We may be asking the wrong question here.

It's not as much a barrier to entry to move to Detroit at 22-26 as it is to stay ​past the honeymoon stage. And frankly, the grand experiment called Gilbertville hasn't fully run its course just yet to truly say whether or not it's effective.

I can count on both hands the number of friends in that age range that moved to Detroit 1-2 years ago and are now in the suburbs or NYC/Chicago/SF/etc. And just like any startup, launching is an infinitesimal part of the sustained success. Only time will tell.