interesting and (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Farmington: sales, crime, homes)

[homersimpson]

I plan to visit Detroit in the Spring (when the weather is nicer and more daylight)! I hear that is undergoing urban decay. How many abandoned homes does it have and buildings? I wonder what the school systems are like. Is there much to offer there downtown?? I hear it has a bad crime rate! I should be careful if I am in the bad neighborhood

I hear that a Super Kmart in 2003 closed and a Target and Toys r us closed in 2003. IS Detroit really starved of Retail.

[Dexterguy]

If you are planning to move to the Detroit area then I will give you some advice about what you asked. Yes, there are bad parts of Detroit but not all Downtown, Midtown, New Center, Corktown, for examples are nice areas to live. Detroit public schools, I am going to be straight forward, they are in bad shape, the have been closing tons of schools all over Detroit for years. Education wise they are very poor. Retail in the city has been falling apart for years. They are currently in the process of bringing more retail into Downtown. You want to stay out of the poor neighborhoods. Many of these areas are dangerous. If you want to move to Detroit I would advise you to move to the areas that I mentioned above. Or move into the closer in suburbs because you will be close to the city, but will not have to deal with Detroit Public Schools. And many of the close-in suburbs do not have declining neighborhoods and have much better schools compared to DPS.

[Coldjensens]

This is very accurate. Retail is beyond bad, it is basically non-existient. I have no idea where people in Detroit find groceries.

The downtown area is neat, but it is pretty tired. Still I see groups of tourists from other countries from time to time so the tour companies must think it is worthwhile.

Detroit has a few good schools. They are magnet charter schools. One, renaissance, is excellent, one of the best schools in the state. When we visited, the kids we unusually polite nd respectful.

[homersimpson]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

This is very accurate. Retail is beyond bad, it is basically non-existient. I have no idea where people in Detroit find groceries.

The downtown area is neat, but it is pretty tired. Still I see groups of tourists from other countries from time to time so the tour companies must think it is worthwhile.

Detroit has a few good schools. They are magnet charter schools. One, renaissance, is excellent, one of the best schools in the state. When we visited, the kids we unusually polite nd respectful.

what NOT MANY PLACSE TO BUY GROCERIES! EVEN CLEVELAND HAS RETAIL!!!!!!! But not for Detroit? How many groceries. I still wodner why that Super Kmart closed on 2003 and Target!

I wonder if some neighborhoods are a ghost town. I am not moving there, I am visiting there. It said Detroit is now the poorest city with 250,000 or more. It was 1 million people and not anymore. DOwntown area neat? Whats there to do? what parts of Detroit are most dangerous?

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Detroit apparently is dangerous in certain places. So, I'd say use common sense. In any city, if the area looks rundown and poor, stay out of it. And if there are fewer people it would make sense that retail would take a hit.

And if you're really that worried just don't go.

Detroit needs to start building and renovating, and they need to improve the schools. This will help the lives of its residences and help draw other people into Detroit.

[Dexterguy]

To answer your question about the Super Kmart closing in 2003. Kmart corp. has been in decline for years, and the Detroit location was just the next store to close on the list. To this day Kmart is still not doing well. When I go shopping at the kmart in Farmington. It most of the time is empty, the store and parking lot. So the Kmart closing is mostly because of the corporation not doing well on sales for years. The thing with Target was because they felt that they were not bringing in enough money into that store. Most of Detroit can just not afford to shop at Target.

[Coldjensens]

The unsafe areas are mostly in the neighborhoods. However you have to use some common sense. If you are not familiar with how to use common sense to stay safe in a city, you should not go into any large city unaccompanied by an experienced person. Common sense is probably the wrong term. I do not mean to be insulting, however there is a knack to staying out of trouble in any large city that you need to learn.

I am not an expert on what there is to do downtown. I am still exploring it too. What we have found depends on what you want. There are theaters, sports facilities, museums, restaurants, a few ethnic neighborhoods, historic buildings, churches, and a few nightclubs. Just outside the city is Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Villiage, a ring of Metroparks, and loads of really unique and nifty suburbs. Standard shopping opportunities are available int he suburbs and in Windsor Canda. Within a day trip you will find Ann Arbor, Frankenmuth, Shipshiwana Indiana, and lots of other things. I am presently making a list of things that we want to do in and around Detroit (especially day trips) and it is a very very long list. If you are ambituous, you can even get up north in one day. It is a long drive for a day trip though (leave at 5 a.m. return at midnight and you might get eight hours to spend up north.

[simlifgal]

Detroit is not like other big cities. I think the basic truth is that everything you've heard, good and bad, should be takin with a grain of salt.
like most places, you need to experience it to really understand. Downtown can be amazing, but you should always be on your guard. While yes, this is true in EVERY big city (honestly, these days, it's true everywhere period.) I would be extra cautious in Detroit. Not that you need to carry a gun or something, just be aware of your surroundings, don't flaunt money, try to stay in a group, always have a charged phone, and get good directions before heading downtown. in the summer, it's a lot safer (a lot more people are downtown).
on a side note, detroiters get very defensive when they feel someone is stereotyping their city. this is because we get it often, so please don't think any of us are being rude, we just get a bit defensive I guess. Detroit is a GREAT city, but it does have a lot of work ahead of it to get back on the map in good standing.

[berrymist27]

DETROIT CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY AT TARGET IS RIDICULIOUS! They had a study that came out to show that Detroiters are spending millions in the burbs, which is why they have been attracting retail. There will be a Gateway Mall opening up in a couple of years on 8mile and Woodward must we forget. There are grocery stores here University Foods, Harbortown Market, Honeybee Market, and lets not forget the freshest produce which is EASTERN MARKET. So don't listen to all the Detroit bashers out there they just want DETROIT to fail at all cost which is sad. As for retail check out the REN CEN or The Guardian Building and just downtown period and also there's new development and retail in MIDTOWN. So don't pay attention to these people who probably have not been to this city in 7years. Come and Visit our Cultural District like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Histortical Musuem and enjoy your stay at the INN ON FERRY STREET. WELCOME TO THE CITY!

Originally Posted by Dexterguy

To answer your question about the Super Kmart closing in 2003. Kmart corp. has been in decline for years, and the Detroit location was just the next store to close on the list. To this day Kmart is still not doing well. When I go shopping at the kmart in Farmington. It most of the time is empty, the store and parking lot. So the Kmart closing is mostly because of the corporation not doing well on sales for years. The thing with Target was because they felt that they were not bringing in enough money into that store. Most of Detroit can just not afford to shop at Target.

[Slappy san]

Originally Posted by Dexterguy

To answer your question about the Super Kmart closing in 2003. Kmart corp. has been in decline for years, and the Detroit location was just the next store to close on the list. To this day Kmart is still not doing well. When I go shopping at the kmart in Farmington. It most of the time is empty, the store and parking lot. So the Kmart closing is mostly because of the corporation not doing well on sales for years. The thing with Target was because they felt that they were not bringing in enough money into that store. Most of Detroit can just not afford to shop at Target.

Target isn't an expensive store. I think you are off base.