Are suburbanites aware of how unattractive living in Metro-Detroit is to outsiders?

[ghettopalmetto]

As for the comment about visiting Chicago vs. suburban Chicago - that's just silly. If I go to visit the Chicago area, it's because I want to see the attractions of one of the country's biggest cities. It has absolutely nothing to do with my preference of Detroit's suburbs vs. Chicago. I have no reason to go to suburban Chicago because, honestly, it offers the same things suburban Detroit does.

It's not silly in the least. When you're trying to attract a workforce that has options on where to live, you have to offer more than plastic boxes, endless freeways, and restaurants supplied by Sysco.

It's mid-April. Head to Ann Arbor right now, and ask the graduating seniors where they'll be moving next month. More importantly, ask them WHY.

Even if those kids are moving to suburban areas in a different metropolitan area, they at least have the option of choosing an urban or suburban environment. Detroit flat-out compels you, if you want an average quality of life, to live in an automobile-oriented suburb, shop at malls, and spend hours of every day in traffic.

Sometimes, I think folks don't realize how ordinary the suburbs of Detroit really are. Oakland County is just Charlotte or Atlanta without the miserable summers.

It ain't about "attractions". People with options, especially people now in their 20s and 30s, go for Quality of Life.