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Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
fuzzpower
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by fuzzpower » Sat Aug 31, 2019 4:29 pm

Canton is also bordered by Plymouth Twp (good), and Wayne (not so good), as well as Superior Twp (rural, but starting to grow)

The Cherry Hill development (on the site of the defunct town of the same name) seemed like a failure years ago, it’s improved somewhat. It’s so far out there I rarely go that way.

Canton also has open space, especially between Napier and Beck.

It’s a holding pattern in my eyes. The strip malls may eventually cause an issue.



Y M Ionhere
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by Y M Ionhere » Sun Sep 01, 2019 11:09 am

MWmetalhead wrote:
Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:56 am
Here's why I chose Canton:
1 - Schools. Part of the city is served by Westland-Wayne Community Schools (lousy). The other part of the city is served by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (five gazillion students at the high school).
2 - Adjacent communities. Canton has Van Buren Twp on one side and Westland on the opposite side. At some point, Canton will be screwed.
3 - Commercial development. Tons and tons of strip malls. Not so sure occupancy levels will look good a decade or two from now.

I guess I selected Canton more because of my view of the city's future, more than anything else. I will say this - for anyone who needs easy access to Detroit Metro Airport, it's extremely convenient.
Re: #3. I think industrial development is worse. Usually larger scale and uglier.
As far as both commercial AND industrial, Novi has to be worse than Canton and Wixom has both beat hands down



JackAttack FM
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by JackAttack FM » Sun Sep 01, 2019 11:11 am

fuzzpower wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 5:30 am
Worse- Monroe, Inkster (it has been bad for years), Romulus, Harper Woods, Highland Park (they keep declining), Marine City
Where do you get this twice now that Marine City is in decline?!?! I was just there... again. People are walking the tourist shops on Water Street. Which is clean and updated. They've got two active playhouse theaters and some upscale good resturants. The town was just featured on Channel 4 this year as a southeast Michigan destination.

Where did you get that "ghost town" feeling?
The rest of the town is just a quiet residential place.

And how can Monroe, Inkster, Romulus and Highland Park be, "worse?" They've been the worst for 50 years.



fuzzpower
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by fuzzpower » Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:34 pm

Last time in I was Marine City a year ago, downtown was mostly abandoned, both in people walking around and open businesses. How much of what you saw are summer tourists? Could things have somehow rapidly turned around in a year? I don’t think a place is improving just because channel 4 says so- I visit it for myself.

Monroe, Inkster, Romulus, and Highland Park are worse because they continue to decline. I know in Highland Park’s case, you can’t really get much worse, but they manage to find a way.



innate-in-you
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:34 pm

Y M Ionhere wrote:
Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:19 pm
Hazel Park was a cheaper, working class town that now has a growing arts and culinary scene spilling over from Ferndale that has repurposed old buildings and brought higher education and income levels into the city.

Ferndale itself continues to grow and change into a more modern and more expensive city.

Mount Clemens is slowly getting there but the neighborhoods bordering Clinton Twp need work.

Eastpointe is declining. Stretches of 9 mile have gotten pretty shabby and I believe crime rates have risen while most cities were seeing decreases.

Southfield and Oak Park have seen crime rates go lower than the national average, but the neighborhoods have gotten old and run down. The housing is in dire need of updating. Also, the commercial areas have aged poorly and Southfield has struggled with bad roads.

Pontiac is both. They keep developing new areas with nice houses and improving certain areas, but the bad areas just get more abandoned and left behind.

I think Auburn Hills will decline soon. Too much industrial land and no more room for new developments. Very limited emphasis on residential. The Palace is done, Chrysler was bought out, and now theres an overabundance of hotels. I see that city going downhill in the near future due to overdependence on unstable industries and non-residential development.
Much of Auburn Hills has been ignored by residential builders because those parts of Auburn Hills are in the Pontiac School District.
When Auburn Township incorporated to Auburn Hills, the goal was to make Auburn Hills a haven for business, manufacturing and entertainment - a "Downtown Oakland", in effect.



innate-in-you
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:58 pm

Bobbert wrote:
Sat Aug 31, 2019 10:23 am
SixPlusOne wrote:
Sun Aug 25, 2019 12:34 pm
What does this have to do with Michigan Radio and TV?
Here's the perfect place for this thread:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/michigan/
I'm on there.

I don't use innate-in-you as my screen name there, however.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by Colonel Flagg » Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:54 pm

innate-in-you wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:34 pm
Y M Ionhere wrote:
Sun Aug 25, 2019 2:19 pm
Hazel Park was a cheaper, working class town that now has a growing arts and culinary scene spilling over from Ferndale that has repurposed old buildings and brought higher education and income levels into the city.

Ferndale itself continues to grow and change into a more modern and more expensive city.

Mount Clemens is slowly getting there but the neighborhoods bordering Clinton Twp need work.

Eastpointe is declining. Stretches of 9 mile have gotten pretty shabby and I believe crime rates have risen while most cities were seeing decreases.

Southfield and Oak Park have seen crime rates go lower than the national average, but the neighborhoods have gotten old and run down. The housing is in dire need of updating. Also, the commercial areas have aged poorly and Southfield has struggled with bad roads.

Pontiac is both. They keep developing new areas with nice houses and improving certain areas, but the bad areas just get more abandoned and left behind.

I think Auburn Hills will decline soon. Too much industrial land and no more room for new developments. Very limited emphasis on residential. The Palace is done, Chrysler was bought out, and now theres an overabundance of hotels. I see that city going downhill in the near future due to overdependence on unstable industries and non-residential development.
Much of Auburn Hills has been ignored by residential builders because those parts of Auburn Hills are in the Pontiac School District.
When Auburn Township incorporated to Auburn Hills, the goal was to make Auburn Hills a haven for business, manufacturing and entertainment - a "Downtown Oakland", in effect.
Auburn Hills was Pontiac Township, not Auburn Township.


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TC Talks
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by TC Talks » Mon Sep 02, 2019 6:15 pm

fuzzpower wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:34 pm
Last time in I was Marine City a year ago, downtown was mostly abandoned, both in people walking around and open businesses. How much of what you saw are summer tourists? Could things have somehow rapidly turned around in a year? I don’t think a place is improving just because channel 4 says so- I visit it for myself.
I have to say that M.C. has been popping lately. I don't get the dinner theater thing, but downtown is busy every weekend. Three new restaurants are busy. The rest of the town outside the few blocks off Water Street is the same skilled trades place it's been for years. Lots of contractors live there.

M.C. has benefited from the demise of the St Clair Inn and stagnation of that city.


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iloveblackpeople
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by iloveblackpeople » Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:40 pm

Y M Ionhere wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 7:47 am
MWmetalhead wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:47 am
I forgot to name one for my improving column: Clawson.

Here's another one for my declining column: Canton.

Hell, I'll add Sterling Heights to the "declining" list, too! South end of the city is looking a little rough. Van Dyke thoroughfare isn't what it used to be, and if Lakeside Mall becomes the next Summit Place, the north end is really going to be in trouble.
I considered Sterling Heights due to the condition of the older neighborhoods. Lots of updates needed. Bad paint, old fixtures like garage doors, faded aluminum siding, etc. Same as Southfield. Except Sterling Heights hasnt leveled off. Its still growing. New buildings are still going up.
A lot of the apartment complexes look dirty and old, totally not worth the rental prices. But I think thats true for a lot of places.
Theres a complex on 14 Mile near Ryan that says "luxury apartments". They sure dont look it.
But, a lot of Sterling Heights is better maintained and the growth made me decide not to label it "declining".
If anything, Clinton Twp is closer. Particularly the older areas off 14 and 15 Mile.
Those apartments are luxury in the eyes of the Chaldeans who are living there. Sure beats the mud huts they were living in while in Fallujah.



Mega Hertz
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by Mega Hertz » Tue Sep 17, 2019 6:41 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:47 am
I forgot to name one for my improving column: Clawson.

Here's another one for my declining column: Canton.

Hell, I'll add Sterling Heights to the "declining" list, too! South end of the city is looking a little rough. Van Dyke thoroughfare isn't what it used to be, and if Lakeside Mall becomes the next Summit Place, the north end is really going to be in trouble.
We build a LOT in Canton. There really isn't much out there. I couldn't find a gas station off Denton Rd. to save my life!

I'll agree about SH. I grew up there in the Notte era. Rumors spread that his kid was busted with some drugs but it got hidden. Idk if that's true, but when I was growing up, you could still walk around at night with headphones on. I grew up primarily around 16 1/2 and Dodge Park. We were the trouble makers. Sneaking out and ding dong ditch and shit. Big deal. But what that city has turned into in the last 10 years or so blows. I've watched Warren and Sterling Heights deteriorate just in my lifetime. Used to be a blue dog stronghold. Now it's just a lot of dope running the streets. Sad state of affairs because they were two GREAT cities. But like it was posted above, a lot of us live in Brighton, Novi, South Lyon...that is where my bread and butter is. SO much expansion.


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Y M Ionhere
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by Y M Ionhere » Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:28 pm

iloveblackpeople wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:40 pm
Y M Ionhere wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 7:47 am
MWmetalhead wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 6:47 am
I forgot to name one for my improving column: Clawson.

Here's another one for my declining column: Canton.

Hell, I'll add Sterling Heights to the "declining" list, too! South end of the city is looking a little rough. Van Dyke thoroughfare isn't what it used to be, and if Lakeside Mall becomes the next Summit Place, the north end is really going to be in trouble.
I considered Sterling Heights due to the condition of the older neighborhoods. Lots of updates needed. Bad paint, old fixtures like garage doors, faded aluminum siding, etc. Same as Southfield. Except Sterling Heights hasnt leveled off. Its still growing. New buildings are still going up.
A lot of the apartment complexes look dirty and old, totally not worth the rental prices. But I think thats true for a lot of places.
Theres a complex on 14 Mile near Ryan that says "luxury apartments". They sure dont look it.
But, a lot of Sterling Heights is better maintained and the growth made me decide not to label it "declining".
If anything, Clinton Twp is closer. Particularly the older areas off 14 and 15 Mile.
Those apartments are luxury in the eyes of the Chaldeans who are living there. Sure beats the mud huts they were living in while in Fallujah.
Most of those Chaldeans have either been her awhile or lived pretty well overseas off American relatives money. I dont know if they even have mud huts but if they are that poor they likely would have never made it into the US. Usually an education or sponsor, and both of those would have guaranteed a higher living quality than mud huts.



fuzzpower
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by fuzzpower » Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:19 pm

There’s a gas station at Michigan and Denton (I assume you are joking, just pointing it out to those who don’t know),



innate-in-you
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by innate-in-you » Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:00 am

fuzzpower wrote:
Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:34 pm
Last time in I was Marine City a year ago, downtown was mostly abandoned, both in people walking around and open businesses. How much of what you saw are summer tourists? Could things have somehow rapidly turned around in a year? I don’t think a place is improving just because channel 4 says so- I visit it for myself.

Monroe, Inkster, Romulus, and Highland Park are worse because they continue to decline. I know in Highland Park’s case, you can’t really get much worse, but they manage to find a way.
Even if one acknowledges that Monroe is within the Detroit markets, it really is a small town that is isolated and is probably as influenced by Toledo as it is by Detroit.

There are many good areas in Monroe. Only blighted part of Monroe is the area that is BOTH south of the Raisin AND east of Kentucky Ave. The MHPs to the Southwest of Monroe are iffy, with Holiday South being in particularly bad shape.

I'm wondering if the Purdue Pharmacy bankruptcy will reduce the area's drug problems.



Mega Hertz
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by Mega Hertz » Wed Sep 18, 2019 6:49 am

fuzzpower wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:19 pm
There’s a gas station at Michigan and Denton (I assume you are joking, just pointing it out to those who don’t know),
I am joking, sort of. I was going to a new neighborhood in that area and needed to stop and couldn't find squat. I think I have to go back out there today!


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syntheticexctasy
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Re: Which Metro Detroit cities are declining and which are improving?

Post by syntheticexctasy » Mon Sep 23, 2019 2:10 pm

I live in Pontiac, and I must say that while the city doesn't *look* much better to outsiders, there have been improvements.

I've been near pontiac general hospital for four years now - have never had a problem.

that being said:
1. there are a few parts of town that I still wouldn't recommend visiting after dark.
2. an ex girlfriend of mine found the remains of a dead child in the old lakeside housing development (abandoned projects on crystal lake)
3. last fall, a man in a south side bar was killed, and left in a field just north of said abandoned development about a half mile from my house. he was not found until the snow thawed this spring.



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