Detroit has some of the best examples of early 20th century architecture left in the country. We are lucky they were too poor to demolish them and now the buildings are being restored!!!
That's what happened in Asheville, only in miniscule. It was a vacationer boom town in the 1920s, then froze with the crash and remained largely unchanged (architecturally) until the early 1990's.
Detroiter here, I live 3 blocks from where that fire happened. This is a great video, and I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. Thanks Nick for taking the time you did to talk with local folks and highlight all the different landscapes. I love this city, the full and the empty, it's my whole life.
@NickJohnson Not until this video. You were right, around here, fires happen and we keep it pushin 😂 Salute to DFD, they deal with over a 1000 fires a year on avg.
i'm 70 and grew up in flint. there is no comeback. it will never be like it was. it's all hype. america is in decline in many more places than flint and detroit. america is falling apart while we keep spending money we don't have on other countries. i like you video's nick johnson.
Yes unfortunately. Michigan will never be what it was most of 20th century. So many good paying jobs that built the state into what it is are gone. In the last 20 years alot of factories just in the mid michigan area have closed to use 3rd world labor. Auto parts plants. Former largest refrigerator plant i know a bunch of people who worked there. What a shame.
Correction. Flint will never come back. Complete garbage from stem to stearn. Detroit is already back & the suburbs have always been great places to live
talking about detroit not the suburbs. if detroit is back why has it's population dropped over 50 percent. drive around the streets. it is a third world country.@@8corymix8
Everybody talk about the way the city looks, they don't talk about the horrible people live there, not only Detroit but the whole metro area is garbage, glad I moved
Coleman Young started the decline of the city of Detroit. He drew the line and told white people this is a black city now. He was the reason people and businesses left Detroit. The man at the end of this video has his point of view, those of us whose families grew up in the city in the early 1900's until the riots in the 60's have a different point of view.
The decline of the city started in the late 50’s when half a million steel workers went on strike for nearly 4 months. At that point, the Big 3 auto exec’s seen the writing on the wall and began the process of opening plants outside Detroit and the U.S. That was outside Coleman Young’s control. What was within his control was the ability to sit down with leaders of other industries and say “look, we have a great city here with access to topUniversities and a pool of highly qualified professionals. Come and do business in Detroit. We will work with you on taxes and whatever you need to do business here”. He punted on that, and basically gave the middle finger to people that could have restored the city to what it once was. His successors made it even worse.
I was JUST thinking about this exact thing this morning.. A guy I know that lives there, he's in his 50s now, really praises him. But he was the one that allowed all the corruption. Kwame came in to clean up the scraps and take the fall. Literally to be the fall guy. But it started long before Kwame.
"yet", a wonderful denouement to cover the future, where in all probability he will either resign because of a scandal involving drugs and / or sexual impropriety or arrested because of corruption.
Mayor Young and Kilpatrick robbed the city blind giving deals to all their friends and family. That's why Detroit went down hill. Mayor D has turned the city around along with some big investors. Great video thanks 🙏🏼✌🏼🇺🇸
You totally missed all of the music going on a nightly basis if you were bored. Jazz clubs in Detroit include: Cliff Bell's, Baker's Keyboard Lounge (the oldest jazz club in the world), Bert's Marketplace, Eat at Bert's, The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, MotorCity Wine, and Northern Lights Lounge. Raven Lounge is a historic blues club. Spot Lite, Marble Bar, and Speaker Box are a few among a flourishing techno (which was invented in Detroit) and electronic music scene. Not to mention the Detroit Symphony and affiliate venue, the Cube. Hope you'll come see some music the next time you pull up!
Compared to Detroit in the 1980's and 1990's, this city has already made a huge comeback. I went to Wayne State University in downtown Detroit in 2001 and its developed so much since then as well. I used to make skateboard videos in downtown Detroit as a teen in 1996 and it was a ghost town. You could shoot a pistol downtown and you would probably not get harassed by the police back then. Today, it's cleaner and safer downtown than NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Also, we don't have a-lot of homeless walking around in Detroit and the people there are actually pretty cool and down to earth.
You can always go to Florida in the winter. Also the weather in Michigan is the same if not worse in Chicago, Seattle, NYC, Portland, etc... @@wanderingwarrior5626
Detroit still has a very very very long way to go. The vast majority of the city is in despair and the “comeback” areas have really been limited to specific areas of downtown and corktown. That said, COVID really stunted downtown’s comeback as most of the daytime population (offices and WSU) hasn’t returned. The nightlife and sports are there - but downtown still has a ways to go and the neighborhoods are far away from prosperity
Detroit is cleaner and safer than many parts of LA, San Fran, Chicago, NYC, Portland just to name a few. And no you must not have been here in a long time, Downtown Detroit, Corktown, Midtown, New Center area, Mexican Town, Train Station, and many outer parts of Detroit are being developed and gentrified. @@miamiblueM
My great grandparents immigrated from England to Detroit in the 1890’s. Great grandpa worked for the Grand Trunk railroad..they were quite well off. My parents packed up and left in the mid 1950’s headed for LA..most of the family followed eventually. My Mom always missed her home town but was glad they left. Ended up in Oregon eventually. Hope it keeps coming back.
Word has it that some abandoned areas in Detroit are so depopulated that wildlife have re-encroached where coyotes and Sasquatch are almost as often sighted as the feared sketchy looking humans.
I visited Detroit in July 2022 to check off the ballpark and I was impressed with what downtown has become. It's had a very positive effect on the city's reputation. Hopefully that sort of revitalization spreads to the rest of the city!
Thanks for coming to Michigan! Nick. I live in Michigan outside the city by 30 minutes. I thought the same thing the last time I went to Detroit. It looked clean, Good food, and it felt safe! Thanks for the spotlight on the city of Detroit's triumphant come back effort.
Same! I live 30 minutes outside the city also. It’s come a long way since the 90’s that’s for sure. Went right before Christmas a few years back and I was impressed. I still need to go see the train station. It makes my heart so happy they renovated that building. Use to make me sad driving by because it had so much potential.
I worked for DPD as an Officer in one of the busiest precincts on the East side- there is no “We don’t or won’t go there” if you’re an Officer, especially in Detroit. When we would get on the road, there were lots of calls on the board but we absolutely tried our best to answer all of them, I got held over so many times, for several hours, I left to care for my newborn son at the time- I loved the job, but I never knew when I’d get off and some of that is just the job but a lot of it is providing the tools needed to be efficient. If you work afternoons or midnights, you patrol in the most dangerous areas but that is understood when the job is offered, and accepted. I wouldn’t recommend that people go there to just to drive around at night or explore, the city has 12 precincts if you count Downtown Services as the first precinct, most cities have 1. It’s a lot to cover. Go back in the summer, you’ll see people outside and the city doesn’t look so dead. Be careful. ❤👮👮♀️🚔
The riots were a turning point. I remember walking down the sidewalk with my grandma to the corner meat market to get my grandfathers dinner. The houses and lawns were immaculate then the riots hit. Now that neighborhood doesn't even exist 75% burned to the ground over the years. Last time I was there about a year ago they were running stop signs on sidestreets at 45mph plus. It blows me away that many people want to make all drugs legal.
My family on both sides lived in Detroit during the riots and they say the same thing. It was a shame. Everyone eventually moved out to Livonia area. But I love Detroit I think it is starting to turn around. The train station is a huge inspiration alone. It’s definitely been worse!
I was born in Detroit lived there for 55 years.. Kept waiting for it to get better. It never did.. Moved out in 2012 Bought a small farm about 30 miles southwest of Detroit .. Should have done it years ago. Democrat policies destroyed that City they taxed all the business out of the city and away from downtown there are no police..
lmao what a crock, downtown is doing good, and more apartments are being built around and in it. Keep blaming policies on late stage capitalism lul, vote for nothing, own nothing,
You don't understand causation. And you don't understand taxation. Other factors are at cause. My democratic city and state is thriving with average taxation. How do you think services get paid? We innovate and invest in our communities! Detroit 100 years ago poisoned it's own well, as had much of this country.
Great job. I'm not one of the people who thrives on seeing all the desolation and despair that's rampant seemingly everywhere these days. So this video was a nice change of pace and I easily watched the whole thing straight through. Hat's off to Detroit and Mr. Johnson for some hopeful content. Peace everyone.
Well u should not have broken the law, u wouldn’t be in jail. Sorry u can’t comprehend this. U could have learned a trade and made 70-100k a year but u wanted the easy money. Criminals have turned America into a crime and graffiti ridden hell hole. Please be a law abiding citizen when u get out. U did this to ur self. I hope u r getting skills to get a good job. I wish u well sir, hope u get out soon.
Ever been to Palo Alto, CA? You cross the freeway into East Palo Alto and you go from Bentleys, Range Rovers and Stanford University to drive-bys, abandoned warehouses and crack houses.
My favorite part is the McLaren dealership, next to the Tesla store. Never minded getting stuck at that traffic light. Plus further down the road, there was a Taco Bell, next to a KFC/Long John Silvers, you could get a crunchwrap, a 4 piece chicken dinner, AND hush puppies in one stop!
That comment about the fire reminded me of The Crow (1994), which was set in Detroit and depicted the infamous Devil's Night where arson was common. The guy being interviewed mentioned that Detroit attracts international tourists, specifically from Germany. Techno partly originated from Detroit and it is very popular in Berlin where there are world-famous clubs like the Berghain. It's fair to say that Detroit has brought so much culture to the world.
Detroit is a failure, I get it there are some loyal and good folks who try to help. Too bad we don't have more of those good folks to make a change, so far not good. Detroit does a lot of talking but no action. Crime has been a serious problem for decades. My family moved out in 1956. I remember my family being robbed walking down Michigan avenue near 24 th in broad day light. Detroit has made their street culture the law of this city.
Detroit should serve as a warning to other cities but bad ideas die hard. Corruption and rampant crime is not good for business. Even if it had a miraculous comeback the same types would likely just destroy it all over again. San Francisco is trying to prevent itself from becoming Detroit but people are already upset about it.
Regardless of how anyone might feel about Detroit, it's still a lot better than Chiraq, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. I felt much safer there than in those other cities.
Pretty sure the people that like your comment are either from Detroit or just delusional. Right now NYC has a lower crime rate than Detroit, San Francisco, L,A, Chicago. Does it have big issues if course the leadership is horrible there. But to compare a small city to huge cities and tourist destinations is silly.
@@jessygarci NYC doesn't report crime so I don't know how you could know if it's worse or not. California and New York stopped reporting crime statistics in 2019.
It’s one of the greatest places to go for the food and I’m certain of this. No matter what kind of cuisine you like we got an authentic experience with chefs from all around the world as Detroit is known for its Culinary Excellence
"Detroit is coming back, it's safe, it's on the rebound." Shows a five-alarm fire and just drives right up to it. "Oh, they tell me this happens 2-3 times a day." That's what we call the best kind of urban renewal.
@@MirzaAhmed89not one even once said that till 2012 bro y’all make shit up 😂😂😂 the only time the “comeback “ started is when they literally declared bankruptcy than couple years after that the real investments came
Thank you for sharing, it does look clean compared to some of your other downtown videos. Good luck to Detroit, would be cool if they could pull off a come back. Looking forward to your other videos showing "what you people want to see".
As a Norwegian (legal)immigrant it was a great place to grow up. The good bad and ugly. I met Coleman Young, the Mayor of Detroit, at the Scandinavian festival on the river. Every weekend there was an ethnic festival representing different counties. Very ethnically diverse growing up in the 60s and 70s. Thanks Nick!
This video just speaks to me as the collapsing of the middle-class and middle-class jobs in this country. The widening of the rich and poor, have and have nots
Nick you needed to do this in the summer. There are incredible,world renowned events and festivals. Also renowned museums and science centers in Detroit. Its true, this city will never be what it was. But the tremendous changes that have taken place over the last 20 years is a real positive. P.S. When you get a chance, visit Greenfield Village in Dearborn. Its next to the Henry Ford Museum. You'll love it
Notice that there's only domestic brand vehicles in the poorer areas, and foreign brands where it's nicer. If we were all as loyal to this country as the poor in Detroit, the country would look a lot better.
I am not from Detroit, buy i love this city. For some reason it is one of the few cities where one can feel the spirit of America and the real history. Greatbinterview with the resident. Thank you!
I'm sure you have a chance to get mug in and city or town. It's not the place, it's the people. Places don't turn people into bad people but people turn places into bad places.
Hey! Thank you for painting a mostly positive viewpoint of Detroit! I just bought a home 1.5 miles north of 8 Mile Rd in Warren, Michigan. I believe in the D. At least once a week, we go to someplace in the city, like Belle Isle Park, Red Hook Coffee, or one of a dozen restaurants.
Nick, great views and interviews. These folks you interview, shows just how close everyone feels about their town. We love our communities...we want things to get better. We are not as divided as the main steam media...keep it up!
The Packard plant used to have small industrial tenants up till the 90's then the city sued the building owner, closed it down and it sat decaying. It's being demolished now.
Don't foret the traditional Holloween HELL'S NIGHT, where they would burn dozens, even a few HUNDREDS of abandoned houses and warehouses down. This went from the early 1960s to the late 1990s. By then, thousands of buildings were burned. That explains the "missing teeth" map of Detroit.
Thanks Nick for the Love you give Detroit over the yrs.... You are one of the few that shows the worst and the Best Detroit, and the state of Michigan, and don't be so negative.... The Truth Will Set You Free....
Great premiere to the series. Too bad it was kind of a bummer that "real" winter wasn't a part of the trip. Yeah, that's what I heard too. It was one the warmest winters they've ever had in the Upper Midwest. Thanks for the well wishes for the weekend. I was in the chat room and I saw that. Going to be like spring here in Oregon. Will be enjoying that. Detroit looks like it's got a lot of potential. I wish that city all the best.
I drive with Lyft and Uber in Detroit. That street, "Rochelle", is in an area known as "Mapleridge". I drive in a lot of areas, especially at night, and even in the more ghetto areas, it's not as bad as people think or claim.
Nick i been watching your excellent content for 4 years, i love how you do the narrating. And you speak how you really feel. A lot of the things you say are hilarious, and you always do an excellent job creating your videos. For me, when i watch each video, it's like exploring all the states' cities. Im a texas guy, but i love traveling. And when I watch your awesome videos, it's like i get to travel everywhere, still be in texas. Keep up the excellent work, Nick 👍👍👍👍👍
@NickJohnson oh ya, that would have been awesome to meet you in person, i live 45 minutes from downtown Houston. I have always been a fan of your channel, i love to travel and see places. And that is what i like about your channel. Awesome 👍👍👍👍
Been there a couple of times and people said horrible things about Detroit. I found it a real nice city. Of course it has problems like all other big cities. People love talking smack about other places but I didn`t find it worse than Chicago, Houston and other big American cities. Warm regards from Brazil!
Detroit seems like a pretty decent place. Hopefully it’ll come back, with a 💥 boom. It was pretty clean, considering the abandonment. I have a totally different perspective, thanks to this video Nick,Mappy,& Manager! Y’all stay safe, healthy, warm,happy,& blessed.💯😀🫶🏾💜✝️🙏🏾🇺🇸
Detroit is a fabulous lower cost place to live with lots of green space. Downtown has never looked better in my life & most of the suburbs are beautiful places to live, upscale & have fantastic schools & lifestyle
I love how much Detroit has improved since I lived in the area more than 20 years ago! Yes, there are still problems but west coast cities could learn a lot from Detroit. Its renaissance is real!
Dang they tore down Ford HQ in Dearborn? I toured that and the ford plant in 1992 when I was in college. They gave us a sneak peak of the 1994 Mustang, that was so cool.
Ford's headquarters was in Highland Park originally. That is where the photo of the Model Ts coming out of the factory door was filmed. Ford later built the River Rouge Plant in Dearborn and then moved their headquarters there. You toured the Rouge Plant where iron ore, coking coal, and limestone come in by ship and Mustangs come out the other end. Their headquarters is known as "The Glass House" and is still located on Michigan Avenue. It was built in the 1950s.
No. That was a rather small office building. Nick didn't have it quite correct. The "Glass House" Ford world headquarters is still there & fully operational. It's a beautiful building
Hope they bring Detroit back to its true glory days and make it a great city again. Northern Michigan is amazing especially the UP area, right now Michigan is like two different states. I remember coming to Detroit years ago and it was a really nice city ,and now you see they are trying to revive the city. Michigan is a great state and I hope they continue to bring it back and make it better.
Thanks Nick. I love learning more about the real USA. The places and the people! I am from Sweden and you always put forward things as they are, the good and the ugly. I lived in Colorado for 6 months during 2009 and I did not even cover that state. I wanted to to see more, but traveling costs a lot. You are doing good things.
I’ve lived in the City of Detroit since the 60’s. Was one of the first families of color in our neighborhood on the West side. Went to to school in the “hood,” until the Civil Rights Act passed, and then got bussed out to a different school, when the integration of schools began. Continued living and going to school in Detroit, and then attended the University of Michigan, and then returned to Detroit to live and work, and so on. Saw every event, socially, politically, economically, ergonomically that there was to see during that time, and remember all of the influences which contributed to Detroit’s variables of cultural changes and stalwarts. Remember every mayor from Jerome Cavanaugh, Roman Gribbs, Coleman Young, Dennis Archer, Dave Bing, Kuanme Kilpatrick, the current mayor, and any others during that time. What’s unfortunate is that, while Downtown Detroit has always been a beloved place, and one which we frequented, to drive north into the neighborhoods is disappointing, in that that’s where we live, and spend our daily existence, not in beautiful downtown Detroit. To realize the blight, and see it, certainly does make it seem as though the streets are not as safe, or not being maintained well enough to allow us to live and thrive there, even though our hearts are vested in the upkeep of the city, and those of us who remain here are committed to working with whomever is in charge for establishing precedent in making our Detroit streets as safe and viable as the beautiful downtown Detroit people want to come see, without knowing the full history of Detroit without really knowing it.
I visited Detroit four years ago, went to the famed Motown Museum, the people were down to earth, but the outskirts were very nice, beautiful houses and lawns.
I am from metro Detroit and down town has definitely turned around. Downtown is incredible and just ask anyone that just came from out of town for the NFL draft. People loved it and it was the largest attendance for a NFL draft ever.
They can do all the hype and renovation they want but it's still like perfume on a pig. I worked down town for years and it's still the same, most people leave Detroit after work to go home. The city isn't really alive any more.
@@NickJohnson oh yeah. Rooting the Pack on to victory. Was even better that no heart Carolina was the final game. What a run. Hope it’s not over. Glad you got to see it .
@@NickJohnson it was a great video. The goof who praised Kilpatrick & Coleman Young is absolutely hilarious. They were absolute crooks & criminals. Yet many would still vote for them even today at their own peril. Downtown is just fine. In my 49 years, I've never seen it better. Nobody ever went there. Now it's mostly white people running around. Downtown Detroit & the suburbs are a beautiful place to live. The upper middle to very affluent areas are very beautiful places to live. Detroit neighborhoods as you showed, not so much & some would argue they'd just destroy it anyway. Belle Isle was garbage until the State recently took it over, made everyone drive the speed limit & threw out the trash. Very good video
This is such a great and important video, Nick! Detroit is such a great and forgotten city, but seems to be struggling to come back. There seems to be a lot of local pride there. I have always wanted to visit that city. Glad you shined a light on it and showed both the good and bad. Great work!
Come visit. Definitely visit the Henry Ford museum. Downtown Detroit is beautiful. Especially the river walk. Come when it's nice out. Perhaps for the Grand Prix races or the free Jazz festival. Most of the suburbs are beautiful places to live/stay with fantastic quality of life & excellent schools
There is definitely a lot of local pride there. The great comeback is being oversold at this point - still a long way to go. High property taxes and lack of grocery stores make it a non-starter for me. The burbs are a totally different world (in a good way).
Detroit does have a long way to go but to say that nothing is being done in the outer city is not true. Its such a large area and many of the homes are being torn down. Its costing a lot of money to do this and there have been a few areas that have been improved and revitalized. Its going to take a lot of time and money to get Detroit to a proper big city again thanks to it being let go to ruins. The waterfront park was awarded the best waterfront park for 2 or 3 years in a row. I have to give the mayor credit, he is bringing life back into the city.
Techno and electronic music will help be a large catalyst for growth here. I'm not even kidding. The music scene will help revitalize a lot of the tourist effort. It's like going to Nashville for Blues
That's the main reason I've been coming to D town since 2002! I make the 5 hour drive from Indy every year Memorial weekend. Detroit is the birth place of Techno!
There’s a dude that takes groups of tourists on a walking tour of the PACKARD factory, 66 years abandoned. It looks like a scene from a “Hostel” movie. Post apocalyptic scene. It’s a ginormous plant. Apparently the land isn’t valuable enough to demolish it and rebuild. Something. Not even the detestable M & M could help.
the thing about Detroit is most of the violence is gang concentrated and domestic abuse, so if you aren't gangbanging or dealing with some mentally unstable partner you most likely wont be one of the statistics. our homeless are mostly just drunks looking for change they really dont bother you just weird you out by staring at you in the car at random red lights. the main problems are taxes, jobs, and population flight. the crime and blight thing are really just sprinkles on top of that huge sundae. they'll be fixed when the other 3 get solved and we are starting to come back from our centers. we need more real attractions (27:34 literally as I'm writing this its brought up) its still just restaurants, apartments, office buildings, casinos, a few shops, and arenas. so if you're not hungry, there's no big game that you're attending, and you dont gamble what is there to do? the downtown just becomes a huge empty town again. most metro locals realize that quickly, so we dont go down there much because it still doesn't offer anything you cant find 10 minutes outside of the city limits. that being said if we include the metro Detroit area connected by our extensive highway system there are tons of things to do that are less than a 20 minute ride away or less. we are a welcoming melting pot of cultures. its often noted our mixed black and white populations but we also have varies Jewish, Indian, east Asian, Greek, and Hispanic communities. and one of the largest Muslim populations in America, all living amongst one another. you can definitely find your place in Detroit and call it a life.
@@NewHaven203yes one play away from the super bowl if they didn’t have kicker who kicked for like 51% from deep and 3 guys drop crucial passes in 3rd down or a fumble or the bouncing helmet catch… you know if just one of those things didn’t happen they are in the dance 😂😂
That's something I can't understand. Here in Europe cities have survived centuries of wars, plagues, crisis, changing economic models and turmoils of every kind, and they're still here. Had the Henry Ford factory been anywhere here and it would have been preserved, converted in a museum or reused in some way and made it a part of the cultual heritage of the city. In America nobody seems to care about past history and only the new matters, the old is discarded. It's appalling that a huge city like this could just die and that lots of medium and small towns already are just abandoned and simply disappear.
My sentiments exactly! Made my first visit to Europe two years ago, and the thing that ran through my mind is why can’t we do this in the U.S.? Many of the buildings I seen in Germany, Austria and Hungary are centuries older than the ones in Detroit.
Alot of the destruction/ downfall of Detroit can be blamed or traced back to the caliber of people who inhabit American cities. When folks do not value anything, have little clue or inclination to maintain anything, blame anyone & everyone for failures that can be laid at their own door stop, the cause is lost. Europe has not really had that legacy except in recent years with immigration. Europe may find out.
The Detroit Mayor seems to think - everything is wonderful, everything is great, and the coffee is so good. Looking forward to your stream. Catch you at 8!
Was in Troy 10 years ago... We used to dance at a club near 8 Mile while visiting my friend's family over Turkey Day. We traveled the city, parts look worse than I remember. One of the place we went to was surrounded by razor wire topped privacy fencing around the parking lot. Had to get buzzed in - that was closer to 7 mile. ... I tripped out when I was there; when I first got there we didn't need passports to go-to Canada it changed while we were there.
Good report! I was up there for the NCAA tourney this year, and it has changed a lot in the downtown area over the last 10 years. They are doing what many urban centers are, which is revitalize a specific area to pull young college grads in so the can live the "urban" experience (bars, restaurant's, entertainment, cool apartments) before they start a family and move out to the burbs. The problem they, and other urban areas, will face is the declining number of young people (and those coming up who won't have that desire for "city life" because of costs/crime/homeless). As for the under developed areas, many of them are filled with mid-last century homes that don't meet the requirements in terms of construction, sq footage and amenities that people are looking for. While some may be rehabbed, the vast majority are ripe for demolition just because they don't have appeal to home buyers. Kudos to the city for stepping up the police presence, nice to see a democratic run city finally "get" it.
Detroit has some of the best examples of early 20th century architecture left in the country. We are lucky they were too poor to demolish them and now the buildings are being restored!!!
This. The one good thing in Detroit is the architecture, especially inside buildings you wouldn’t know have amazing murals, etc.
Or rather it did. Most of it is sadly demolished.
That's what happened in Asheville, only in miniscule. It was a vacationer boom town in the 1920s, then froze with the crash and remained largely unchanged (architecturally) until the early 1990's.
I agree! Fox theater and the Masonic temple are so cool to see
Not much that's just downtown most the city is a ghetto
Detroiter here, I live 3 blocks from where that fire happened. This is a great video, and I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. Thanks Nick for taking the time you did to talk with local folks and highlight all the different landscapes. I love this city, the full and the empty, it's my whole life.
🔥!! Did you see that fire?
@NickJohnson Not until this video. You were right, around here, fires happen and we keep it pushin 😂 Salute to DFD, they deal with over a 1000 fires a year on avg.
Looks cool hope detroit gets even better
@@AlisaPowerDasha🆓
Always a good day when I see Nick has a new video.
Looks different without the handlebar mustache and cowboy hat
+1
Good for you Detroit! You have had a lot going against you but you are beating the odds and getting better. Much respect to the people.
Superb comment. Thank you 🙂
i'm 70 and grew up in flint. there is no comeback. it will never be like it was. it's all hype. america is in decline in many more places than flint and detroit. america is falling apart while we keep spending money we don't have on other countries. i like you video's nick johnson.
Yes unfortunately. Michigan will never be what it was most of 20th century. So many good paying jobs that built the state into what it is are gone. In the last 20 years alot of factories just in the mid michigan area have closed to use 3rd world labor. Auto parts plants. Former largest refrigerator plant i know a bunch of people who worked there. What a shame.
Nick should pin this comment
Correction. Flint will never come back. Complete garbage from stem to stearn. Detroit is already back & the suburbs have always been great places to live
talking about detroit not the suburbs. if detroit is back why has it's population dropped over 50 percent. drive around the streets. it is a third world country.@@8corymix8
Everybody talk about the way the city looks, they don't talk about the horrible people live there, not only Detroit but the whole metro area is garbage, glad I moved
Coleman Young started the decline of the city of Detroit. He drew the line and told white people this is a black city now. He was the reason people and businesses left Detroit. The man at the end of this video has his point of view, those of us whose families grew up in the city in the early 1900's until the riots in the 60's have a different point of view.
Young was a typical crooked politician
The decline of the city started in the late 50’s when half a million steel workers went on strike for nearly 4 months. At that point, the Big 3 auto exec’s seen the writing on the wall and began the process of opening plants outside Detroit and the U.S. That was outside Coleman Young’s control. What was within his control was the ability to sit down with leaders of other industries and say “look, we have a great city here with access to topUniversities and a pool of highly qualified professionals. Come and do business in Detroit. We will work with you on taxes and whatever you need to do business here”. He punted on that, and basically gave the middle finger to people that could have restored the city to what it once was. His successors made it even worse.
Yeah I think the Federal Government building 375 was a lot worse and divisive for the city
I was JUST thinking about this exact thing this morning.. A guy I know that lives there, he's in his 50s now, really praises him. But he was the one that allowed all the corruption. Kwame came in to clean up the scraps and take the fall. Literally to be the fall guy. But it started long before Kwame.
Ya downtown is nice but most the rest is terrible!!
The big difference between this mayor and the ones that where before him is he is not in prison yet .
"yet", a wonderful denouement to cover the future, where in all probability he will either resign because of a scandal involving drugs and / or sexual impropriety or arrested because of corruption.
The Kwame saga was SO much fun to watch.
@@rwdplz1 I'm guessing your some what like me and you enjoy seeing a good train wreck .
@@rwdplz1is that the guy from Apprentice? He was mayor?
Mayor Young and Kilpatrick robbed the city blind giving deals to all their friends and family. That's why Detroit went down hill. Mayor D has turned the city around along with some big investors. Great video thanks 🙏🏼✌🏼🇺🇸
You totally missed all of the music going on a nightly basis if you were bored. Jazz clubs in Detroit include: Cliff Bell's, Baker's Keyboard Lounge (the oldest jazz club in the world), Bert's Marketplace, Eat at Bert's, The Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, MotorCity Wine, and Northern Lights Lounge. Raven Lounge is a historic blues club. Spot Lite, Marble Bar, and Speaker Box are a few among a flourishing techno (which was invented in Detroit) and electronic music scene. Not to mention the Detroit Symphony and affiliate venue, the Cube. Hope you'll come see some music the next time you pull up!
Compared to Detroit in the 1980's and 1990's, this city has already made a huge comeback. I went to Wayne State University in downtown Detroit in 2001 and its developed so much since then as well. I used to make skateboard videos in downtown Detroit as a teen in 1996 and it was a ghost town. You could shoot a pistol downtown and you would probably not get harassed by the police back then. Today, it's cleaner and safer downtown than NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Also, we don't have a-lot of homeless walking around in Detroit and the people there are actually pretty cool and down to earth.
Because, it's to damn cold in Michigan most of the year. Depressing weather from Oct, to April.
You can always go to Florida in the winter. Also the weather in Michigan is the same if not worse in Chicago, Seattle, NYC, Portland, etc... @@wanderingwarrior5626
@@wanderingwarrior5626the weather has improved a lot in the past two decades.
Detroit still has a very very very long way to go. The vast majority of the city is in despair and the “comeback” areas have really been limited to specific areas of downtown and corktown. That said, COVID really stunted downtown’s comeback as most of the daytime population (offices and WSU) hasn’t returned. The nightlife and sports are there - but downtown still has a ways to go and the neighborhoods are far away from prosperity
Detroit is cleaner and safer than many parts of LA, San Fran, Chicago, NYC, Portland just to name a few. And no you must not have been here in a long time, Downtown Detroit, Corktown, Midtown, New Center area, Mexican Town, Train Station, and many outer parts of Detroit are being developed and gentrified. @@miamiblueM
My great grandparents immigrated from England to Detroit in the 1890’s. Great grandpa worked for the Grand Trunk railroad..they were quite well off. My parents packed up and left in the mid 1950’s headed for LA..most of the family followed eventually. My Mom always missed her home town but was glad they left. Ended up in Oregon eventually. Hope it keeps coming back.
Word has it that some abandoned areas in Detroit are so depopulated that wildlife have re-encroached where coyotes and Sasquatch are almost as often sighted as the feared sketchy looking humans.
Sasquatch lives on Fenkell
😂
Both stories are true. You can also always find Bigfoot on Zug Island this time of the year…
I went there for work a few years ago and a deer shot out in front of us. A deer in downtown!
All done by design,too.
I visited Detroit in July 2022 to check off the ballpark and I was impressed with what downtown has become. It's had a very positive effect on the city's reputation. Hopefully that sort of revitalization spreads to the rest of the city!
Thanks for coming to Michigan! Nick. I live in Michigan outside the city by 30 minutes. I thought the same thing the last time I went to Detroit. It looked clean, Good food, and it felt safe! Thanks for the spotlight on the city of Detroit's triumphant come back effort.
Same! I live 30 minutes outside the city also. It’s come a long way since the 90’s that’s for sure. Went right before Christmas a few years back and I was impressed. I still need to go see the train station. It makes my heart so happy they renovated that building. Use to make me sad driving by because it had so much potential.
I live in Michigan and there is a lot to like in Detroit
@@Michelle00200 Yes its such a historical and beautiful building. They don't build stuff like that anymore
It only felt safe lol
@@tedbear6012. No shit! 🤣🤣🤣
This city will never come back it’s my life goal to get out of this godforsaken place
Hope you got out.
I worked for DPD as an Officer in one of the busiest precincts on the East side- there is no “We don’t or won’t go there” if you’re an Officer, especially in Detroit. When we would get on the road, there were lots of calls on the board but we absolutely tried our best to answer all of them, I got held over so many times, for several hours, I left to care for my newborn son at the time- I loved the job, but I never knew when I’d get off and some of that is just the job but a lot of it is providing the tools needed to be efficient. If you work afternoons or midnights, you patrol in the most dangerous areas but that is understood when the job is offered, and accepted. I wouldn’t recommend that people go there to just to drive around at night or explore, the city has 12 precincts if you count Downtown Services as the first precinct, most cities have 1. It’s a lot to cover. Go back in the summer, you’ll see people outside and the city doesn’t look so dead. Be careful. ❤👮👮♀️🚔
Crime is the lowest in 20-25 years. Detroit is clean, safe, beautiful architecture, & worth a visit.
@@shirleybalinski4535 But still losing population. The EV push is not helping. Most car makers lose many thousands on every EV. They're poison.
Ty for your service. This guy needs to walk the red zone at night. Stay tuned
@@shirleybalinski4535 ...and still shrinking in population.
Delusional
The riots were a turning point. I remember walking down the sidewalk with my grandma to the corner meat market to get my grandfathers dinner. The houses and lawns were immaculate then the riots hit.
Now that neighborhood doesn't even exist 75% burned to the ground over the years.
Last time I was there about a year ago they were running stop signs on sidestreets at 45mph plus.
It blows me away that many people want to make all drugs legal.
it never recovered after the riots, was a beautiful place before that
My family on both sides lived in Detroit during the riots and they say the same thing. It was a shame. Everyone eventually moved out to Livonia area. But I love Detroit I think it is starting to turn around. The train station is a huge inspiration alone. It’s definitely been worse!
Locking people up for personal choices that effect nobody else has never helped anyone
I have some of the same memories of 1967 Detroit
...don't ya know they reference the riots as an "uprising" now? It is sad
I was born in Detroit lived there for 55 years.. Kept waiting for it to get better. It never did.. Moved out in 2012 Bought a small farm about 30 miles southwest of Detroit .. Should have done it years ago. Democrat policies destroyed that City they taxed all the business out of the city and away from downtown there are no police..
Currently people say good things about downtown.
lmao what a crock, downtown is doing good, and more apartments are being built around and in it. Keep blaming policies on late stage capitalism lul, vote for nothing, own nothing,
You don't understand causation. And you don't understand taxation. Other factors are at cause. My democratic city and state is thriving with average taxation. How do you think services get paid? We innovate and invest in our communities! Detroit 100 years ago poisoned it's own well, as had much of this country.
"30 miles southwest of Detroit" not nearly far enough.
@@philmabarak5421hahahaha!
Great job. I'm not one of the people who thrives on seeing all the desolation and despair that's rampant seemingly everywhere these days. So this video was a nice change of pace and I easily watched the whole thing straight through. Hat's off to Detroit and Mr. Johnson for some hopeful content. Peace everyone.
Downtown Detroit looks so clean and new. It’s very nice. That park they’re redoing, is going to be super nice.
I can imagine it in its hay day. Nice manicured lawns, families running around, dads building cars. Sad what happened to such a big city.
Japan got nuked twice and rebuilt itself better than it was. Detroit...got racially "enriched" and never recovered. Really makes ya think, huh?
This makes me appreciate living in a small town in North Carolina.
Imagine doing 10yrs in federal prison for growing pot. Then 2 yrs after your release pot is legal.
LoL shit most be sad
Lawsuit, and then settlement.
Damn 😑
Yeah, too bad that it's legal now.
Well u should not have broken the law, u wouldn’t be in jail. Sorry u can’t comprehend this. U could have learned a trade and made 70-100k a year but u wanted the easy money. Criminals have turned America into a crime and graffiti ridden hell hole.
Please be a law abiding citizen when u get out. U did this to ur self. I hope u r getting skills to get a good job. I wish u well sir, hope u get out soon.
Ever been to Palo Alto, CA? You cross the freeway into East Palo Alto and you go from Bentleys, Range Rovers and Stanford University to drive-bys, abandoned warehouses and crack houses.
My favorite part is the McLaren dealership, next to the Tesla store. Never minded getting stuck at that traffic light. Plus further down the road, there was a Taco Bell, next to a KFC/Long John Silvers, you could get a crunchwrap, a 4 piece chicken dinner, AND hush puppies in one stop!
@@rwdplz1 Like the old KentuckyTacoHut's and those places are owned by Pepsi I think.
That sounds like floral park in Santa Ana, one streets got mansions the next is a bario with regular drive bys.
Seems like a lot of Democrat run sh!tholes are way too close to $
"people in the hood getting taxed" that's a good one😂
That comment about the fire reminded me of The Crow (1994), which was set in Detroit and depicted the infamous Devil's Night where arson was common. The guy being interviewed mentioned that Detroit attracts international tourists, specifically from Germany. Techno partly originated from Detroit and it is very popular in Berlin where there are world-famous clubs like the Berghain. It's fair to say that Detroit has brought so much culture to the world.
Thank you for visiting Michigan, I hope you enjoyed it.
LOL
😂
Michigan has so many people and idk why???
All he did was complain
As a Michigander and current Detroit suburb resident, I enjoy your Michigan videos.
Detroit is a failure, I get it there are some loyal and good folks who try to help. Too bad we don't have more of those good folks to make a change, so far not good. Detroit does a lot of talking but no action. Crime has been a serious problem for decades. My family moved out in 1956. I remember my family being robbed walking down Michigan avenue near 24 th in broad day light. Detroit has made their street culture the law of this city.
Imagine if all of that Ukraine and Israel money was sent to Detroit.
Detroit should serve as a warning to other cities but bad ideas die hard. Corruption and rampant crime is not good for business. Even if it had a miraculous comeback the same types would likely just destroy it all over again. San Francisco is trying to prevent itself from becoming Detroit but people are already upset about it.
And this city is everything now!!!!
Good episode. Nice to see positive changes happening in Detroit.
Regardless of how anyone might feel about Detroit, it's still a lot better than Chiraq, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.
I felt much safer there than in those other cities.
Portland is dead. Needles and bums and closed stores. Antifa and blm and Ted wheeler destroyed Portland.
Pretty sure the people that like your comment are either from Detroit or just delusional. Right now NYC has a lower crime rate than Detroit, San Francisco, L,A, Chicago. Does it have big issues if course the leadership is horrible there. But to compare a small city to huge cities and tourist destinations is silly.
@@jessygarci NYC doesn't report crime so I don't know how you could know if it's worse or not. California and New York stopped reporting crime statistics in 2019.
😂
@@jessygarciOH OK ✅
It’s one of the greatest places to go for the food and I’m certain of this. No matter what kind of cuisine you like we got an authentic experience with chefs from all around the world as Detroit is known for its Culinary Excellence
Food scenes don't save cities. You gotta have real industry.
@@loganstroganoff1284 oh I agree totally, luckily the auto industry is still HUGE here
"Detroit is coming back, it's safe, it's on the rebound."
Shows a five-alarm fire and just drives right up to it. "Oh, they tell me this happens 2-3 times a day."
That's what we call the best kind of urban renewal.
Progress? Ok 😳
Detroit has been "coming back" for the last 25 years.
Rather live near their downtown than Seattle or Portlands. Escaped PNW in 2020.
@@MirzaAhmed89not one even once said that till 2012 bro y’all make shit up 😂😂😂 the only time the “comeback “ started is when they literally declared bankruptcy than couple years after that the real investments came
Thank you for sharing, it does look clean compared to some of your other downtown videos.
Good luck to Detroit, would be cool if they could pull off a come back.
Looking forward to your other videos showing "what you people want to see".
Stayed downtown day after Grand Prix. Walked about 15 blocks to see a band and walked back at midnight. All good, cool city!
As a Norwegian (legal)immigrant it was a great place to grow up. The good bad and ugly.
I met Coleman Young, the Mayor of Detroit, at the Scandinavian festival on the river. Every weekend there was an ethnic festival representing different counties. Very ethnically diverse growing up in the 60s and 70s. Thanks Nick!
Colman young was the beginning of the end
Colman young is/was one of the most corrupt. He was a major reason for Detroit’s downfall.
I'm sure they now have Pride parades too. Just can't get enough of that diversity stuff.
@@ColonelHoganStalag13 straight pride here.
Yeah, all that dieversity really worked wonders for Detroit, didn't it? Just like it is in your home country, right?
Fantastic video! Nick you never disappoint, thanks for your hard work.
This video just speaks to me as the collapsing of the middle-class and middle-class jobs in this country. The widening of the rich and poor, have and have nots
Nick you needed to do this in the summer. There are incredible,world renowned events and festivals. Also renowned museums and science centers in Detroit. Its true, this city will never be what it was. But the tremendous changes that have taken place over the last 20 years is a real positive. P.S. When you get a chance, visit Greenfield Village in Dearborn. Its next to the Henry Ford Museum. You'll love it
Notice that there's only domestic brand vehicles in the poorer areas, and foreign brands where it's nicer. If we were all as loyal to this country as the poor in Detroit, the country would look a lot better.
I am not from Detroit, buy i love this city. For some reason it is one of the few cities where one can feel the spirit of America and the real history. Greatbinterview with the resident. Thank you!
There's water here. When the cities are burning in the south, this place will bloom again.
Nice one. Just watched it last night!:)
The good old days of Detroit will never come back, it's a shame but that place has had it.
I was almost mugged in Detroit. I will never go back.
I'm sure you have a chance to get mug in and city or town. It's not the place, it's the people. Places don't turn people into bad people but people turn places into bad places.
Blacks are allowed to live everywhere now.
@@provident8732Its the people that happen to be more numerous in detroit.
Was it by a Hasidic Jew, Asian, or somebody who looks like Obama?
I was car jacked, mugged, beat up, had all my cars stolen, and almost raped. I left in 2000. F$&k Detroit. It is a miserable city.
Hey! Thank you for painting a mostly positive viewpoint of Detroit!
I just bought a home 1.5 miles north of 8 Mile Rd in Warren, Michigan. I believe in the D.
At least once a week, we go to someplace in the city, like Belle Isle Park, Red Hook Coffee, or one of a dozen restaurants.
Can't wait. Love your videos and all you do to show us them 😊
Nick, great views and interviews. These folks you interview, shows just how close everyone feels about their town. We love our communities...we want things to get better. We are not as divided as the main steam media...keep it up!
I'm realizing that too
The Packard plant has been sitting there since 1958. 65 years and they haven't done a damn thing with the building. Way to go Detroit!
It's actually being demolished right now. Just started.
That's just when they stopped building Packards there, it was a thriving mini city with all kinds of different businesses up until 2006
Part of it has been torn down and the rest of it by the end of the year
It's being demolished now. And over 60,000 blighted structures have been removed.
The Packard plant used to have small industrial tenants up till the 90's then the city sued the building owner, closed it down and it sat decaying. It's being demolished now.
might sound weird but seeing this video and hearing its part of a road trip series made my day better
Yay!! ❤️❤️
Don't foret the traditional Holloween HELL'S NIGHT, where they would burn dozens, even a few
HUNDREDS of abandoned houses and warehouses down. This went from the early 1960s to
the late 1990s. By then, thousands of buildings were burned. That explains the "missing teeth"
map of Detroit.
The night prior to Halloween is called Devil’s Night. Arson is not as prevalent that evening as it was decades ago. Gunfire however is out of control.
There is no more Devils night in detroit Lots of guns going off though
It was called Devils Night, and it hasn’t been a thing for decades. Maybe early 90’s?
@@MWB313correct. The angels night fires stopped years ago.
Sounds lovely....muh culture.
Thanks Nick for the Love you give Detroit over the yrs.... You are one of the few that shows the worst and the Best Detroit, and the state of Michigan, and don't be so negative.... The Truth Will Set You Free....
Great premiere to the series. Too bad it was kind of a bummer that "real" winter wasn't a part of the trip. Yeah, that's what I heard too. It was one the warmest winters they've ever had in the Upper Midwest.
Thanks for the well wishes for the weekend. I was in the chat room and I saw that. Going to be like spring here in Oregon. Will be enjoying that.
Detroit looks like it's got a lot of potential. I wish that city all the best.
The comfort belt is moving north as climate changes
I drive with Lyft and Uber in Detroit. That street, "Rochelle", is in an area known as "Mapleridge".
I drive in a lot of areas, especially at night, and even in the more ghetto areas, it's not as bad as people think or claim.
as a Michigander, seeing this guy hype up Kwame is pitiful
They're spending huge money just in the down town area! Truly insane! Meanwhile suburb areas have really gone to shit !
Yeah, you must mean the neighborhoods of the city. The suburbs are as nice as they've ever been, and not featured in this video.
Nick i been watching your excellent content for 4 years, i love how you do the narrating. And you speak how you really feel. A lot of the things you say are hilarious, and you always do an excellent job creating your videos. For me, when i watch each video, it's like exploring all the states' cities. Im a texas guy, but i love traveling. And when I watch your awesome videos, it's like i get to travel everywhere, still be in texas. Keep up the excellent work, Nick 👍👍👍👍👍
I liked texas! Too bad we didn't connect when I was there
@NickJohnson oh ya, that would have been awesome to meet you in person, i live 45 minutes from downtown Houston. I have always been a fan of your channel, i love to travel and see places. And that is what i like about your channel. Awesome 👍👍👍👍
Been there a couple of times and people said horrible things about Detroit. I found it a real nice city. Of course it has problems like all other big cities. People love talking smack about other places but I didn`t find it worse than Chicago, Houston and other big American cities. Warm regards from Brazil!
A+ video!
Very helpful tour and overview of Detroit!
Detroit seems like a pretty decent place. Hopefully it’ll come back, with a 💥 boom. It was pretty clean, considering the abandonment. I have a totally different perspective, thanks to this video Nick,Mappy,& Manager! Y’all stay safe, healthy, warm,happy,& blessed.💯😀🫶🏾💜✝️🙏🏾🇺🇸
Detroit is a fabulous lower cost place to live with lots of green space. Downtown has never looked better in my life & most of the suburbs are beautiful places to live, upscale & have fantastic schools & lifestyle
No, it really isn’t.
I love how much Detroit has improved since I lived in the area more than 20 years ago! Yes, there are still problems but west coast cities could learn a lot from Detroit. Its renaissance is real!
I grew up in Detroit and left and never will go back. Have fun tourists, wear armor. 👎🏻blows.
Man, it amazes me that people think Coleman Young, Archer and Kwame were good for Detroit. Its absolutely crazy.
Dang they tore down Ford HQ in Dearborn? I toured that and the ford plant in 1992 when I was in college. They gave us a sneak peak of the 1994 Mustang, that was so cool.
Ford's headquarters was in Highland Park originally. That is where the photo of the Model Ts coming out of the factory door was filmed. Ford later built the River Rouge Plant in Dearborn and then moved their headquarters there. You toured the Rouge Plant where iron ore, coking coal, and limestone come in by ship and Mustangs come out the other end. Their headquarters is known as "The Glass House" and is still located on Michigan Avenue. It was built in the 1950s.
No. That was a rather small office building. Nick didn't have it quite correct. The "Glass House" Ford world headquarters is still there & fully operational. It's a beautiful building
Detroit Reminds Me Of A Smaller Version Of Chicago. 💯
Downtown Detroit looks nice but the neighborhoods is still in ruins and is crumbling!
Hope they bring Detroit back to its true glory days and make it a great city again. Northern Michigan is amazing especially the UP area, right now Michigan is like two different states. I remember coming to Detroit years ago and it was a really nice city ,and now you see they are trying to revive the city. Michigan is a great state and I hope they continue to bring it back and make it better.
Nothing like seeing $150,000 houses with $70,000 cars sitting in the driveway.
Thanks Nick. I love learning more about the real USA. The places and the people! I am from Sweden and you always put forward things as they are, the good and the ugly. I lived in Colorado for 6 months during 2009 and I did not even cover that state. I wanted to to see more, but traveling costs a lot. You are doing good things.
I’ve lived in the City of Detroit since the 60’s. Was one of the first families of color in our neighborhood on the West side. Went to to school in the “hood,” until the Civil Rights Act passed, and then got bussed out to a different school, when the integration of schools began. Continued living and going to school in Detroit, and then attended the University of Michigan, and then returned to Detroit to live and work, and so on. Saw every event, socially, politically, economically, ergonomically that there was to see during that time, and remember all of the influences which contributed to Detroit’s variables of cultural changes and stalwarts. Remember every mayor from Jerome Cavanaugh, Roman Gribbs, Coleman Young, Dennis Archer, Dave Bing, Kuanme Kilpatrick, the current mayor, and any others during that time.
What’s unfortunate is that, while Downtown Detroit has always been a beloved place, and one which we frequented, to drive north into the neighborhoods is disappointing, in that that’s where we live, and spend our daily existence, not in beautiful downtown Detroit. To realize the blight, and see it, certainly does make it seem as though the streets are not as safe, or not being maintained well enough to allow us to live and thrive there, even though our hearts are vested in the upkeep of the city, and those of us who remain here are committed to working with whomever is in charge for establishing precedent in making our Detroit streets as safe and viable as the beautiful downtown Detroit people want to come see, without knowing the full history of Detroit without really knowing it.
There's just something about your narration I love.....I can't quit you ❤😂
I visited Detroit four years ago, went to the famed Motown Museum, the people were down to earth, but the outskirts were very nice, beautiful houses and lawns.
Really enjoyed hearing from that gentleman at the end. His optimism and candor and generosity all were inspiring.
The collapse of the American auto industry really hit Detroit hard.
I am from metro Detroit and down town has definitely turned around. Downtown is incredible and just ask anyone that just came from out of town for the NFL draft. People loved it and it was the largest attendance for a NFL draft ever.
You save me a lot of $$$$ on travel.
I was using Google Maps to travel the USA.
Now I use your channel.
So far, I see nothing worth visiting.
There’s actually a lot worth visiting. When someone mostly shows the bad parts for views this is what you get
Lol, right visiting Thomas Edison's workshop or Wright brother's workshop in Greenfield village isn't worth visiting. Uh ok.
They can do all the hype and renovation they want but it's still like perfume on a pig.
I worked down town for years and it's still the same, most people leave Detroit after work to go home.
The city isn't really alive any more.
you dont get enough credit for your work no matter how many subscribers you get. So good Nick
Did you watch the game Saturday that was nuts 🏀
@@NickJohnson oh yeah. Rooting the Pack on to victory. Was even better that no heart Carolina was the final game. What a run. Hope it’s not over. Glad you got to see it .
Such interesting contrasts in Detroit. I'm glad it's generally getting better. I love this video!😊❤
Detroit is complicated Joan
@@NickJohnson it was a great video. The goof who praised Kilpatrick & Coleman Young is absolutely hilarious. They were absolute crooks & criminals. Yet many would still vote for them even today at their own peril. Downtown is just fine. In my 49 years, I've never seen it better. Nobody ever went there. Now it's mostly white people running around. Downtown Detroit & the suburbs are a beautiful place to live. The upper middle to very affluent areas are very beautiful places to live. Detroit neighborhoods as you showed, not so much & some would argue they'd just destroy it anyway. Belle Isle was garbage until the State recently took it over, made everyone drive the speed limit & threw out the trash. Very good video
This is such a great and important video, Nick! Detroit is such a great and forgotten city, but seems to be struggling to come back. There seems to be a lot of local pride there. I have always wanted to visit that city. Glad you shined a light on it and showed both the good and bad. Great work!
Come visit. Definitely visit the Henry Ford museum. Downtown Detroit is beautiful. Especially the river walk. Come when it's nice out. Perhaps for the Grand Prix races or the free Jazz festival. Most of the suburbs are beautiful places to live/stay with fantastic quality of life & excellent schools
There is definitely a lot of local pride there. The great comeback is being oversold at this point - still a long way to go. High property taxes and lack of grocery stores make it a non-starter for me. The burbs are a totally different world (in a good way).
Detroit does have a long way to go but to say that nothing is being done in the outer city is not true. Its such a large area and many of the homes are being torn down. Its costing a lot of money to do this and there have been a few areas that have been improved and revitalized. Its going to take a lot of time and money to get Detroit to a proper big city again thanks to it being let go to ruins. The waterfront park was awarded the best waterfront park for 2 or 3 years in a row. I have to give the mayor credit, he is bringing life back into the city.
Techno and electronic music will help be a large catalyst for growth here. I'm not even kidding. The music scene will help revitalize a lot of the tourist effort. It's like going to Nashville for Blues
for country music*. The Blues isn't really a thing here or anywhere that I'm aware?
It is here in Chicago! I love the Blues
That's the main reason I've been coming to D town since 2002! I make the 5 hour drive from Indy every year Memorial weekend. Detroit is the birth place of Techno!
Thanks!
Yay! $$ ❤️❤️
lions/tigers/pistons/red wings, ford/chevy/gm (cars), motown (records/60's soul artists), bob seger, ted nugent, jack white, kid rock, eminem
I am not from Detroit but is routing for it. I have this great love affair for Michigan and Detroit.
Cold, winter weathers keeps the criminals indoors. So, visiting ghettos in the cold winter is the safest.
So basically, it's not applicable to this video, shot during the warmest winter on record in Michigan. Look it up, it's not hyperbole.
@@burtlewand5915 Nick said it was in the 20s in his video, so that’s cold.
There’s a dude that takes groups of tourists on a walking tour of the PACKARD factory, 66 years abandoned.
It looks like a scene from a “Hostel” movie. Post apocalyptic scene.
It’s a ginormous plant. Apparently the land isn’t valuable enough to demolish it and rebuild. Something.
Not even the detestable M & M could help.
In the process of being demolished now. Will be done by end of the year.
I drove through Detroit in the late 90s. Holy crap it was scary. Mr!
I bet Matt!
😂😂 man I remember
Ghetto isn’t the ghetto anymore. Now it’s Abandoned. A lot of those people moved out of the state and or out of the county.
the thing about Detroit is most of the violence is gang concentrated and domestic abuse, so if you aren't gangbanging or dealing with some mentally unstable partner you most likely wont be one of the statistics. our homeless are mostly just drunks looking for change they really dont bother you just weird you out by staring at you in the car at random red lights. the main problems are taxes, jobs, and population flight. the crime and blight thing are really just sprinkles on top of that huge sundae. they'll be fixed when the other 3 get solved and we are starting to come back from our centers. we need more real attractions (27:34 literally as I'm writing this its brought up) its still just restaurants, apartments, office buildings, casinos, a few shops, and arenas. so if you're not hungry, there's no big game that you're attending, and you dont gamble what is there to do? the downtown just becomes a huge empty town again. most metro locals realize that quickly, so we dont go down there much because it still doesn't offer anything you cant find 10 minutes outside of the city limits. that being said if we include the metro Detroit area connected by our extensive highway system there are tons of things to do that are less than a 20 minute ride away or less.
we are a welcoming melting pot of cultures. its often noted our mixed black and white populations but we also have varies Jewish, Indian, east Asian, Greek, and Hispanic communities. and one of the largest Muslim populations in America, all living amongst one another. you can definitely find your place in Detroit and call it a life.
"The rich area" - looks like a middle-class neighborhood in any medium-sized city.
All the real “rich” areas are in the northern suburbs.
Palmer Park is the rich area. Most people with money will move to the suburbs like the Fords in Grose Point / Park. Orchard Lake. Etc
When a city's hope is a sports team it's not a good sign!
The Lions aren’t winning a Super Bowl any time soon if they played like they did against the 49ers! Embarrassing!
@@NewHaven203yes one play away from the super bowl if they didn’t have kicker who kicked for like 51% from deep and 3 guys drop crucial passes in 3rd down or a fumble or the bouncing helmet catch… you know if just one of those things didn’t happen they are in the dance 😂😂
I mean that means most of the cities in the Midwest and east coast literally live off their teams lmaooo…
Detroit is a Sports city ? Man people really don’t know a lot about this city
That's something I can't understand. Here in Europe cities have survived centuries of wars, plagues, crisis, changing economic models and turmoils of every kind, and they're still here. Had the Henry Ford factory been anywhere here and it would have been preserved, converted in a museum or reused in some way and made it a part of the cultual heritage of the city. In America nobody seems to care about past history and only the new matters, the old is discarded. It's appalling that a huge city like this could just die and that lots of medium and small towns already are just abandoned and simply disappear.
My sentiments exactly! Made my first visit to Europe two years ago, and the thing that ran through my mind is why can’t we do this in the U.S.? Many of the buildings I seen in Germany, Austria and Hungary are centuries older than the ones in Detroit.
Alot of the destruction/ downfall of Detroit can be blamed or traced back to the caliber of people who inhabit American cities. When folks do not value anything, have little clue or inclination to maintain anything, blame anyone & everyone for failures that can be laid at their own door stop, the cause is lost. Europe has not really had that legacy except in recent years with immigration. Europe may find out.
The Detroit Mayor seems to think - everything is wonderful, everything is great, and the coffee is so good. Looking forward to your stream. Catch you at 8!
Nick Johnson, Subscribed because your videos are so much fun!
The Detroit show. I love you bro you had me laughing and crying. Everyone of your show i really love
Aww ok! 👍 ❤️❤️
Question, when the population of detroit shrunk by half, did the city council also shrink by half ?
45:30 What a lovely man, I could listen to him telling stories the whole day. 🥰
Was in Troy 10 years ago... We used to dance at a club near 8 Mile while visiting my friend's family over Turkey Day. We traveled the city, parts look worse than I remember. One of the place we went to was surrounded by razor wire topped privacy fencing around the parking lot. Had to get buzzed in - that was closer to 7 mile. ... I tripped out when I was there; when I first got there we didn't need passports to go-to Canada it changed while we were there.
When I look at old decaying neighborhoods I wonder how many years you’d have to go back in time to where it was actually a very nice neighborhood.
About 80 years, give or take.
Thanks Nick for your candid way, and this ongoing study of America. brilliant.
I am looking forward to this! Wasnt that much of a winter up here in Northern WI
Good report! I was up there for the NCAA tourney this year, and it has changed a lot in the downtown area over the last 10 years. They are doing what many urban centers are, which is revitalize a specific area to pull young college grads in so the can live the "urban" experience (bars, restaurant's, entertainment, cool apartments) before they start a family and move out to the burbs. The problem they, and other urban areas, will face is the declining number of young people (and those coming up who won't have that desire for "city life" because of costs/crime/homeless). As for the under developed areas, many of them are filled with mid-last century homes that don't meet the requirements in terms of construction, sq footage and amenities that people are looking for. While some may be rehabbed, the vast majority are ripe for demolition just because they don't have appeal to home buyers. Kudos to the city for stepping up the police presence, nice to see a democratic run city finally "get" it.
Had those who built the city not given in to the crime, violence and demands of diversity, the city would still be a gem
The auto industry leaving is really the source of the city’s demise.