713,000

[laphoque]

WHAT YOU DRIVE, DRIVES AMERICA.
OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

What you drive paved over Detroit with parking lots.
The motor city is dead. Long live Detroit.

[Gistok]

OK... this is strange... Oakland County gained only 15,000 people.

But the county that a lot of folks on this forum love to hate... Macomb County... gained 52,000??

In fact Macomb County was the state's FASTEST GROWING COUNTY. Even Grand Rapid's Kent County paled by comparison... with a gain of 28,000 [[574,000 to 602,000)... the Macomb growth was nearly double that of Kent County [[which was even below its' 2009 estimate of 608,000).

So yes... to paraphrase a famous commercial... Macomb County is "no one's Emerald City"... but it has a few things going for it that are missing elsewhere.... 1) home affordability [[better than Oakland), 2) safety [[better than Detroit).

Just something to think about when folks spout off that no one would want to live in that flat, treeless, uneducated blue collar, strip mall infested no-mans land....

[softailrider]

I'm in the city almost every day, I don't see any densly populated areas. Show me an area where people are packed in. Almost every street has vacant houses, there's hardly any apartment buildings left. 713,000 sounds just about right to me.

[iheartthed]

OK... this is strange... Oakland County gained only 15,000 people.

But the county that a lot of folks on this forum love to hate... Macomb County... gained 52,000??

In fact Macomb County was the state's FASTEST GROWING COUNTY. Even Grand Rapid's Kent County paled by comparison... with a gain of 28,000 [[574,000 to 602,000)... the Macomb growth was nearly double that of Kent County [[which was even below its' 2009 estimate of 608,000).

So yes... to paraphrase a famous commercial... Macomb County is "no one's Emerald City"... but it has a few things going for it that are missing elsewhere.... 1) home affordability [[better than Oakland), 2) safety [[better than Detroit).

Just something to think about when folks spout off that no one would want to live in that flat, treeless, uneducated blue collar, strip mall infested no-mans land....

Growing because of an excess of Sprawlburbia McMansions should hardly be something to celebrate.

[Gistok]

My late mother's street in the 48224 area code [[one of the most densly populated in the city) has 19 empty houses on it....

[Gistok]

Growing because of an excess of Sprawlburbia McMansions should hardly be something to celebrate.

No one is celebrating... I'm just curious about Macomb's inner ring suburbs population stats... to see if they've grown at all. McMansions can be built out in Oakland and outstate Wayne as well... if that accounts for the increase in Macomb...

[DetroitPlanner]

Not many McMansions have been built in the sprawl zone over the last 10 years. There are many subdivisions started during this time period that are much less than half-built and full of abandoned spec homes.

[SWMAP]

Charles Pugh says a re-count is warrantted because 'there are thousands of Detroiter incarcerated in other municipalities that should be counted as Detroiters"!!!

[Fury13]

OK... this is strange... Oakland County gained only 15,000 people.

But the county that a lot of folks on this forum love to hate... Macomb County... gained 52,000??

In fact Macomb County was the state's FASTEST GROWING COUNTY. Even Grand Rapid's Kent County paled by comparison... with a gain of 28,000 [[574,000 to 602,000)... the Macomb growth was nearly double that of Kent County [[which was even below its' 2009 estimate of 608,000).

So yes... to paraphrase a famous commercial... Macomb County is "no one's Emerald City"... but it has a few things going for it that are missing elsewhere.... 1) home affordability [[better than Oakland), 2) safety [[better than Detroit).

Just something to think about when folks spout off that no one would want to live in that flat, treeless, uneducated blue collar, strip mall infested no-mans land....

My biggest problem with Macomb is the corrupt power structure and rigged court system. Macomb is also the home of the Detroit mob, which may have something to do with the taint. If you can live with that, fine... but I can't, due to some personal experiences with the corruption there.

But really, outside of St. Clair Shores, downtown Utica, and maybe Fraser, which parts of Macomb are walkable... which parts have charm and character? Eastpointe had a chance to step up many years ago and be the Macomb version of Ferndale, but blew it. The jury's still out on Mt. Clemens; the downtown there has experienced some rebirth, but it still doesn't have many good neighborhoods.

Macomb's population gain doesn't testify to its quality of life; rather, it speaks of affordability, relative safety, exurban development, and convenience [[to shopping areas and jobs). With the exception of maybe St. Clair Shores, there's not much of a "creative class" there.

[bartock]

Not many McMansions have been built in the sprawl zone over the last 10 years. There are many subdivisions started during this time period that are much less than half-built and full of abandoned spec homes.

Agreed. I was surprised that Warren only lost 4,000 people. I was also surprised that Sterling Heights gained 5,000 people.

[313WX]

For Detroit's CSA

Livingston County = 180,967 [[decline from 183,118)
Monroe County = 152, 021 [[decline from 152, 949)
Washtenaw County = 344,791 [[decline from 347,563)
Genessee County = 425,790 [[increase from 424, 043)
Lapeer County = 88,319 [[decline from 89,974)
St. Clair County = 163,040 [[decline from 167,562)
Sanilac County = 43,114 [[increase from 42,064)
Lenawee County = 99,892 [[decline from 100,801)


Yeah, so only 3,000-odd people out of the MSA's 140k loss remained in Detroit's CSA at all. Statisically those 3,000 people don't make much of a difference at all. And actually, when you add it all up, we loss another 7k people in addition to the 140k.

[Novine]

" I'm just curious about Macomb's inner ring suburbs population stats... to see if they've grown at all."

Nope. Southern Macomb County is moving to northern Macomb County. Warren, Eastpointe, Fraser, Centerline, Roseville and SCS all lost population. Almost all of the new growth was in Shelby, Macomb and Washington townships with Sterling Heights still growing with around 5000 new residents. The one growth sector outside of the Van Dyke corridor was New Baltimore. It added almost 5000 new residents, a 64% growth rate.

[Fury13]

Here's the bottom line:

"The losses that we have are completely – or primarily – linked to the decline in the auto industry and in manufacturing in general,” said Professor Lyke Thompson, director of The Center for Urban Studies at Wayne State."

What did anyone expect?

WHAT YOU DRIVE, DRIVES AMERICA.
OUT OF A JOB YET? KEEP BUYING FOREIGN.

No, it's simply more obvious than ever that we need to diversify our industrial base [[and therefore our economy) to survive. You can't go back to the economic structure of the '50s and '60s. It's time to stop relying on the auto industry as a crutch.

I would think that folks would be sick and tired of living and dying with the car companies by now. I know I am.

[Detroitnerd]

Well, I can tell you that the Yemeni-Bangladeshi immigrant stream is pouring into Hamtramck, and then it's moving up to Warren and Sterling Heights. These are modest, hard-working people trying for a stab at the American dream, but not as prosperous as yesterday's factory worker. So, as Warrenites and Sterlingites move up to Shelby and Macomb, they're actually quite likely to sell their homes to immigrants passing though Hamtramck.

The numbers will out, but that's the perspective from down here anyway.

[Gistok]

My biggest problem with Macomb is the corrupt power structure and rigged court system. Macomb is also the home of the Detroit mob, which may have something to do with the taint. If you can live with that, fine... but I can't, due to some personal experiences with the corruption there.

But really, outside of St. Clair Shores, downtown Utica, and maybe Fraser, which parts of Macomb are walkable... which parts have charm and character? Eastpointe had a chance to step up many years ago and be the Macomb version of Ferndale, but blew it. The jury's still out on Mt. Clemens; the downtown there has experienced some rebirth, but it still doesn't have many good neighborhoods.

Macomb's population gain doesn't testify to its quality of life; rather, it speaks of affordability, relative safety, exurban development, and convenience [[to shopping areas and jobs). With the exception of maybe St. Clair Shores, there's not much of a "creative class" there.

Fury13... no argument here... although I might add parts of Shelby, Washington Twp. and Clinton Twp.) to your list, as well as the "non-dumpy" looking parts of Harrison Twp.

I also wonder about their County Drain Commission...

[Danny]

713,000 That's rediculous!!! That census Data is ALL WRONG! There are more than 713,000 people. U.S. Census only counted the live in residents in Detroit, not the homeless. Therefore Detroit's population should be over 800,000.

If Detroit's population is 713,000 that means the biggest lost of population group is middle class African Americans It must have went decreased from 690,000 to 580,000 in a year. TOTALLY REDICULOUS!!! Now I see the vacant homes and buildings being piled up.

The Bright side of the picture is The Mexican Hispanic population increase slowly from 47,000 to almost 70,000 by now.

[jjw]

This speaks volumes and is so true. 713 may not be bad for the city in that many of those gone residents may be school-age children [[less schools=less cost). Also, if big money is out and little income is in, that is a very telling bit of information. The Oakland "grand dam" mentioned he thought it was okay but if the higher saleries are gone and replaced with minimal-wage residents, look out Oakland County-that is a decline.

[lilpup]

What's really showing is the even greater split between the haves and the have nots. In Washtenaw County Ypsilanti population dropped 12.6%. Crime has risen a lot in Ypsi and a fair amount in Ann Arbor and once rural townships, too - bank robberies, shootings, home invasions, burglaries, you name it.

[Fury13]

Gistok, some parts of Shelby and especially Washington townships have retained a degree of country-like scenery, and that's great... but... those two places are the main strongholds of the mob, too! I forgot to mention Romeo and Richmond. Romeo is quaint with many historic homes and is still a small town, but becoming more sophisticated. Richmond, on the other hand, still feels like a farm community with a somewhat drab downtown, and doesn't offer the charm and amenities that Romeo does.

I think that a great strategy for Macomb would be to redevelop and rejuvenate the Gratiot corridor [[a la the Woodward corridor in Oakland) and keep St. Clair Shores vital.

[lilpup]

Another Forbes list - tweeted by the Metro Times - 2.9% home vacancy rate for Detroit [[national average is 2.7%) and 15.6% for Detroit apartments - Orlando and Las Vegas [[among others that overbuilt) have higher vacancy rates

http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/02/orl...st-cities.html

[Danny]

Have Detroit and suburbs combined into one mega city. That would the population up to 5 million people.

[Gistok]

Fury13... I always thought that "mob country" was the "Moravian & Millar corridor" of Clinton Twp.... so much classical statuary, grape vines and wrought iron.... and subdivision names like "Villa di Fiore".... LOL...

[313WX]

Actually, we're the 19th largest city in the country now [[Charlotte did pass us), pending Memphis' numbers.

If Memphis saw a 6% increase in population then we're the 20th largest city in the country.

[GOAT]

Why are you all so hung up on numbers comparing Detroit with other regions? Why give a crap how big Detroit is compared to other cities in the USA?

While LBP loves mentioning that Oakland grew he will reap what he has been sowing for years. That is other suburbs are going to do what his county did to Detroit [[in-fighting, making sure OC has a leg up on Detroit on a myriad of issues, etc).

When those who can get out of Detroit are doing just that, then there is a problem. Sadly I would say the loss would have/should have been larger but many people can't escape Detroit; that is the sad reality. Detroit, in a decade or so, will have only those who can live as kings in the city; while putting up with poor services and higher taxes. And those who are doomed to extreme poverty and just don't give a fuck. [[I will add the criminals as well as they will grow bolder as the city empties out. But no one will do jack shit about that. Nope! Just piss and moan and compare yourselves to Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis etc).

[iheartthed]

Actually, we're the 19th largest city in the country now [[Charlotte did pass us), pending Memphis' numbers.

If Memphis saw a 6% increase in population then we're the 20th largest city in the country.

Memphis was released a couple of weeks ago. It declined in population so it's not larger than Detroit. Detroit will be 19th. What a shock.