I mean, the fresh water is an obvious draw. There's a smaller lake named lake st. clair that's large but not a great lake nearby. The Detroit river is relatively narrow so you can escape to Canada if need be.
There's a ton of history. Some great commie art (Rivera). Interesting urban art (Heidelberg). Motown, obviously. MC5. Death. A long history of great musicians.
The area still has manufacturing capacity if shit hits the fan but it doesn't go mad max right away. Militant labor history. Still a strong labor town despite neolibs gutting a lot of it.
It's affordable. People are relatively friendly for a bigger city. And they've been through a lot of shit already. Michael Moore (our favorite radlib) called places like Detroit and Flint canaries in the coal mine, like, a decade or two ago, so they're probably better prepared to weather adversity than a coastal "brunch town" (not sure what I'm trying to convey, but I think you get the picture).
Plus, if shit somehow gets better, you still have the same stuff (probably on a smaller scale) that any other city has to offer.
Biiiiig urban ag city, too, if you're into that. Urban farms are everywhere.
That all sounds awesome. The incredible poverty is painful to see - but I'm going to be making a living in direct services or advocacy in that regard anyway, so I best get comfortable with it. As I've become a principled communist, the Debs quote, “While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” really speaks to me. I'm doing my best to shed my LIB sensibilities and apprehension for being near poverty. It's easier as I grow used to it working in the field that I do.
Seeing as there's not a lot of money in doing the right thing, Detroit cost of living means I might actually be able to own a home and get out from under a leech of a landlord too. I don't know, it seems like a place that has a lot of potential with climate change and shifting material conditions. Thanks for sharing.
I don't mean to undersell the large scale problems like poverty, crime, and a lack of public transportation (GM and Ford prefer people to buy cars, weird), don't get me wrong.
But I'd still recommend a visit if you're considering moving there. Detroit really does have a lot to offer.
I mean, the fresh water is an obvious draw. There's a smaller lake named lake st. clair that's large but not a great lake nearby. The Detroit river is relatively narrow so you can escape to Canada if need be.
There's a ton of history. Some great commie art (Rivera). Interesting urban art (Heidelberg). Motown, obviously. MC5. Death. A long history of great musicians.
The area still has manufacturing capacity if shit hits the fan but it doesn't go mad max right away. Militant labor history. Still a strong labor town despite neolibs gutting a lot of it.
It's affordable. People are relatively friendly for a bigger city. And they've been through a lot of shit already. Michael Moore (our favorite radlib) called places like Detroit and Flint canaries in the coal mine, like, a decade or two ago, so they're probably better prepared to weather adversity than a coastal "brunch town" (not sure what I'm trying to convey, but I think you get the picture).
Plus, if shit somehow gets better, you still have the same stuff (probably on a smaller scale) that any other city has to offer.
Biiiiig urban ag city, too, if you're into that. Urban farms are everywhere.
That all sounds awesome. The incredible poverty is painful to see - but I'm going to be making a living in direct services or advocacy in that regard anyway, so I best get comfortable with it. As I've become a principled communist, the Debs quote, “While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element, I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” really speaks to me. I'm doing my best to shed my LIB sensibilities and apprehension for being near poverty. It's easier as I grow used to it working in the field that I do.
Seeing as there's not a lot of money in doing the right thing, Detroit cost of living means I might actually be able to own a home and get out from under a leech of a landlord too. I don't know, it seems like a place that has a lot of potential with climate change and shifting material conditions. Thanks for sharing.
I don't mean to undersell the large scale problems like poverty, crime, and a lack of public transportation (GM and Ford prefer people to buy cars, weird), don't get me wrong.
But I'd still recommend a visit if you're considering moving there. Detroit really does have a lot to offer.