[e130478]

To anyone who is particularly honest and perceptible, the Metro Detroit region is extremely segregated. The region's different residential communities tend to function independently, often ignoring the fact that people drastically unlike themselves exist within miles of their proximity. I am often told by visitors and new inhabitants of the area that the first thing they noticed when they arrived here was how incredibly demarcated things tended to be. A common remark often goes something like the following: Oakland County residents seem to exist in a bubble, quietly peering down in disapproval on the surrounding working-class neighborhoods; the rich and successful people of the area fashion themselves as the great producers of Michigan's post-industrial fortunes, declaring responsibility for the remarkable productivity of our society and entitling themselves as such by claiming majority stake in the state's political and economic endeavors. In the same way, working-class residents of Wayne County and abroad live in similar isolation, although their solitude seems to be enforced more by economic constraint than a desire for exclusivity. Neither side is particularly favorable of the other, making for a relationship silently defined by envy and disdain. The two sides mutually identify with only one thing, which is that Detroit is destruction and that its leadership and people are undeserving of its unique items of social curiosity, for which the two parties have demonstrated an intense propensity to consume in occasional helpings (earliest impressions of Detroit life for most Michiganders today is often a sporting event excursion for which a quick trip on and off the freeway satisfies, splitting right through all the adjacent blight and unmentionable qualities of the undiscovered and unwanted surrounding city).

Having lived here my entire life, I find this impression to be accurate. I can still remember growing up downriver and people being incredibly envious of people who lived in wealthier neighborhoods, particularly bloomfield hills. What was curious is that most of these people had never even spent time in Oakland County, less been actively engaged with people form there. As I got older, I noticed similar feelings were exhibited my Oakland County residents. The mere mention of south of ten mile seemed to induce shivers of discontent, so pronounced in feeling and frequency that I stopped sharing my upbringing with new acquaintances altogether.

I don't know if things have always been this way, but I get the serious impression that things are getting worse. For all the talk of revitalization, I see a major roadblock in the from of this tense relationship. I cannot see a fashionable resolution between the greater region so long as residents feel grated by one another.

[animatedmartian]

For one, the only reason I see that people would have "to come together", so to speak, is for economic reasons. It doesn't seem unusual to me that communities on far sides of the metro seemingly have nothing to do with each other. With an area as spread out as SE Michigan, I would sort of expect that to happen.

In a way, I think of Metro Detroit as a singular community and within it are the different neighborhoods that you'd find in any city. Different demographics, different lifestyles, just all very spread out due to suburbanization.

For what is New York City if Manhattan were no different than Queens or Brooklyn or east New Jersey? Or LA if Hollywood was the same as Compton or "the valley"? Or Chicago and its north and south sides?

Truthfully, the only segregation I care about is the racial and economic segregation. If there is too little wealth in one area (in this case Detroit), it causes major problems for that area and possibly rest of the region while have too much in one area (pretty much central OC) makes it far too expensive for most people to move there comfortably. Other than that, people naturally gravitate to like-minded and similar people and you can't really do much about that.

[zthatzmanz28]

Yes it has been yes it has been discussed, and yes it has been discussed to no end.

Come on out to Livingston County if you really want to induce shivers of discontent with the mention of anywhere east of US 23 and south of 10 mile.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Socio-economic segregation is hardly a phenomenon unique to SE Michigan.

Read "Coming Apart" by Charles Murray -- an excellent, data-driven study of this phenomenon in the US over the past 50 years. His thesis basically boils down to the fact that people live in geographic and cultural bubbles based on their education and income levels.

[belleislerunner]

I've found that the farther people choose to live way away from their jobs - the more likely they are to commute/travel within a region. For example, someone living in Wixom/Novi and commuting to downtown is more likely to "experience" Metro Detroit and be familiar with areas in between. Someone who lives in Macomb and works downtown often knows all of Macomb County, downtown and Oakland (RO/Ferndale etc). Someone who lives in Midtown and works downtown has no reason to really ever go north of 11 Mile in Royal Oak, so there isn't a justification for branching out.

This happens to work the same way in every city. DC residents loathe going to MD or VA. VA/MD come into and out of DC all the time.Someone who lives and works in Manhattan will rarely go to Brooklyn/New Jersey because it seems like such a chore. Yet the person who commutes every day from Brooklyn/NJ doesn't understand why the Manhattanite doesn't want to go out.

So I don't think of it as people living in bubbles or being envious. I think of it as the people who live closest to their jobs winning.

[Indentured Servant]

Originally Posted by e130478

To anyone who is particularly honest and perceptible, the Metro Detroit region is extremely segregated. The region's different residential communities tend to function independently, often ignoring the fact that people drastically unlike themselves exist within miles of their proximity. I am often told by visitors and new inhabitants of the area that the first thing they noticed when they arrived here was how incredibly demarcated things tended to be. A common remark often goes something like the following: Oakland County residents seem to exist in a bubble, quietly peering down in disapproval on the surrounding working-class neighborhoods; the rich and successful people of the area fashion themselves as the great producers of Michigan's post-industrial fortunes, declaring responsibility for the remarkable productivity of our society and entitling themselves as such by claiming majority stake in the state's political and economic endeavors. In the same way, working-class residents of Wayne County and abroad live in similar isolation, although their solitude seems to be enforced more by economic constraint than a desire for exclusivity. Neither side is particularly favorable of the other, making for a relationship silently defined by envy and disdain. The two sides mutually identify with only one thing, which is that Detroit is destruction and that its leadership and people are undeserving of its unique items of social curiosity, for which the two parties have demonstrated an intense propensity to consume in occasional helpings (earliest impressions of Detroit life for most Michiganders today is often a sporting event excursion for which a quick trip on and off the freeway satisfies, splitting right through all the adjacent blight and unmentionable qualities of the undiscovered and unwanted surrounding city).

Having lived here my entire life, I find this impression to be accurate. I can still remember growing up downriver and people being incredibly envious of people who lived in wealthier neighborhoods, particularly bloomfield hills. What was curious is that most of these people had never even spent time in Oakland County, less been actively engaged with people form there. As I got older, I noticed similar feelings were exhibited my Oakland County residents. The mere mention of south of ten mile seemed to induce shivers of discontent, so pronounced in feeling and frequency that I stopped sharing my upbringing with new acquaintances altogether.

I don't know if things have always been this way, but I get the serious impression that things are getting worse. For all the talk of revitalization, I see a major roadblock in the from of this tense relationship. I cannot see a fashionable resolution between the greater region so long as residents feel grated by one another.

Interesting article here....and it was not written by an African American. I would say that I agree 95% of what is written.

Obviously.....people do not want to talk about it. However, such people who remain silent NEVER advance society. You have to go through the pain....before the gain. How about another cliche? Some times you have to take a step back to make a leap forward. Talking about this stuff does create tensions...but those tensions have to be looked at as the step back to make a leap forward.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Fascinating article on the phenomenon of "Super Zips" or Zip Codes that are in the top 5 percentile in the country in terms of income and education. Metro Detroit is nowhere near the top of the list in terms of economic segregation -- that honor goes to Washington D.C.

There is a really cool interactive map that allows you to see the wealth and income distrbution around Metro Detroit. I found it interesting that it is a diagonal line that starts at Ann Arbor and ends at Northwestern Oakland County.

Washington: A world apart | The Washington Post

[Guineas]

Originally Posted by Indentured Servant

Obviously.....people do not want to talk about it. However, such people who remain silent NEVER advance society. You have to go through the pain....before the gain. How about another cliche? Some times you have to take a step back to make a leap forward. Talking about this stuff does create tensions...but those tensions have to be looked at as the step back to make a leap forward.

I mean what's there to talk about? Do the residents in Oakland owe the people in Detroit something? In 1950s, Detroit was one of the wealthiest cities in America and the fourth most populous. The residents of Oakland County didn't oppress Detroit or force Detroit to elect the leaders they voted for.

As other people said before, if you compare Detroit with Hiroshima today, you would think it was Detroit that got nuked.

Here is a photo I took personally of Hiroshima in 2010:



Right at ground zero.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by Guineas

I mean what's there to talk about? Do the residents in Oakland owe the people in Detroit something?

They do not owe them a thing.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Guineas

As other people said before, if you compare Detroit with Hiroshima today, you would think it was Detroit that got nuked.

Of course, a huge factor in Hiroshima is the Japanese Government spending money to rebuild infrastructure, services, housing....