[RandallBrown]

I think the biggest appeal of Detroit right now is that the people going there are trying to be a part of something bigger. They're trying to revitalize and reinvent a once great city. And it's working. Detroit is a hell of a lot nicer now than it was 5 years ago.

You might think that the tech sector can't do enough to turn the city around, but I disagree. This isn't just a collection of random startups. There are tech giants like Microsoft, Twitter, Google, and Amazon who are already in the area or looking to be. Quicken Loans (Intuit) is the biggest tech employer downtown and Dan Gilbert is doing everything he can to make the city more amenable to other tech companies.

And the auto industry? That's still there. It'll never be the blue collar manufacturing boomtown it was, but all the auto companies will continue hiring engineers. Both auto and software.

[mgkimsal]

Quicken Loans is nothing to do with Intuit beyond using the name 'Quicken'. They're not an Intuit company. They're certainly pretty strong on their own, but the name is the only relationship.

[RandallBrown]

Ahh you're right. I had read that Intuit bought Quicken Loans, but I guess I never read that Dan Gilbert bought Quicken Loans back from them.

[subpixel]

I moved from NYC to Cleveland for a couple years and was shocked at the untapped potential. Just east of downtown, for example, is a warehouse area the size of several Brooklyn neighborhoods that's at least half empty and crying out to be invaded by artists. Rent can be as low as $3.50/sf/yr.

Over time I came to think that part of the problem is that Cleveland lacks the 'being a part of something bigger' you refer to.

I'll say this for Detroit - they're actually making things happen. I hope Cleveland gets some of the same mojo. There are definitely cool people in Cleveland up to good things, but there's not a movement afoot yet.

[adamdavis]

As far as I can tell Cleveland has the exact same mojo as Detroit. There's only so much you can do, though, and there's only so fast these sort of improvements can happen, especially when you're a city that the butt end of too many jokes to count.

Source: Lived in cleveland area for 28 years of my life - every year more and more of the rundown areas of the city were being gentrified and being replaced by trendy restaurants and rented out by whatever 'hipster' / artist population the city has around.

[jrwoodruff]

It never fails to amaze me how many gigantic companies are still headquartered (or have a major presence) in and around Detroit. Despite Detroit proper being a famous mess for decades, the greater Detroit area seems to be doing very well.

If bankruptcy is whats needed to turn city politics around and fix the basics, so be it. I hope it does work, because in my experience, Detroit is a fantastic, gritty, historical city with character like none other.