What's great about Detroit
I'm planning on making a lot of Diaries about the City, and since the City is in pretty bad shape most of them are gonna be quite critical.
But I want everyone to know that this criticism isn't just some white boy in Cleveland who likes to rip on easy targets. I love the City. I didn't move out because I wanted to, I moved out because the economy sucked and a 5-hour-a-week job changing the world didn't pay the bills.
So here's why Detroit is great, and worth saving.
1) History/Brand. If Detroit were doing well, and the Chinese wanted to build an auto plant in the US, they'd have to consider Detroit. They would not have to consider Grand Rapids, Flint, or Northville.
2) Cultural amenities. Detroit has teams in all four Major Sports. It has Golf. The region has NASCAR. It has a great theatre district, wonderful museums, a decent library system, etc. Pretty much the only thing it lacks is an MLS team, and I suspect that will happen sooner rather then later. Particularly if the City actually solves it's problems.
3) The weather. Yes, I said weather. It's great and it's getting better.
Unlike most of the West we have plenty of fresh water to drink. The entire Great Lakes flow through the Detroit River. Then there's global warming. It will increase the variation in rainfall from year to year. If North Dakota gets a lot of rain the entire Mississippi will have to deal with high levels on the river, and potential flooding. If Western Wisconsin gets a bunch of rain Lake Michigan barely notices.
Then there's the South. They get hurricanes, which will get worse with global warming. Their energy costs are also mostly AC, which will get more expensive for them as global warming progresses. OTOH Detroit's energy costs are mostly heating, which means global warming saves us money.
I could go on. Did you realize that the Jet Stream blows West and most Michigan snow is water that's evaporated off a Great Lake? That means that most snow in the Lower Peninsula comes the lake just West of the peninsula (Lake Michigan), and it has an entire state to fall on before a city in the Southeast gets a share.
But I want everyone to know that this criticism isn't just some white boy in Cleveland who likes to rip on easy targets. I love the City. I didn't move out because I wanted to, I moved out because the economy sucked and a 5-hour-a-week job changing the world didn't pay the bills.
So here's why Detroit is great, and worth saving.
1) History/Brand. If Detroit were doing well, and the Chinese wanted to build an auto plant in the US, they'd have to consider Detroit. They would not have to consider Grand Rapids, Flint, or Northville.
2) Cultural amenities. Detroit has teams in all four Major Sports. It has Golf. The region has NASCAR. It has a great theatre district, wonderful museums, a decent library system, etc. Pretty much the only thing it lacks is an MLS team, and I suspect that will happen sooner rather then later. Particularly if the City actually solves it's problems.
3) The weather. Yes, I said weather. It's great and it's getting better.
Unlike most of the West we have plenty of fresh water to drink. The entire Great Lakes flow through the Detroit River. Then there's global warming. It will increase the variation in rainfall from year to year. If North Dakota gets a lot of rain the entire Mississippi will have to deal with high levels on the river, and potential flooding. If Western Wisconsin gets a bunch of rain Lake Michigan barely notices.
Then there's the South. They get hurricanes, which will get worse with global warming. Their energy costs are also mostly AC, which will get more expensive for them as global warming progresses. OTOH Detroit's energy costs are mostly heating, which means global warming saves us money.
I could go on. Did you realize that the Jet Stream blows West and most Michigan snow is water that's evaporated off a Great Lake? That means that most snow in the Lower Peninsula comes the lake just West of the peninsula (Lake Michigan), and it has an entire state to fall on before a city in the Southeast gets a share.
posted by Nick Benjamin at
9:20 PM
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