Amazon is looking for a new HQ, and Detroit's in the running if we badger our representatives enough (Ann Arbor: middle-class, crime rate)

[Coldjensens]

Have they announced where it is going yet?

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by pojack

Let’s face it. On a national level, not too many people or companies want to move in or around Detroit. Why would they? The boring, flat landscape? The horrible roads? The sub-par schools? The bad weather? The crime? The lack of public transportation? If I were on the outside looking in, there’s no way I’d move to Detroit. Is anyone really surprised that Amazon has no desire to move here either? This was an unrealistic pipe dream from the start. Detroit has a few pros but a ton of cons (no pun intended).

You can say the same thing about the SOUTH at one point in time. Why would companies want to move to the SOUTH, places like Atlanta, in the 70's and 80's? Look at their history of racism. Look at their TERRIBLE SCHOOLS. The south has always been notorious for terrible schools. Atlanta's crime and murder rate in the 70's and 80's often surpassed Detroit.

The thing I noted about Atlanta, when I lived there briefly in the 80's, was that it rarely talked about its negatives and was always embellishing its positives. Honestly, it was like night and day from Detroit. Everyone was upbeat about Atlanta and believed it was one of the best places to live in the country, despite high crime, terrible schools, racist history.....etc.

Its all about MINDSET. Detroit mindset, locally, has been negative for the last 50 years, while Atlanta's has been positive and the mindsets resulted in a self fulfilling prophecy for both. Both became how they seen themselves.

[Coldjensens]

Actually Michigan has mostly very good public schools. If you eliminate the really bad schools that throw the average (Detroit, Flint, China and the like), which are places no one moving here is likely to have their kids attend, the schools are generally better than most of the public schools we found available in Southern California for example. We also have more Universities available per capita than most other states. And two flagship nationally recognized research public Universities. How many states can claim that? (a few but not many).

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Have they announced where it is going yet?

No, sometime in 2018 is all they have said for the final decision.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Actually Michigan has mostly very good public schools. If you eliminate the really bad schools that throw the average (Detroit, Flint, China and the like), which are places no one moving here is likely to have their kids attend, the schools are generally better than most of the public schools we found available in Southern California for example. We also have more Universities available per capita than most other states. And two flagship nationally recognized research public Universities. How many states can claim that? (a few but not many).

Its not Michigan's reality that is hurting it.....it is its reputation. Most people in the country do not have a real-time view of Detroit (metro inclusive). However, you can't have a history of lying then all of a sudden expect people to realize you are telling the truth, analogously speaking. The past has consequences on the present.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Its not Michigan's reality that is hurting it.....it is its reputation. Most people in the country do not have a real-time view of Detroit (metro inclusive). However, you can't have a history of lying then all of a sudden expect people to realize you are telling the truth, analogously speaking. The past has consequences on the present.

Heck we cannot even convince our own metro suburbanites Detroit has become wonderful. If we cannot get them out of the 1980s, how are we going to convince people in Raleigh?

[MS313]

Originally Posted by pojack

Let’s face it. On a national level, not too many people or companies want to move in or around Detroit. Why would they? The boring, flat landscape? The horrible roads? The sub-par schools? The bad weather? The crime? The lack of public transportation? If I were on the outside looking in, there’s no way I’d move to Detroit. Is anyone really surprised that Amazon has no desire to move here either? This was an unrealistic pipe dream from the start. Detroit has a few pros but a ton of cons (no pun intended).

Boring flat landscape? you can say that about half the cities that made the list. On top of that, Michigan overall is quite beautiful.
The roads? yea they're bad unfortunately but I highly doubt that was a deal breaker.
The sub par schools? The metro Detroit area has a countless number of great schools public and private. Refer to "CJ's" post.
The bad weather? subjective. But I would much weather deal with the bad weather then deal with dangerous life threatening natural disasters. And did you look at that list? many of those cities had the same weather as Detroit.
The crime? Most parts of Metro Detroit is safer than national average.
The lack of PT? Detroit doesn't lack public transportation it runs 24/7. What it lacks is mass transit.

To answer your first question why would they want to come here? a large international metro area that offers countless cultural activities, events, festivals, nightlife, shopping, parks, food, things to do, concerts, sports, great people, efficient major airport, tons of unique communities, plenty of walkable communities, top 12 economy that is growing and number of fortune 500 companies, a large wealthy population (over 100,000 millionaires), plenty of successful minorities, decent unemployment rate, great freeway network to get people around quickly, plenty of good architecture, no earthquakes/ wildfires/ mudslides/ hurricanes/ tsunamis, ect, history, music scene, countless safe communities, plenty of good schools, proximity to dozens of colleges and universities, proximity to the best scenery in the Midwest. And on top of that, it's one of the top cities where your paycheck stretches the furthest, meaning the income to COL ratio is great. I mean, what's the point of having all of these amenities if you can't afford to enjoy it even from working full time?

You can say the same thing about the SOUTH at one point in time. Why would companies want to move to the SOUTH, places like Atlanta, in the 70's and 80's? Look at their history of racism. Look at their TERRIBLE SCHOOLS. The south has always been notorious for terrible schools. Atlanta's crime and murder rate in the 70's and 80's often surpassed Detroit.

The thing I noted about Atlanta, when I lived there briefly in the 80's, was that it rarely talked about its negatives and was always embellishing its positives. Honestly, it was like night and day from Detroit. Everyone was upbeat about Atlanta and believed it was one of the best places to live in the country, despite high crime, terrible schools, racist history.....etc.

Its all about MINDSET. Detroit mindset, locally, has been negative for the last 50 years, while Atlanta's has been positive and the mindsets resulted in a self fulfilling prophecy for both. Both became how they seen themselves.

Some people will never understand this, bruh. They would rather go around with a "Michigan is defeated" attitude when they really have little reason to do so in the grand scheme of things.

Heck we cannot even convince our own metro suburbanites Detroit has become wonderful. If we cannot get them out of the 1980s, how are we going to convince people in Raleigh?

You won't. They're mind is made up and they make sure to spread the word to people out of state how horrible Detroit and Michigan is.

[Indentured Servant]

Looks like Dan Gilbert is echoing what some of us have been saying in this latest MLIVE article. It's almost like he was reading this forum....but naw....all it takes is a keen grasp of the obvious. This region undersells itself and has talked down about itself for decades....creating a self fulfilling prophecy. You KNOW WHO YOU ARE who did this!!! Wanting to see the city fail. The good news is that you can see that changing....even on this forum. There are far less Detroit bashers and people arguing from their suburban perch that Detroit is DOOMED and will never turn around. That is a start. Still, when you get people who try to talk up Detroit....you still have the people who come to rain on it. Like I said....I lived in Atlanta in the 80's and all they did, including the media, was embellish that city. It was certainly an over confident city.....but hey....they eventually grew from that over confidence and can do attitude, despite having terrible schools, high crime and the like. Even now the city thinks it rivals NYC....lol. One day it might just may......at least they will get closer than Detroit. Detroit probably ranks itself with Cleveland....{gasp}

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Looks like Dan Gilbert is echoing what some of us have been saying in this latest MLIVE article. It's almost like he was reading this forum....but naw....all it takes is a keen grasp of the obvious. This region undersells itself and has talked down about itself for decades....creating a self fulfilling prophecy. You KNOW WHO YOU ARE who did this!!! Wanting to see the city fail. The good news is that you can see that changing....even on this forum. There are far less Detroit bashers and people arguing from their suburban perch that Detroit is DOOMED and will never turn around. That is a start. Still, when you get people who try to talk up Detroit....you still have the people who come to rain on it. Like I said....I lived in Atlanta in the 80's and all they did, including the media, was embellish that city. It was certainly an over confident city.....but hey....they eventually grew from that over confidence and can do attitude, despite having terrible schools, high crime and the like. Even now the city thinks it rivals NYC....lol. One day it might just may......at least they will get closer than Detroit. Detroit probably ranks itself with Cleveland....{gasp}

He is an unhinged crybaby. Always has been, always will be. I wonder if the temper tantrum was typed in comic sans again. No one takes us seriously in part because of YOU Dan.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Actually Michigan has mostly very good public schools. If you eliminate the really bad schools that throw the average (Detroit, Flint, China and the like), which are places no one moving here is likely to have their kids attend, the schools are generally better than most of the public schools we found available in Southern California for example. We also have more Universities available per capita than most other states. And two flagship nationally recognized research public Universities. How many states can claim that? (a few but not many).

I get the general feeling that the quality of public education in Michigan as a whole has declined recently. Plus, in metro Detroit, a lot of the inner suburbs are seeing an increasing number of former Detroit families, whose children who are coming to these suburban districts ill-prepared and lowering the achievement. There seems to be 10 really great school districts (Novi, Northville, Birmingham, and Grosse Pointe, etc) that are expensive as heck to live in, and a LOT of mediocre districts (Fraser, Southgate, Madison Heights, really?) I could be wrong.