If you were 22-26 yo, would you move to Detroit RIGHT NOW? Why?

[48009]

In my other thread, a user posted:

Detroit is going to come back like it or not. Younger people want to live and work in cities this is a nationwide trend. The days of buying a big house in the outer burbs are over few can afford that anymore,this shift toward walkable,bikable,transit cites will transform Detroit. The suburbs of Metro Detroit will become the new areas for those who cant afford to stay in Detroit.</span>

The user is correct, college grads are moving to cities at a high clip. The problem for Detroit is that young people are moving to cities where hundreds of thousands of young college educated people like them already live, with countless bars and restaurants, safe nightlife, elite & competitive workforces, low unemployment rates. Detroit is more or less the complete opposite of all of those attributes. Remove your regional bias and ask yourself this question: why would someone 22-26 yo invest the prime of their life into a city that still requires so much work, when there are major cities just a few hours away that are already turn-key? Unless you don't have the option of working in Chicago, Indianapolis, San Francisco, DC, et al. I'm not sure why you'd sacrifice your prime to live in current Detroit. The perception Detroit is battling: Why would I be some billionaire investors' guinea pig in Detroit? They get rich, while I get to watch my friends on Facebook living it up in established hotspots?

[mwilbert]

In my other thread, a user posted:



The user is correct, college grads are moving to cities at a high clip. The problem for Detroit is that young people are moving to cities where hundreds of thousands of young college educated people like them already live, with countless bars and restaurants, safe nightlife, elite & competitive workforces, low unemployment rates. Detroit is more or less the complete opposite of all of those attributes. Remove your regional bias and ask yourself this question: why would someone 22-26 yo invest the prime of their life into a city that still requires so much work, when there are major cities just a few hours away that are already turn-key? Unless you don't have the option of working in Chicago, Indianapolis, San Francisco, DC, et al. I'm not sure why you'd sacrifice your prime to live in current Detroit. The perception Detroit is battling: Why would I be some billionaire investors' guinea pig in Detroit? They get rich, while I get to watch my friends on Facebook living it up in established hotspots?

I'm not in that age group [[nor close) but people have a wide variety of preferences. There are a lot of living and working choices available in Detroit at a reasonable cost that don't exist in the same way in other major cities. There are plenty of places to eat and drink and be entertained for anyone who isn't obsessed with those activities. Some people are actually attracted to the idea of helping rebuild the city, and for those people the fact that Detroit is actually in need of rebuilding is a positive, not a negative. And of course if you don't want to rebuild the city no one is going to make you.

That all said, metro Detroit isn't attractive to an awful lot of young people, precisely because the central city isn't what it should be. But it does seem as if the greater downtown area is becoming more attractive, and I think we are moving, slowly, toward a critical mass of population in the next several years, after which attracting more people should be easier. The key metric will be rents reaching the point where unsubsidized [[or at least minimally subsidized) construction is feasible.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Why would any 22-26 year old other than an overpaid techie want to move here to SF and pay an arm and a leg to live here? http://www.rentjungle.com/average-re...o-rent-trends/

[firstandten]

In a heartbeat... I can see what Detroit will be in a few years, I probably won't be around to enjoy it but if I was in that age group... yes !

[Gistok]

Well I don't know about most "educated"... young people... but my sisters 2 kids went away to college... came back [[5 years ago and last year)... found decent [[not super great) jobs... bought houses that are AFFORDABLE [[my niece got a nice house in Fraser for $89K)... are settling down with their new found spouse and girlfriend... and are planning on settling down here.... in super boring Detroit.

I don't get it when some here post that everyone went away to a life of beer swilling at college... want to go find somewhere else to continue their beer swilling ways.

Some young people DO get the urge to settle down... and living 1000 miles away from the rest of the family in some über cool social utopia is less important than starting a family near their existing family!

Sorry 48009... I don't buy your example of living the American dream... You need to look at THE WHOLE PICTURE.... Not everyone wants to live 2 blocks from a mass transit system, and near a bar "where everyone knows your name"....

[48009]

Why would any 22-26 year old other than an overpaid techie want to move here to SF and pay an arm and a leg to live here? http://www.rentjungle.com/average-re...o-rent-trends/

Perhaps...great weather, beautiful city, affluent surroundings, silicon valley, hyper-competitive job market, highly educated workforce, best restaurants in the world...stuff like that.

[48009]

Well I don't know about most "educated"... young people... but my sisters 2 kids went away to college... came back [[5 years ago and last year)... found decent [[not super great) jobs... bought houses that are AFFORDABLE [[my niece got a nice house in Fraser for $89K)... are settling down with their new found spouse and girlfriend... and are planning on settling down here.... in super boring Detroit.

I don't get it when some here post that everyone went away to a life of beer swilling at college... want to go find somewhere else to continue their beer swilling ways.

Some young people DO get the urge to settle down... and living 1000 miles away from the rest of the family in some über cool social utopia is less important than starting a family near their existing family!

Sorry 48009... I don't buy your example of living the American dream... You need to look at THE WHOLE PICTURE.... Not everyone wants to live 2 blocks from a mass transit system, and near a bar "where everyone knows your name"....

There are always going to be people more comfortable living close to where they grew up. Happening far less than it used to in Michigan, but it's not unheard of.

It's not just "beer swilling" it's working with and being around hundreds of thousands of peers in a competitive city. When you go out for nightlife or to a gym it's full of college educated people from all over the country. If your nieces were looking for a college educated spouse, their options were exponentially more plentiful in Chicago. Even if you want to start a family in Michigan, there's still that period of time between 22 and mid to late 20s where Chicago, SF, Indy, Pitt, DC, NYC far are far appealing than Detroit.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Perhaps...great weather, beautiful city, affluent surroundings, silicon valley, hyper-competitive job market, highly educated workforce, best restaurants in the world...stuff like that.

Great weather? Have you been to SF in the summer???

[mwilbert]

There are always going to be people more comfortable living close to where they grew up. Happening far less than it used to in Michigan, but it's not unheard of.

It's not just "beer swilling" it's working with and being around hundreds of thousands of peers in a competitive city. When you go out for nightlife or to a gym it's full of college educated people from all over the country. If your nieces were looking for a college educated spouse, their options were exponentially more plentiful in Chicago. Even if you want to start a family in Michigan, there's still that period of time between 22 and mid to late 20s where Chicago, SF, Indy, Pitt, DC, NYC far are far appealing than Detroit.

According to you. And to many other people. But, because people have different preferences, not to everyone. Just like some people would like living in Birmingham and some people wouldn't. It isn't that Birmingham doesn't have good points, it just isn't what everyone wants.

[Spartan]

I'm a 22-26 college grad who did move to Detroit. Been here a year now and love it so far. I lived downtown and am in the process of moving to Lafayette Park due to rising costs. Not too many large cities that you can live right downtown for under $1000. However, I grew up in the area and went to school in Michigan. I love Detroit, its sports teams and the state of Michigan. I lived in Ann Arbor prior to coming here. I wasn't intent on coming to Detroit but was recruited here. Hard to say whether I would have even considered Detroit if I wasn't here already. Five years ago, I probably would have taken the job and stayed in Ann Arbor.

[professorscott]

Actually Detroit has a lot of great assets [[I mean the region including the City, not just the City): waterfront, inexpensive housing, plenty of colleges and universities, Metro Parks, really good airline connections to other cities, sports teams, museums, DSO, great local music.

The only thing we are lacking is the ability to live car free, which is appealing to more and more young adults now. And we are working on that; behind, but working.

[Gistok]

Perhaps...great weather, beautiful city, affluent surroundings, silicon valley, hyper-competitive job market, highly educated workforce, best restaurants in the world...stuff like that.

Are you talking quality of life, or a high tech job brochure?

Ummm and just what does a hyper-competitive job market get you in quality of life? 80 hour work weeks?

What does a highly educated workforce do in their spare time... leave each other spellbound in "app algorithms"?

Really what you describes sounds so shallow and pretentious... just how many nights does one in Silicon Valley eat out anyway? And what if you don't like Sushi or Napa or Somona Valley wines?

And as for affluent surroundings... I guess living among million dollar housing just isn't what it used to be....
http://valleywag.gawker.com/silicon-...-cos-513817096

If that's the way you want to live in a high tech high tension world... go for it... but not everyone views that as living... life is too short...

[George Cassidy]

Who sets up these questions about coming to live in Detroit? Softball pitchers, for sure.

Hello, I'm a 42DDD and I'm wondering if there would be any opportunities for me in Detroit.

[southen]

In my other thread, a user posted:



The user is correct, college grads are moving to cities at a high clip. The problem for Detroit is that young people are moving to cities where hundreds of thousands of young college educated people like them already live, with countless bars and restaurants, safe nightlife, elite & competitive workforces, low unemployment rates. Detroit is more or less the complete opposite of all of those attributes. Remove your regional bias and ask yourself this question: why would someone 22-26 yo invest the prime of their life into a city that still requires so much work, when there are major cities just a few hours away that are already turn-key? Unless you don't have the option of working in Chicago, Indianapolis, San Francisco, DC, et al. I'm not sure why you'd sacrifice your prime to live in current Detroit. The perception Detroit is battling: Why would I be some billionaire investors' guinea pig in Detroit? They get rich, while I get to watch my friends on Facebook living it up in established hotspots?

i think the whole premise of this is hilarious. sacrificing my prime to live here? when i bought my place last year i was 26 and moving from royal oak. i bought a historic home near downtown. i walk to my favorite bars and restaurants, i walk to eastern market on saturdays, i ride my bike along the riverfront each afternoon. what am i sacrificing exactly? detroit is rough around the edges for sure, but there was plenty happening here that appealed to me long before gilbert starting buying up buildings. id be here regardless, but in the last year there has been a ton of excitement around where i live and the property value has gone up 30-40k since i purchased. no sacrifice here.

[dtowncitylover]

As a member of said generation. Absolutely. I've been places. NY, Chicago, London, Seattle, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, even Charlotte. There's no city I would much rather be than Detroit.

Current Detroit doesn't have to stay current Detroit. There's people like me, in fact there's people 100000000x further in the process, trying to get Detroit out of its current state.

I can "live it up" in Detroit just as easy as they can "live it up" in Chicago, et al.

[noise]

Is this thread arguing against the facts, or what?

"Recent census figures show that Detroit’s overall population shrank by 25 percent in the last 10 years. But another figure tells a different and more intriguing story: During the same time period, downtown Detroit experienced a 59 percent increase in the number of college-educated residents under the age of 35, nearly 30 percent more than two-thirds of the nation’s 51 largest cities."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/fa...anted=all&_r=0

[dtowncitylover]

Indianapolis

And, really, you chose Indianapolis, as a shining city on a hill? I've been to Indy too. While it's more economically sound than Detroit, it might even be more "boring" than Detroit. Yeah, young people are really flocking to Indy.

[canuck]

Are you talking quality of life, or a high tech job brochure?

Ummm and just what does a hyper-competitive job market get you in quality of life? 80 hour work weeks?

What does a highly educated workforce do in their spare time... leave each other spellbound in "app algorithms"?

Really what you describes sounds so shallow and pretentious... just how many nights does one in Silicon Valley eat out anyway? And what if you don't like Sushi or Napa or Somona Valley wines?

And as for affluent surroundings... I guess living among million dollar housing just isn't what it used to be....
http://valleywag.gawker.com/silicon-...-cos-513817096

If that's the way you want to live in a high tech high tension world... go for it... but not everyone views that as living... life is too short...

Or you could live in a city where the wages are not much higher than the Detroit metro all told and try to buy a house in that market. Vancouver.

http://www.crackshackormansion.com/

[ghettopalmetto]

Well I don't know about most "educated"... young people... but my sisters 2 kids went away to college... came back [[5 years ago and last year)... found decent [[not super great) jobs... bought houses that are AFFORDABLE [[my niece got a nice house in Fraser for $89K)... are settling down with their new found spouse and girlfriend... and are planning on settling down here.... in super boring Detroit.

I don't get it when some here post that everyone went away to a life of beer swilling at college... want to go find somewhere else to continue their beer swilling ways.

Some young people DO get the urge to settle down... and living 1000 miles away from the rest of the family in some über cool social utopia is less important than starting a family near their existing family!

Sorry 48009... I don't buy your example of living the American dream... You need to look at THE WHOLE PICTURE.... Not everyone wants to live 2 blocks from a mass transit system, and near a bar "where everyone knows your name"....

Some people want more than a marriage, a mortgage, and endless hours of couch sitting as soon as they get out of college. That doesn't mean they're "swilling beers". Maybe their goals are more ambitious than pumping out as many kids as possible.

And for people who want that hurry-up-get-married-buy-a-house-get-knocked-up-I'm-almost-25-for-God's-sake lifestyle, Southeastern Michigan is already geared-up to accommodate you. The story has been [[although less-and-less so), that if you dare to think different about your life, you're not welcome. Gistok, you might as well be the head of the unwelcoming committee.

There are lots of different types of people. You seem to take an all-or-nothing approach, in that if not everyone wants to live in a sound urban neighborhood, then nobody can. Why the need to prescribe lifestyles from on-high?

[samsonov]

I did move to Detroit when I was 25 [[came from Toronto). I love it here. I get most of the amenities I had in Toronto [[minus public transit, but hopefully M1 will be start of something bigger) for a fraction of the cost. My house is in a good neighbourhood in Downtown. I paid $60,000 when the same house would cost a million in a similar part of Toronto.

[Eber Brock Ward]

I did move to Detroit when I was 25 [[came from Toronto). I love it here. I get most of the amenities I had in Toronto [[minus public transit, but hopefully M1 will be start of something bigger) for a fraction of the cost. My house is in a good neighbourhood in Downtown. I paid $60,000 when the same house would cost a million in a similar part of Toronto.

Same, down the the "everything's great but transit" and I came from Chicago, rather than TO.

[48009]

I can "live it up" in Detroit just as easy as they can "live it up" in Chicago, et al.

No, you can't.

[noise]

No, you can't.

Speak for yourself. Many others CAN, and for less money.

[48009]

And, really, you chose Indianapolis, as a shining city on a hill? I've been to Indy too. While it's more economically sound than Detroit, it might even be more "boring" than Detroit. Yeah, young people are really flocking to Indy.

Yes, grads are moving there. It's really not even fair to compared Detroit to top tier cities like LA, SF, NY, DC, Chicago so I threw in third tier regional cities that are still exponentially more accommodating than Detroit.

[48009]

I think the whole premise of this is hilarious. sacrificing my prime to live here? when I bought my place last year I was 26 and moving from royal oak.

So you've never lived anywhere outside of Michigan and feel you can speak on other cities and the opportunities they provide? O.K.