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Both cities Police Departments are an absolute joke which is part of the problem. I would say it is a tie, Detroit gets more bad national press for being dangerous, Detroit is practically known worldwide for its crime and murder and New Orleans has a lot of crime but I personally never felt unsafe in New Orleans. New Orleans had a lot of trashy street people but I never felt unsafe around the French Quarter and Uptown. Both cities have a lot of work to due to get crime down. Both cities have a lot of potential to be great thou they need to get their crime under control.
I'd say Detroit is more dangerous. Sure there is pretty abundant pickpockets/petty crime in New Orleans, but Detroit is a depressed war zone in some ares.
The thing is with Detroit, I am not seeing the city improve the same ways as New Orleans. Yes, it has some gentrification in it's downtown core. But the thing about New Orleans is it had areas that never fell behind and are vital to it's health, and this is important. Between the french quarter and the garden district, the city has a good base to improve upon over time and draw people in as an amenity. The city overall for being historic has better bones. But it also suffers from the fact it is so vulnerable to extreme weather events. Yes, New Orleans had areas of ruin porn, but also areas of vitality. People still vacation in New Orleans in huge numbers. This is kind of critical at the heart of it. Detroit this simply does not happen.
As a person from Michigan; yep, I agree with this.
One of the HUGE problems with Detroit, is that it's too easy to just drive right on out of the city, and into the suburbs, which have way more amenities, street life, activities, etc. I mean, 8-Mile is a great example. When you are on the Detroit side, there is just a whole lot less commerce, businesses, etc. So, you'd walk into the suburbs, and 'be where everyone else is at'. You see more people parked on the sides of the road on the suburban side of 8-Mile than the Detroit side.
Additionally, people can just spread out forever in Detroit. Plus, you have some pretty intense 'segregation' even now. Many of Detroit's suburbs are some of the whitest in the entire country. The city of Detroit is one of the blackest in the country. That is a serious segregation line. That has multiple implications. Detroit has to overcome it's racist issues, before it could ever come to turns with turning the city around.
Sure, there are plenty of people suddenly becoming interested in Detroit; and moving to that city. But, downtown Detroit is NOT that interesting and not that great. It's interesting to SAY with bragging rights that you live in Detroit. But you simply don't have the kinds of amenities or neighborhoods like you would in Chicago, New York, or even New Orleans. I guess it would be like people moving to downtown New Orleans - downtown Detroit is about as interesting - i.e. downtown is just office buildings, some people walking around with business suits, some restaurants catering to convention-goers and office-workers, etc.
For me, New Orleans is a MUCH better future. Mostly because of the swamps and geography. NO is limited, it can't spread out. French Quarter and such is TOO cool and TOO unique, it'll continue to attract people as tourists, and as residents. People who have enough money to attract police officer's attentions to protect them.
I think the unfortunate future of New Orleans, is that eventually it'll probably get quite expensive and rehabbed and gentrified. The city is just too cool for that not to happen. Just too many great bones for neighborhoods, as well as neighborhoods that are already great. The bad of N.O. will probably get pushed out into suburban areas. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere like Metarie which is predominately white, does a shift in 20-30 years, and becomes predominately poor and black. I think there is a shift in the U.S., that people who see walkable cities, want to live in them, and they will start buying that stuff up. The poorest urban dwellers will end up getting pushed out to much less desireable suburbs. When you think about it, people moved to suburbs for safety, schools, and (more whiter?) As poorer people move to suburbs, it evens things out, and then you have either uninteresting suburbs with the same city problems, or interesting urban areas. As that shift continues, I think the obvious choice is for the conveniences of the cities.
That being said, I think that shift is occurring throughout the U.S. I.E. poorer is moving out to undesireable suburban areas for cheaper housing; and money people move into the city for conveniences, less traffic, etc. However, DETROIT; the odd thing about that city is the suburbs like Royal Oak actually has more amenities and more businesses and more like a neighborhood that many of the city neighborhoods. Detroit is too car centric. In short, Detroit just completely lacks the urban amenities that cities like DC, NYC, SF, NO and such; so there really isn't any reason to move to Detroit for conveniences or amenities; as they simply aren't there.
Usually Detroit does worst in anything and has the most violent crime and decay when compared to any other city. But New Orleans is very tough competition so I'm undecided and did not vote.
I feel the same, but went with NOLA because I thought the "feel" was a bit scarier (though it's improving!) over the years than Detroit's, and that seemed to be one of the main OP factors. I've spent a good bit of time in both. Detroit just seems empty. NOLA you get stalked more. NOLA has, historically, been a bit worse than Detroit in terms of murder (which is my main "violent crime" go-to), though I believe it's improving much more quickly.
I feel the same, but went with NOLA because I thought the "feel" was a bit scarier (though it's improving!) over the years than Detroit's, and that seemed to be one of the main OP factors. I've spent a good bit of time in both. Detroit just seems empty. NOLA you get stalked more. NOLA has, historically, been a bit worse than Detroit in terms of murder (which is my main "violent crime" go-to), though I believe it's improving much more quickly.
Stalked more? I guess because you are out of your car and walking around, right?
I think, in general, in Detroit, people just don't out of the car. The place is so car-centric. It is quite empty as well, but I don't think that is a good thing. I mean, if you WERE to get out of the car, and walk around; I think you'd feel a lot more apprehension walking past people, when they do walk by....
Whereas New Orleans, at least you'd always have plenty of others around and about as well.
Nah, I've walked around both. NOLA is a much better walking city, no doubt. Detroit often just feels like the emptiest areas of most "rust belt" cities, but it has much more of that than (say) Cleveland or Milwaukee. It might just be that I'm more used to the old Midwestern cities, I suppose, but that was always my "on the ground" feel, relating back to the "feel" question the OP asked.
I lived in 48205 in the early to late 90's. I grew up on Fairmount Street.
I used to be able to walk around and ride my bike by myself as a young white child. I walked around with my grandmother to church, and up and down Gratiot. I never had any issues.
In the time that has passed, Mohecian Regent (the neighborhood of 48205) has gotten abysmal. It still looks decent and people generally keep up their homes in on Fairmount Rossini and Eastburn but State Fair is desolate.
I now live downtown after a decade of leaving the city. It's sad when I drive by my old home. An elderly couple that used to watch me as a kid still live there. We put bars on their windows and they are afraid to leave their home.
I love Detroit for many reasons, but it can be dangerous. Whole areas can go under in a matter of months.
I'd say Detroit is more dangerous. Sure there is pretty abundant pickpockets/petty crime in New Orleans, but Detroit is a depressed war zone in some ares.
lol, you are crazy. 5 metro area cops have been shot in NOLA within a year. 2 NOPD officers killed in that time period. One Orleans Parish deputy got out of his MARKED van and opened fire on a car. This place was calming down but has come unglued this year. The good thing is at least convictions are up and some dirty cops are being taken off the force.
On top of that, I'm pretty sure we have a serial killer on the loose somewhere. People keep turning up in the river near the quarter ...
Well half of Detroit is Windsor, Ontario (only 1200 meters away....lol).It's a metropolis of 320,000 people and it didn't have a single homicide for two years from 2009-2011. Does that count???
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