Detroit and Chicago- an Apples to Apples Comparison

[The Dude]

*= no longer there or in business

DETROIT CHICAGO

Woodward Ave. State Street
Washington Blvd. Michigan Ave.
Griswold Ave La Salle st.
Michigan Ave MadisonST [[SKID ROW)
Hudson's* Marshall Field's*
Crowley's* Wieboldt's*
Federal's* Goldblatt's*
Farmer Jack* Jewel
Faygo Canfield's
Edgewater* Riverview*

[dtowncitylover]

No. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. not at all.

Detroit is Detroit. Chicago is Chicago.

[tallboy66]

Well the architecture that remains in Detroit and the era that the homes were built in does match NYC, Chicago and any other city but Chicago is in the year 2010 Detroit is still in the 70's in terms of development/comparisons.

Chicago 2.8 million
Detroit 900,000

That being that I'm still pulling for a Wings vs. Hawks playoff.

[DetroitDad]

No. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. not at all.

Detroit is Detroit. Chicago is Chicago.

They both have buildings?

Let's see....

[tallboy66]

They both have buildings?

Let's see....

Yes and if Woodward or Jefferson could get 100,000's [[on a daily basis) of people walking down them shopping,eating site seeing I'll give one agreement in comparison.

[The Dude]

Well,Woodward may not be the Woodward of 50 years ago, but at one time Detroit's Woodward downtown was like Chicago's State Street downtown.

[wolverine]

Well Chicago has been demolishing a few buildings lately like Detroit. Likely up on the chopping block is the Consumers building:



Currently it's a working building with tenants and in pretty good condition, so it's sad to see it go. I imagine evictions will begin soon. It will be replaced by a glass skyscraper, unless the alternative option is picked to save the facade and build behind it.


LOL, to DetroitDad's post. I'm always saying Detroit doesn't have buildings as a comparison. [[j/k)



My opinions about both cities have become more refined now that I've become established living in downtown Chicago. I think both Detroit and Chicago excel in different areas. Certainly Detroit has bigger problems to resolve, but it will be interesting to see what the future brings.


Totally agree with your Michigan Ave-Madison Ave comparison. Rode my bike down Madison recently and couldn't believe the desolation. Although Chicagoans claim Madison as the city's worst street, I certainly wouldn't say the same about Michigan Ave in Detroit. View of Madison: http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...81.21,,0,-4.57

[The Dude]

At one time Detroit's Mich. ave and Chicago's Madison street were skid rows, everyday shoppers woukld shop Woodward in Detroit, State st in Chicago, the higher-up folks would shop on WAsh, blvd in Detroit, Mich ave in Chicago

[dove-7]

Well the architecture that remains in Detroit and the era that the homes were built in does match NYC, Chicago and any other city but Chicago is in the year 2010 Detroit is still in the 70's in terms of development/comparisons.

Chicago 2.8 million
Detroit 900,000

That being that I'm still pulling for a Wings vs. Hawks playoff.

Detroit homes are not the same like NYC. NYC homes are primarily high rises and vintage apartments. It's when you head into the suburbs of N.Y. where the homes are similar. Chicago is in the middle; it's a blend of Detroit suburb style homes and NYC high rise and apartments.

[LeannaM]

Well Chicago has been demolishing a few buildings lately like Detroit. Likely up on the chopping block is the Consumers building:



Currently it's a working building with tenants and in pretty good condition, so it's sad to see it go. I imagine evictions will begin soon. It will be replaced by a glass skyscraper, unless the alternative option is picked to save the facade and build behind it.

I was reading comments about it and one said: " Consumers is pretty generic, and there are many others like it in the city..."
While in this case, I agree, I think that is a dangerous idea to have. Since the 1950s cities have been demolishing historic buildings on the premise that "there are many others like it." After a while, there aren't as many like it. Fortunately, I think most cities have woken up to historic preservation in the last 10-20 years.

[1KielsonDrive]

No. no. no. no. no. no. no. no. not at all.

Detroit is Detroit. Chicago is Chicago.

Thank you dtowncitylover. You said it all.

[Michigan]

Detroit homes are not the same like NYC. NYC homes are primarily high rises and vintage apartments. It's when you head into the suburbs of N.Y. where the homes are similar. Chicago is in the middle; it's a blend of Detroit suburb style homes and NYC high rise and apartments.

This is only true in Manhattan. In the other four boros single family homes are all the rage. "All In The Family" is on cable. It is kind of cool to watch and see what it was like then.

[rb336]

There is a preponderance of multi-family dwellings in Brooklyn [[except the more distant Flatlands and Sheepshead Bay/Gravesend) and the Bronx. Queens and Staten Island are more single-family or duplex-style. Even then a large percentage of the single-family dwellings are the more dense row-home type

[313WX]

Detroit homes are not the same like NYC. NYC homes are primarily high rises and vintage apartments. It's when you head into the suburbs of N.Y. where the homes are similar. Chicago is in the middle; it's a blend of Detroit suburb style homes and NYC high rise and apartments.

That part of Chicago [[which is mostly in/around the loop) is much like Detroit's Cass Corridor & Midtown.

Majority of Chicago has medium-density Foursquares, Victorians and Bungalows like Detroit.

[Fury13]

That part of Chicago [[which is mostly in/around the loop) is much like Detroit's Cass Corridor & Midtown.

Majority of Chicago has medium-density colonials like Detroit.

In Chicago's inner neighborhoods, most housing consists of multi-family buildings, two- and three-stories, brick or limestone, with anywhere from two to six families living in them. There are also a lot of apartments above retail shops on commercial strips, as well as large apartment buildings. In some of these older neighborhoods, single-family housing is mixed in. Moving outward, there is the "bungalow belt" that forms a crescent across the middle of the city -- these are mostly brick, very well built, one-and-a-half story bungalows dating from the 1920s. In general, only on the outer fringes of the city proper do you see a preponderance of single-family ranches and colonials.

[Retroit]

In Chicago, they tear down buildings to build bigger buildings; in Detroit, they tear down buildings to build bigger parking lots.

[mikeg19]

I just returned from Chicago today after spending the weekend there. As much as I love Detroit, Chicago is 1,000 times better than Detroit in pretty much any way. Architecture, Transit, Dining, Entertainment, Housing. The only thing that has kept me in Metro Detroit is school. Having said that, I always defend Detroit because I love the city and what it has to offer, but trying to compare it to Chicago is ridiculous.

[mpf]

I live in Chicago, sorry to say, it's much cleaner/safer/richer. Also, getting very expensive in all aspects, this trend began at least 10 years ago. Somehow, you guys seem to have far more 'history' than us..can't put a finger on it directly.

[xphillipjrx]

I grew up in Southfield and I have been in Chicago since 1998. The only thing similar in both Detroit and Chicago are the people. A Detroiter will feel at home a whole lot faster moving to Chicago than moving to NYC, LA, ATL, or anyplace Southwest.

[wolverine]

Well, it helps there are so many of us ex-michiganders out there. Practically my whole office floor moved from Michigan within the past 5 years....and it's been red wings talk all day.

From time to time, I start seeing parallels in my photography between both cities

[reddog289]

I love Detroit, Yet the more I go to Chicago I like that place more.Detroit is sometimes just depressing.

[Luckystrikes]

At one time, Detroit was Chicago's influential and modern cousin.

[Danny]

For the Jewish communities in Detroit

LARGE ON IN THE WEST SIDE [[ long gone)

For the Jewish community in Chicago

LARGE ON IN NORTH LAWNDALE [[ long gone)

For the Polish communities in Detroit

POLONIA ALONG CHENE ST. [[long gone)

For the Polish community in Chicago

POLONIA ALONG MILWAUKEE ST.

For the black community in Detroit


BLACK BOTTOM AND PARADISE VALLEY [[long gone, blighted, but still blacks living there)

For the black community in Chicago

BRONZEVILLE AND BLACK BELT [[still there, blighted, some homes rehabbed but some blacks livng there.)

For the Arab community in Detroit

MOSTLY AT THE WARRENDALE AREA, AT W. WARREN AVE. [[ thriving and growing)

For the Arab community in Chicago

MOSTLY AT THE MICHELLS SUB-DIVISION AT 83RD STREET [[ thriving the growing very quickly)

For the Chinese community in Detroit

CHINATOWN FROM SKID ROW TO SOUTH CASS CORRIDOR [[ long gone)

For the Chinese Community in Chicago

CHINATOWN AT AMOUR SQUARE [[ thriving and growing)

[mikeg19]

I love Detroit, Yet the more I go to Chicago I like that place more.Detroit is sometimes just depressing.

That's pretty much the same way I feel after I come back everytime.