Took a Road Trip to Detroit the Other Day. A Few Observations...

[Otter74]

I love Detroit. I moved there in 1998 to go to art school, and moved to Chicago in 2008. I've been going back frequently for the past 9years. I lived in Grosse Pointe Park for much of my time there but most of my friends and most of my time were and are in the city. I was there this weekend for the first time in some months. EEV is a solid middle class and racially mixed neighborhood that was hit really hard by the housing crash, like many, many neighborhoods in the city. There were many neighborhoods that were healthy in 2007 and were destroyed by 2011. EEV survived better than many. Indian Village, about halfway to GP from downtown, is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city and is home to enormous mansions in beautiful condition with great neighbors. The west Village, just west of it, has been undergoing something of a revival.

The central core has changed a massive amount just in the last five years, and is unrecognizable compared to what I moved to in 1998. The city I'd deflove nicely, definitely past it's bottom but there is a long road ahead for the city as a whole, especially with the terrible school system. The population has stabilized, however, and is growing, though most of that growth is in the CBD and surrounding neighborhoods. Downtown has become the new "it" place where people from all over the metro area go out, businesses at relocating from the suburbs to downtown, dan Gilbert has bought seemingly everything in sight, and they're running out of old buildings o rehab. The change in scene is weird to me, as everywhere I go it's full of white suburbanites, which is great, but still strange to me. I was at the Old Miami bar for the first time in like a decade and could hardly believe the change inclientele, even as the bar itself hasn't changed.

I was there this weekend to visit friends and per my usual practice left my car parked at my friends' house and got around on my bike. Friends live in Sherwood Forest on the north side and the ride to and from midtown/downtown (down on Third, up on Second) takes you through some pretty severe contrasts and gutted neighborhoods. Everything is normal through New Center then it begins to drop off in quality and becomes quite run down then from one block to the next it is transformed into a neighborhood of huge houses in beautiful shape (you will pass Henry Ford's first house, before he built Fairlane in Dearborn) then four blocks later poof it is gone and the whole ride through Highland Park looks terrible until you get to McNichols. But even in the terrible neighborhoods you can see the homes of the people who really care and keep their houses in great shape.

Safety in neighborhoods can be all over (I have a friend who lives in EEV and it is OK) - I would never hang out at, say, Gratiot and Seven Mile at night - but the center city is quite safe, especially where Wayne State police supplement the DPD. Though I did pass two drug deals on my ride home at 1:00 AM Saturday night

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by Otter74

I love Detroit. I moved there in 1998 to go to art school, and moved to Chicago in 2008. I've been going back frequently for the past 9years. I lived in Grosse Pointe Park for much of my time there but most of my friends and most of my time were and are in the city. I was there this weekend for the first time in some months. EEV is a solid middle class and racially mixed neighborhood that was hit really hard by the housing crash, like many, many neighborhoods in the city. There were many neighborhoods that were healthy in 2007 and were destroyed by 2011. EEV survived better than many. Indian Village, about halfway to GP from downtown, is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city and is home to enormous mansions in beautiful condition with great neighbors. The west Village, just west of it, has been undergoing something of a revival.

The central core has changed a massive amount just in the last five years, and is unrecognizable compared to what I moved to in 1998. The city I'd deflove nicely, definitely past it's bottom but there is a long road ahead for the city as a whole, especially with the terrible school system. The population has stabilized, however, and is growing, though most of that growth is in the CBD and surrounding neighborhoods. Downtown has become the new "it" place where people from all over the metro area go out, businesses at relocating from the suburbs to downtown, dan Gilbert has bought seemingly everything in sight, and they're running out of old buildings o rehab. The change in scene is weird to me, as everywhere I go it's full of white suburbanites, which is great, but still strange to me. I was at the Old Miami bar for the first time in like a decade and could hardly believe the change inclientele, even as the bar itself hasn't changed.

I was there this weekend to visit friends and per my usual practice left my car parked at my friends' house and got around on my bike. Friends live in Sherwood Forest on the north side and the ride to and from midtown/downtown (down on Third, up on Second) takes you through some pretty severe contrasts and gutted neighborhoods. Everything is normal through New Center then it begins to drop off in quality and becomes quite run down then from one block to the next it is transformed into a neighborhood of huge houses in beautiful shape (you will pass Henry Ford's first house, before he built Fairlane in Dearborn) then four blocks later poof it is gone and the whole ride through Highland Park looks terrible until you get to McNichols. But even in the terrible neighborhoods you can see the homes of the people who really care and keep their houses in great shape.

Safety in neighborhoods can be all over (I have a friend who lives in EEV and it is OK) - I would never hang out at, say, Gratiot and Seven Mile at night - but the center city is quite safe, especially where Wayne State police supplement the DPD. Though I did pass two drug deals on my ride home at 1:00 AM Saturday night

Looking on Zillow, if you go one block past Mack Ave. from the neighborhood I was in the prices jump from $45k to $450K and up. That's a big swing.

[Otter74]

The other side of Mack from EEV is Grosse Pointe, which explains the large jump in real estate values.

Originally Posted by GG Allin

Looking on Zillow, if you go one block past Mack Ave. from the neighborhood I was in the prices jump from $45k to $450K and up. That's a big swing.

[daepp]

Crowbob certainly keep his ear to the ground re the Motor City. Can't remember if he lives there or not.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Don't remember his name, but the CEO of Quicken Loans (based in downtown Det) is investing heavily in the city. My perception from my most recent visit was one of early recovery.

I haven't been to Detroit but I would think property is cheap and big investors would be snapping it up.

My home town was a Navy and commercial fishing town... Navy moved to S.D. and fishing fleet moved to Mexico... with them went the gritty hard working folks...
Now we are all gentrified and prices are going up, up, up...
Frankly I miss the old town.

[Crowbob]

I remember shopping with my mom at Hudson's Downtown. Black guy in white gloves ran the elevator. I was in a stroller and he helped mom get us over the threshold of the lift. That's why I remember the white gloves.

Gratiot Drive-In in Roseville was way out in the boonies back then. The sign is featured on the cover of some authoritative history of Rock 'n Roll.

Cruising Woodward Ave., Belle Isle, The tunnel to Windsor, Cobo, Ford Auditorium. Went to see Pro wresling and saw Dick the Bruiser fight the Sheik at Olympia once. Anybody remember Haystacks Calhoun?

Brand spankin' new neighborhoods of beautiful brick homes were bulldozed to make room for new freeways going every which way beginning around 1957. Monster boat races on the river.

And Motown.

The money in Detroit way back when put the D in the top ten wealthiest cities this side of Jupiter. Phenomenal wealth.

All gone now. Maybe Tigertown will come back. Miracles do happen.

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

...Monster boat races on the river.

And Motown.

You just made me think of "The Four Tops LIVE at the Roostertail"... an excellent live album... I still have my LP.





Bazinga... looks like everybody performed there from George Gobel to Blue Oyster Cult: Roostertail Superstars

[Jay Auskin]

I moved here 4 years ago. Drastic change (for the better), even since then. I don't live in city proper, but 2 blocks away in Grosse Pointe. My daily commute to work takes me down Cadieux to I-94, and the constant change is one less blue tarp on a roof, one less uncut lawn, more improvements, and more people taking care of their property. So, while yes, the money is Downtown and Midtown, people appear to have more confidence in owning homes in Detroit and are doing so.

There are many blocks and neighborhoods which are never coming back. But, there are also many which will remain. The problem is, if the auto industry sneezes, Detroit will get the flu. So, the hope is for money to stay in the region longer to continue the growth. That money is employment by automotive.

[gassy]

I drove through Detroit yesterday on my way back from Canada. I was expecting a train wreck but surprised by the amount of people and energy in the downtown. Granted, I didn't hit the depressed outskirts, but what I saw was encouraging.

[9112gun]

I live in a suburb of Detroit. I am however downtown weekly. The downtown, mid town, and cork town areas are booming. Millie nails are moving back in droves and real estate for sale or lease lasts a day. There have been 50 new restaurants/bars open each year for the last three years. The appearance and energy is back in these areas and it will only get better. Real estate opportunities do exist but highly competitive with the local 4-5 local billionaires (Penske, illitch, karmanos, Dan Gilbert) buying all of it before arena projects announced.

However. The neighborhoods outside these small pockets are going to continue to fail. High taxes, failing schools, inadequate police force and response times and the sheer geographic size of the city provides no future. City is down to 500k in population which is 1/3 of its peak

[Crowbob]

Figuratively speaking, I see the booming downtown sections of Detroit being like the castle inside the walls with the neighborhoods being outside the moat.

It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.