Is Detroit really as bad as people say it is?

Question

I hear it doesn't have any jobs, very high murder rate, bad air quality, rude people, terrible place for singles, a dead enviroment, lifeless, a warzone, ugly broke down city and ect... Are these terrible things about Detriot true?

Answer 1

It's unfortunate that people have to bring up things like crime rates, etc. when they talk about Detroit.  Yes, it's bad because the auto industry and the manufacturing sector is down.  And when it comes to the crime rate, it's based on per capita, that is per 100,000 people.  Of course the crime rate, per capita, in Detroit is high, but if you look at the actual numbers of crimes reported, New York City would have the highest crime rate.  

People attest the decline in population, which has been a steady decline over the last 50 years, to the 1967 riot.  To some extent it may have accelerated it, but the actual population shift to the suburbs started in the 1950's.  Developers went to the Board of Water & Sewage and asked them could they tap into the city's water system for their developments.  The Water Board gave them the go ahead to do so (the Water Board viewed themselves as a utility, not as a city department).  

But to answer your question, no, Detroit is not as bad as people say it is.  Could it be better, yes; and I'm sure that anyone else from any other city would say the same thing about their city.  The people of Detroit have to be accountable to their families and their communities.  Only then will we be able to elect leaders that will work on our behalf, and we will have schools that truly educate our children and we will attract businesses that will employ our citizens which ultimately will improve our quality of life.  

Answer 2

michigan, itself, is going downhill.

to find a job in michigan, in a lot of cities is very hard.

it is a dangerous city, but i believe it looks great, besides the fact that theres abandoned buildings/houses. it reminds me a lot of chicago, detroit just has a worse rep.  downtown (by comerica, fisher theatre, ford field) is pretty cool

Answer 3

no absolutely not.  Why would there be close to 5 million people surrounding it if that was the case?

Answer 4

If it was a war zone then none of us would be alive right now. yeah there are murders just like any other city. There will be rude ppl anywhere you go. There are nice looking houses all around the city. ex:cadieux & harper and indian village

Answer 5

Detroit has either the highest or second highest murder rate in the united states. The whole city is full of graffiti and just a gross place to be. I would yes it is as bad as people say it is. Most of the city has gangs walking around, basically i would not consider it a pleasant place to live, or even visit for that matter.

Answer 6

Does Detroit have all the problems that people talk about?  Sure, no doubt about it.  Is it as ugly and rundown as pictured in the movies?  You bet.  Is it consistently #1 or #2 in violent crimes and murder?  Yep.  But keep in mind that, although in FIrst Place for problematic cities, it's not miles out in front.  There are other cities that are bunched up in close competition for 2nd, 3rd & 4th Places, such as St. Louis, Philadelphia, Washington DC, etc.  If Detroit is in 1st Place, it's only by a nose.

While Detroit can be dangerous and an eyesore, I have no problem being sent to Detroit on business assignments and I can find a lot of things to enjoy about Detroit (and more in the surrounding areas).  Sterling Heights, a suburb just north of Detroit, is considered one of the safest cities in the U.S.

I just wouldn't want to waste my life trying to live there.

Answer 7

Jobs: basically everybody is getting fired these days.  They have a terrible economy, all of the jobs are going out of the country.  

Murder: I'm not sure, Its not that bad.

Air Quality: Its basically the same as every other big city

People: The people are people, no different than any other place.

Singles: idk

Environment: If this means economy, it is terrible

So in a gist, the economy is a disaster, the rest is fine :]

Answer 8

Yeah, mostly.  The whole state, suburbs included, are short for jobs.  The murder rate is high, but if you really want to be safe, get a CCW and don't let your guard down.  It's not a warzone, but it isn't a good situation.  Also, most of the crime in the city is related to either poverty (people stealing because they need it) or drugs, and probably several combinations of the two.  The air quality is average (our tap water is so high in quality here).  It's not a terrible place for singles, because you could probably get some very cheap houses in a bad neighborhood if you don't mind it.  It is somewhat lifeless, but if you keep to yourself and don't dress like a flashy businessman or woman that has a lot of money and don't go out at night, Detroit is not that bad.

Answer 9

cairo illinois have alot of black people and its not as bad as people say it is and if you go to the urban or ghetto im sure it will be fun and kinda  of scary but yeah it may be alot of gangs but they are probably not as bad

Answer 10

There are jobs just like any metro area, but the manufacturing jobs have decreased over the years for obvious reasons.  I guess it depends on the line of work you are in.  Healthcare is really booming.

The murder rate was high, but has decreased over the years.  It still is an issue, but with poverty comes crime.

The air quality in my opinion is no different than any other large city.

You may run into a rude person here and there, but not more than any other city.

I think Detroit is a good place for singles.  Lots of things to do like concerts, events, bars, clubs, and other activities.   Downtown has really come a long way in the last 10 years and is really a good place for singles to live.

Parts of Detroit are a "dead environment" because as factories close, people move away and neighborhoods turn vacant.  It is not the case with the entire city, but this is a problem that is being addressed, but it will take a long time to correct and may never completely be solved.  

It is not lifeless.  There are over 900,000 people in the city and 4-5 million people in the area.  Some neighborhoods are not desireable.

Parts of Detroit do look like a warzone and are ugly, broke down.  It is an urban industrial manufacturing environment that is the Motor City.  Do people think that factories are going to be s**y?

There is a lot of truth stereotypes about Detroit, but a lot of this is from the past and an image that sells in movies, media and songs.  It has the tough image.  It is not like any other major city in the US.  It has crime, it has problems, it has blight, it has good, it is being revitalized, people move out.  It has a lot of problems, it is just so tough to solve so many of them.  People say bad things about Detroit, but that shouldn't stop someone from judging for themselves.  It is not perfect, but there are worse places in this country and world to visit and live.

It is too big to label what people use to describe it.  Certain parts yes, but not the ENTIRE CITY.

Answer 11

no it's not as bad as people say it is it's like any other city detroit has it's good parts and bad parts I LOVE MY CITY and people need to keep there raciest comments to there self . people don't mind coming to party here or eat here or even shop here h**l people even come from the burbs and buy there drugs here lol. if you u don't like detroit don't bring your azz here point blank.

Answer 12

Well i live near it, there just isn't much to do and some areas are really run down. It is deffenatly not as bad at all most of the things you said arn't even true

Answer 13

the city is in a state of transition and for one if it was such a bad city why would it have some of the wealthiest suburbs north only about 4 miles, like grose point farms, grose point shores ect. i think the tearm warzone would be better used to describe the L.A. area with all the gangs their like the crips and dozen or so mexican gangs. ugly could be used in the older parts that haven't received proper care yet like the west and north side, if you are in the heart of the city by Ford Field, and The Fox Theater, Hart Plaza, any of the three casinos there,and even the Compurware Building it is beautiful and i feel comfortable walking down the streets. im just curious as to how many people move to a city just cause your single, so if  Detroit tops the list of Crime rate what city is number one for singles? As for the rude people i just returned from a vacation from the New England area and New York and if you want to talk about rude people the people that call that area home are by far the rudest people i have ever meet and are the horrible drivers.

Answer 14

if you stay out of the black area  it is not bad. detroit has a lot to offer in many ways" exept for public transportation "