Top 5 Reasons the City of Detroit Is A Great Place to Work and Live
Whether you’re a futurist or prefer to focus on the present, you’ll find that the City of Detroit has a rich history and a promising future. The city has been through tough times, for sure, but its spirit has never been broken.
With its bustling downtown, vibrant neighborhoods, world-class attractions, and unique cultural offerings, the City of Detroit offers something for everyone to enjoy. So whether you’re looking for an exciting career opportunity or just want to experience the city’s incredible energy, the largest city in Michigan is an underappreciated place to work and live in—regardless of your life stage.
Here are 5 reasons why the City of Detroit should be at the top of your list regarding job opportunities and quality of life. You’ll want to move there by the end of this article!
1. Limitless Career Opportunities in Tech
When people think of Motor City, they don’t usually think of technology. Instead, auto industry innovation and manufacturing are usually the two things that pop up in their mind.
So you’ll be surprised to know that the City of Detroit is gaining a reputation as an upcoming tech hub in the nation, along with Ann Arbor. It’s the #1 emerging tech ecosystem worldwide!
Check out these updates:
- Global tech companies are making the Detroit Region their hub. Big corporations in the area include Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Amazon, Rocket Mortgage, United Wholesale Mortgage, LinkedIn, Twitter, Cisco, and Fortune 1,000 companies.
- The Detroit Region’s workforce is skilled and diverse, garnering awards as 2nd most diverse tech workforce and having the 2nd largest concentration of engineering talent.
- Startups are booming in the Detroit Region. In fact, the area is home to four unicorns—one of only 10 states with more than one startup valuing over $1 billion.
The City of Detroit’s economy is made for you. It doesn’t have to be connected to technology or the automotive industry, either, as the City of Detroit is growing in nearly every industry.
2. Wide Diversity
We attest to Curbed Detroit’s finding that “no US city grew more in diversity than Detroit over the last decade.” The City of Detroit experienced population loss before, it’s true, but that reversal resulted in wider racial demographics.
The US News & World Report recently announced its diversity index, which analyzed each American city’s diversity. According to the report, the City of Detroit saw the “biggest gain in diversity” in the last 10 years. For example, the region grew from 85% black and 10% white in 2010 to 80% black and 15% white in 2018—simply because more people moved into the city and its suburbs.
And if you look at Areavibes’s report, you’ll see that the city’s diversity continues to develop:
So, regardless of your ethnicity and race, you’ll surely feel at home in the City of Detroit in no time.
3. Easy to Get Around
Ironically, cars aren’t necessary in Motor City. You can easily go from one point to another via the City of Detroit’s growing public transit system, company-sponsored ride-sharing (depending on your job), or protected bike lanes.
In fact, the city has spent roughly $14 million on installing bike lanes since 2011. And there are plans for building the Joe Louis Greenway, a 27.5-mile designed for bicyclists and pedestrians.
One Detroit local said it for the rest: “I love bicycling, and I think that as cities take steps to improve their infrastructure and make it safer for people to bike, then I think more people will.”
But if you’re not a cyclist, you can hop on light-rail or streetcar systems, bus services, car shares, taxi services, shuttle services, trains, or scooters in the City of Detroit. The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) ensures easy access to the entire city, surrounding suburbs, and neighboring cities.
In other words, you can decide what type of commuter you want to be in this town, and not owning a car doesn’t stop you short of enjoying the city in its entirety.
4. Nationally-Recognized Culinary Scene
There is no shortage of good food to eat in the City of Detroit. It doesn’t matter if you’re too lazy to cook dinner—the city is ranked 13th in Zagat’s list of “28 Hottest Food Cities,” and National Geographic awarded the city as the #1 unexpected food city in North America.
Aside from the popular Coney Dog and Detroit-Style Pizza, you’ll find everywhere, here are some of the best restaurants in the City of Detroit:
- Ima for award-winning, izakaya-influenced food.
- Detroit 75 Kitchen for the best food truck grub.
- Mudgie’s Deli & Wine Shop for artisan delights.
- Mink Detroit for the freshest seafood.
- TAKOI for authentic and unique Thai cuisine.
- Detroit Shipping Company for worldwide tastes.
These restaurants are all highly rated on Yelp, which means they are guaranteed delicious spots as rated by the locals themselves.
5. Affordable Cost of Living
The City of Detroit is the 69th most expensive city in the nation. Out of context, this figure may seem insignificant. But if you remember that San Francisco is 3rd most expensive, you’ll realize how low the cost of living is in Motor City. Here’s a snapshot of the cost of living in the City of Detroit:
To put this into perspective, you can easily find Detroit homes with a price tag of less than $100,00, compared to San Francisco homes that cost upwards of $1,400,000! It’s much more feasible to purchase a property in the City of Detroit than in other major cities. In the City of Detroit, it’s reasonable to save money for other expenses.
Pro Tip: Detroit properties are also excellent for real estate investors, as property values are low without skimping on cash flow or equity gains. If you’re interested, check out our ongoing Deep Dive series that dives into the investment opportunities in every city and neighborhood in Metro Detroit.
Call the City of Detroit Your New Home
The City of Detroit offers a great quality of life for people from all walks of life. From its low cost of living to delicious food, there’s something here for everyone. And with the city’s growing public transit system and bike lanes, you don’t even need a car to get around!
With so much to offer at such an affordable price tag, it makes sense why increasingly more people are choosing Motor City as their new home. So if you’re looking for an exciting place to live in 2023, consider moving to the City of Detroit today—you won’t regret it!
Get in touch with our team to find your new home today.
If you’re a real estate investor, we also have opportunities for you around Metro Detroit. We’re both locals and property managers in the area, finding great success in the metropolitan area for over two decades.