How has Detroit changed in the last 20 years?

Question

I lived there until 1994 and went to school for several years before that. If you're in your 30s and can remember what it was like to live there and look for a job around that time, tell me what you think of it now. What is the general attitude of people? If you could get out, would you leave? In what ways has it gotten better/worse.

Answer 1

Kwame Kilpatrick...nuff said! lol No really, I'm 30 and was born and raised in Detroit. I moved out of the city when I was 22. Live in the burbs now. I tell ya what...back then...I NEVER had a problem finding a job. These days...the job market is horrible. Crime is worse. The city sucks. I don't remember it being AS bad back then. It definately has gotten worse. As for attitude of people in Detroit? Most just have that ghetto mentality. If you are thinking about moving back, don't do it unless you have family in the area. It's so sad to drive thru my old neighborhood these days. The area has gone down so much. All of the old businesses have closed up. Now it's just ghetto. You used to be able to go for walks...not anymore. My last 5 years there...I was robbed by gunpoint 3 times...had 2 cars stolen, and airbags out of another car. Oh, not to mention the attempted break ins. One happened with us sitting right up front where the door was with the TV on. Well, those are just my experiences. I'm sure there are good people in the city, it's just that there are so many bad people that it doesn't make it worth it to live there or visit very often. I feel sorry for the children that are growing up there these days. Decay and neglect....

Answer 2

When I moved here in the early 90's, jobs were plentiful and everything seemed grand. Yes, the crime in the city of Detroit has been high, it seems it always has been. However, since the Big Three have laid off so many people, cut back on just about everything, it has had a trickle down effect on the entire area, several counties have been deeply hurt by this.

Last I read, Michigan has the highest unemployment in the U.S. Our governor recently stated that the estimates for the departure of Michiganders was far too low, the last I heard was that in Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties (Detroit and its immediate surroundings) have experienced a flight of 90,000 in the past year alone. Housing listings are at an all time high.

Three years ago we sold our house in one day, we lived in a "hot" town just outside of Detroit. We had multiple offers too. Now houses sit on the market for months and months, foreclosures are skyrocketing. The house next door to us just foreclosed four days ago.

People are starting to feel the effects everywhere. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that was titled "Down and Out in Bloomfield Hills", about how the even upper class families in Metro Detroit are cutting back. They are letting their maids go. The women are getting less treatments at the spas. Instead of buying five pairs of shoes, they buy one. This may give the average American a chuckle, but it actually has an impact on us. The hairdresser that was used to his/her clients getting several services in one visit suddenly is faced with a decrease in earnings because their client is only getting a color that visit, not a cut, color, blow dry. The hairdresser has less money, so now they have to be more vigilante with his own spending.

And so on.

As far as downtown Detroit, it has its ups and downs. Crime is high, but the city has not looked this good in decades. We hosted a Super Bowl last year, which was an enormous boost to the city. Our Tigers caught the nation's attention with the World Series this past fall. The city is vibrant, alive and people are trying their hardest to believe in it.

But if you look just a couple of blocks off the main roads, you will see abandoned houses, burned out and left to collapse. The city does not have the funds to demolish them. The city workers themselves are fighting a never ending battle of corruption and attitudes in the ranks. With more people leaving, there is less money. Less money, less can be down. It is a downward spiral.

I wouldn't leave now, I couldn't. Nobody would buy my house. We are here for the long haul.

Answer 3

Im 35, and i moved here 10 years ago. My dream was always to work in the auto industry...i thought it would be fun.
Between 1997-2000 i saw detroit get better and better...i think Dennis Archer was doing a damn fine job.
Besides the down turn of the economic climate, detroit isnt helped by that clown they elected into office to get back at whitey.
In general I think the people here are kind, and nice. But every day there are more job cuts...hell phizer anounced they are closing there ann arbor facility today.
If i didnt own a house i couldnt sell, i would be gone today.

Answer 4

I think economically it is much worse than in the mid 90s.

The Auto Industry is being completely redefined. All the tier 1 and tier 2 supply companies are moving to an off-shore manufacturing model. At the same time, the big 3 are trying to downsize their work forces. The combination of these two items is causing a horrible job market and is also creating a huge tax revenue loss for the State government.

Michigan led the country with (I believe) a 6% drop in population....I think that speaks volumes for people's attitude.

In terms of quality of life, I do not think things have changed that much for people that are still employed. In regards to better or worse, it is about the same.

Answer 5

its changed majorly. In 1980, it had well over 1 millions people. the estimate for 2005 was around 886,000. crime is going up and too many people say its a bad place. Its not true. Detroit has good places. My theory: "unless you live in Wayne County, than stfu"

Answer 6

Well, here's a story for you from today's paper, The Detroit News: A 15-year-old admitted he killed a veteran (age 24) of the Iraq war who had just cashed his tax refund check, and wounded the man's cousin in a planned robbery Thursday night, according to police. This is just one of many sad and senseless deaths here in Detroit, and it's only going to get worse with the poor economic climate that prevails.

Answer 7

I lived there from 1958 til 1973 and Detroit was a great place to live IF you were in the right neighborhood, I live in Iowa now and prefer the small town life to the city life- I know this doesn't answer your question-but I had to comment on it! Any in Detroit who might know a Sharon or Donna Price? If so e-mail me please!!??