[ricosroughnecks]

Nice one! Detroiters should get the reference. Ahh, not surprised one bit. That place is where I was raised, but alas, I was a part of that mass exodus. Besides family (and some awesome Mexican food), I don't miss the city one bit.

There is NOTHING in Detroit. NOTHING! It's as depressing as it is telling. I feel this exodus is a vicious cycle that won't stop anytime soon. No one is there, hence no new money is being invested, thus more people move...ad infinitum.

The primary culture of the youth (read: thugs) isn't helping one bit either -- they tend to get more dangerous and erratic each year.

If you have any questions about growing up in Detroit, feel free to ask!

[vital101]

I'm from Michgan as well, and have a lot of family in the greater Detroit area. The sense of despair that most people in the area feel is just awful. After the auto plants started to close up, people just started packing up in hopes of finding work elsewhere. Some moved in-state, but most make the flight south and west (warmer weather, more jobs). I was recently in Dearborn for a wedding, and the number of empty & foreclosed houses is just staggering.

[ricosroughnecks]

Yeah, it's pretty wild. And Dearborn is one of the "better" areas. Some parts of the city look like scenes from a Mad Max film. Everything is either foreclosed, empty, or burned.

You know, someone with a little money in their pocket come buy up half of the Detroit area; however, what would they do with it?

[philwelch]

Here's a question: how the hell did you get awesome Mexican food that far away from Mexico? I hear people from Texas and California talk about awesome Mexican food, but never Detroit.

[ricosroughnecks]

Haha, yeah, it seems surprising at first, but Detroit has a HUGE Mexican and Hispanic population. Also (and due to) we have Mexican Town -- check your English at the door! Whatever you're in the mood for (flautas, tostadas, chorizo), you can find it there.

Note: I've been in Japan for 3 years now, and it's nigh impossible to find decent Mexican/Tex-Mex :-( ...

[stcredzero]

When I was living in Washington State, I was told that there were entire towns of Spanish speakers which were not listed on maps. Social Workers and local/county government people knew where they were, but a mainstream citizen could spend their entire life unaware of their existence. (I heard about them because I did some volunteer work with the county.)

[ricosroughnecks]

Not surprising. I guess it happens everywhere. Out here, you visit some obscure town, and as you get off the train, you realize everyone is speaking Korean or Mandarin. I guess it's a combination of family moving near family, and friends moving near friends (sometimes coupled with political ties -- e.g. the Hmong population in Minnesota). All of a sudden, you have an ethnically homogenous city in a foreign (to them, historically) country.

[stcredzero]

I suspect the Hispanic towns in Washington are also driven by cost of living. As I understand it, they are located out in the middle of nowhere. But my knowledge dates from 1992, so this may no longer be true.