Right now, is Detroit as bad as a lot of people say it is? And how much do apartments go for? (Ann Arbor: real estate, 2009)

[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...

[Radical_Car]

Ok, I saw people talking about real estate and how houses were going for around 1000 dollars, and I saw the ghetto videos on youtube that someone posted here.

WOW, i never knew it was that bad.
I was shocked from the first few seconds of the video. It's sad
I basically answered my own question

[michsnowlvr]

Obviously the ghetto videos someone posted on youtube is showing the worst of the worst. I dont even need to see them to know that, and you should know better than to use that as an answer to your question. Every big city Ive ever visited (and there have been many) have horrible war-zone like ghettos.

To make it short and sweet, YES Detroit has tons of problems, NO its not as bad as people make it sound.

Downtown Detroit is actually very safe, and if you dont live in Detroit, obviously downtown is where you'd be visiting, not some random bad neighborhood (though Detroit only has 1 neighborhood in the top 25 most dangerous, Chicago has like 4 or 5). So people constantly getting mugged is a very generalized, and mostly false, statement.

Its a weird situation in SE Michigan, many of Detroits suburbs are very trendy and have tons of stuff to do, so lots of people go there (and most of them are very safe from crime). This is unlike many other areas where the big city is THE place to be and the suburbs are just where you live.

[Jwo85]

Some answers
Metro home invasions on rise this year | Detroit Free Press | Freep.com

[Vicman]

Mich, Downtown Detroit is a very small portion of the city. Proportionally Detroit has a higher percentage of struggling areas than other cities.

Most of Detroit is struggling, in comparison to other cities where some of City A is struggling.

Originally Posted by michsnowlvr

Obviously the ghetto videos someone posted on youtube is showing the worst of the worst. I dont even need to see them to know that, and you should know better than to use that as an answer to your question. Every big city Ive ever visited (and there have been many) have horrible war-zone like ghettos.

To make it short and sweet, YES Detroit has tons of problems, NO its not as bad as people make it sound.

Downtown Detroit is actually very safe, and if you dont live in Detroit, obviously downtown is where you'd be visiting, not some random bad neighborhood (though Detroit only has 1 neighborhood in the top 25 most dangerous, Chicago has like 4 or 5). So people constantly getting mugged is a very generalized, and mostly false, statement.

Its a weird situation in SE Michigan, many of Detroits suburbs are very trendy and have tons of stuff to do, so lots of people go there (and most of them are very safe from crime). This is unlike many other areas where the big city is THE place to be and the suburbs are just where you live.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by michsnowlvr

Obviously the ghetto videos someone posted on youtube is showing the worst of the worst. I dont even need to see them to know that, and you should know better than to use that as an answer to your question. Every big city Ive ever visited (and there have been many) have horrible war-zone like ghettos.

To make it short and sweet, YES Detroit has tons of problems, NO its not as bad as people make it sound.

Downtown Detroit is actually very safe, and if you dont live in Detroit, obviously downtown is where you'd be visiting, not some random bad neighborhood (though Detroit only has 1 neighborhood in the top 25 most dangerous, Chicago has like 4 or 5). So people constantly getting mugged is a very generalized, and mostly false, statement.

Its a weird situation in SE Michigan, many of Detroits suburbs are very trendy and have tons of stuff to do, so lots of people go there (and most of them are very safe from crime). This is unlike many other areas where the big city is THE place to be and the suburbs are just where you live.

I never was using that as my answer, and I obviously know the entire city isn't like that.
And ya Detroit is struggling more than a ton of cities, and the unemployment is high.

[Tehspilly]

Detroit is WAY overhyped on how bad it is. I'm a 20 year old skinny white dude, and I go to Detroit all the time. I've never had an issue, ever. There are some areas that I wouldn't do more than drive through, but as long as you keep to yourself, and don't beg for attention, you're pretty good. Downtown especially. Go to Craigslist, click on Detroit and Apartments/housing to get any idea as to what prices are typically going for.

[Duluth07]

I understand what you mean about 'the city' not necessarily being a destination for most people visiting the metro area - I didn't really understand that concept coming from Minnesota (Duluth) where downtown Duluth & Minneapolis are the go-to places where things happen (concerts, shopping, people watching, etc) and the outlying cities are where the rich people live (of course, that did go in reverse with the downtown condo bust for a while)...when I went to Phoenix for the first time I noticed that NOTHING happened downtown - which seemed weird for a city that was the fifth largest in the country - everything was in Scottsdale or (I forget the names of the other cities) anyways, so Detroit is similar I take it, with Ann Arbor and other cities nearby? I will be visiting for the first time next month for the marathon and personally can't WAIT to get out of Duluth for a week. I plan to visit a lot of places and take a lot of pictures. My only worry is not having a car.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by Duluth07

........ I will be visiting for the first time next month for the marathon and personally can't WAIT to get out of Duluth for a week. I plan to visit a lot of places and take a lot of pictures. My only worry is not having a car.

I know a few guys on the East side selling cars CHEAP....BMWs for a few dollars more...

[Coldjensens]

You need a car.

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.

Ann Arbor is a neat place to visit. Other places depend on what you are into. Downtown Detyroit should be on your list and perhaps Royal Oak as well. Other places will vary in their appeal based on what you want to see and/or do.

Michigan is not a big place for things to see, there are not a lot of impressive buildings or natural wonders. It is more of a place to do things. There are some great theaters, museums, sports venues, however that kind of stuff cna be foudn anywhere. Maybe you should go on a canoe trip, go fishing or hunting, or even just hike in the woods. If you are looking for potential places to live then let us know what you are interested in and your age, etc, and people here will suggest places that you might want to visit.