Right now, is Detroit as bad as a lot of people say it is? And how much do apartments go for? (lofts, crime)
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The Detroit area is based on cars. There is no public transportation worth using. The City of Detroit alone is geographically huge. It is one of the largest cities (in acreage) in the US. Add in the suburbs and cars are an absolute must.
While that is true for a lot of places, my girlfriend and I live in Royal Oak and she takes the bus to Wayne State for school 5 days a week. We live half a mile from the bus stop and it drops her off in school. She's a short caucasian girl and feels safe riding the bus, even after her classes that get out at 9 in the evening. She does get hit on by creepy old black guys occasionally (which can be uncomfortable for some people) but she doesn't feel that it's unsafe at all.
Now, keep in mind that when we planned on her taking the bus I ensured that she'd be getting on in a good neighborhood and getting off at campus, and doesn't have to transfer or get off the bus inbetween. There are definitely places the bus goes through on the way to the campus that I wouldn't want her to get off at.
As a bonus, if we want to head downtown for a game or to do sightseeing or maybe to Ferndale to the bars we can jump on the bus and ride it right down Woodward. No worries about parking or drinking and driving.
YEs detroit has problems. you can watch the news and hear everything about murder, crime and unemployment at a rise but this all of detroit. Detroit gets such a bad rap because its so widespread. downtown detroit is a smaller downtown area with a lot of abandoned buildings. the outskirts of detroit are the hard pressed areas. southwest, north west and eastsides where you have radical change borders are tougher than inner city neighborhoods. I have a friend who travels the country boarding up foreclosed houses and he has over two thousand completed in the surrounding neighborhoods, midtown, Highland park, Hamtramck etc. without incident.
crime happens in areas of high tourist (suburbanite) where folks travel from way out to detroit and their car gets ripped off, or there window broken for change or crap left out on their seats. Ive grown up and lived in detorit and wander some of the most notoriously criminal neighborhoods in the city and surrounding areas with a lot of money in camera gear without incident.
A lot of the abandoned areas are being scrapped for steel by people who dont have jobs and have to put food on the table for their family. Ive met and interviewed some of these folks, some are very stand up people looking for extra money.
If youre looking to come to detroit and get a job in automotive, this may be a bad descission. If your looking to work in health care, your likelyhood of attaining one of these jobs are very good. Rent is cheap and with hte slump in the economical stand point for detroit (verge of bankruptcy) new loft complexes are jurting and you can snatch up deals on the cheapside of original new construction prices. one big problem with living in the downtown area there isnt a grocery store around. The eastern market is open on saturdays and full of amazing produce grown locally and organically. There is a lot of incentive to renovate some of the abandoned neighborhoods (now prarie land) into productive farms.
If your looking to move to a city that has been on the verge of change for nearly 40 years, then this place is for you. Its going to happen soon. if your looking to move to a city and have and land a job making a six figure a year without effort, get in line.
Long of the short, jobs are scarce man, hope this helps.
You know i have been to Detroit's Greek town and loved it i have a real curiosity about Detroit in general and would love to tour the streets on my motorcycle and maybe i will but to be truthful i haven't found the balls to do it however i do find the thought so over whelming that someday very soon it just may happen. There is a real draw for me some thing i just have to eventually do.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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Originally Posted by Radical_Car
Is Detroit as bad as people are saying it is?
I know the city has high unemployment(maybe the highest umemployment in the country? I dunno for sure) and the crime is bad.
But is it, like, really bad?
I have personally talked to people, and they say it is virtually impossible to find a job...
I know of whats happening with GM right now, and they're headquartered in Detroit. My dad works at a GM dealer, and luckily, it is still open, and we are crossing our fingers that it will get to stay open. I live in central Minnesota btw.
I hear that the crime is terrible, and people constantly get mugged and what not. For anyone who lives in or near Detroit or who has been there frequently, what is it like?
Also how much do apartments go for? People have told me they're dirt cheap, but haven't actually told me how much they pay... I am wondering how much "dirt cheap" is...
Just like anywhere else, its virtually impossible to find a job in certain industries. From the people I personally know that haven't had a hard time getting jobs I would say the medical field, tech jobs and to a certain extent with the auto industry aren't hard to find. My sister is in the medical field and this yr alone she has had 3 jobs (she had two and recently found another). Also I know plenty of people who have recently gotten hired at Chrysler. I wouldn't say rent is dirt cheap for apartments. Its hard to find an apartment for under $600 from what I see. It all depends on what you see as dirt cheap.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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Also, people instead of asking "is Detroit as bad as people say it is" why don't you visit and see for yourself. I'm just saying. There is nothing anyone can tell me to deter me from experiencing something on my own smh. I don't care if it was Cairo, IL (which I see people bash and call dead on here) if I was interested in it, I would see it for myself and not just judge on what some idiot post on youtube or says on some forum
speaking of youtube, does anyone else find it funny how a video of the slums here can have 300 thousand + views and comments but the videos others (like modeldmedia) post on areas like Downtown, midtown, the villages or any other neighborhood has virtually no views???
Midtown Detroit is an extraoardinary cultural area. The Detroit Insitute of Art is I think the 5th largest art museum in the country maybe.
That and all the smaller museums close by (Science Center, Contemporary Art, Historical museum, African American museum), theaters, Victorian Bed and breakfasts, the two colleges, I think Midtown taken individually is among the great concentration of cultural amenities, and is VERY walkable, despite Detroits reputation as not-walkable.
Follow Woodward Ave., up to Palmer Park, and surrounding neighborhoods (west of Woodward) is block after block with nothing that like "stereotypical Detroit" with houses that are amazing, and even the ones that are not amazing are still in perfect condition. The average house price in Detroit, is brought down partially largely because of houses that are beyond repair like what you see in the youtube videos. Like Detroitlove mentioned, there are neighborhoods that feel nothing like Detroit. Then make your way up ino the suburbs where you have Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Birmingham (with Cranbrook) all in a row, one of the great collections of vibrant suburban downtowns.
The Woodward corridor from downtown through Birmingham, has everything in place to be among the great urban corridors in the country. Even though metro Detroit is spread out, it really isn't. Much of what metro Detroit has to offer is within 1 mile or less of Woodward.
Theres so much to do and see in southeast Michigan is not even funny. In 20 years, when midtown is developed to the max,after half the east side is leveled, and the debris is used to make aritificial hills to get nice views of the city, Detroiters will have the self-confidence to say: "Chicago?? why would you live in Chicago when you can move to Detroit and have 3/4 of the cultural offerings for 1/2 the cost of living" After all if Chicago has the delusions of grandeur make that claim with reference to New York, Detroit can CERTAINLY make the same claim once it gets the light rail.
The housing market may lie in ruin, but the rental market is strong. A livable apartment is probably at least $550-600 a month. I've seen some ads for 1 bedroom flats for $350 and there's a complex close to me way out in the NE burbs with studios for similar money but those aren't all that nice. A three bedroom house is at least $800-1000 unless it's a real rathole.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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Originally Posted by us66
The housing market may lie in ruin, but the rental market is strong. A livable apartment is probably at least $550-600 a month. I've seen some ads for 1 bedroom flats for $350 and there's a complex close to me way out in the NE burbs with studios for similar money but those aren't all that nice. A three bedroom house is at least $800-1000 unless it's a real rathole.
I need to look where you have been looking lol I've only seen apartments for $600-more than $1200 and the cheapest lofts I've seen were $550 (w/o everything included). I can only think of one apartment for $400 that are nice (Winder I believe)
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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Originally Posted by Tex?Il?
Midtown Detroit is an extraoardinary cultural area. The Detroit Insitute of Art is I think the 5th largest art museum in the country maybe.
That and all the smaller museums close by (Science Center, Contemporary Art, Historical museum, African American museum), theaters, Victorian Bed and breakfasts, the two colleges, I think Midtown taken individually is among the great concentration of cultural amenities, and is VERY walkable, despite Detroits reputation as not-walkable.
Follow Woodward Ave., up to Palmer Park, and surrounding neighborhoods (west of Woodward) is block after block with nothing that like "stereotypical Detroit" with houses that are amazing, and even the ones that are not amazing are still in perfect condition. The average house price in Detroit, is brought down partially largely because of houses that are beyond repair like what you see in the youtube videos. Like Detroitlove mentioned, there are neighborhoods that feel nothing like Detroit. Then make your way up ino the suburbs where you have Ferndale, Royal Oak, and Birmingham (with Cranbrook) all in a row, one of the great collections of vibrant suburban downtowns.
The Woodward corridor from downtown through Birmingham, has everything in place to be among the great urban corridors in the country. Even though metro Detroit is spread out, it really isn't. Much of what metro Detroit has to offer is within 1 mile or less of Woodward.
Theres so much to do and see in southeast Michigan is not even funny. In 20 years, when midtown is developed to the max,after half the east side is leveled, and the debris is used to make aritificial hills to get nice views of the city, Detroiters will have the self-confidence to say: "Chicago?? why would you live in Chicago when you can move to Detroit and have 3/4 of the cultural offerings for 1/2 the cost of living" After all if Chicago has the delusions of grandeur make that claim with reference to New York, Detroit can CERTAINLY make the same claim once it gets the light rail.
Midtown is probably my favorite area at the moment. They are still building and investing which is great. I think in the near future the Midtown area will be the most desirable area in the city. Its proximity to downtown, new center, eastern market, east, west and southwest combined with the mix of neighborhoods like the wayne state area designed mostly for students and singles and woodbridge designed for young professionals and corktown (which is not too far) with more of a family feel will be midtowns greatest assets IMO
I need to look where you have been looking lol I've only seen apartments for $600-more than $1200 and the cheapest lofts I've seen were $550 (w/o everything included). I can only think of one apartment for $400 that are nice (Winder I believe)
The low end prices I've seen are for real dumpy 1 bedroom upper flats...east side of Detroit, that sort of thing. There is a roach motel apartment in Eastpointe that's under $600 (maybe under $500) for a 1 bedroom, but has a very low deposit. Other cheap apartments I know of are on Mound south of 14 (another dump, but the price I heard a few years ago made it probably the cheapest apartments in the county) and Brittany Park along 94 at the Shook exit (safety issues from what I hear). The high-rise at 16 Mile and Crocker is pretty cheap, too, but seems to have property crime issues, according to my local paper. A co-worker of mine just moved out of a teeny-tiny 1 bedroom upper flat in Harper Woods that couldn't have been more than $450-$500 a month.
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