Detroit attractive to new grads

[Spartan]

Great news for the city. First step is to attract young professionals. Next step will be to keep them here.

The organization released results from a survey in June of 7,000 young adults who graduated from a Michigan college or university and found that 63% planned to stay in the Mitten — a 12% increase from a similar survey in 2007.http://www.usatodayeducate.com/stagi...ng-millennials

[michimoby]

Great news for the city. First step is to attract young professionals. Next step will be to keep them here.

The organization released results from a survey in June of 7,000 young adults who graduated from a Michigan college or university and found that 63% planned to stay in the Mitten — a 12% increase from a similar survey in 2007.http://www.usatodayeducate.com/stagi...ng-millennials

Interesting quote:

Detroit is home to three major athletic stadiums, multiple theaters and more than 100 unique local shops similar to those found in Chicago or New York City, except college graduates can actually afford to live downtown next to these amenities.

The data behind Ms. Pierce's assertion is questionable at best, and it seems like the cost of living in Detroit is only on the rise. Apartment rental rates are increasing, and there's still that elephant in the room [[car insurance) that seems to have little resolution.

Of course, this is only coming from my vantage point, so my data is fuzzy too: my cost of living in Brooklyn is comparable to, if not slightly less than, what it was in Detroit. Most of that is attributed to not needing a car.

Nevertheless -- that shift in interest around Detroit is encouraging. Now, figure out how to keep 'em there.

[Hypestyles]

public transit needs improvement.

[Eber Brock Ward]

Interesting quote:

Detroit is home to three major athletic stadiums, multiple theaters and more than 100 unique local shops similar to those found in Chicago or New York City, except college graduates can actually afford to live downtown next to these amenities.

The data behind Ms. Pierce's assertion is questionable at best, and it seems like the cost of living in Detroit is only on the rise. Apartment rental rates are increasing, and there's still that elephant in the room [[car insurance) that seems to have little resolution.

Of course, this is only coming from my vantage point, so my data is fuzzy too: my cost of living in Brooklyn is comparable to, if not slightly less than, what it was in Detroit. Most of that is attributed to not needing a car.

Nevertheless -- that shift in interest around Detroit is encouraging. Now, figure out how to keep 'em there.

FWIW, one shouldn't need a car if they live in Midtown, and won't need a car if they live in Downtown, once the Papa Joe's opens up. For the rare occasion that you can't find something in the area that you need, zipcar is available.

[TexasT]

Of course, this is only coming from my vantage point, so my data is fuzzy too: my cost of living in Brooklyn is comparable to, if not slightly less than, what it was in Detroit. Most of that is attributed to not needing a car.

What area of Brooklyn are you living in that you can live the same lifestyle [[similar level of apartment) as you do in Detroit for the same amount of money? Because I have friends living in tiny Brooklyn apartments with roommates...they may want to know where they can get a nice modern high-rise apartment with a closet for under 2K/mo [[if you include the cost of a car).

[rb336]

A friend of mine [[this was a couple of years back) looked at a studio in the Ebbets Field apartments that was going for $900. The place, he said, was an absolute dump. I think you can still get studios under 900 in, say, coney island, red hook, canarsie, bed-stuy, the flatbushes, all of which are in the highest crime areas in the burrough, or were when I lived there. The Flatlands, with no subway, might be cheaper too [[Pieter Wycoff married my great......great grandfather's sister)

[michimoby]

FWIW, one shouldn't need a car if they live in Midtown, and won't need a car if they live in Downtown, once the Papa Joe's opens up. For the rare occasion that you can't find something in the area that you need, zipcar is available.

Disclosure [[for TexasT): I live in East Williamsburg in an apartment that's smaller than the one I had in Detroit. We have a 3BR of ~1000sf that runs 3400 per month. So, it's definitely not as spacious as the Corktown apartment my roommate and I had.

The hidden gem in the metro NYC area is still that crazy land to the west. Yes, I'm talking about Hoboken: nearly the same distance to Brooklyn, yet considerably cheaper.

EBW, to your point: sure, you don't need a car if you choose to remain ensconced in your neighborhood. Are there a considerable number of Zipcars downtown? I only knew of cars up near Wayne State...

I actually paid a bit less for my apartment in Chicago than I did in Detroit. The Chicago snob would say "hmph, but that was Uptown"; my retort is "hmph, just because it's not River North doesn't mean it's a shitbox"

I don't think the housing price wars [[nor the talent war) is between Detroit and the coasts -- it's Chicago mostly, with a bit of Minneapolis/Cincinnati/Indianapolis/Pittsburgh sprinkled in.

[marshamusic]

Disclosure [[for TexasT):

EBW, to your point: sure, you don't need a car if you choose to remain ensconced in your neighborhood. Are there a considerable number of Zipcars downtown?

I know several young people who live in Midtown who have no car, and seem to get along fine. After all, they're not going anywhere else in Detroit except Downtown/Corktown/Southwest/Woodbridge, and don't often go to the suburbs - the zipcars seem to suffice for this.

I think this is going to increase, with young folks - because many of them can't AFFORD a car and its attendant upkeep, insurance, fees and maintenance. Their bikes are enough for most of the year.

[Bham1982]

FWIW, one shouldn't need a car if they live in Midtown, and won't need a car if they live in Downtown, once the Papa Joe's opens up. For the rare occasion that you can't find something in the area that you need, zipcar is available.

LOL. Yes, it would be the very "rare" occasion that someone would need a car in Detroit. About as regular a need as wombat grooming service. And since I already live a few blocks from a Papa Joes, I can assure you my need for motorized transit has since vanished, since groceries are much easier to haul by foot, especially in the balmier winter months.

[mwilbert]

I know several young people who live in Midtown who have no car, and seem to get along fine. After all, they're not going anywhere else in Detroit except Downtown/Corktown/Southwest/Woodbridge, and don't often go to the suburbs - the zipcars seem to suffice for this.

I think this is going to increase, with young folks - because many of them can't AFFORD a car and its attendant upkeep, insurance, fees and maintenance. Their bikes are enough for most of the year.

Once you get out of the mindset of having to own a car, it is often possible to avoid it. And it is certainly true that it is a major expense. However, it isn't easy. I have nieces and nephews who can't really afford a car [[or couldn't in the recent past) but who still have them because it is the only practical way they can get to work.

[marshamusic]

Once you get out of the mindset of having to own a car, it is often possible to avoid it. And it is certainly true that it is a major expense. However, it isn't easy. I have nieces and nephews who can't really afford a car [[or couldn't in the recent past) but who still have them because it is the only practical way they can get to work.

I agree MWilbert.

With the exception of wanting to visit relatives, I don't often leave the Detroit core, and I rarely do. I don't drive freeways and rarely visit far suburbs.

With the exception of eyeglasses in Birmingham and computer at Mac/Somerset, I haven't been to a suburban mall to just shop in many years, and I believe I'm a cool dressing woman, nevertheless.

I would love to be able to go without a car, but I'm too chicken to give it up. As it is, I walk to work during good weather. I can walk to the Eastern Market but I'm usually in too much of a hurry. I could walk to church if I just had to - but don't - and could certainly ride a bike there, but for my long skirts.

I'm grateful to have a car, don't get me wrong, but I'd love to be able - even at my age - to ride a bike most places, like the young folks. I believe in my lifetime - if the Lord allows - I'll be able to get around on a bike, most everywhere - in safety, comfort and beauty, here in this city.

btw, this is my bike - the black version. I love it:

http://www.biria.com/bicycle/easy-boarding/top-3

[corktownyuppie]

I finally got a bike last week. I can't believe I waited 4 years. I can get to Avalon Bakery and back in comparable time to what it would take to drive there, waiting at all the red lights, then finding a parking spot. While I was there, I checked out the new Shinola shop and grabbed some gifts at City Bird.

I think that we're not quite where we need to be yet, but I think there's finally the basic necessities of being able to live downtown and get everything you need within a short bike ride.

[marshamusic]

I finally got a bike last week. I can't believe I waited 4 years. I can get to Avalon Bakery and back in comparable time to what it would take to drive there, waiting at all the red lights, then finding a parking spot. While I was there, I checked out the new Shinola shop and grabbed some gifts at City Bird.

I think that we're not quite where we need to be yet, but I think there's finally the basic necessities of being able to live downtown and get everything you need within a short bike ride.

Very cool. I love Shinola; Avalon, too.

[michimoby]

Very cool. I love Shinola; Avalon, too.

One of the organizations I was in close discussions with re: jobs was Citi Bike, the new sharing system out here in NYC. The parent company, Alta, is looking to expand their footprint in the States by bringing more sharing systems onboard.

Screw an MLS team, guys: start lobbying Alta to get a bike share up and running in Detroit!

[Spartan]

One of the organizations I was in close discussions with re: jobs was Citi Bike, the new sharing system out here in NYC. The parent company, Alta, is looking to expand their footprint in the States by bringing more sharing systems onboard.

Screw an MLS team, guys: start lobbying Alta to get a bike share up and running in Detroit!

It's not public, but the Quicken family has a bike share around the city. Could potentially be the start of something larger.

[professorscott]

It's not public, but the Quicken family has a bike share around the city. Could potentially be the start of something larger.

The metro DC area has a huge bike share program. Caveat: it is, and must be for at least a while, subsidized.

[michimoby]

Caveat: it is, and must be for at least a while, subsidized.

Not true. Well, in NYC at least:

Citi Bike runs with no subsidy. The only support generated from the city comes from dealing with permits to place docking stations on streets.

[professorscott]

Not true. Well, in NYC at least:

Citi Bike runs with no subsidy. The only support generated from the city comes from dealing with permits to place docking stations on streets.

Was the lack of subsidy present from the beginning? New York may be dense enough for that to happen immediately. In most American cities the projections say it takes a few years for such a system to be self sustaining.

[michimoby]

Yep, it was. Citi plunked down $41m for naming rights for the first several years of operation, and that was more than enough for ramp-up.

[Eber Brock Ward]

LOL. Yes, it would be the very "rare" occasion that someone would need a car in Detroit. About as regular a need as wombat grooming service. And since I already live a few blocks from a Papa Joes, I can assure you my need for motorized transit has since vanished, since groceries are much easier to haul by foot, especially in the balmier winter months.

Like cty says writes below:

I think that we're not quite where we need to be yet, but I think there's finally the basic necessities of being able to live downtown and get everything you need within a short bike ride.

Outside of work, since I reverse commute, I don't think I've *needed* to leave the greater downtown area for anything in at least a month.

Let's reverse the question: what is there that someone needs that isn't available within the greater downtown area? There are bars, restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores, convenience stores, parks, etc. I'm not a clothes-person, but my wife does a lot of shopping at the Emerald place and the place a couple doors down from Avalon, plus a few places downtown kinda by harmonie park.

What am I missing?

[TexasT]

And since I already live a few blocks from a Papa Joes, I can assure you my need for motorized transit has since vanished, since groceries are much easier to haul by foot, especially in the balmier winter months.

This is why people living in the city often buy for one or two days at a time. I don't do the Costco-buy-for-a-month shopping trip. I stop by the grocery store pretty much daily [[if I'm not eating out).

[mwilbert]

Everyone has seen the large number of stories that have been in the national media about Detroit in the wake of the bankruptcy filing, and one of the ones that caught my eye was a CNN story about "Detroit, the 'used-to be' city".

As someone who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I have a lot of that in me--that's where Hudson's used to be, that used to be an ice-cream shop, that used to be a Kresge's, that used to be a synagogue, etc. But thinking about this thread, it occurred to me that really, the young people coming to town don't have that--even the local ones don't. They don't remember Hudson's, or Washington Boulevard when it had stuff on it, or a neighborhood store that has long since closed, or Tiger Stadium. What they see now is new things appearing: MOCAD, Slow's, Whole Foods, Campus Martius. For them, it is more of a "going-to be" city.

I just think it is likely to lead to a much different mindset.

[emu steve]

Interesting quote:

Detroit is home to three major athletic stadiums, multiple theaters and more than 100 unique local shops similar to those found in Chicago or New York City, except college graduates can actually afford to live downtown next to these amenities.

The data behind Ms. Pierce's assertion is questionable at best, and it seems like the cost of living in Detroit is only on the rise. Apartment rental rates are increasing, and there's still that elephant in the room [[car insurance) that seems to have little resolution.

Of course, this is only coming from my vantage point, so my data is fuzzy too: my cost of living in Brooklyn is comparable to, if not slightly less than, what it was in Detroit. Most of that is attributed to not needing a car.

Nevertheless -- that shift in interest around Detroit is encouraging. Now, figure out how to keep 'em there.

and, of course, some here mock all those athletic venues downtown when it is hailed as part of the Detroit experience.

[Eber Brock Ward]

Everyone has seen the large number of stories that have been in the national media about Detroit in the wake of the bankruptcy filing, and one of the ones that caught my eye was a CNN story about "Detroit, the 'used-to be' city".

As someone who grew up in the 60s and 70s, I have a lot of that in me--that's where Hudson's used to be, that used to be an ice-cream shop, that used to be a Kresge's, that used to be a synagogue, etc. But thinking about this thread, it occurred to me that really, the young people coming to town don't have that--even the local ones don't. They don't remember Hudson's, or Washington Boulevard when it had stuff on it, or a neighborhood store that has long since closed, or Tiger Stadium. What they see now is new things appearing: MOCAD, Slow's, Whole Foods, Campus Martius. For them, it is more of a "going-to be" city.

I just think it is likely to lead to a much different mindset.

Really good point, and I think this nails the generational difference between folks like my me and my parents.

I'd also add that the majority of folks moving into the greater downtown area are from out of state/region, so they don't even have a "used to be" thought about even recent things like Tiger Stadium. Hell, last week, someone asked me: "Hey what's that pile of bricks over there? Does it have something to do with the movies?"

It was the remnants of the Hotel Charlevoix. Food for thought. Good post, mwilbert.

[rex]

I agree. Good first step