area to the more extreme right wing politics that seem to permeate the Phoenix area.
Religion: Both areas have religious opportunities for every denomination and faith. Neither region will force religion upon those that are non-practicing. I believe that in this category, the two areas are pretty even.
Traffic: Both areas have well developed freeway and arterial roadway systems. Neither area is known for having horrible traffic, but both can have slow traffic and congestion during rush hours. Mass transit also isn't very well developed in either city. The Phoenix area has a better mass transit (bus / light rail) system than the Detroit area. Vehicular traffic is probably a draw between the two areas.
Crime: This is the # 1 problem in the Detroit area, and the city really has been a hotbed of violent crime since the 1960s. Phoenix (city itself) has bad areas, but no place which I would feel uncomfortable in during the daytime hours. The suburban areas are both pretty comparable. I believe that the Phoenix area wins in this category.
History: Detroit was founded in 1701, incorporated in 1806, and has had over 100,000 residents or more since 1880. Phoenix was incorporated in 1881 and it hit the 100,000 resident mark in 1950. Detroit has a lot more history (historical architecture), historical people, historical stories than Phoenix. However, the Phoenix area wins this battle in terms of Native American history. Overall, I believe that the Detroit area wins in this category.
Cost of Living: Due to the long winters of Detroit and long summers in Phoenix, energy costs are probably a concern both places. Both places are known for reasonable costs of living, with large amounts of housing at every price point and level. I believe that this category is a tie.
Gay Community/Life: I don't know much about this in the Detroit area. I do know that metro Phoenix has a growing gay community (concentrated in Central Phoenix between 7th Ave and 7th St) with a number of gay bars, groups, and churches throughout the area. Both areas are gay tolerant, but I believe Phoenix probably has more of a "live and let live" mentality.
Overall I believe that Detroit is probably a better place to raise a family and Phoenix is a better place to be a college student, a young professional, or a retiree.
I'm not a huge Detroit expert, when to MHacks in January. It seemed like Quicken Loans was the only huge company expanding there. I know Phoenix has State Farm, Apple and a couple other Fortune companies building new huge facilities. I felt safe walking around at night, but I always see on the new about all of the abandoned building that drug abusers hide out in that need knocked down.
For me Phoenix climate wins hands down. Winter in Detroit was miserable when I was there for 3 days, and I saw that flooding they had the other week on some of their main streets. I'm fairly certain Phoenix has a lot nicer suburbs. Phoenix for sure has the best roads and traffic over Detroit if not every other large city. In winter Detroit was covered in potholes. Phoenix has a decent amount of companies moving there and a pretty good start up scene while Detroit's all stays in Ann Arbor. Sports teams are pretty equal, although the Red Wings are definitely better.
Phoenix still has a lot of people moving there, while the opposite is happening to Detroit. Mill Ave in Tempe(Phoenix's suburb, home to ASU) is for sure better than any party scene in Detroit.
Detroit is going on a hiring binge right now due to the brain drain of the economic recession. Quicken Loans is not the only company hiring. Ford, GM, and Chrysler are on a better financial footing right now and are hiring. Automotive suppliers are starting to hire as well.
The OP asked about the metro area and not the central cities. Comparing cities, Phoenix wins hands down. Comparing metro areas it's pretty even.
I believe that the summers in the Phoenix area and the winters in the Detroit area wear on you over time. Every summer in the Phoenix area feels more miserable than the summer before. Every winter in the Detroit area also feels more miserable than the winter before.
Phoenix does have better roads and a better nightlife scene. I agree that Sports teams are pretty equal.
If you're ever interested in a hybrid of the two cities then I personally recommend checking out Juarez, Mexico too. The climate and landscape will be more akin to Phoenix, but the "social" attributes will be more like inner city Detroit on super-steroids.
Food for thought.
This isn't food for thought. As I reminded the last poster, the OP asked about the metro area and not the central cities. The metro areas are VERY similar. Metro Detroit has some advantages and Metro Phoenix others.
I knew there was something I liked about you. He's been in the Detroit forum for the last few days claiming he's being recruited by an automotive firm. Making outlandish statements that someone who's only information was stereotypes would make. The Detroiters have been welcoming and reassuring that he'd be fine but he never seems to be able to be convinced.
He made the claim that he'd have to get used to not having coniferous trees around by moving from CT to Michigan...............Not having coniferous trees in Michigan..................Michigan a state that's 65% covered by coniferous forests.
I strongly encourage people not to take part in this discussion as it's being posted by a disingenuous poster who is pitting two cities that often don't get the respect they deserve against each other. Two cities that are working hard to make themselves better places to live. Cities that are far better places than this guy will allow them to have credit for.
I don't think it's coincidental or Ironic that he never seems to be considering moving to a place that doesn't get stigmatized by the coastal elitists. No i'm starting to be convinced that Nep hasn't actually experienced much in terms of the places he talks about, but has watched enough tv, and seen enough posts to exploit tired stigmas. I think this has more to do with trying to earn that $500 and drum up conversation.
Get a life....my god.
If YOU don't want to participate in my threads, then don't!
I personally think that the massive amount of urban decay and ridiculously high crime rate of Detroit tend to cancel out most, if not all of the positives of living there.
Why on earth would the OP decide to move to a bombed out ghetto within the city itself? I mean a full 85% of people who live in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area live in the everyday-American suburbs, many of which are VERY nice.
I don't know why people hear Detroit and think only of the 10% of the metro area that is pockets of the high-crime struggling inner-city area (some areas of the city are perfectly fine - the areas where people actually still live).
I actually really like the Detroit area. Cheap cost of living, well kept and safe. Not the best economy, but it's laughable what some people think who just haven't been there. Downtown Detroit is very beautiful with the old architecture, Greektown, the casinos and the riverfront, sports stadiums, etc.
For me Phoenix climate wins hands down. Winter in Detroit was miserable when I was there for 3 days, and I saw that flooding they had the other week on some of their main streets.
Phoenix floods almost every time it rains. Thank goodness its not too often! Last week was really bad, parts of I-17 had to be shut down, and helicopter rescues were required from people trapped on their rooftops.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghdana
I'm fairly certain Phoenix has a lot nicer suburbs.
Detroit metro has nice suburbs and bad burbs, no different than Phoenix. Lots of crappy areas here, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghdana
Phoenix for sure has the best roads and traffic over Detroit if not every other large city. In winter Detroit was covered in potholes.
Roads here are better, true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ghdana
Phoenix still has a lot of people moving there, while the opposite is happening to Detroit. Mill Ave in Tempe(Phoenix's suburb, home to ASU) is for sure better than any party scene in Detroit.
Mill in Tempe is lame. Its just college bars, some restaurants and sports bars, not too much else. And its full of frat idiots. Nothing to write home about unless youre a college kid and your entire vocabulary consists of the words "dude", "broski", "brews" and "babes".
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
j/k
