Freshman year, I was constantly asked, “Where are you from?” That question was always my go to when I first met people. Many of the people I met were from Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati or Louisville. Name any big town in the Midwest they were from it. Then, once they asked me where I was from, I would simply reply “right outside of Detroit." At that moment, their eyebrows shot up, eyes widened and head cocked backwards. Definitely weren’t expecting that. They would respond a very confused “Oh."
This didn’t always happen, but on occasion it did. Most of the time when people hear Detroit, a few thoughts come across their mind like highest crime rate in America and largest amount of unemployment. During the 1960s, race riots began throughout the city. Since that day, our city began to crumble and experience numerous economic, social and political issues. Our economy was hit hard in 2013 and we became the largest city to file for bankruptcy.
With all the sad and serious stuff aside, I am so proud to call Detroit my home. I have never once been ashamed or embarrassed to say I grew up near Detroit. Now, I say “near Detroit” not “in Detroit” to give respect to those who actually have lived within the city. I don’t want to make anyone mad. I have cherished every memory that I’ve made downtown. As I type this article at my desk, I continuously look up at my poster of the Detroit skyline and a flood of all these memories come crashing into my head: my first Tiger’s game as a little girl with my Dad, watching my brother play his State Championship football game at Ford Field, finishing the Turkey Trot with my Mom and sister, ice skating and horse carriage rides around Campus Martius, indulging in a world famous Coney Dog. It’s so easy for people to judge a book by its cover, and that’s what most people who aren’t from the area of Detroit do.
They hear, read and talk about these stories in the media and automatically assume them to be true, but, most of the time, they aren’t. I know, sad right? Would you have ever guessed that Detroit is America’s Comeback City? Did you know we are home to 4 World Series Championships, 11 Stanley Cups and 3 NBA Championships, making us the third winningest city in the U.S.? The birthplace of Motown and Techno music? That’s my city. The more time I spend away from Detroit, the more I find myself missing the little things about it. I miss the beautiful flowers that crowd the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings in late May. I miss walking around the city on a cool summer night after a Tiger’s game, listening to the men outside of the stadium bang on their plastic bucket drums. I miss trying out hip and new restaurants that have anything from a bowling alley to an all slider menu.
Someone I am envious of is my brother, Daniel, because he gets to do all of these things and more every day. My brother lives in the heart of downtown Detroit, which I both admire and inspire to do someday. A few years ago, this would’ve been unheard of. People moving back into the city? Yeah, right. But, in the past few years, more young people started moving downtown, particularly due to the rise of trendy apartments, houses, restaurants and bars around the area. I’m so impressed and proud that my brother was one of those people to move downtown. You find many post-college kids moving to huge cities, like Chicago or New York after school, but my brother took a different route. He tried the Chicago life for a year, but had Detroit calling his name the entire time.
Whenever I’m home, I love nothing more than when my brother comes from downtown to hangout with me, but I always notice the same thing. Right when the clock strikes 9, he is booking it out the door. Every time, he’s trying to make his way back downtown to hang with his buds and go to the latest and greatest bars or restaurants around town. I don’t blame him for doing this at all.
He and all his friends are some of the key components to the revival of Detroit. The more people we get downtown, the more opportunities that come with it. It’s my goal in life to, one day, live in downtown Detroit. It’s a place like no other and truly deserves more than what people credit it for. Detroiters have fought hard for their city. They may have gotten knocked off their feet a few times, but they didn’t surrender.
They got back on their feet and continued to fight and still do today. From the ash, Detroit has been born again. Detroit will always be Motown, Hockeytown, The D, the Motor City but more importantly, my city.
