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1. I love the just right (for me) density and population levels of downtown and mid-town. I hate crowds and despise waiting, especially in lines. However I like to be around people and love people watching. I also like to have lots of choices of things to go to places to poke around in etc. Detroit is a great balance. Just enough people to be interesting without being crowded. Lots of options for dining, music, culture, etc. More retail woudl be nice, but you cannot have it all. If the balance was perfect, then it woudl be crowded - ick. I do not want Detroit to become New York or Chicago, or Denver, or Austin, or Dallas, or LA. If I wanted to live in those places, I would go there. I like it to be its unique self.
2. The remaining architecture is phenomenal. It is unmatched by almost any other city. Detroit was once widely accepted as the most beautiful city in America and much of that still remains. I am fortunate in that I can look around and enjoy what is still here. I also tend to see what can/will be. Some people (one of my brothers included) can only see what is gone and it makes them angry or sad. I could set on parts of Woodward and just examine the architectural elements of various buildings for hours, maybe days. Every time I spend some time looking around I see something I had not noticed before.
3. Detroit gets better every month. Most cities get a little worse, or stay the same. Climbing back up from the bottom, means Detroit is constantly improving. Not too many places can say that. That is a reason I also like old houses. I prefer things to be on the upswing - improving all the time.
4. There is a spirit of creative ideas here that I have found nowhere else. What do we do with this wreck of a city? Who would think to make a pawn shop into a restaurant but keep the signs and incorporate them into the name? Or turn a warehouse into a fowling location with people waiting to get in? Or rebuild the old ball-field into a condo/park. Most places (cities) te real estate is too valuable to get creative. Efficiency is all controlling. Not here. The creativity here is quite amusing to watch. Some of the ideas are stupid, some are brilliant, many you cannot tell where they will fall, but almost all of them are amusing.
5. Corruption is comparatively low and is being watched carefully. Having come from about as bad as it gets, the people of Detroit are determined not to go back there. State level governance is decent, other than roads and car insurance, the State government does few things that are corrupt or really incredibly stupid. Sure Ohio seems to be better run, but go to a State legislature session in Sacramento, and you will come back amazed at how non-zoolike Michigan's government is. By comparison to what I was used to, we have an awesome state Government many of the local governments are even better. Some are even great/well run.
6. The City is a decent mix of natioanalities and cultures. While the suburbs remain insanely segregated, the City istelf is pretty decently mixed.
7. The cultural opportunities rival or best most other cities, especially when you factor in cost and crowds. How many cities can you just walk into a place like DIA with no waiting or paying, spend a much or as little time as you like and come out amazed every single time? What other cities have a comparable theater districts (hint - two). Combine that with our stadium/sports district, festivals, architecture, a major research university right in the heart of the city, remarkable history that pre-dates the founding of our country and include being the heart of the industrial and military might of the USA . . . It is a remarkable combination.
7. Traffic. Or the lack thereof. Yes there is cute little mini traffic jams to the north which I try my best to avoid, but for the most part, traffic is a non-issue.
8. Festivals and events. We have many of the nations (and worlds) largest and most vibrant festivals and events. Youmacon, Jazz, Movement, NAIS, . . . it goes on and on. We also have lot of smaller homey types of events like Dally in the Alley. We are the home to mowtown, and Cars and Unions, and a major player in history (the Great Depression, Civil Rights movement, Fort Detroit, etc.).
9. Very little kitschy chains. Most of the bigger chains that envelope "nicer" cities and turn them into clones of each other find Detroit unworthy of their charms - hooray!. Yes we have BWW and some other weeping sores, but not many compared to the popular cities. Alas Detroit may someday suffer the fate of Ann Arbor and many other more popular cities, but for now, we are safe from this blight.
10. Opportunity. There is more opportunity to have a real impact here, than there are in most places. Anyone with some drive can have a very positive impact on other people, ont he city, on politics, on anything. Come here and you are not just one of a million people doing the exact same thing, you can easily be unique and have a unique and meaningful impact. You might even end up with a street names after you. On an unrelated note: When we moved to metro Detroit, we discovered we could actually buy one of the Fischer Mansions. It was affordable!. That is the US equivalent of buying a palace or Castle in Europe.
As for the entire metro area:
1. It is open and comparatively clean, comparatively better morals and social atmosphere. I am comparing to Southern California, but there ar many similar places where the metro compares favorably. Growing up, our kids played in forests, fields, rivers and streams rather than in an empty parking lot, or having to make an appointment with friends to go to a park. The water is comparatively clean, the air is comparatively clean, even the roadsides are cleaner than many places (thanks in large part to 10 cent deposits). When we first visited the high school in our relatively wealthy community, it was striking to see almost all of the kids in jeans and Tshirts/polos. No high fashion competition, no wondering whether the prostitutes running around were students or parents, and later we discovered far far fewer parents insanely competing with each other through their children.
2. Nearby beauty. While Metro Detroit is not all that pretty, the rest of Michigan is one of the top five most beautiful places in the USA. The Western Beaches are prettier than most beaches you find in California and far less crowded (also far less uptight). Plus the sand sings. Waterfalls, stunning forests, rivers lakes even some hills (we do miss mountains). There is so much to see and do, it is not surprising Michiganders tend to stay inside the state for vacations (up north).
3. Canadians. I find Canadian culture amusing and fun. I is hard to describe, but there is a sort of innocence and cleanness mixed with extreme toughness. Plus you have all the funny words and sayings eh? They are both old fashioned in some ways and ahead of our culture in others. Both Canadians and Canadian culture spill over into Metro Detroit and all of Michigan and it has a marked and mostly pleasant influence. Plus it is fun to make jokes and repost memes about Canadians. Also Yoopers.
4. Suburbs. I have visited 44 States, many extensively, including many or most major cities. I have rarely found such an eclectic mix of nice suburbs in any metro area. Yes, some places have nicer suburbs, but few have both nicer and so much variety of nice suburbs. You can find any type of lifestyle you can imagine in Detroit Metro and still live within commuting distance of most major employment areas. Almost all of the nice suburbs have low crime and good to great public schools. Also having three national research universities, and a plethora of very good regional schools is rarely matched (if ever) for a State of this size.
5. Airport. DTW is a pretty great airport and, being a major hub, it offers flights almost everywhere at decent prices. Also I really like how accessible it is. It always amuses me to drive past fields and produce stands right up to the entrance of a major international airport.
6. Climate. this is a mix, but generally positive. Now that i am old and fat(ish), heat is a bigger impediment to me than cold. I am happy to be out of the brunt of the heat. I also love the every changing conditions. Clear and sunny every single day really does get boring.
7. Social atmosphere. Agian a mixed bag here, but it is sort of like a big family. People do not necessarily like each other all that much, but they look out for each other nevertheless. We may be rude jerks behind the wheel of a car. we may be suspicious and stand offish to newcomers, especially at first, but we take cre of our own - new or established. I have never seen anywhere where people step up to help others in a crises the way they do here.
8. Wildlife. I love how common wildlife is in many areas. Deer on your porch? So what, she will be back tomorrow. Even Bald Eagle or red fox sightings eventually produce little excitement. Also songbirds like not tomorrow - oh and lightening bugs! (and Swans - I love Swans even if they do not love me).
9. Snow. Yes snow is cool. Even ice is neat, especially ice storms, thundrersnow, freezing fog etc. The cold air is refreshing and invigorating. OK I will give you 200 overcast/dark days is not that pleasant, but still snow is cool. I just wish we had more snow and less mud/frozen mud.
10. Sense of place. Being a peninsula, Michigan has a distinct and almost unique sense of place. We are not part of a region, like new England, or "the south" or the West Coast, etc. We are just Michigan. We try not to cross over into nasty Ohio or weird slow Indiana and we certainly try to repel the Chicago invasion of SW Michigan (although we happily take their money). We are our own place. Texas is like this too, maybe a few others, but it is neat.
Yes, I agree...the opportunity is there for Detroit to become one of America's quirkiest, coolest cities!
1. I love the just right (for me) density and population levels of downtown and mid-town. I hate crowds and despise waiting, especially in lines. However I like to be around people and love people watching. I also like to have lots of choices of things to go to places to poke around in etc. Detroit is a great balance. Just enough people to be interesting without being crowded. Lots of options for dining, music, culture, etc. More retail woudl be nice, but you cannot have it all. If the balance was perfect, then it woudl be crowded - ick. I do not want Detroit to become New York or Chicago, or Denver, or Austin, or Dallas, or LA. If I wanted to live in those places, I would go there. I like it to be its unique self.
2. The remaining architecture is phenomenal. It is unmatched by almost any other city. Detroit was once widely accepted as the most beautiful city in America and much of that still remains. I am fortunate in that I can look around and enjoy what is still here. I also tend to see what can/will be. Some people (one of my brothers included) can only see what is gone and it makes them angry or sad. I could set on parts of Woodward and just examine the architectural elements of various buildings for hours, maybe days. Every time I spend some time looking around I see something I had not noticed before.
3. Detroit gets better every month. Most cities get a little worse, or stay the same. Climbing back up from the bottom, means Detroit is constantly improving. Not too many places can say that. That is a reason I also like old houses. I prefer things to be on the upswing - improving all the time.
4. There is a spirit of creative ideas here that I have found nowhere else. What do we do with this wreck of a city? Who would think to make a pawn shop into a restaurant but keep the signs and incorporate them into the name? Or turn a warehouse into a fowling location with people waiting to get in? Or rebuild the old ball-field into a condo/park. Most places (cities) te real estate is too valuable to get creative. Efficiency is all controlling. Not here. The creativity here is quite amusing to watch. Some of the ideas are stupid, some are brilliant, many you cannot tell where they will fall, but almost all of them are amusing.
5. Corruption is comparatively low and is being watched carefully. Having come from about as bad as it gets, the people of Detroit are determined not to go back there. State level governance is decent, other than roads and car insurance, the State government does few things that are corrupt or really incredibly stupid. Sure Ohio seems to be better run, but go to a State legislature session in Sacramento, and you will come back amazed at how non-zoolike Michigan's government is. By comparison to what I was used to, we have an awesome state Government many of the local governments are even better. Some are even great/well run.
6. The City is a decent mix of natioanalities and cultures. While the suburbs remain insanely segregated, the City istelf is pretty decently mixed.
7. The cultural opportunities rival or best most other cities, especially when you factor in cost and crowds. How many cities can you just walk into a place like DIA with no waiting or paying, spend a much or as little time as you like and come out amazed every single time? What other cities have a comparable theater districts (hint - two). Combine that with our stadium/sports district, festivals, architecture, a major research university right in the heart of the city, remarkable history that pre-dates the founding of our country and include being the heart of the industrial and military might of the USA . . . It is a remarkable combination.
7. Traffic. Or the lack thereof. Yes there is cute little mini traffic jams to the north which I try my best to avoid, but for the most part, traffic is a non-issue.
8. Festivals and events. We have many of the nations (and worlds) largest and most vibrant festivals and events. Youmacon, Jazz, Movement, NAIS, . . . it goes on and on. We also have lot of smaller homey types of events like Dally in the Alley. We are the home to mowtown, and Cars and Unions, and a major player in history (the Great Depression, Civil Rights movement, Fort Detroit, etc.).
9. Very little kitschy chains. Most of the bigger chains that envelope "nicer" cities and turn them into clones of each other find Detroit unworthy of their charms - hooray!. Yes we have BWW and some other weeping sores, but not many compared to the popular cities. Alas Detroit may someday suffer the fate of Ann Arbor and many other more popular cities, but for now, we are safe from this blight.
10. Opportunity. There is more opportunity to have a real impact here, than there are in most places. Anyone with some drive can have a very positive impact on other people, ont he city, on politics, on anything. Come here and you are not just one of a million people doing the exact same thing, you can easily be unique and have a unique and meaningful impact. You might even end up with a street names after you. On an unrelated note: When we moved to metro Detroit, we discovered we could actually buy one of the Fischer Mansions. It was affordable!. That is the US equivalent of buying a palace or Castle in Europe.
As for the entire metro area:
1. It is open and comparatively clean, comparatively better morals and social atmosphere. I am comparing to Southern California, but there ar many similar places where the metro compares favorably. Growing up, our kids played in forests, fields, rivers and streams rather than in an empty parking lot, or having to make an appointment with friends to go to a park. The water is comparatively clean, the air is comparatively clean, even the roadsides are cleaner than many places (thanks in large part to 10 cent deposits). When we first visited the high school in our relatively wealthy community, it was striking to see almost all of the kids in jeans and Tshirts/polos. No high fashion competition, no wondering whether the prostitutes running around were students or parents, and later we discovered far far fewer parents insanely competing with each other through their children.
2. Nearby beauty. While Metro Detroit is not all that pretty, the rest of Michigan is one of the top five most beautiful places in the USA. The Western Beaches are prettier than most beaches you find in California and far less crowded (also far less uptight). Plus the sand sings. Waterfalls, stunning forests, rivers lakes even some hills (we do miss mountains). There is so much to see and do, it is not surprising Michiganders tend to stay inside the state for vacations (up north).
3. Canadians. I find Canadian culture amusing and fun. I is hard to describe, but there is a sort of innocence and cleanness mixed with extreme toughness. Plus you have all the funny words and sayings eh? They are both old fashioned in some ways and ahead of our culture in others. Both Canadians and Canadian culture spill over into Metro Detroit and all of Michigan and it has a marked and mostly pleasant influence. Plus it is fun to make jokes and repost memes about Canadians. Also Yoopers.
4. Suburbs. I have visited 44 States, many extensively, including many or most major cities. I have rarely found such an eclectic mix of nice suburbs in any metro area. Yes, some places have nicer suburbs, but few have both nicer and so much variety of nice suburbs. You can find any type of lifestyle you can imagine in Detroit Metro and still live within commuting distance of most major employment areas. Almost all of the nice suburbs have low crime and good to great public schools. Also having three national research universities, and a plethora of very good regional schools is rarely matched (if ever) for a State of this size.
5. Airport. DTW is a pretty great airport and, being a major hub, it offers flights almost everywhere at decent prices. Also I really like how accessible it is. It always amuses me to drive past fields and produce stands right up to the entrance of a major international airport.
6. Climate. this is a mix, but generally positive. Now that i am old and fat(ish), heat is a bigger impediment to me than cold. I am happy to be out of the brunt of the heat. I also love the every changing conditions. Clear and sunny every single day really does get boring.
7. Social atmosphere. Agian a mixed bag here, but it is sort of like a big family. People do not necessarily like each other all that much, but they look out for each other nevertheless. We may be rude jerks behind the wheel of a car. we may be suspicious and stand offish to newcomers, especially at first, but we take cre of our own - new or established. I have never seen anywhere where people step up to help others in a crises the way they do here.
8. Wildlife. I love how common wildlife is in many areas. Deer on your porch? So what, she will be back tomorrow. Even Bald Eagle or red fox sightings eventually produce little excitement. Also songbirds like not tomorrow - oh and lightening bugs! (and Swans - I love Swans even if they do not love me).
9. Snow. Yes snow is cool. Even ice is neat, especially ice storms, thundrersnow, freezing fog etc. The cold air is refreshing and invigorating. OK I will give you 200 overcast/dark days is not that pleasant, but still snow is cool. I just wish we had more snow and less mud/frozen mud.
10. Sense of place. Being a peninsula, Michigan has a distinct and almost unique sense of place. We are not part of a region, like new England, or "the south" or the West Coast, etc. We are just Michigan. We try not to cross over into nasty Ohio or weird slow Indiana and we certainly try to repel the Chicago invasion of SW Michigan (although we happily take their money). We are our own place. Texas is like this too, maybe a few others, but it is neat.
This is a hard act to follow so I would just cosign what CJ said here, even though I live in a denser part of Detroit where traffic is a bit worse (I get stuck in traffic 3 hours before rush hour even starts) and the lines are a bit longer but this pretty much sums it up for me as well. I'll also add that from a black mans perspective it's great being in a region with over a million blacks, many of which who are very successful and doing what they love to do right here in Detroit. Last weekend I seen a young black guy in a baby blue Lamborghini . But anyway, I love having all of these options for things to cater to someone like me when it comes to nightlife, fashion, food, music, events, festivals, concerts, and culture in general. And what's even better is Detroit influences the rest of the nation from time to time as well. It's amazing because you simply don't get that in most places especially somewhere in the Midwest.
I'll also add that there are so many things to do in the Metro Detroit area and Michigan overall. When it gets warm outside and if you know enough people who know the city/ region well, there will be more events, festivals, and things to do in general then you will have the time or money for. Me being a young guy, I love it because I always have back up plans on top of back up plans.
And one more thing I will add is I love the women here. I personally am not into fake booty and fake ******* and all that extra crap. I love organic women. And personality wise, even though there are some stuck up women here there are many down to earth women who stick with you and have your back no matter what and they are also independent.
Overall, I see inspiration in this city everyday, this is where it goes down and I don't have to struggle or live paycheck to paycheck to fully enjoy what this city has to offer. As opposed to other people I know that live somewhere like Miami or something and can only afford to "enjoy" Miami every once in a while.
This area is safer than most of the nation. The wildfires, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and other disasters are less frequent here. The industries that left don't have much time left anywhere else, and new jobs appear as disasters and insurance make other areas too expensive for business.
This area is safer than most of the nation. The wildfires, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and other disasters are less frequent here. The industries that left don't have much time left anywhere else, and new jobs appear as disasters and insurance make other areas too expensive for business.
I keep forgetting this, which is odd being that we came from California. These disasters are not less frequent here, they simply do not happen except tornados and those are rare.
This is a hard act to follow so I would just cosign what CJ said here,
And one more thing I will add is I love the women here.
You will cosign you are old and fat(ish) and therefore hate hot weather more than cold weather? I thought you were sub 30.
There is only one woman here I love - well in that way anyway. But I do agree that a very large number of women (and men) are more down to earth here and more natural, at least compared to Southern CA.
Women and men as also generally larger here. Not just fatter (although there are a lot more overweight people here) people are noticeably taller. In So. Cal. at 6'1" was was often a giant looking over the tops of most people's heads. Here I am average, or in some situations, short. Even "short" people tend to be close to my height and it is not common I am in a crowd where I can see completely over the top of pretty much everybody (in other words, my eyes are above the top of their heads).
We met a young woman from Milford this past weekend while up at Taquamenon Falls. She had two dogs - one named Mackinac and one named Mitten. Why? She said she just loves everything about Michigan so much and then went on to mention some of its wonders. It is nice to see young people who appreciate what this state has to offer. Too many just seem to want to move away (then they grow up and want to come back).
Last edited by Coldjensens; 07-25-2018 at 02:33 PM..
I lived in other states for 15 years, and returned to Michigan last summer for keeps. Here's some of what I love and missed:
Middle Eastern food cooked by people whomknowmwhatntheyre doing
Real local businesses - retail and restaurants that offer uniqueness and the chance to get to know a local businessperson
The courtesy of allowing traffic to merge into the interstate (it's not done in PA)
Proximity to country roads and lakes, no matter where you are
No obnoxious indigenous bugs and invasive species (as in Florida)
Wearing sweaters most of the year
DTW
The DIA
All that comes with having so many universities nearby
The Ark
Lake Michigan. Shoot, all the lakes.
Community support for the arts -'theater, writers groups, fine arts, music
Easy access to a lot of great concerts
Christmas lights in Downtown Rochester
Rails to trails
Super high quality options for medical care - I'm healthy but heard horror stories elsewhere
Quick trips up north
It's easy to find "real" people
Downtown - all the changes for good
Broad Ethnic diversity
....Maybe I'm just glad to be home, but that's for starters!
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. But anyway, I love having all of these options for things to cater to someone like me when it comes to nightlife, fashion, food, music, events, festivals, concerts, and culture in general. And what's even better is Detroit influences the rest of the nation from time to time as well. It's amazing because you simply don't get that in most places especially somewhere in the Midwest. 
