Calling all Detroit city residents!

I am writing an article for a Wayne State course about why people live in Detroit [[city proper). So, I thought I'd ask all of you folks. Why do you live here? What do you love about it? What do you hate about it? What would you change about it?
Some key information: -Full name, age, neighborhood [[feel free to not email anything you don't feel comfortable sharing via this thread... mattharding313[at]gmail.com -How long you have lived in the city; where did you come from if you aren't originally from the city?
To get the ball rolling, hopefully: I'm Matt Harding, 21, currently of Midtown. I've lived in Detroit my entire life. I grew up in Warrendale, and have been living in the Greater Downtown area since coming to Wayne State at age 18. I love the rural feeling in some of the city's neighborhoods. It's wild, and moderately unique to Detroit. I enjoy getting out of Midtown occasionally -- even though I'm stuck here quite a bit for school and work. And if I could change one thing, it would be the stigma associated with being white in a majority-black city.

This has been discussed numerous time in various ways on this forum.

I suggest that for starters you try plumbing this site. Try something like the following search phrase.

what is detroit like to live in site:detroityes.com

My name is Honky Tonk, and I'm a Detroiter. I like small puppies, long walks on Belle Isle beach, and I love to laugh.

@mattharding 313.....you said something about "the stigma associated with being white in a majority black city"? Haven't you heard the mayor of Detroit is a white man.

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Originally Posted by FormerDetroiter

@OP..."the stigma associated with being white in a majority black city"? Haven't you heard the mayor of Detroit is a white man.

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Matt, not sure who you feel is stigmatizing you. When I moved downtown 33 years ago, the only stigma I felt was from fellow white people that lived in the 'burbs. Not much anymore since living downtown has gotten "cool." But if you feel you as a minority are being stigmatized by the majority, I can't relate.

I've lived here almost 40 years [[previously in Ann Arbor and Cleveland) and we moved here to Detroit "the fun side of 8 mile" because my hubby worked for the city. I like our neighbors because we all watch out for each other. If there is a strange person or car parked on the street we get on the phone. We take care of our neighbor family unlike the burbs where most neighbors don't ever talk to each other.

As someone who has been white in a majority black city most of his life, and attended majority black schools until I went to college, I'm not sure I understand your "stigma" comment. Unless you're talking about the stigma that all Detroiters face when trying to do business, get insurance, get credit, get a loan, get basic service calls, or not be treated as a criminal by anyone outside the city. But that stigma, though it falls on all of us, is still considerably worse for our black neighbors.

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Originally Posted by esighed

I've lived here almost 40 years [[previously in Ann Arbor and Cleveland) and we moved here to Detroit "the fun side of 8 mile" because my hubby worked for the city. I like our neighbors because we all watch out for each other. If there is a strange person or car parked on the street we get on the phone. We take care of our neighbor family unlike the burbs where most neighbors don't ever talk to each other.

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Where ever did you get the silly notion that suburbanites don't talk to each other? We do talk to each other just as city folks talk to each other. Living in the suburbs is not a zombie existence...

We watch out for each other, tell each other we'll be away up at the cottage for the weekend, a vacation in Europe, or spending the winter in Florida... you know... stuff that all suburbanites do... ;)

[[Sarcasm alert off)

For me, the stereotype is that I'm a rich suburbanite who came to Detroit to "save" it [[because I live in Midtown). I'll never be able to shake that... and obviously, it comes from people of all races. But, more often than not, I've run into black people on the street who told me I need to go back to the suburbs... even though I've never lived in a suburb... It's mostly a downtown area thing / certainly not a neighborhood thing.

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Originally Posted by mattharding313

For me, the stereotype is that I'm a rich suburbanite who came to Detroit to "save" it [[because I live in Midtown). I'll never be able to shake that... and obviously, it comes from people of all races. But, more often than not, I've run into black people on the street who told me I need to go back to the suburbs... even though I've never lived in a suburb... It's mostly a downtown area thing / certainly not a neighborhood thing.

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Being that everyone from Warrendale is a rich suburbanite! I grew up by Cody and have lived at Warren/Southfield for 20+ years. Not rich, but compared to the neighbors......

Midtown - my favorite part of Detroit and with any luck my future neighborhood...

lul. oh boy.

Search the site, maybe type in 'I am writing a paper...'. Just joking. Welcome to Detroityes!

And yes check out what is detroit like to live in site:detroityes.com and you will see plenty of info.

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Originally Posted by esighed

. We take care of our neighbor family unlike the burbs where most neighbors don't ever talk to each other.

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Not true. But it comes up with this subject every time.

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Originally Posted by mattharding313

But, more often than not, I've run into black people on the street who told me I need to go back to the suburbs... even though I've never lived in a suburb... It's mostly a downtown area thing / certainly not a neighborhood thing.

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With all due respect, Matt — but since you brought it up — maybe it's something in your attitude?

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Originally Posted by downtownguy

With all due respect, Matt — but since you brought it up — maybe it's something in your attitude?

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I dunno...back in 2006-2009 when I was jogging, walking, and biking regularly from Eastern Market to either downtown or Belle Isle [[and occasionally across town to Corktown), I often got heckled and chided by various folks. It was very common to hear, "you're not from here, are ya?!" "hey, officer" and "what the...?".

Perhaps it was my attitude, I always looked folks in the eye and said hello.


Cheers!

Actually I do understand the stigma comment. Recently was asked to fill out an area questionnaire. The options were black, Hispanic or non Hispanic????

Don't be mean to Matt. He is young and possibly did not know about the archive option. Lots of former forumers don't bother because of same old/same old stuff.

My eyes rolled slightly when the Dossin Mansion was located on Harbor Island. Its Grayhaven Island.

Feel free to PM us. Love Detroit, my neighborhood and community. Don't need the tshirts, just to experience Detroit with all its warts and pimples is enough. I see so much life all around. Might not be life the way I view it, sometimes I don't approve of behavior but the vibrancy is there and just simmering.

My personal bitch? I am sick of hearing about downtown/midtown. Neighborhoods are key factors and plain old ignored. 40 yrs of ignored. The vital communities that exist are based on love, sweat, tears, plenty of those... and such amazing folk.

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Originally Posted by sumas

Feel free to PM us. Love Detroit, my neighborhood and community. Don't need the tshirts, just to experience Detroit with all its warts and pimples is enough. I see so much life all around. Might not be life the way I view it, sometimes I don't approve of behavior but the vibrancy is there and just simmering.

My personal bitch? I am sick of hearing about downtown/midtown. Neighborhoods are key factors and plain old ignored. 40 yrs of ignored. The vital communities that exist are based on love, sweat, tears, plenty of those... and such amazing folk.

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You're right, the neighborhoods are more important than improving "pockets" of the city such as Midtown and Downtown. In fact, when I was small, you didn't have to leave the neighborhoods to shop, unless you were going to Hudsons downtown or other high line stores.
Everything you needed from 'mom and pop" grocery or hardware stores were within distance.

Yes Cincinnati kid, those days are fun to remember. Everything was in walking or bus distance. The Twin Pines man, Fuller Brush man, the local meat market, the news delivered. When I look back on my childhood in Detroit it was idyllic. Everyone knew everyone. The pick up baseball games in local fields, the girls always beat the boys hands down. Movie theaters everywhere.

Things change and we with time. I guess in my own old small way [[grants etc) we try to re create those moments for our new crop of area kids. Neighborhoods are critical in the re birth and so over looked and under funded.

I live here because I'm an evil anti-suburban hater who hates the suburbs. I don't really talk to most of my neighbors, though.

No one is going to like this answer.

I live in Detroit because it is the best of a bad situation. I live in East English Village. It's fine.

What I dislike the most about the region is the need to drive absolutely everywhere, and amenities are relatively few and far between. I'm a very active person as well and this region doesn't offer much in that way. There's plenty of strip malls if that's what you like, but a darth of nice parks and trails. The endless, flat sprawl is suffocating.

The blight of the city is really what bothers me the most about the city. Also very suffocating.

I've been trying to engineer a move for a couple years now with little success. Not to the suburbs, but out of Michissippi. I've finally landed a wildly good paying job that will give me the means to do so in a couple years. The missus is on board and we're ready to go.

I've lived in the suburbs. They're universally terrible. They are banal, uniquely devoid of character, and full of small-minded people. Don't believe me? The real estate prices in our "toniest" suburbs are on par with the ghetto houses in real US cities.

Detroit is the best option, presently, since that is where my job is. Looking to change all that. There are warmer, nicer places. I've seen them.

I'm arranging to move out of the city proper between now and next summer. I will be moving to the exurbs. The reason I'm moving to the outer ring suburbs is to get as far away from the "Detroit creep" into the inner rings suburbs as possible. My job is also in the suburbs.

As "universally terrible" as the suburbs are, I can't take much more of the lifestyle in Detroit proper, between the crumbling infrastructure, the ghetto culture, the blight, the abandonment, the lack of services, the lack of amenities and having to live like a prisoner [[at least this is what everyone outside of the downtown/midtown promise land deals with every day).

The goal is to get out of the state entirely for Chicago within the next few years.

Ultimately, the straw that breaks the camel's back for me is the perpetual aura of depression and embitterment that collectively plagues the entire state of Michigan between the sad decline of its largest city and the collapse of its largest industry.

Seems like a broad statement. Which suburbs have the 'smallest' minds? Never mind, it's just a rhetorical question...:rolleyes:...

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Originally Posted by poobert

I've lived in the suburbs. They're universally terrible. They are banal, uniquely devoid of character, and full of small-minded people. Don't believe me? The real estate prices in our "toniest" suburbs are on par with the ghetto houses in real US cities....

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I like what Sumas has said about the way things used to be as a kid in the D. I remember those times too.

But things changed as I got older as did the D.

A few of the later posts in the thread reminded me of that old saying...

The grass is always greener on the other side. In the case of the majority of the D it really is.

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Originally Posted by Dan Wesson

I like what Sumas has said about the way things used to be as a kid in the D. I remember those times too.

But things changed as I got older as did the D.

A few of the later posts in the thread reminded me of that old saying...

The grass is always greener on the other side. In the case of the majority of the D it really is.

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True.

Just about everything [[except Better Made Chips and Faygo Pop) as far as the way things were in Detroit when you all were kids is no more.

The question many have to ask themselves is if they should hang around and spend the prime of their lives engaging in a thankless effort to salvage a place that is no more, or move on to greener pastures.

The point is "what went wrong and how do we make it better"! We try in our small little way.

Never ever say never. Seriously have issues with city services etc. Improves daily, I have major hope and confidence in a new revitalized Detroit. Still tilting at wind mills, my bad.. Happening people! Vie de detroit.
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Originally Posted by poobert

I've lived in the suburbs. They're universally terrible. They are banal, uniquely devoid of character, and full of small-minded people. Don't believe me? The real estate prices in our "toniest" suburbs are on par with the ghetto houses in real US cities.

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I'm going to have to agree with that generalization. The suburbs were indeed created as a racist and segregative reaction to Detroit. The lines are drawn, yet, it's odd how the suburbs treat Detroit like it's own toilet [[there were heavy articles about how suburban teens treated Detroit in some old Metropolitan Detroit magazines)-notice how most strip clubs are on the outskirts of Detroit closest to the dividing lines [[Telegraph, Eight Mile, certain parts of Michigan Ave., etc.). Let's also not forget racist police codes like "n.i.l.", "n.o.m.a.d.", or "'Spodas". Those were thought to be legends, until I found them verified.
Try growing up a young man in a part of town with only aging white couple and young black families starting out, and then, you find out you are unable to establish any common ground with the spoiled, materialistic, petty-minded, status-seeking, closet-racist suburban-raised girls who won't venture into the city often. Sounds ugly coming from me, but you didn't have my constantly reoccurring experiences in this area, and I won't be reproved on the matter.
I know my situation could be worse, but I hate where I live, and there's not too much I can do about that in the meantime. It did not take too long to find out how racist my neighbors in Dearborn are: they gripe again and again about Halloween and how they wish "all the blacks, Latinos, and Arabs would go trick-or-treat in their own neighborhood" [[they usually close their doors by 6:30 that particular night). Heck, some of them get a bug up their butt if someone's Halloween display is too scary.
Yeah, Dearborn...could be much worse, but it's odd living in a city where folks put up elaborate holiday displays on their houses, and then give you overly-suspicious looks out their window when you drive by to admire them [[a practice we used to do in North Rosedale Park all the time without that kind of reaction). See what it's like living in a city where old-timers [[those Hubbard-voting types) got nothing better to do but drive around and jab an intolerant finger at your garbage cans you put out an hour earlier than you were "supposed to" because you had soiled linens left over from a recently ill family member that passed-on. P*sses you off! In actuality, the few nice folks I do come across happen to be Latino or Arab-American on my block. Sorry. maybe this is a topic that just gets my ire up too easily, and I will not hear the contrary of it.

Sorry for the hating, but in actuality, I'm being more of an indicator pointing to the origin of the hate.Also, I know I'm not alone in this. I still can't forget the penultimate issue of Orbit [[remember that magazine?) that had a tour breakdown of all the connected suburbs [[and all the funny names-Spoiled Joke, Garbage Sh*tty, ainoviL, etc.-and faults attached to them). Truth is: segregation exists starkly in every city I lived in [[Louisville, Madison, Boston, Bloomington, IL, etc.)-it's part of the sedimentary way society falls into it's brackets. Yet, a lot of it is economical prejudice [[remember the vigilantes from richer communities firing on folks trying to leave their poorer parishes during Katrina). It's just that with Detroit and the suburbs, it can be very pronounced. Heck, I remember Century 21 got straight up busted here not too long ago showing preference against showing the same homes in certain communities to deserving African American families even when money wasn't an issue-so.....I lived in Kentucky over a year, and I've seen more confederate flags around Wayne county [[no lie).