Life in Detroit, for some, is hard. The city struggles to keep police, firefighters, and ambulances on the streets, and thousands of once beautiful Victorian and craftsmen-style homes lay abandoned. This is a bleak picture for a city that was once thriving with businesses and working residents. But before you write Detroit off, you should take a look at where it is now and where it’s heading within the next few years. Motown is slowly coming back, and prominent business leaders and residents in other areas are starting to take notice.
Public Safety
The Motor City gets a bad rap in the area of safety—and rightfully so. In 2012, the police department reported 421 criminal homicides throughout the city, which was stated to be the second deadliest year since 1987. The interesting thing about these numbers is that most of the crimes occurred in the neglected areas of the city, not in the revitalization areas that the majority of new residents are moving to. In 2011, Midtown—the heavily Wayne State University student populated campus area—saw a 38 percent decrease in crime, according to Bloomberg reports. Other areas in the city have also experienced a decrease in crime.
Since the 2012 crime report, several officers have had their pay decreased and the police stations were ordered closed at 4pm every day. The majority of these changes were due to financial mismanagement by many of the city’s leaders. Now, under the financial leadership of an emergency manager, the city has an opportunity to correct the budget deficits in the areas of public safety, and regain order in the few neighborhoods where criminals have free reign.
The promise of change and revitalization has prompted big businesses to chip in financially to make Detroit safer. Quicken Loans, Penske, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) amongst other well-known companies have pledged to donate $8 million for 123 additional police and fire vehicles. This should help decrease long police and fire response times.
So is Detroit a safe place to live? The answer is yes and no; not everywhere, not yet. There are areas where you can freely walk your pets, stop by a coffee shop, and get a bite to eat without worrying about crime. Then there are other areas where you can’t pump gas safely, let alone walk a pet or hurry through a drive thru without the fear of being robbed.
Like many large, urban cities, the crime in Detroit is situated in “hot zones” where there is more decline than revitalization. This shouldn’t stop you from moving to the city, but it’s important to know that there are places with safety issues. Downtown, Midtown, New Center, Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, Indian Village, and Corktown are all examples of thriving areas where the communities are safe and the residents look out for each other.
With the addition of the new squad cars and the continued support of business leaders, along with the help of residents, Detroit is on track to become a safer city.
Employment
There are plenty of places to work in Detroit. The Downtown area is home to big businesses including General Motors, Quicken Loans, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Compuware. The largest employer of Detroit workers is the City of Detroit, with over 11,000 employees located within its boundaries. City workers hold positions in many different areas including labor, management, city services, and finance.
With over 8,000 workers living within the city limits, Henry Ford Hospital also employs a large number of Detroit residents. These are nurses, doctors, secretaries, therapists, medical billers, receptionists, and other workers that live in the area and contribute to its economic incline. Some of Detroit’s other top employers include MGM Casino, Chrysler Group, Johnson Controls, and Wayne State University.
The current unemployment rate is 10.2 percent.
Cost of Living
You don’t have to be a millionaire to live comfortably in Detroit. The average cost of living is lower than in most states, and the Michigan sales tax is 6%, which is much lower than in some other major cities.
While the cost of living in the city is affordable, auto insurance rates are unreasonably high. Detroiters pay an average of $5,000 per year for auto coverage, making it one of the least desirable places to own a vehicle. Thousands of families in the Motor City depend on public transportation for this reason alone.
School Quality
Detroit Public Schools have been on the decline for years, but the district has undergone some promising changes under new management. Small improvements have been seen in students test scores, and a new text messaging system was implemented to keep parents informed of school related activities and changes.
Despite some of the financial and educational drama often displayed in the media, there are some very positive things happening within the DPS system. In a partnership with West Point Academy, University of Detroit Mercy, and the National Association of Black Engineers, a number of students in the district participated in a two day engineering summer camp in 2012 that taught the basics of robotics and resulted in the students actually building a robot. The sessions were taught by faculty from West Point and cadet minors.
Graduating students from the class of 2012 collected more than $100 million in scholarships and grants for college. These aren’t the types of stories that are covered often in the news, but there are thousands of students in the DPS that are learning and college bound.
Some parents prefer charter schools to public schools, and there’s definitely no shortage of them in Detroit. Henry Ford Academy is an award winning charter school that offers learning for students in grades K-12. The high school is partnered with the College of Creative Studies, and has programs that are geared towards encouraging students to be creative and pursue careers in the arts.
The Jalen Rose Leadership Academy offers students in grades 9-12 an exemplary education, free of charge. They require students to attend a number of Saturday classes and have a longer school year. Students attend class through the month of July.
Pollution
While the air quality in Detroit is average, there is an area where residents have high concerns for their health and safety. Residents within the 48217 zip code, an area primarily in the back yard of oil refineries and other types of chemical manufacturers, have endured illnesses from cancer to asthma. They believe that these diseases are directly linked to the pollution in their neighborhoods.
It’s safe to say that the water in Detroit is up to par. After decades of federal oversight, the government has now officially deemed the water safe. A water and sewage pollution case from 1977 has kept the Detroit Water and Sewage Department under the close watch of a federal judge for 36 years.
Drinking the water and breathing the air in the Motor City will not cause you to grow fangs and scales. It wouldn’t be wise to buy your dream home in the 48217 area code, but anywhere else should be fine.
Detroit is changing for the better. Schools are slowly improving, businesses are coming back, and city leaders are being held accountable for the decline and mismanagement that has occurred for years under their watch. Police and fire units are being added back to the streets, and residents in certain neighborhoods are fighting to take back their areas.
The revitalization will take more than a few years, but Detroit is a long-term commitment that has many different players—both residents and non-residents—involved.
