Has Michigan always been this bad?

[TC Talks]

A thread in Chatterbox has me wondering if Michigan can every get righted. I will give Snyder credit for trying to rebuild the state, but the Legislature thwarted his initiative by stripping funding to education, and roads.

Think of the many communities unable to make positive steps. The whole state ranks in the high 40'S on many lists...

6 Michigan cities listed among worst places to live in US
More than a few Michigan cities were named among the worst places to live in the U.S., according to a new report.

A report published by 24/7 Wall St. details the 50 worst cities to live in. Though the cities on this list span every region of the country, they are overwhelmingly concentrated in the South and the West. Only a dozen of the 50 cities on this list are in the Midwest or Northeast.

To identify the best cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures that fall into one of four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community

43. Ecorse

• Population: 9,321
• Poverty rate: 36.8% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,533 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $37,900 (bottom 10%)

Ecorse is one of three cities in the Detroit metro area to rank among the worst places to live. One of the poorest cities in the country, Ecorse’s poverty rate of 36.8% is more than double the national poverty rate of 14.6%. For area residents that have disposable income, local entertainment options are limited. Ecorse has a far smaller concentration of places like bars and restaurants than the U.S. as a whole.

20. Benton Harbor

• Population: 9,944
• Poverty rate: 48.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,202 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $56,200 (bottom 10%)

Benton Harbor is a small city in western Michigan. With over 2,200 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2017, it ranks as the most dangerous city in the state and one of the most dangerous in the country. For reference, there were 383 violent crimes for every 100,000 people nationwide the same year.

19. Muskegon Heights

• Population: 10,743
• Poverty rate: 39.3% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,808 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,900 (bottom 10%)

For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Muskegon Heights, Michigan, just 5.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, one of the smallest bachelor’s degree attainment rates of any U.S. city. Incomes in the area are similarly low. The typical household in the city earns just $25,411 a year, less than half the median across the U.S. as a whole of $57,652.


18. Detroit

• Population: 679,865
• Poverty rate: 37.9% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,057 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,800 (bottom 10%)

Home to nearly 700,000 residents, Detroit is by far the largest city to rank among the worst places to live. The quintessential Rust Belt city, Detroit is now a shadow of its former self, declining in population from a mid-century peak of 1.8 million. Though the broader metro area’s iconic manufacturing sector has staged a comeback in recent years, unemployment in Detroit remains high. The Census estimates that an average of 10.6% of the city’s labor force was unemployed over the last five years, more than double the comparable 4.1% national rate.


11. Flint

• Population: 97,810
• Poverty rate: 41.2% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,945 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $28,200 (bottom 10%)

Flint, Michigan, is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States. About half of all households in Flint earn less than $26,330 a year, and 41.2% of the population lives below the poverty line. Poor areas often report higher crime levels than more affluent places, and in Flint, there were 1,945 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2017, more than in over 90% of all U.S. cities.


5. Highland Park

• Population: 10,955
• Poverty rate: 49.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,701 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $33,500 (bottom 10%)

Highland Park, Michigan, ranks as the fifth worst city to live in the country in part because it is the poorest American city by a wide margin. Highland Park’s median annual household income is $15,699, nearly $42,000 lower than the U.S. median. It is the only city in the nation in which most households earn less than $20,000 a year.
The worst city to live in, according to the report, is Mendota, California.
For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Mendota, California, just 1.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, the smallest share of any U.S. city. The city also has one of the poorest populations in the country. Half of all households earn less than $27,500 a year, and 49.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.

You could add Saginaw, Lansing, Battle Creek and maybe Port Huron.

Is our legislature partly responsible?

[Y M Ionhere]

A thread in Chatterbox has me wondering if Michigan can every get righted. I will give Snyder credit for trying to rebuild the state, but the Legislature thwarted his initiative by stripping funding to education, and roads.

Think of the many communities unable to make positive steps. The whole state ranks in the high 40'S on many lists...

6 Michigan cities listed among worst places to live in US
More than a few Michigan cities were named among the worst places to live in the U.S., according to a new report.

A report published by 24/7 Wall St. details the 50 worst cities to live in. Though the cities on this list span every region of the country, they are overwhelmingly concentrated in the South and the West. Only a dozen of the 50 cities on this list are in the Midwest or Northeast.

To identify the best cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures that fall into one of four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community

43. Ecorse

• Population: 9,321
• Poverty rate: 36.8% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,533 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $37,900 (bottom 10%)

Ecorse is one of three cities in the Detroit metro area to rank among the worst places to live. One of the poorest cities in the country, Ecorse’s poverty rate of 36.8% is more than double the national poverty rate of 14.6%. For area residents that have disposable income, local entertainment options are limited. Ecorse has a far smaller concentration of places like bars and restaurants than the U.S. as a whole.

20. Benton Harbor

• Population: 9,944
• Poverty rate: 48.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,202 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $56,200 (bottom 10%)

Benton Harbor is a small city in western Michigan. With over 2,200 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2017, it ranks as the most dangerous city in the state and one of the most dangerous in the country. For reference, there were 383 violent crimes for every 100,000 people nationwide the same year.

19. Muskegon Heights

• Population: 10,743
• Poverty rate: 39.3% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,808 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,900 (bottom 10%)

For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Muskegon Heights, Michigan, just 5.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, one of the smallest bachelor’s degree attainment rates of any U.S. city. Incomes in the area are similarly low. The typical household in the city earns just $25,411 a year, less than half the median across the U.S. as a whole of $57,652.


18. Detroit

• Population: 679,865
• Poverty rate: 37.9% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,057 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,800 (bottom 10%)

Home to nearly 700,000 residents, Detroit is by far the largest city to rank among the worst places to live. The quintessential Rust Belt city, Detroit is now a shadow of its former self, declining in population from a mid-century peak of 1.8 million. Though the broader metro area’s iconic manufacturing sector has staged a comeback in recent years, unemployment in Detroit remains high. The Census estimates that an average of 10.6% of the city’s labor force was unemployed over the last five years, more than double the comparable 4.1% national rate.


11. Flint

• Population: 97,810
• Poverty rate: 41.2% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,945 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $28,200 (bottom 10%)

Flint, Michigan, is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States. About half of all households in Flint earn less than $26,330 a year, and 41.2% of the population lives below the poverty line. Poor areas often report higher crime levels than more affluent places, and in Flint, there were 1,945 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2017, more than in over 90% of all U.S. cities.


5. Highland Park

• Population: 10,955
• Poverty rate: 49.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,701 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $33,500 (bottom 10%)

Highland Park, Michigan, ranks as the fifth worst city to live in the country in part because it is the poorest American city by a wide margin. Highland Park’s median annual household income is $15,699, nearly $42,000 lower than the U.S. median. It is the only city in the nation in which most households earn less than $20,000 a year.
The worst city to live in, according to the report, is Mendota, California.
For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Mendota, California, just 1.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, the smallest share of any U.S. city. The city also has one of the poorest populations in the country. Half of all households earn less than $27,500 a year, and 49.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.

You could add Saginaw, Lansing, Battle Creek and maybe Port Huron.

Is our legislature partly responsible?

A thread in Chatterbox has me wondering if Michigan can every get righted. I will give Snyder credit for trying to rebuild the state, but the Legislature thwarted his initiative by stripping funding to education, and roads.

Think of the many communities unable to make positive steps. The whole state ranks in the high 40'S on many lists...

6 Michigan cities listed among worst places to live in US
More than a few Michigan cities were named among the worst places to live in the U.S., according to a new report.

A report published by 24/7 Wall St. details the 50 worst cities to live in. Though the cities on this list span every region of the country, they are overwhelmingly concentrated in the South and the West. Only a dozen of the 50 cities on this list are in the Midwest or Northeast.

To identify the best cities to live in, 24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures that fall into one of four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community

43. Ecorse

• Population: 9,321
• Poverty rate: 36.8% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,533 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $37,900 (bottom 10%)

Ecorse is one of three cities in the Detroit metro area to rank among the worst places to live. One of the poorest cities in the country, Ecorse’s poverty rate of 36.8% is more than double the national poverty rate of 14.6%. For area residents that have disposable income, local entertainment options are limited. Ecorse has a far smaller concentration of places like bars and restaurants than the U.S. as a whole.

20. Benton Harbor

• Population: 9,944
• Poverty rate: 48.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,202 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $56,200 (bottom 10%)

Benton Harbor is a small city in western Michigan. With over 2,200 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents in 2017, it ranks as the most dangerous city in the state and one of the most dangerous in the country. For reference, there were 383 violent crimes for every 100,000 people nationwide the same year.

19. Muskegon Heights

• Population: 10,743
• Poverty rate: 39.3% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,808 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,900 (bottom 10%)

For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Muskegon Heights, Michigan, just 5.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, one of the smallest bachelor’s degree attainment rates of any U.S. city. Incomes in the area are similarly low. The typical household in the city earns just $25,411 a year, less than half the median across the U.S. as a whole of $57,652.


18. Detroit

• Population: 679,865
• Poverty rate: 37.9% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 2,057 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $42,800 (bottom 10%)

Home to nearly 700,000 residents, Detroit is by far the largest city to rank among the worst places to live. The quintessential Rust Belt city, Detroit is now a shadow of its former self, declining in population from a mid-century peak of 1.8 million. Though the broader metro area’s iconic manufacturing sector has staged a comeback in recent years, unemployment in Detroit remains high. The Census estimates that an average of 10.6% of the city’s labor force was unemployed over the last five years, more than double the comparable 4.1% national rate.


11. Flint

• Population: 97,810
• Poverty rate: 41.2% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,945 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $28,200 (bottom 10%)

Flint, Michigan, is one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the United States. About half of all households in Flint earn less than $26,330 a year, and 41.2% of the population lives below the poverty line. Poor areas often report higher crime levels than more affluent places, and in Flint, there were 1,945 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2017, more than in over 90% of all U.S. cities.


5. Highland Park

• Population: 10,955
• Poverty rate: 49.0% (top 10%)
• 2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,701 (top 10%)
• Median home value: $33,500 (bottom 10%)

Highland Park, Michigan, ranks as the fifth worst city to live in the country in part because it is the poorest American city by a wide margin. Highland Park’s median annual household income is $15,699, nearly $42,000 lower than the U.S. median. It is the only city in the nation in which most households earn less than $20,000 a year.
The worst city to live in, according to the report, is Mendota, California.
For both individuals and broad populations, incomes tend to rise with educational attainment. In Mendota, California, just 1.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree, the smallest share of any U.S. city. The city also has one of the poorest populations in the country. Half of all households earn less than $27,500 a year, and 49.5% of the population lives below the poverty line.

You could add Saginaw, Lansing, Battle Creek and maybe Po:rt Huron.

Is our legislature partly responsible?

Ecorse, Detroit and Highland Park are sort of the cities where the poor have to go because they were priced out of nearby communities. Many older inner-ring suburbs have increased their values to the point where even the oldtimers couldnt buy their homes in todays market. The poor still have to go somewhere. I view those places as the left-behind communities that never got the improvements their neighbors did. Benton Harbor was always small and they are in a less wealthy and area of the state. Take away their biggest employer with no backup plan, and its easy to see how it fell apart. Muskegon Heights is the same-small, and farther from.the economic powerhouse of Detroit. Also a little too far from Grand Rapids to be able to benefit from their progress. Port Huron is indeed bad. Very poor and decayed. Many people wandering aimlessly or sitting on porches with nothing to do, bored and stoned. The city never had any good vision. It could have been a touristy waterfront town but they badly underutilzed it and focused on powerplants instead. Not everyone has powerplant training. Otherwise, all many people have access to is retail and fast food.they have underutilized international trade, waterfront recreation and diversified economies. Its all part time food or retail. Result: many jobless people with nothing to do or reason to hold out hope. Battle Creek is another seriously depressing place, and i think meth manufacturing is common in that part of the state. Once the cereal plant laid people off, the city struggled and theres not enough decent work outside of sweeping floors at Chicken Shack for 20 hours a week.

[TC Talks]

How has our leadership worked to improve these cities? Cutting taxes?

Each of these communities needs a safety net, education, and a redevelopment plan.

I have been involved in many meetings that have positively shaped Traverse City. Why aren't these conversations happening elsewhere? There are millions in Federal grants for city planning experts. Grand Rapids has taken these steps with positive results. Why isn't the state encouraging these other cities to work on an improvement plan?

[Deleted User 8570]

How has our leadership worked to improve these cities? Cutting taxes?

Each of these communities needs a safety net, education, and a redevelopment plan.

I have been involved in many meetings that have positively shaped Traverse City. Why aren't these conversations happening elsewhere? There are millions in Federal grants for city planning experts. Grand Rapids has taken these steps with positive results. Why isn't the state encouraging these other cities to work on an improvement plan?

There simply isn’t enough improvement to go around without an economic base to support it... these places took a dump when the jobs dried up...

[stopnswop2]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

[Deleted User 8570]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

If you have the money... most can't afford that area.

[stopnswop2]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

If you have the money... most can't afford that area.

It's not all upper class though. There are some pretty cheap areas and even mobile home parks. I don't know the prices on those but I'm assuming they would be as cheap as anywhere else.

[Deleted User 8570]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

If you have the money... most can't afford that area.

It's not all upper class though. There are some pretty cheap areas and even mobile home parks. I don't know the prices on those but I'm assuming they would be as cheap as anywhere else.

Middle class mobile home parks... no turkeys...

[Deleted User 12047]

(I’m) wondering if Michigan can every get righted.

I can’t tell you how to fix it, but I can tell you how it all started. A million or so years ago (give or take 100,000) I wanted to purchase a house in the general Lansing area, to go along with my employment at a station there (can’t remember if it was Citgo or Marathon.) The price of the house was reasonable, good location, and I was able to get a decent interest rate on a mortgage. Then I discover the cost of living in Michigan that included auto insurance 20 to 50% higher that I was paying in Alabama (or was it Alaska? Memory is going) and property taxes and insurance that were astronomical. The monthly escrow payment on the mortgage was higher than the P&I. Let me state that again... I would have paid the state and county more per month to cover taxes (and the insurance premium) than I would have paid the bank for lending me the money. To quote CeeLo Green... “Forget That” and became a renter. Some changes have been made over the years, but this is still a problem around here. Property ownership needs to be encouraged and supported in the state and local communities.

[TC Talks]

Forgive me for asking a silly question, wouldn't your landlord be factoring insurance and taxes into the cost of your rent? Second question, how much was the purchase price of your house?

[Y M Ionhere]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

If you have the money... most can't afford that area.

It's not all upper class though. There are some pretty cheap areas and even mobile home parks. I don't know the prices on those but I'm assuming they would be as cheap as anywhere else.

Middle class mobile home parks... no turkeys...

Just the lot rent is $600 a month on those-not including the home payment. Thats why mobile home parks are a dying breed. Exhorbinate lot rent rates chased away all the tenants who had essentially 2 payments-home and site. They all became half-empty. The former Chateau Novi almost shut down. Piss-poor maintenance coupled with overpriced site rent turned that place into a ghost town. They owned parks in Orion and Macomb that emptied out too. New ownership has taken over and attempted to reverse that but with $600 site rent that wont fully help. No new parks being built, all the old ones going away, and larger ones raising rates= massive affordable housing shortages. Farmington Hills redeveloped the affordable park on Renssalaer. The park on the southeast corner of Pontiac Lake, along Pontiac Lake Rd, in White Lake is now gone. Southfield got rid of both theirs about 15 years ago. The park along the Detroit river, known as a peaceful little spot in the city, has been gone just as long. And some of the nice ones are restricted to retirees.

[Y M Ionhere]

Additionally, what would sagety nets and special programs do to help widespread societal issues like drug abuse, broken families, alcholism, etc.? If a community has been ravaged by meth, new safety net programs or increased taxes wont fix them. When moms drunk boyfriend keeps abusing everyone, taxes and safety nets wont help jack shnizz. I used to periodically read the police blotters in the Battle Creek Enquirer and they were depressing. A typical entry would be " pregnant 17 year old female assualted by her 45 year old boyfriend". Cultural breakdowns like that wont change overnight. And on that end, i have no solution. Better employment will help a lot, but other issues are more complex. You can funnel taxpayer dollars to try to help those battling addictions but ultimately, most will squander those resources to stay on the streets and feed their addictions. You can funnel money to battered moms, but a certain percentage will still refuse to leave their abuser no matter how much intervention is offered. Now, how much of tgese cultural issues start due to lack of opportunity, I dont know. But I suspect a lot. Sadly, we cant change the current problems easily. Our investments will mostly help future generations.

[Turkeytop]

Come here to Novi.
It's upper class and the only crime that happens is the occasion larceny or DUI, according to my subscription to CrimeMapping

If you have the money... most can't afford that area.

It's not all upper class though. There are some pretty cheap areas and even mobile home parks. I don't know the prices on those but I'm assuming they would be as cheap as anywhere else.

Middle class mobile home parks... no turkeys...

Our park is resident owned. Our monthly maintenance fee is only $125/mo.

We're mostly working class. We have retired auto workers, house painters, plumbers, electricians, carpenters Railroad workers, fire fighters, nurses, farmers, steel workers a cop (sorry LL) and a Pastor.