why Detroit didn't feel as isolated as Chicago? (Grand Rapids, Flint: centers, move to)

[ethnicappalachian]

I was a former Chicago resident and felt the city was isolated. Every other big cities are far away from it. With Detroit, it felt more manageable and not isolated. It's right next to another city (and country), Windsor, Canada, and about an hour from another state's big city, Toledo, Ohio.

[Retroit]

You were surrounded by 10 million people and you felt isolated? This sounds more relevant to the Psychology Forum.

[animatedmartian]

Detroit is surrounded by cities in every direction. I-94 leads to Ann Arbor, Jackson, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. I-96 leads to Lansing and Grand Rapids (and Muskegon if you really want to make that trip). I-75 north takes you to Flint, Saginaw, and Bay City if you have to take a detour.

I-75 south takes you to Toledo, but that's just because it's the first (and last) city Detroiters have to go through to get to anywhere else in the country. Ironically, Chicago is also another city Detroiters have to go through to get anywhere else. Though that's just usually if we don't feel like going through Ohio.

Chicago is probably isolated because farming in Illinois was more important than building factories in every town. Instead they just crammed them all into Chicago and made that the big city. In Michigan, Detroit had the greatest number of factories (and usually the largest), but many other Michigan cities, as well as Ohio, were major industrial centers also so they all grew to pretty decent sizes compared to towns in Illinois. That also meant it was much more important for all these cities (in Michigan and Ohio) to be connected by freeways. Illinois interstates just mostly go through farmland and typically bypass most of the smaller cities outside of Chicago.

[MS313]

Chicago does feel more isolated but not completely isolated. Detroit just happens to be the biggest city next to a ton of other decent sized cities. It's somewhat like the east coast in that regard.

With Chicago it feels less isolated north and east of the city but if you go south or ESPECIALLY west of Chicagoland (past Joliet or Aurora) you almost instantly feel like your in the Great Plains of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, ect. Chicago has the benefit of drawing people from 8+ hours away who just want to get away from the world of cornfields for a while and experience a big city.

I went on a plane ride a couple times from Vegas to Detroit a few years back and it's shocking how empty it is after we flew over Chicago... it's like civilization just stopped after we got pass the west suburbs.

[newengland17]

Toronto is only 4 hours away, Chicago is 5 hours, Grand Rapids is 2 and a half hours, lots of lakes and nature/small town destinations not far away, plus Detroit has eastern time. It's a well-connected city, great for road trips.

[Republic of Michigan]

Originally Posted by newengland17

Toronto is only 4 hours away, Chicago is 5 hours, Grand Rapids is 2 and a half hours, lots of lakes and nature/small town destinations not far away, plus Detroit has eastern time. It's a well-connected city, great for road trips.

Actually Toronto is 3 hours 40 minutes We shouldn't forget the beautiful city of Pittsburgh which is 4.5 hours, Cleveland 3 hours away, Buffalo which is 4 hours away, London, Ontario which is 2 hours away, Columbus 3.5 hours away, Toledo 1 hour away, Indianapolis 4.5 hours away, and Cincinnati which is 4 hours.

I don't agree that Chicago is truly isolated. Chicago is close to Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Cincinnati, Des Moines, Toledo, Detroit, and Grand Rapids. There is also Rockford, Springfield, Urbana-Champaign, and Peoria.

The irony is that Michigan is actually more isolated. However, Detroiters have a strong affinity and connection with the rest of Michigan and with its other metropolitan areas. I believe this has a lot to do with the fact that Michigan feels like a region to its own. Thus, people in Michigan don't really think too often about other places outside the state with the exception of Toronto and Chicago. The Midwest identity is actually replaced with more of a Michigan identity since it is like an island. In Chicago, there is not really an "Illinois" identity. It is a huge urban area in the middle of the Midwest with its own identity apart from the rest of the region. But I don't think that Chicago is any more isolated - its just that a common theme or attitude in Chicago is that it is an oasis. Also, people in Chicago always try to detach themselves from a Midwest identity which again reinforces this idea that Chicago is isolated from the rest of the region.

[brodie734]

People don't move to Chicago for it's road trip potential, they move there for the amenities of the city itself.

[MS313]

Originally Posted by Republic of Michigan

Actually Toronto is 3 hours 40 minutes We shouldn't forget the beautiful city of Pittsburgh which is 4.5 hours, Cleveland 3 hours away, Buffalo which is 4 hours away, London, Ontario which is 2 hours away, Columbus 3.5 hours away, Toledo 1 hour away, Indianapolis 4.5 hours away, and Cincinnati which is 4 hours.

I don't agree that Chicago is truly isolated. Chicago is close to Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Cincinnati, Des Moines, Toledo, Detroit, and Grand Rapids. There is also Rockford, Springfield, Urbana-Champaign, and Peoria.

The irony is that Michigan is actually more isolated. However, Detroiters have a strong affinity and connection with the rest of Michigan and with its other metropolitan areas. I believe this has a lot to do with the fact that Michigan feels like a region to its own. Thus, people in Michigan don't really think too often about other places outside the state with the exception of Toronto and Chicago. The Midwest identity is actually replaced with more of a Michigan identity since it is like an island. In Chicago, there is not really an "Illinois" identity. It is a huge urban area in the middle of the Midwest with its own identity apart from the rest of the region. But I don't think that Chicago is any more isolated - its just that a common theme or attitude in Chicago is that it is an oasis. Also, people in Chicago always try to detach themselves from a Midwest identity which again reinforces this idea that Chicago is isolated from the rest of the region.

This is true. I'm still trying to figure out why MI is like that lol. But I still think it is extremely empty west of Chicagoland.

People don't move to Chicago for it's road trip potential, they move there for the amenities of the city itself.

I don't think most people move to any city for it's road trip potential . No one was arguing that. Were just simply discussing observations and options on this matter. I think it's an interesting one since I never thought about it before.

[Indentured Servant]

I think Detroit starts to surpass Chicago near the 150 mile radius population. Short of that Chicago overwhelms due to the MSA by itself. At the 200 mile radius mark Detroit leaves Chicago in the dust.

In regards to the distance from GR to Dtown....I always hear 2 hours....but that really depends because I have made that trip more than 50 times. From downtown to downtown its about 2 hours....but you can go from the eastern suburbs of Grand Rapids to the Western suburbs of Detroit it about 1 hour 20 minutes. To go from SE GR to the far west side (Telegraph near 6 mile), which was most of my trips, took about 1 hour 45 minutes. If you are heading to the far east side from GR, then its a little over 2 hours.

[Republic of Michigan]

Originally Posted by brodie734

People don't move to Chicago for it's road trip potential, they move there for the amenities of the city itself.

I think that is the case for most people in urban areas. But nevertheless, people take road trips and people in Chicago are no exception. Have you ever been to Door County in Wisconsin or the Western Coast of Michigan? These places are inundated with people from Chicago taking road trips for the weekend. In fact, many own summer cottages in these places.

I just do not think that Chicago is really isolated. Illinois is sparsely populated outside of Chicago and perhaps that is why the OP feels Chicago is isolated. But at the end of the day, Chicago is close to many other urban areas.