"Detroit Turnaround" (credit, place to live, moving)

[detroitlove]

From some of the comments on this site, I've come to the conclusion that non Michiganders are more into being apart of Detroit future and possible "turnaround" than most Metro Detroiters. Does anybody else see this? I mean there are a couple of threads of people, mainly from the eastcoast, wanting to relocate to Detroit (the city). It just seems as if the Metro Detroiters are main ones who try to push them to the suburbs more, even if the posters is clear on wanting to live in the city. Not all suburbanites but many.

any thoughts?

btw this is not meant to be a negative thread, so if you're a Detroit hater please skip

[Ohio248]

The issue of a "Detroit turnaround" is debatable, and this is why you see difference of opinion.

If you're asking why outsiders appear to have a rosier view of the situation, have you ever considered that outsiders don't know the city and region as well as folks who actually live here?

[detroitlove]

Originally Posted by Ohio248

The issue of a "Detroit turnaround" is debatable, and this is why you see difference of opinion.

If you're asking why outsiders appear to have a rosier view of the situation, have you ever considered that outsiders don't know the city and region as well as folks who actually live here?

many people who live in the "area" don't know about present day Detroit themselves.

[Ohio248]

Originally Posted by detroitlove

many people who live in the "area" don't know about present day Detroit themselves.

This is true; there are many idiots who don't know the first thing about Detroit, and say stupid things like "nuke the whole city" or whatever.

But keep in mind that skepticism re. a turnaround does not mean someone is necessarily an ignorant idiot. One can have differences of opinion on the matter, IMO.

[Osito]

I think that's probably a fallacy. There are people in Detroit who I'm sure couldn't care less about the condition of their city. And then there are those who make up for it with the way they care and then some.

[ForStarters]

I think older Metro Detroiters look at the city and become disenfranchised because they remember what Detroit was and how far it has fallen. To them, Detroit is like a kind of "paradise lost" that once was but never will be again. Those who have loved Detroit and lost are very pessimistic about Detroit's future. They believe that because they couldn't save the city, nobody can.

Outsiders don't have that institutional memory that leads to preconceived notions. They may even be attracted to the city's indelible grittiness. They don't share in our city-suburb animosity nor do they view the region as fragmented. To them there is no distinction between Detroit and Oakland County. It's all just "Detroit."

Outsiders and younger Metro Detroiters look at the city and see opportunity. We are aware of the city's history, it's reputation, and former glory, but we don't have that cynicism caused by Detroit's fast rise and sharp fall. To newcomers, Detroit is what it is. We tend to focus on the assets that are still intact and what can be built up around them. Outsiders bring fresh perspectives and ideas that have worked elsewhere and apply them where strategies have been stagnant.

To answer your quetion, I think many Metro Detoiters have been convinced that the city will continue its decline and they either want such perspective vindicated or are unable to suspend their disbelief long enough to see the positive progress that is already going on. They tend to write off new developments as minuscule or a waste. But, whether some people acknowledge it or not, Detroit really is getting better by the day. Almost daily there is a new businesses locating in the city, a building being renovated, or some positive news story coming out of the city. If you tracked these occurrences on a line graph I think you'd see that they are steadily increasing in number as time goes on.

In any event, Detroit is on the mends and will continue to improve despite the cynical outlook of many. Outsiders and younger Metro Detroiters are key to making that happen. However, if the older folks or those that have been burned by Detroit in the past can find a way to put all that that behind them and work with us or even just root for us, it would combine the old with the new and we could build this city back as a team. How beautiful would that be?

[canudigit]

Beautiful post, ForStarters. I tried to rep you but C-D won't let me. Consider yourself repped.

[Retroit]

What I see is a lot of Detroiters moving out of the city. That is a good indication that it's not a good place to live.

I think the reason a lot of out-of-towners want to move to Detroit is because they read posts by ForStarters describing the "rebirth" of downtown and midtown and they assume he is talking about the whole city.

[ForStarters]

Originally Posted by Retroit

What I see is a lot of Detroiters moving out of the city. That is a good indication that it's not a good place to live.

I think the reason a lot of out-of-towners want to move to Detroit is because they read posts by ForStarters describing the "rebirth" of downtown and midtown and they assume he is talking about the whole city.

While I appreciate all the credit, I really doubt I am a one person catalyst for Detroit's rebirth. There are some stand-out people who have become icons with their success and are attracting entrepreneurial and opportunistic outsiders to Detroit. They're the real driver. I just post about their accomplishments along the way. It's been a great ride.

I'd like to add that it only takes about 10 minutes browsing this forum to see that Detroit is just like any other city, i.e. it's not all cut from the same cloth. Some areas are making great progress while others are most definitely in decline. That's to be expected. I don't think anyone is deceived into thinking that every corner of Detroit is reaching for the sky.

[Jwo85]

Originally Posted by Retroit

What I see is a lot of Detroiters moving out of the city. That is a good indication that it's not a good place to live.

I think the reason a lot of out-of-towners want to move to Detroit is because they read posts by ForStarters describing the "rebirth" of downtown and midtown and they assume he is talking about the whole city.

It's not just Detroit, it's michigan in general were you see a lot of people moving out of the state. This is the only state out of 49 that has lost population.