Most abandoned

**MOTROIT** · September-25-09, 12:35 PM

Trying to do some research, you guys are the best for info.
What area of Detroit do you think/know is the most abandoned?

**cman710** · September-25-09, 12:39 PM

It seems like there have been a ton of "what's the worst?" research lately. If you do not mind us asking, what is the research about, and for what purpose?

If by abandoned, you mean no one living in an area, then you can use Google Maps to find some entire blocks with no structures [[look on the east side). If you by abandoned, you mean areas with empty homes, that is another, more dynamic answer.

**HazenPingree** · September-25-09, 12:56 PM

Brightmore and the area around City Airport come to mind as fairly abandoned.

Actually, there is a very dynamic study being undertaken by DAcis right now, where they are inventorying every single residential lot in the city. You should get in touch with them. They might still be in the collection phase of data and there might be a job in it for you.

http://www.d-acis.org/

**drjeff** · September-25-09, 01:05 PM

Do you mean abandoned as in nobody living there any more [[i.e. could be vacant lots and empty houses) or just abandoned houses that are still standing? Because I think these would have different answers.

**Danny** · September-25-09, 01:13 PM

Go check out Lodge Park ghettohood on Miller Rd between Mt. Elliot St. and Van Dyke Rd. Big urban prarie there.

**EastsideAl** · September-25-09, 01:25 PM

I'm with cman, why this sudden rash of "worst" and "most abandoned/dangerous" threads? Why does there need to be more than one of these threads? And what agenda is being pursued by these new posters?

**Detroitnerd** · September-25-09, 01:27 PM

Location scouting?

**Pam** · September-25-09, 01:28 PM

I'm with cman, why this sudden rash of "worst" and "most abandoned/dangerous" threads

Back to school time and the kiddies need help with their homework maybe?

Retroit · September-26-09, 09:07 PM

MOTROIT, this website has some maps that were made in 2006 that show vacant areas. [[The files are big and my computer was struggling with them.)

http://www.greenwaycollab.com/GWI

go down to "City of Detroit"
select "Detroit Workshop East [[Central, West) Area Map"

**concernedmetrodetroiter3** · September-26-09, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

I'm with cman, why this sudden rash of "worst" and "most abandoned/dangerous" threads? Why does there need to be more than one of these threads? And what agenda is being pursued by these new posters?

There needs to be more than one thread about the same subject because some of us haven't been a long time member with as many posts as you have placed. New members are NOT going to review the archives to make sure we aren't posting a subject that hasn't been discussed. If you feel that it's another "more than one of these threads," DON'T READ IT!!! Some of us new members are interested in this subject and would like to discuss it without your unwanted input of us creating another thread of the same substance.

By the way, I also feel that Brightmoore is one of the most abandoned areas ion Metro Detroit. It's hard to say but if you look at the outskirts of Detroit boarderlining the burbs, you can make a case for almost any neighborhood.

**concernedmetrodetroiter3** · September-26-09, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by MOTROIT

Trying to do some research, you guys are the best for info.
What area of Detroit do you think/know is the most abandoned?

Nice post MOTROIT, hopefully we can get some more feedback. It's an interesting topic if you know the history of Detroit and the status that it reached during it's prime, only to see it reach such disrepair. During the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to explore much of the outskirts of Detroit and cannot believe the devastation that the City has brought upon itself. So much focus has been placed on the downtown area while the outskirts and schools have been ignored until now.

lilpup · September-26-09, 09:26 PM

Real estate scouts?

**concernedmetrodetroiter3** · September-26-09, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Real estate scouts?

Maybe people that are actually interested in the history of the City?

**concernedmetrodetroiter3** · September-26-09, 09:30 PM

Originally Posted by lilpup

Real estate scouts?

Do you actually think that someone would be a real eastate scout looking at the abandon neighborhoods of Detroit in this economy? Give some of us some slack, we are just interested in the history.

lilpup · September-26-09, 09:47 PM

You don't need to go to the abandoned spots to learn about the history and, yes, I think this economy is perfect for real estate speculators looking to snap up land on the cheap.

**reddog289** · September-27-09, 01:46 AM

I myself was new here once, But after looking in the archives and at the web tours, The prairie just keeps on growing.

**Pam** · September-27-09, 08:02 AM

New members are NOT going to review the archives to make sure we aren't posting a subject that hasn't been discussed

Some of us did when we were new.

**concernedmetrodetroiter3** · September-27-09, 10:17 AM

Originally Posted by lilpup

You don't need to go to the abandoned spots to learn about the history and, yes, I think this economy is perfect for real estate speculators looking to snap up land on the cheap.

I agree that you don't need to read abandoned spots to learn about history but you do learn about the history of the neighborhood thru the opinions and memories of the people you post about the subject.

dexterferry · September-27-09, 10:21 AM

these posts are all the product of lazy journalists [[or resourceful journalists, from their perspective) using the collective knowledge of this forum for answers so they don't actually need to drive through Detroit.

how's West Village treatin' ya, "Motroit"?

**Mikeg** · September-27-09, 10:33 AM

Here's a graphic map from Time Magazine's recent Detroit coverage showing the percent of unoccupied addresses in all of Detroit's census tracts during the period of April-June 2009.
Attachment 3320

**East Detroit** · September-27-09, 10:37 AM

The Belle Isle area of Detroit is probably the most abandoned. Not a house in that area with lights on or a roof... in fact, off hand, I can't think of any houses in that area.

There were some inhabitants who were chased off with their white tails tucked between their legs, and since then, nothing.

Heard there is also an old Casino there that you might be interested in.

**Lonyo exit** · September-27-09, 11:28 AM

these posts are all the product of lazy journalists [[or resourceful journalists, from their perspective) using the collective knowledge of this forum for answers so they don't actually need to drive through Detroit.

how's West Village treatin' ya, "Motroit"?

Bingo.

And so much for claims here that they're not living here in town for this one year looking for gloom and doom and ruin. All their queries have been about where's the worst of this and the emptiest of that.

**cman710** · September-27-09, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by concernedmetrodetroiter3

Do you actually think that someone would be a real eastate scout looking at the abandon neighborhoods of Detroit in this economy? Give some of us some slack, we are just interested in the history.

I have no problem with people interested in finding out about the history of the city, or being curious about the city's abandonment. I think it is great when people learn about the city. The reason that I asked why the person was asking is that there have been a rash of these threads lately, and I wanted to know for what purpose the original poster wanted to learn this information.

At the same time, I do not think anyone can really learn about the city without visiting it. I understand that this may not be easy for many people [[I live far away myself, and only get to the city periodically), but I have been to some of the areas of the city that have been hardest hit, and have become involved with the Georgia Street Community Collective to help one group's effort to improve there neighborhood.

My point is that curiosity is fine, and I am happy to help people learn as much as they can. However, I also believe that learning about a topic like the city of Detroit is not abstract. You can learn a great deal from books, this Forum, and other online sites, but I encourage everyone to visit the city, to explore it, to spend money in the city, and to do whatever you can to help the problems, rather than just marveling at them.

**Corn.Bot** · September-27-09, 02:34 PM

If one wants to nitpick, the statistics in that Time map are actually quite inaccurate. They are purportedly based on the "almost 400,000 postal addresses in Detroit in 2009," but the true picture of the vacancy rate cannot be had without using the number of active postal addresses in, say, 1955.. or even 1966, the year before the riots.

Detroit's residential structures have been disappearing since at least 1967. My parents sold our 2-story, 2-address home in 1968 and moved away. That house was boarded up before 1970 and was torn down by 1974. It was not the first house on the block to go. Its lot has been part of the windswept prairie ever since.

I think it would be interesting to see how those stats would compare.