How is detroit like

As far as going car-less? Plus, in , the long-awaited QLine light rail began giving rides on its 6. Here are some staples to get you started and give you an idea of what the city has to offer. Some of the faves? Detroit goes wild for their football team Lions , hockey team Red Wings , and basketball team Pistons.

The collection here is one of the largest and best in the country — and you get to experience it for free. Take a tour of the city to soak it all in and learn a little history to boot! Ready to motor over to Motor City? PODS is ready and here to help you with everything, with ideas on how to store stuff while moving to Detroit and tips for packing for a long-distance move.

Source: cheapoldhouses via Instagram. Brush Park neighborhood in Midtown. Sherwood Forest neighborhood Source: lucasliska via Instagram. Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood Source: amyrocksrealestate via Instagram. Source: Detroit Action via Facebook.

Source: Motown Museum via Facebook. Source: maxximus91 via Instagram. Source: Eastern Market Partnership via Facebook. Source: Mo Pop Festival via Facebook. Source: mattandmos via Instagram. Rachel Reardon, creative director for the Small Giants Community, moved to Detroit's Midtown neighborhood three years ago and immediately felt at home. Brian Polsgrove, who lives in Detroit's West Village , thinks that it comes down to common sense.

You've heard enough about Detroit's bad rap. But you definitely haven't heard enough about the city's thriving arts, culture and entertainment scene. Whether it's the food from every corner of the globe or the jazz, blues and punk music being played at bars across the city, Detroit offers something for everyone.

Detroit resident Molly Blakowski loves the accessibility of her West Village apartment. Let's tackle another misconception about living in Detroit: that there are no grocery stores. Like many urban areas, Detroit has faced serious struggles with food security and access, but it's made big strides in the past 10 years. Today, most Detroiters have access to urban farms, small markets and major chain grocery stores like Whole Foods, Aldi and Meijer.

Plus, Eastern Market offers year-round access to fresh produce and locally-made goods. Here's some more insider tips about Detroit. It's important to know that food accessibility isn't coming to all Detroiters equally: Residents of Downtown Detroit, Midtown, Corktown and New Center are seeing more markets and chains in their neighborhoods. However, Detroit's food ecosystem is still growing. Check out the best grocery stores in Detroit. Even before Whole Foods opened, Detroit was full of small, independent grocery stores that I've come to love.

And with grocery delivery services, access to groceries has never been an issue. Now, she consults on green infrastructure development and holds fellowships focused on engaging Detroiters on climate change. It was a normal place to live then, having established tenuous stability after the struggles of the 60s and 70s amid a strong Midwestern economy and the growing housing bubble.

But unknown to — or perhaps ignored by — many, Detroit's foundations were still fragile. And when both the housing market and domestic manufacturing imploded in the s, that fragility became all too apparent.

She moved to her house, a modest, white-panelled bungalow with a detached garage and small front yard, 11 years ago. Back then, she said, the homes on her street were all full. Though Ligon likes her remaining neighbours — she has two on her block — people here tend to rent their homes, and often stay for as short as a year at a time.

The change has been traumatic, Ligon told me. Across Camden Street sits the hulking, two-storey carcass of Macomb Elementary School, closed since and unprotected from urban scavengers.

The city is composed almost uniformly of such inner-city suburbs, low-density developments stretching for miles. Residents receive paltry public services from the local government.

And they return the favour. Decision-makers have slowly begun acknowledging the plight of residential areas. Mayor Duggan campaigned on neighbourhoods and has pledged to expedite the demolition of as many as 80, abandoned homes.

And the state-appointed emergency financial manager has made blight removal and service provision a priority. Big ideas and heartfelt pledges, however, are worthless without cash to back them up. So private donors have stepped in to partly fill the financial void, funding planning projects and renewal efforts to help staunch the bleeding. Detroit Future City DFC , a years-long effort engaging thousands of residents and funded by nonprofits, has become the de facto blueprint for shrinking the city and transforming the urban environment over the next 50 years.

It assumes population will drop as low as , — less than one-third of its peak.