America's Most Dangerous Cities, 2011

**lansing** · October-04-11, 10:47 PM

And of course as you guessed it they rated detroit number 1

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/am...ties-2011.html

**Crumbled_pavement** · October-04-11, 11:47 PM

And of course, we have by far the most devasted looking picture associated with us. Speaking of picture, exactly where is this picture from? Is it around the Highland Park border?

**animatedmartian** · October-05-11, 12:22 AM

It's the Chrysler plant at Wyoming and 94

http://g.co/maps/fyp8t

The other picture was of the riverwalk, which totally confused me. If Detroit's at the top of the list, they might as well have went all out and found some ruin porn.

**Dexlin** · October-05-11, 05:34 AM

Anyone noticed how they defined "Metro Detroit" as only Wayne County, but used every other area's official MSA [[metropolitan statistical area) definition? lol We can't win for losing.

**Scottathew** · October-05-11, 07:06 AM

I love how Yahoo links the word "Detroit" in their article to "Yahoo Real Estate Detroit Homes for Sale".

Yeah, it's another black eye, perhaps we deserve it, perhaps we don't. But I still feel like things have been getting better and better. It might only be in isolated pockets, but they are getting better.

**softailrider** · October-05-11, 07:23 AM

Originally Posted by 48091

I love how Yahoo links the word "Detroit" in their article to "Yahoo Real Estate Detroit Homes for Sale".

Yeah, it's another black eye, perhaps we deserve it, perhaps we don't. But I still feel like things have been getting better and better. It might only be in isolated pockets, but they are getting better.

Having lived and / or worked in Detroit for over 50 years, I don't think the city has ever looked worse. I'm not sure where the " better and better" is. Are you refering to Foxtown?

**Scottathew** · October-05-11, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by softailrider

Having lived and / or worked in Detroit for over 50 years, I don't think the city has ever looked worse. I'm not sure where the " better and better" is. Are you refering to Foxtown?

My feeling is that we hit bottom about 5-10 years ago. Downtown and Midtown are getting better. Some neighborhoods have stabilized [[while others are still falling apart though).

Jobs are moving into the city. Yes, the many of the same suburbanites that held the jobs in the suburbs still hold them now that they've moved. However, now as new jobs are created and positions open up there's going to be tremendous opportunity for folks that actually live in the city and are seeking employment. Also, many folks are moving to Downtown and Midtown to follow their jobs that moved.

I know it's nowhere where it need to be, but I think things are starting to change.

bartock · October-05-11, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Dexlin

Anyone noticed how they defined "Metro Detroit" as only Wayne County, but used every other area's official MSA [[metropolitan statistical area) definition? lol We can't win for losing.

I thought that was very interesting. Metro area 1.8 million.

gitrdone · October-05-11, 07:41 AM

Detroit is toast. Bill Bonds said it correct last week when ask by Huel Perkins.."Is Detroit coming back?
No, responded Bonds....
Bonds also said Detroit is 85% black and no one wants to live in a city that is 85% black....

Also, can we stop renaming Detroit areas by new p.c. friendly names? Midtown? It's always been the Cass Corridor to me. Dont try to repackage Detroit. Just accept it for what it is.

**kryptonite** · October-05-11, 07:47 AM

I think those statistics were collected by county, not by CMSA. And if so their wording should not have referred to 'metropolitan area', but referred to something like Detroit/Wayne County.

Forbes' ratings are only partially scientific, they take a 'Reader's Digest' approach to statistics. The ubiquitous 10 best/10 worst lists on the web I don't think are taken very seriously by people.

I am not disputing that Detroit may be the most dangerous American city, though. But at least the photo of the RenCen from the Riverwalk was pretty.

**Scottathew** · October-05-11, 07:51 AM

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Detroit is toast. Bill Bonds said it correct last week when ask by Huel Perkins.."Is Detroit coming back?
No, responded Bonds....
Bonds also said Detroit is 85% black and no one wants to live in a city that is 85% black....

Also, can we stop renaming Detroit areas by new p.c. friendly names? Midtown? It's always been the Cass Corridor to me. Dont try to repackage Detroit. Just accept it for what it is.

Racial and economic dividing lines still exist, but are slowly fading. I live in south Warren, a city that used to be "The Whitest City with a Population of Over 100,000". My neighborhood is much more diverse than it was when I moved in in 2006.

As to "p.c. friendly names". I'm younger and grew up in the suburbs. I never new this area as "Cass Corridor". Regardless of what you want to call it, it's getting much better. Jobs AND people are moving in.

Call me crazy, but I believe in Detroit. Things are changing. It will take decades to get to where I want it to be, and it might not happen in my lifetime. Detroit will be a very a different place when I leave this Earth.

**313WX** · October-05-11, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by gitrdone

Detroit is toast. Bill Bonds said it correct last week when ask by Huel Perkins.."Is Detroit coming back?
No, responded Bonds....
Bonds also said Detroit is 85% black and no one wants to live in a city that is 85% black....

Also, can we stop renaming Detroit areas by new p.c. friendly names? Midtown? It's always been the Cass Corridor to me. Dont try to repackage Detroit. Just accept it for what it is.

The renaming is not my problem, it's when the same group in question always tries to say Detroit is so great and it's coming back when they're only referencing 4 sq. odd miles surrounding downtown while forgetting Detroit is a city that's 143 sq. mi wide and much of it is rapidly declining. Even then it's still a stretch to say there's any large scale revitalization taking place, it's still way too slow pace to have an impact on "Detroit's" preception and population decline. In comparison to most major cities Detroit's size [[metro and/or city proper) downtown Detroit is still a ghostly hellhole.

And I agree with another poster, the city [[the entire 143 sq. mi) hasn't looked worse. Is there any neighborhood now in Detroit without any missing teeth and walkable retail establishments?

DetroitPole · October-05-11, 09:24 AM

The renaming is one of the few things that actually seems to work. Yeah, a lot of the neighborhood names are rather recent inventions, but look at the places that have held on [[Midtown being most notable) - Indian Village, West Village[[that seems like probably a new one?) Green Acres, Rosedale Park, East English Village[[named that in 1990). Granted these places have other things going for them, but the marketing is big, if annoying. Few people want to live at Cass and Selden. Tell them they're in Midtown. Van Dyke and Agnes? No, call that is West Village.

I'm more in the camp of "Detroit is fucked beyond recovery" but so were a lot of cities, seemingly, until very recently.

I wouldn't take Bill Bonds word for anything anymore, even in one of his rare sober/non-coked-out moments. He's the classic Metro Detroiter - aging suburbanite stuck in a 1970's mindset. Nobody wants to live in an area that has a minority super majority? It's called gentrification, not that I'm advocating that. It's been happening around the country for a while now. Young educated people also don't want to live in an area that is 85%+ white either, unlike the Bonds generation. And 48091 has it right - the racial line is turning into a grey area, everywhere.

The trend toward urban areas and the architecture of the nicer areas of Detroit is somewhat hopeful. I just don't know what you do with the rest of the shelled out city, or the astronomical crime and lack of transit [[in 2011...). My area has held up pretty well, it is just considerably more working class than it was 10 years ago.

**Scottathew** · October-05-11, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

I wouldn't take Bill Bonds word for anything anymore, even in one of his rare sober/non-coked-out moments. He's the classic Metro Detroiter - aging suburbanite stuck in a 1970's mindset.

That's a very polite way of calling Bill Bonds an old, racist, drunk.

Which is a very accurate label. Although he did make some good points on TV the other day, I'm a little more optimistic than he is.

**Hamtragedy** · October-05-11, 09:51 AM

That shit-hole Anchorage, Alaska, is right behind us at number 5. Hide your kids, hide your wife.

**iheartthed** · October-05-11, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by Dexlin

Anyone noticed how they defined "Metro Detroit" as only Wayne County, but used every other area's official MSA [[metropolitan statistical area) definition? lol We can't win for losing.

We had this discussion the last time Forbes released this list. Notice how Detroit is by far the largest MSA listed? Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn is a Metropolitan subdivision of the Detroit MSA. The census bureau breaks up larger MSAs into these subdivisions for statistical purposes.

Forbes just cleverly found a way to put Detroit on a list that would otherwise get ignored [[how many people really care about the crime rate in Springfield, IL?). The only reason Detroit is even on this list is because they cherry-picked a subsection of Metro Detroit out of the official definition of the Detroit MSA.

**rhythmc** · October-05-11, 11:00 AM

Personally, I don't know how these magazines and websites can continue to make the "most dangerous" and "closest to heaven" lists. They're cheap articles used to get more ad dollars. I would assume a city to be very dangerous for people involved in criminal activity [[save the few true innocent victims). I'm sure a lot of drug dealers/users get murdered.

Rebranding a neighborhood is nothing new. Just check out River North in Chicago. The midtown area is a vast improvement. Hopefully as things continue to fill in there, the prosperity will spread. Detroit's current 143 sq. miles is an indication of that.

**firstandten** · October-05-11, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by rhythmc

Personally, I don't know how these magazines and websites can continue to make the "most dangerous" and "closest to heaven" lists. They're cheap articles used to get more ad dollars. I would assume a city to be very dangerous for people involved in criminal activity [[save the few true innocent victims). I'm sure a lot of drug dealers/users get murdered.

Agreed, and you make an important point. If you are involved in the drug culture even in a minor way this can be a very dangerous place to live. If you are going about your business trying to be a productive citizen not so much. Usually when you see a spike in murders and other serious crimes like assault, chances are theres some drug gangs going at each other. Many times people who get shot are reported in the media like it was a random event when in reality it was anything but.

**stinkytofu** · October-05-11, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

That shit-hole Anchorage, Alaska, is right behind us at number 5. Hide your kids, hide your wife.

Having been to Anchorage a couple times, it really is a surprisingly shoddy place. A lot of whackjobs from the lower 48 move up there to escape their problems.

Nonetheless, you get out of the city itself and much of natural Alaska is stunningly beautiful.

**Scottathew** · October-05-11, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by firstandten

Usually when you see a spike in murders and other serious crimes like assault, chances are theres some drug gangs going at each other. Many times people who get shot are reported in the media like it was a random event when in reality it was anything but.

I know marijuana doesn't constitute all of the drug trade, but if we decriminalized marijuana we might be able to lower crime and increase tax revenues.

I've never done the stuff, but from the research I've done it's not any worse than alcohol and in many respects would actually be a better habit than drinking.

**iheartthed** · October-05-11, 12:03 PM

Will the Free Press or Detroit News write up anything to challenge this? It'd be nice if for once they actually tried to combat these unfair portrayals of Detroit.

**firstandten** · October-05-11, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by 48091

I know marijuana doesn't constitute all of the drug trade, but if we decriminalized marijuana we might be able to lower crime and increase tax revenues.

I've never done the stuff, but from the research I've done it's not any worse than alcohol and in many respects would actually be a better habit than drinking.

You have a point. Back in the day when the "numbers" was big there was a significant amount of crime as a result of that activity. The state run lotteries basically ended the street crimes that were being committed as a result of the numbers activity.

**detroitsgwenivere** · October-05-11, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by Hamtragedy

That shit-hole Anchorage, Alaska, is right behind us at number 5. Hide your kids, hide your wife.

Cuz they rapin everybody out here, ROFL!

If you look upon most GPS grids of downtown Detroit, it sais "Cass Corridor" over that square. That's because Midtown stops at MLK/Mack for those of you who don't know. It's always been the Corridor. Unless Foxtown makes it's move north, which looks like the inevitable. South of Mack is Brush Park.

I've been tired of the generic renaming. When I lived off 2nd and Prentis as a teen, that area was still refered to as the corridor by us locals, until some overeducated creative genius decided, "I know, Midtown....."

When ch 7 reported on this list, the anchor said in reponse to the first line of the story, "Thank you very much." Haha, I love this town.

**Jason** · October-05-11, 12:29 PM

I think calling midtown "midtown" is ok because it actually is a midtown. "Downtown" is a downtown.

DetroitPole · October-05-11, 12:38 PM

Yes, anyplace is much more dangerous if you're a drug slinger, but I know too many people who have been victims of senseless crimes. The vast majority were property crimes, but that is certainly more than enough to drive people away. I also know plenty who are upstanding citizens who have been victims of violent crime. Remember that math instructor who took a few bullets in Woodbridge? A good friend of mind. He made a full recovery and, amazingly, still living in Detroit. He says he likes it here.
Still, 3 bullets in the back while you're walking down the street, minding your own business, is usually enough for most people to call it quits. Detroit is wildly, unacceptably dangerous to any living thing, the stupidity of the list notwithstanding.