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'm 21 years old and looking to move to Detroit. I'm from Milwaukee and currently live in Madison, WI. I'd like to hear any advice and thoughts in general about the influx of young people into the city right now.
A bit about me- Im a young black/biracial woman who's been living on my own since I was 18. I dont go to college but I am an artist (well, Im a waitress like many of us "artists," but art is the passion). Its very hard as a young working class person to leave the city, even the neighborhood, where you grew up. I looked at a few cheap, mid sized cities with lots of "creatives" (Philly, Baltimore, Cleveland) but Detroit seems like my best option.
I would like any advice you have. What neighborhoods would you suggest? Not Corktown or Midtown, too pricey. I'm thinking southwest/mexicantown area maybe or Hamtramck. What are the safer areas of southwest Detroit? Should I buy a club for my car?
More broadly, do Detroiters welcome outsiders? How is gentrification in Detroit different or the same as elsewhere? Is every young creative who moves to the city in some way an agent of gentrification, and how can newcomers do their part to lessen/avoid the negative consequences living there might have on native residents? Thanks...
Well, I can't say it "hasn't" occurred, but it's generally happened a lot differently than in most other cities. For one, before young/more affluent people were moving in, the population was already falling and most people were already moving out. Most of the people left in the downtown area were generally just too poor to move and there wasn't many of them (compared to other gentrified cities). Outside of the area around Wayne State, people are mostly moving into what is statistically vacant areas.
There's been a few incidents where tenants have been forcefully evicted from their building for redevelopment, so of course no one is going to be happy being put out on the street like that so suddenly, but otherwise most new residents have been occupying what used to be vacant buildings and generally people are happy that positive things are going on downtown.
What people don't like is that most of the positive development seems limited to downtown and a lot of the neighborhoods around the city are still plagued with crime, blight, and poor services. Things are steadily improving with this new mayor we just got, but of course people have been waiting a long time for their neighborhoods to get fixed up and I can guarantee you most want it sooner rather than later. Some Detroiters feel that the downtown and midtown residents in general are more catered to than the long-time native population in the outer neighborhoods. So there isn't really animosity towards gentrifyers, per se, but people think things could be handled better.
And for the record, unless you're making at least $40-$50K a year, you're not tipping the scales much which is why I say gentrification hasn't really occurred yet in Detroit. The median household income for Downtown Detroit is just under $20K which is pretty low for a downtown area in this day and age. By comparison, your hometown of Milwaukee has a downtown (53202) median household income of $44K. And I think you'll definitely notice that Detroit still seems "behind" Milwaukee despite the positive efforts that are going on here. Most things of Detroit are going on vibe and doesn't yet have the more usual statistics you'd find in an already gentrified city.
As for your choice of neighborhood, Hamtramck is a good option with Southwest Detroit a good second. Both areas are more immigrant populated with South Asian and Hispanic communities respectively. Though Southwest Detroit has a bit of a higher crime rate due to slight latino gang presence. Hamtramck is a little bit safer in this regard, but generally still as rough as urban neighborhoods go. A club would help if you have an older car that doesn't have the newer anti-theft features on it. If your budget allows for it, you can try some inner-ring suburbs like Ferndale that are considerably safer but still affordable.
I'm looking to move out of metro Philadelphia to Detroit and you're making a wise choice. I tell people who aren't Eagles or Phillies or Flyers fans and don't want to deal with rude people to stay out of Philadelphia. As someone not into Philadelphia sports, I run into a lot of issues (because how dare a native person from the Philadelphia area hate the home teams?! Sheesh). When I visited Detroit and Roseville when looking at jobs and apartments, I found Detroiters and people from Roseville to be very welcoming. I prefer to live in Metro Detroit (Roseville) because it is cheaper and I have always preferred suburban living. Although, Downtown Detroit was nice and friendly. It depends on how much you have to spend a month on housing. However, I applied for a house in Hamtramck and have heard decent things about it. Animatedmartian (poster above me) and detwahDJ and MS313 have been the most helpful regarding my relocation... I would listen to their advice because it's thorough. I've had a lot of helpful people here, though, and very insightful. I just hope I can move soon (just waiting for a job and that house)!.
Good luck!
Last edited by jessxwrites89; 07-03-2014 at 11:30 AM..
I'm 21 years old and looking to move to Detroit. I'm from Milwaukee and currently live in Madison, WI. I'd like to hear any advice and thoughts in general about the influx of young people into the city right now.
Aside from locals from the outlying suburbs, I'm not aware of an influx of young people moving into Detroit. Midtown probably has the largest population of 20-30 year olds, because that is where Wayne State University's campus is located.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esealuca
A bit about me- Im a young black/biracial woman who's been living on my own since I was 18. I dont go to college but I am an artist (well, Im a waitress like many of us "artists," but art is the passion). Its very hard as a young working class person to leave the city, even the neighborhood, where you grew up. I looked at a few cheap, mid sized cities with lots of "creatives" (Philly, Baltimore, Cleveland) but Detroit seems like my best option.
Well, it all depends on what you want to do. What do you find appealing about Detroit?
Quote:
Originally Posted by esealuca
I would like any advice you have. What neighborhoods would you suggest? Not Corktown or Midtown, too pricey. I'm thinking southwest/mexicantown area maybe or Hamtramck. What are the safer areas of southwest Detroit? Should I buy a club for my car?
What is your price range? If you're thinking long term, it actually may make more sense to purchase as opposed to renting.
Not Corktown or Midtown? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but those ARE the up and coming neighborhoods in Detroit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by esealuca
More broadly, do Detroiters welcome outsiders? How is gentrification in Detroit different or the same as elsewhere? Is every young creative who moves to the city in some way an agent of gentrification, and how can newcomers do their part to lessen/avoid the negative consequences living there might have on native residents? Thanks...
It's difficult to move to any new city. You can attempt to find some local Meetup groups to help integrate into society.
I'm 21 years old and looking to move to Detroit. I'm from Milwaukee and currently live in Madison, WI. I'd like to hear any advice and thoughts in general about the influx of young people into the city right now.
A bit about me- Im a young black/biracial woman who's been living on my own since I was 18. I dont go to college but I am an artist (well, Im a waitress like many of us "artists," but art is the passion). Its very hard as a young working class person to leave the city, even the neighborhood, where you grew up. I looked at a few cheap, mid sized cities with lots of "creatives" (Philly, Baltimore, Cleveland) but Detroit seems like my best option.
I would like any advice you have. What neighborhoods would you suggest? Not Corktown or Midtown, too pricey. I'm thinking southwest/mexicantown area maybe or Hamtramck. What are the safer areas of southwest Detroit? Should I buy a club for my car?
More broadly, do Detroiters welcome outsiders? How is gentrification in Detroit different or the same as elsewhere? Is every young creative who moves to the city in some way an agent of gentrification, and how can newcomers do their part to lessen/avoid the negative consequences living there might have on native residents? Thanks...
Sounds like you have done some research. Southwest Detroit is the somewhat-tightly-knit Hispanic community (good food to be had there). Hamtramck was once majority Polish but now rather diverse. It has had a somewhat edgy underground art/performance scene, but things change. It is also surrounded by Detroit with edgy neighborhoods east and west, but is a pleasanter clear shot to Royal Oak and downtown Detroit. The homes are typically old construction and a rental there might be devoid of insulation (I experienced this). I lived in both Hamtramck and southwest Detroit, and was involved in the music/art scene (about 15 years ago). Things have picked up since then.
The industrial southwestern suburbs tend to be gritty but affordable. With previous experience, waitressing is probably good downtown, midtown, possibly up-and-coming Corktown, northern suburbs - maybe even Dearborn.
How much research have you done on the total art scene? You know about the Russell Center for instance? I don't want to waste your time with stuff you may already know.
Sounds like you have done some research. Southwest Detroit is the somewhat-tightly-knit Hispanic community (good food to be had there). Hamtramck was once majority Polish but now rather diverse. It has had a somewhat edgy underground art/performance scene, but things change. It is also surrounded by Detroit with edgy neighborhoods east and west, but is a pleasanter clear shot to Royal Oak and downtown Detroit. The homes are typically old construction and a rental there might be devoid of insulation (I experienced this). I lived in both Hamtramck and southwest Detroit, and was involved in the music/art scene (about 15 years ago). Things have picked up since then.
The industrial southwestern suburbs tend to be gritty but affordable. With previous experience, waitressing is probably good downtown, midtown, possibly up-and-coming Corktown, northern suburbs - maybe even Dearborn.
How much research have you done on the total art scene? You know about the Russell Center for instance? I don't want to waste your time with stuff you may already know.
Hey, if I get Write A House, I'd be living in Hamtramck. Where is that located in relation to the Detroit Zoo or Quicken Loans or anything?
It's about half way between the Zoo and Downtown (where QL is) on the near east side of Detroit.
Alright. I got a call from Quicken... so I will be talking to them on Wednesday afternoon after work. So, if I get the summer job in PA and Quicken... this should be fun! Of course I want to move.
Alright. I got a call from Quicken... so I will be talking to them on Wednesday afternoon after work. So, if I get the summer job in PA and Quicken... this should be fun! Of course I want to move.
Personally, as a younger person, I would stay away from Hamtramck. There is nothing appealing there whatsoever. Unless all you want is really affordable housing, I could think of several other places I'd rather live. Just my .02.
Are you sure you can't find anything in Midtown? I'd assume there would be affordable options there because of the college campus being right there.
Personally, as a younger person, I would stay away from Hamtramck. There is nothing appealing there whatsoever. Unless all you want is really affordable housing, I could think of several other places I'd rather live. Just my .02.
Are you sure you can't find anything in Midtown? I'd assume there would be affordable options there because of the college campus being right there.
Even for apartments that are within budget, pretty much all have waiting lists. This has been the situation in Midtown for the last couple of years.
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.
I got a call from Quicken... so I will be talking to them on Wednesday afternoon after work. So, if I get the summer job in PA and Quicken... this should be fun! Of course I want to move. 
