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From The Detroit News: In Detroit area, young, talented have better shot at being heard | detnews.com | The Detroit News (http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20100824/OPINION03/8240359/In-Detroit-area--young--talented-have-better-shot-at-being-heard#ixzz0xYCXtYjN - broken link)
• You're smart, you're talented, you've got new ideas.
In New York, you're a sparrow. In Detroit, you're a prized canary. This is Mecca for you, Mr. or Ms. Would-be Transplant, if you've got the brains and hustle to outwork and out-think the demoralized survivors of decades of renaissances that haven't taken root.
No other major metropolitan area will out-welcome Detroit's welcome. Give us your newcomers with moxie and talent. We'll mentor you, invest in you and invite you to parties.
• The flip side of a shrinking Big Metro Area is that some problems shrink, too.
Like big city culture. Cultural attractions that require advance commitments and plans in other cities are a snap here. Whether you want to snag seats for an opera, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a visiting ballet company or an NFL football game, you can almost always see it here without using bonus dollars or extra sweat.
You can see a Tigers game this weekend. Tell that to your brother in Boston. And the traffic? You can commute downtown in 20 minutes from 20 miles away -- choose the direction. My brother in Los Angeles can't imagine that.
• Detroit's affordable. Really, really affordable.
Here, a young couple can become landed gentry -- house, backyard, good schools -- for a fraction of the cost in a similar community anywhere else. In these shrinking-city days, a shrewd would-be homeowner can pick up a tidy, three-bedroom suburban house for what one used to cost here 15 years ago.
Or, if you're young and adventurous, you can move into Detroit and try out the social consciousness and pioneer spirit progressive young adults mouth so easily from Portland, Ore., to Burlington, Vt. -- places that entertain them but no longer need them.
"This is a place where you can take raw hope and be part of turning it into a brand new future," I say. "It's a unique time and place."
__________________________________________________ ___________
As a relatively young person living in the city, I can honestly say that all of this is true, except for the schools, which are obviously only "good" in the suburbs. Great things starting to happen at Detroit's core and the potential is almost unlimited. I was not an enthusiastic Detroit cheerleader when I first moved to the city, but there is definitely a palpable, positive vibe bubbling under the surface, mostly among younger people. People around here are buzzing about things to come, how things can be improved, and where the next big developments will be. Sure, there are still a lot of naysayers, but even most of them are slowly starting to come around to considering new possibilities.
This article, while idealistic, is very inspiring. If you are a young person reading this, take a close look at Detroit. Don't just listen to people who wrote the entire region off years ago, they have a poor perspective. Does the city/region have challenges? Yes; but on the flip-side, there are tremendous opportunities here. Detroit is really a place where you can carve out your own and accomplish things that in other cities would be impossible or attainable only by the ultra wealthy and connected.
People are well aware of Detroit and the fact that its NOT some hippie happy creative town, last time I was there I saw a streets that were cracked up, there were not to many houses still there and the ones that were were either burned down or looked like they were about to fall down. People standing out on corner dressed in rags (you could see that they all had a gun from the obvious gun shaped bulge in their pocket. All the buisnessed were closed or burned down, and there were not to many people around anywhere driving or otherwise. The suburbs on the other hand offer a lot in terms of the young creative individual minded person or anyone who thinks differently and wants to fit in.
People are well aware of Detroit and the fact that its NOT some hippie happy creative town, last time I was there I saw a streets that were cracked up, there were not to many houses still there and the ones that were were either burned down or looked like they were about to fall down. People standing out on corner dressed in rags (you could see that they all had a gun from the obvious gun shaped bulge in their pocket. All the buisnessed were closed or burned down, and there were not to many people around anywhere driving or otherwise. The suburbs on the other hand offer a lot in terms of the young creative individual minded person or anyone who thinks differently and wants to fit in.
The suburbs don't offer any alternative transportation that young people are seeking.
The suburbs don't even have completed sidewalks in many areas forcing people to walk or bike ride on the main busy streets with cars that are travling 50-55 mph. Grosse ile residents are even fighting the city govt about putting sidewalks in so the children at elementary schools can have a safe place to walk in the community.
Everything is too sprawled out for young people in the suburbs.
While I am NOT young, lol, I decided to make an offer (which has been accepted) on a house in Detroit, a while before you posted this thread. Thank you, ForStarters, for encouraging suburbanites and outofstaters to move to Detroit.
While I am NOT young, lol, I decided to make an offer (which has been accepted) on a house in Detroit, a while before you posted this thread. Thank you, ForStarters, for encouraging suburbanites and outofstaters to move to Detroit.
Hey Resmic, congrats on the new house! Your location is enviable. For a lot of people, it's a bold move to actually live in Detroit, especially when doing so goes against the ravings of the masses. You are obviously an independent thinker.
On this forum, there are people who see progress and possibility in Detroit, and people who think Detroit is already dead and not worth supporting. For me, the decision to live in Detroit over the suburbs has been much simpler- I really, really enjoy being in the city.
Clearly, Detroit has some hefty problems, and there will certainly be times when you find yourself saying WTF! But at the end of the day, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. If you crave predictability, Detroit is not the place to be. This city is a dynamic place right now. I like being inspired and energized by new things and new people doing new things. Everyday can be an adventure if you choose it to be. Whether you get involved in the community or not, you'll feel connected to something much larger than yourself slowly transforming. Personally, I didn't get that from the 'burbs, and I'm not sure if I ever could.
Usually, the best time make a move is when everyone else seems to be heading in the opposite direction. I am just one guy, but everything in my gut says we're finally trending up.
Thus, as a new Detroiter, I give you this brief list of things you can expect by living in Detroit:
1) Strange glances from suburbanites when you tell them you now live in Detroit (or inquisitory phone calls after holiday card season)
2) The sheer joy of having an entertainment wonderland in your backyard
3) The realization of how great it would be if mass transit ran down Jefferson so you could easily get to said wonderland
4) The unfortunate realization of your dependency on big-box stores
5) An appreciation for other Detroiters who aren't jaded
6) An eventual hyper-sensitivity to anything Detroit related (If a tree falls in a forest, you will find the Detroit connection)
7) An understanding of how easily Detroit's problems could be repaired if people cared
8) A strong desire to start convincing other people to get over their phobia of Detroit and start moving in
Hey Resmic, congrats on the new house! Your location is enviable. For a lot of people, it's a bold move to actually live in Detroit, especially when doing so goes against the ravings of the masses. You are obviously an independent thinker.
On this forum, there are people who see progress and possibility in Detroit, and people who think Detroit is already dead and not worth supporting. For me, the decision to live in Detroit over the suburbs has been much simpler- I really, really enjoy being in the city.
Clearly, Detroit has some hefty problems, and there will certainly be times when you find yourself saying WTF! But at the end of the day, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. If you crave predictability, Detroit is not the place to be. This city is a dynamic place right now. I like being inspired and energized by new things and new people doing new things. Everyday can be an adventure if you choose it to be. Whether you get involved in the community or not, you'll feel connected to something much larger than yourself slowly transforming. Personally, I didn't get that from the 'burbs, and I'm not sure if I ever could.
Usually, the best time make a move is when everyone else seems to be heading in the opposite direction. I am just one guy, but everything in my gut says we're finally trending up.
Thus, as a new Detroiter, I give you this brief list of things you can expect by living in Detroit:
1) Strange glances from suburbanites when you tell them you now live in Detroit (or inquisitory phone calls after holiday card season)
2) The sheer joy of having an entertainment wonderland in your backyard
3) The realization of how great it would be if mass transit ran down Jefferson so you could easily get to said wonderland
4) The unfortunate realization of your dependency on big-box stores
5) An appreciation for other Detroiters who aren't jaded
6) An eventual hyper-sensitivity to anything Detroit related (If a tree falls in a forest, you will find the Detroit connection)
7) An understanding of how easily Detroit's problems could be repaired if people cared
8) A strong desire to start convincing other people to get over their phobia of Detroit and start moving in
So when's that housewarming party gonna be....?
LOL, I'll send an invite in the mail.
And, thank you for that list of things to expect. Sounds like I did the right thing.
I think this is an inspiring article and wish people would start moving into, instead of out of, our rust belt cities. I'm from Michigan, and all I ever heard from my parents were horror stories about Detroit and Flint. To move into the city is unthinkable to many Michiganders. I have noticed a difference living in Pittsburgh -- while we do have sprawling suburbs, living within the city limits is not stigmatized, and is actually fashionable depending on the neighborhood.
People are well aware of Detroit and the fact that its NOT some hippie happy creative town, last time I was there I saw a streets that were cracked up, there were not to many houses still there and the ones that were were either burned down or looked like they were about to fall down. People standing out on corner dressed in rags (you could see that they all had a gun from the obvious gun shaped bulge in their pocket. All the buisnessed were closed or burned down, and there were not to many people around anywhere driving or otherwise. The suburbs on the other hand offer a lot in terms of the young creative individual minded person or anyone who thinks differently and wants to fit in.
This is exactly why I did not want to live in the Metro Detroit area. The division between the suburbs and the city is ridiculous. I don't understand how you can live 4 miles away from something (In this case one of the largest cities in the US) and pretend it's not there. That sort of attitude doesn't help anyone. For those young people searching for a city life, with all the creatives, vibrancy, and public transport usually wanted with that, the suburbs are NOT going to cut it. You cannot live in the Metro Detroit area without a car. Plain and simple. And gas? Driving to Warren for karaoke, then Royal Oak for a bar, after coming from Novi for dinner? All from Southfield? It's ridiculous.
And could you clarify "anyone who thinks different and wants to fit in?" I haven't quite found that in the suburbs either. It seems to be all "Look! I don't live in Detroit! I live in "Insert suburb" so I'm fine!" As this city beside them becomes the worst case of urban decay in history.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForStarters
4) The unfortunate realization of your dependency on big-box stores
Isn't it sad that there aren't national chain grocery stores in the city? The whooole goddamn city? On one hand, I like that independently owned stores are there, but sometimes they just can't compare with a Meijer.
I don't understand how you can live 4 miles away from something (In this case one of the largest cities in the US) and pretend it's not there.
Very simple. Many in the suburbs are too busy living their own lives to waste their time trying to tell Detroiters how to live theirs. If Detroiters want to burn down houses, kill each other, etc. that is their choice. Who are we to tell them that they shouldn't do such things? We should mind our own business, shouldn't we?
If Detroiters want to burn down houses, kill each other, etc.
Well, THAT'S a bit of a blanket statement, isn't it?
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