Why did you come to Detroit?

**Dan Wesson** · December-19-14, 01:53 PM

had no choice in the matter. didn't know much else till later.

**Smirnoff** · December-19-14, 08:14 PM

Fire-brewed Stroh's Beer.......next.

**SyGolden48236** · December-21-14, 11:10 PM

My paternal grandparents both grew up in Boston-Edison. Then after they married they moved out of the city in the late 1920s and into Grosse Pointe in search of more open space, less congestion and waterfront property. It was here that they raised their children and their children raised theirs.

**FormerDetroiter** · December-21-14, 11:13 PM

Both sets of my grandparents moved to Detroit from Kentucky and South Carolina in 1920 to work at Ford Motor Co. My parents were both born in Detroit. In 1972 I moved to California and lived there until 1998 when after trying for years to get my parents to move there I finally gave up and moved back to Detroit in 1998 because by then they were both too old to be uprooted. When they died a couple of years ago I moved back to California.

**sumas** · December-21-14, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by FormerDetroiter

Both sets of my grandparents moved to Detroit from Kentucky and South Carolina in 1920 to work at Ford Motor Co. My parents were both born in Detroit. In 1972 I moved to California and lived there until 1998 when after trying for years to get my parents to move there I finally gave up and moved back to Detroit in 1998 because by then they were both too old to be uprooted. When they died a couple of years ago I moved back to California.

You are a good person, I know full well what it takes to care for an aging parent. In some ways we sacrificed 7 yrs of our lives to stay with her. My Mom wanted to die in her home and she did. I would do it all over again for just one more day. She was an amazing woman but I guess at 91 she had a good run.

**G-DDT** · December-22-14, 04:10 PM

Also, Taking care of the elderly was something the utilitarian nature the Nazis in Germany had that they couldn't bare. I [[and Tim Burton and the Japanese-come to think of it, a lot of non-American countries) truly respect anyone that values their elders, and anyone who can handle their aging parents with patience [[I know I can't-but Lord knows, I'm doing my best), instead of shuffling them off to a home is a strong person unfettered by societies' expectations. I know lots of folks in Detroit who have no problem filling a house with four or five generations.

**Django** · December-23-14, 03:49 AM

I grew up on the outskirts of Brighton. I had a swamp across the street and a lake with a beach in our neighborhood. I could not have asked for a better place to grow up but in my teens city life was calling. I loved hunting and fishing as a kid but women were more interesting and the city had great women. Heroin entered the picture and what better place to find heroin than Detroit? The art scene and new found friends here is what really brought me here but the lawlessness of Detroit was the clincher. Detroit has always been the wild wild West for me. I love Detroit cops because they have better things to do than bust you because you dont have insurance or a drivers license and carrying a small amount of drugs is tolerated for the most part. The Cass Corridor is filled with creative people who I have come to know and love and we all support eachother like no other city Ive seen. Detroit is filled with evolving art good or bad but always a constant barrage of creativity, houses burning down and new projects going up, a constant shift of new young people coming in with new ideas and projects. I fucking love this city but Lordy Im getting sick of the winters. I think Ill go to Laos for future winters. Can someone loan me $1300 for a plane ticket? Man theres nothing better than summertime in Detroit [[except for the fact you have to be a perfect citizen these days to even drive on to Belle Isle)

That was quite a rant I just handed out. Thanks again Pcm for the cool thread. I love reading everyone's stories on how they wound up here. I wish I felt more comfortable telling the whole story of how I got here. Ive got some good nasty stories. You can always buy the book.

**thomprod** · December-24-14, 09:42 AM

Family moved to Detroit from Los Angeles in 1964 when I was 7 years old. My Dad was offered a good job at a private laboratory. We lived in a duplex apartment on Greenfield south of Seven Mile until January of 1969 when we moved to the suburb of Oak Park. My parents moved out due to the '67 riots and the lure of better schools in Oak Park.