Quote Originally Posted by Zeyrek View Post
Thank you everyone for your kind replies to my post. I really did not expect so many replies and appreciate the information. Some of the neighborhoods you mention seem interesting or nice [[Lafayette park and Indian village), and i sense many people on this forum have true pride for their city. However, some of the warnings about detroit were alarming after doing some Internet research I must say that I feel naive for thinking a move there with little culture shock.

For example, I read that brush park was an historic neighborhood close to downtown, but then I see that much of it has been torn down or is in ruins like Athens or Rome. I also saw "a tour of Detroit's ghetto" on YouTube and could not believe it. Is most of the city like this? How is this possible in the united states?

I am still interested in what the city has to offer [[i am impressed by the people who have responded here) and am hoping to find the right fit since I have a good job opportunity and would love the chance to live in the States for several years, but only on the right terms. Am I being naive or are things really as bad as some make them out to be?

Thank you.
Zeyrek
The pro-Detroit people on this forum will tell you that most of the city is not like what you see in youtube videos, but they aren't being totally honest. There are pocket neighborhoods that are nice, but even they are high-crime and surrounded by ruin. Downtown does have many cultural attractions, but it also lacks in many of the amenities found in a normal big city. I think that you might be disappointed, frankly.

I moved here with the same naivety because of people on the internet that told me that Detroit was some sort of great, walkable city with reliable public transportation. I don't have a car, and this has caused me immense suffering, especially during the winter.

Crime is very, very high. The majority of Detroit [[outside of the area surrounding WSU and Downtown) is in ruins. The area around WSU is targeted by criminals. The house that I was living in just got broken into within a matter of months. The heating system, a/c, piping, etc. has already been ripped out because we were unable to check on it for a short period of time... and this was in Warrendale, a neighborhood that people try to say is "good" compared to others. Even crime in the "good" neighborhoods is only good by Detroit standards. PLEASE proceed with caution. Know what you are getting yourself into. Don't believe the misinformation spread by people with rose-colored glasses. It's great to love your city and want it to succeed, but we still have many problems.