Is Detroit honestly SO terrible? (Ann Arbor, Hamtramck: rent, house, neighborhood)

[FireKwame]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

Not to say that there aren't better places. That video truly shows the absolute worst. I personally have driven through a lot of Detroit, and never seen half that.

Well, I work in and around Detroit and that looks like 80% of it.

[cardwellave]

Originally Posted by FireKwame

Well, I work in and around Detroit and that looks like 80% of it.

I live in a suburb contiguous with Detroit and I travel into the city often.
I've never seen dirt streets like some of that video shows, with literally no houses on the streets, and I've seen a lot of the city. Sure it is a tremendous mess, but even that video provides a disclaimer that it is the worst parts. I'm not huge Detroit fan, but not everything is how it is presented. It is a sad statement to say all of Detroit is awful, look at this video. There are certainly some very lively and up and coming neighborhoods that don't appear wartorn like the video represents.

[One Thousand]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

There are certainly some very lively and up and coming neighborhoods that don't appear wartorn like the video represents.

Yeah, that's the left over 20%.

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

I live in a suburb contiguous with Detroit and I travel into the city often.
I've never seen dirt streets like some of that video shows, with literally no houses on the streets, and I've seen a lot of the city. Sure it is a tremendous mess, but even that video provides a disclaimer that it is the worst parts. I'm not huge Detroit fan, but not everything is how it is presented. It is a sad statement to say all of Detroit is awful, look at this video. There are certainly some very lively and up and coming neighborhoods that don't appear wartorn like the video represents.

I agree with you there. I believe the dirt roads are alleys in and around Detroit. They should really close those off, but a lot of garages are accessed that way (if they are still standing). The sad part is not that there are good parts of Detroit, it is that there are so many of these awful parts. All the money wasted on stupid court crud, when they could use it to demolish these war-torn looking buildings. I think people need to know it exists. For me, it brings tears to my eyes.

[jrdn40]

Is Detroit Bad? I Was Born And Raised There And Left After H.s. The Pot Holes Suck!! The Boarded Houses In The Heart Of Detroit Sucks!! Segregation Is Obvious There. In The 20 Years I Have Been Away From Detroit, The Only Time I Had A Car Tampered With Was In Detroit During A Visit, Granted I Have Lived In Nebraska, Texas And The Netherlands, Since Then

[detshen]

I grew up in Detroit, moved away for 12 years and came back. I have seen places like in the video and it is a shame, but there are so many nice places and people out there trying to make things better.

I choose not to let the bad stuff ruin the city for me. I love downtown, midtown, corktown, mexicantown, eastern market and other places I can't think of right now. I've never been a crime victim and I enjoy my time in Detroit. People who choose to live in fear and not give the city a chance are missing out.

[OhEdo]

Originally Posted by detshen

I grew up in Detroit, moved away for 12 years and came back. I have seen places like in the video and it is a shame, but there are so many nice places and people out there trying to make things better.

I choose not to let the bad stuff ruin the city for me. I love downtown, midtown, corktown, mexicantown, eastern market and other places I can't think of right now. I've never been a crime victim and I enjoy my time in Detroit. People who choose to live in fear and not give the city a chance are missing out.

Ditto for me. For the folks who suggest seeing the rest of the world to realize how bad Detroit is, well I'm not from the area to begin with and I've seen good chunks of both the U.S. and abroad and moved to downtown about a year and a half ago. The level of blight in large areas of the city, is, to be honest, shocking, but part of the reason is that Detroit was once the 5th largest city in America with a humming - but single industry - economy so there was that much further to fall. But it isn't all bad. The first impression driving down 94 from the airport is not the best, and that alone turns a lot of people off. If you venture a little further into the areas mentioned by detshen above, there is also a lot to like.

As for the crime, I think if you don't seek it out it won't find you (minor property crime notwithstanding, but knock on wood I haven't even had that problem here).

It is true the mayor is arrogant and corrupt and the city council spends as much time infighting as it does working, but even they can't screw up everything. For example, sometimes I just like to go to Belle Isle and take in the view of the skyline; it really is impressive and makes a pretty picture with the bridge and Windsor.

Just abandoning Detroit would result in uncontrolled sprawl with a seemingly endless succession of identical cookie-cutter suburbs, a process that sadly has already begun. To me, that amounts to dilution and loss of character. To put it another way, I guess everything that was once in the city of Detroit is still there in the various suburbs, but to me that's like taking a glass of fine wine then dumping it into a bucket of water - it's all there, but the experience is highly diminished.

[CraigU]

It is positive attitudes like yours that will truly make a change. There are negatives with every city in the world. Miami Beach used to be more or less a slum 15 years ago and now you can't touch any house for less than $750k; apartments start at $150k for a studio apartment which could be 500 s.f.

I was almost scared away from my decision to move my family and business, to the Detroit area, based upon posts on some of these boards and opinions from my family in the suburbs. I decided to see for myself and must say I am impressed by East English Village and several other neighborhoods in Detroit proper. So much so, we have offers out on two homes already. I just need to find a third...

My bet is Detroit is at the very beginning of what will be an astounding rebound!

Originally Posted by detshen

I grew up in Detroit, moved away for 12 years and came back. I have seen places like in the video and it is a shame, but there are so many nice places and people out there trying to make things better.

I choose not to let the bad stuff ruin the city for me. I love downtown, midtown, corktown, mexicantown, eastern market and other places I can't think of right now. I've never been a crime victim and I enjoy my time in Detroit. People who choose to live in fear and not give the city a chance are missing out.

[Maxine3]

"My bet is Detroit is at the very beginning of what will be an astounding rebound!"

[detshen]

Originally Posted by CraigU

It is positive attitudes like yours that will truly make a change. There are negatives with every city in the world. Miami Beach used to be more or less a slum 15 years ago and now you can't touch any house for less than $750k; apartments start at $150k for a studio apartment which could be 500 s.f.

I was almost scared away from my decision to move my family and business, to the Detroit area, based upon posts on some of these boards and opinions from my family in the suburbs. I decided to see for myself and must say I am impressed by East English Village and several other neighborhoods in Detroit proper. So much so, we have offers out on two homes already. I just need to find a third...

My bet is Detroit is at the very beginning of what will be an astounding rebound!

I have friends who live in East English Village. They like it there, and the houses are so pretty.