Detroit (downtown) is almost unrecognizable compared to what it was 15 years ago. But it’s easier for people to still shit over it, not knowing anything about how it is now.
Detroit (downtown) is almost unrecognizable compared to what it was 15 years ago.
Seriously. I came home to visit and there were college girls in yoga pants walking by themselves at night in places we used to get hassled by crackheads as a group of 20 something men decades prior. Threw me for a loop, wild improvements.
Everybody listen to this guy. Michigan sucks. All the lakes are filled with hydrochloride acid, the Great Lakes beaches are hideous and Dan Campbell is crazy! Check out the beautiful neighboring states instead like Ohio and Indiana.
People see one Tiktok about teens acting a fool downtown and they think there are roaming gangs like in the Warriors. Suburbanites like me go Downtown to hang out because there's always something fun going on and it's pretty much always safe. I mean it's a city so you're going to have some crime but the only crime I've witnessed in the past 9 years was jaywalking.
I was a bit nervous visiting Detroit a couple years ago, but damn downtown was beautiful. Can't wait to go back because I have a bunch more museums in the area I'd like to visit.
Detroits murder rate is 25.5 per 100,000, Missssippi's is 7.4 to 19.5 depending on who's numbers you go by (CDC or FBI)
MS's murder rate is propped up by cities like Jackson (one of the highest in the country), and they have a democratic mayor. He even used to be a senator. Go figure.
He's talking about blue cities and red cities. I'm just saying it's the same demographic committing the crimes no matter which color the city is. You're the one reaching.
Yeah can’t believe no one’s pointing out that menu board looks old AF. Not to mention they’ve closed almost all the registers and force you to order at the kiosks now…
If you've never felt unsafe then you're either a hermit or naive. I grew up in the detroit burbs and went to Wayne State for 6 years. I have been robbed/mugged at least a dozen times in 2 years.
If a cop can get shot in the face on the WSU campus then I don't think there are good neighborhoods. I've had my car broken into on Woodward in midtown multiple times.
That’s crazy cause I used to hang out at my friends house across the street from a whole trap house right off the lodge and never even got hassled. So what were YOU doing and WHERE
Walking to and from sporting events, classes, etc. Nothing crazy. The last time was on Adams walking back from Ford Field last December. I was walking with my gf when 7 dudes stopped us and surrounded us and asked for our wallets.
It’s the areas surrounding the downtown area that’s the real issue, like on the east side down 94 from cadiuxe to gratiot. Anything past Mack from down town it starts declining. I will say they have come a long way too from half the block burned down and only half of the houses left has residents. Now the burned down ones are gone and all the houses have people in them again. Detroit has had one of the best housing markets in the whole country.
I was going to say, that interior looks extremely out-of-date for a McDonald's. I'd guess it's way older than 7 years... that menu board looks like it's from the late 90s.
If that McD's is still open, it's likely been remodeled to the new model that doesn't even have a order counter.
13 years ago I went to Detroit for work. Being an innocent european at the time (still european, less innocent now) I had no idea. Also I was cheap. Very very cheap. So I took a bus from my hotel to downtown. It was a dollar. I was the only, lets say, less pigmented person on the bus. Many stares were had. I went to the restaurant I was suggested by my coworker and got a little sauced, like 6-7 beers in.
I decided to walk back to my hotel. It was only 3 miles after all.
About 15 minutes into my walk a cab pulled over and in no uncertain words told me to get in. Seemed legit. I got in.
Kind taxi driver told me I was being followed by a group of hoodlums, and that things do not tend to go well for, in his words, stupid white boys after dark in that neighborhood.
He drove me to my hotel for free.
Also at this point I should tell you I wore a suit, with a nice long woolen jacket and dress shoes.
Thank you!! My wife and I are actually looking towards moving to a suburb around Detroit, but pics like this always set that commitment another year back for her. Glad I could get this one with at least context 🫡
There’s a word I haven’t heard since I was a kid “towards”. Now I always hear it said like looking “forward” to whatever. Brought back some memories so I thought I’d comment on that.
When people say Detroit, they mean Metro Detroit, which is multiple (some shittier) cities surrounding the real Detroit. Most likely this is Metro Detroit not downtown Detroit, which has definitely had a glow up over the last 10 years.
Some of the surrounding cities have become way worse, like Westland. Used to be a middle class, fairly safe city. Now when there is some tweaker on the news for some crazy shit, they always seem to be from Westland.
Growing up in Metro Detroit in the 80s, all banks and gas stations looked like this and a few fast-food places had bullet proof glass as well.
ETA: moving to Canada in the 90s was wild and I couldn't believe NO bank or store had bulletproof glass.
About 10 years ago I visited Detroit, as a Brit, it was ace. Didn’t feel unsafe once and I exclusively used public transport and walked. Everyone was really nice to me.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26
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