There’s more excitement around Detroit than I’ve seen at any point in my life. As somebody from the suburbs, my family would actively avoid Detroit unless we were going to a baseball game.
That’s changed. There’s many great restaurants and downtown feels more like a real city.
But, all of my friends still left the state. If you’re college educated, there’s a 60/40 chance you’ll leave Michigan right after graduation. Even worse if you graduate from UMich, which is scary since it’s the state’s flagship university.
The white-collar jobs are there, but they can’t compete with the jobs in other parts of the country. I graduated CS and I can’t name a single friend that didn’t move to the west coast. Even after the COL differences, you still come out ahead by leaving the state.
I want Detroit to grow and I’d love to move back. I just need some solid jobs to attract me back.