Comments on: Creating Policies to Lure College Grads to Detroit

By: Megan

Megan — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:24:45 +0000

Thanks for your response, Lauren. I've been a bit busy at work and just got a chance to check back.

I hope you had a good time in Grand Rapids. I find it has changed a lot- and almost entirely for the good- since I left. I'm excited about possibly moving to a neighborhood that reminds me of my home in England and, yes, even NYC.... only with affordable houses rather than overpriced 300sf apts.

Hope you got some good stuff!

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:24:45 +0000

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:41:26 +0000

Should you forget an ailing patient? Yes. In the case of Michigan where the patient is sick because of their own doing, it is a different story. Older people in Michigan have been staying with business as usual and have not been looking to rebuild and rethink their way of life. Michigan didn't get to where it is over night it took many years to get to the point we are at now and who's fault is that? Not generation Y's fault. Why should Generation Y feel some obligation to clean up the mess that others left behind? In my opinion, you made your bed now lay in it.

I moved out to California years ago and have no intention of moving back. I agree that buying a house out here is about impossible but I don't have a wife or kids and I don't see what is so great about buying a 30 year obligation that is really not that great of an investment. If I want to move somewhere else I just close my lease and pack up and move. A know a lot of younger people who would rather spend their weekends with friends having fun over redoing the bathroom.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:05:34 +0000

Should generation Y stay in Michigan to help fuel the resurgence of the state? Or should they leave for greener pastures (and plentiful job opportunities)? The fact is that the young, educated work force that our state’s fine universities have been turning out has been fleeing the state for years. The top destination for young professional graduates of the University of Michigan is not Detroit, but Chicago. My own cousin, a U of M grad (her husband a U of M law grad) followed this course, as many of her friends did. Should this trend continue, it will certainly spell doom for the Detroit region and eventually the state as a whole. We need these young educated people to remain in the state. In order to do that however, we must first create incentive for them to stay. What is it that other cities like Chicago have that Detroit does not offer? The answer is more like what don’t those cities have. Lively, cultured communities, flourishing trendy neighborhoods with walkable shopping and entertainment districts, and a great public transportation system allowing them to move freely through it all are the most attractive features. But in order for any of this to exist in the first place, you need to give people a reason to live in the city: a job. It seems as though it is a cycle, the young people move out because there are no jobs, and because all the young educated people are gone, more jobs do not arise and the cycle continues. But perhaps the cycle is about to be broken. Even now, gentrification of Detroit neighborhoods once notorious for high crime rates and low real estate prices is going on. The people behind it all seem mostly to be a part of the new and emerging creative class. These young people are artfully minded, and have a strong sense of identity and dedication to where they live. They are opening up stores, buying a fixing up neglected old houses in historic neighborhoods, and making a conscious effort to bring prosperity back to the region. I for one believe these people are the key to restoring greatness to Michigan.

By: CJ

CJ — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:05:15 +0000

Generation Y should stay in Michigan and help rebuild the state.
Because leaving Michigan now is like deserting a dying parent. Most of us would never do that. We would stay and care for and nurture an ailing parent until they were well and back on their feet. Michigan needs this young and vibrant generation. They are full of new fresh ideas and if they apply themselves they can come up with solutions to rebuild the Michigan economy.
I suggest generation Y expose themselves to the job market ‘s that are still thriving here in Michigan such as health care, service industry and the new and upcoming movie industry. If they concentrate on educating themselves to work in these industries, that can earn a successful living here.
I left Michigan as a young person to move to California and was gone 17 years, only to find myself back here 9 years ago. Since moving back I have found that the Michigan way of life is more economical. My husband and I have finally bought a home, something we could not afford to do in California. So, I believe the generation y’ers should give Michigan a shot.
CJ

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:18:17 +0000

I do admire the effort of these folks. As a recent college graduate I would be willing to work anywhere if the right opportunity presented itself. Let me just say there are a lot of things wrong with Detroit. I would like to blame local government the most. The number 1 solution is Good Paying, Desirable, Entry-level Jobs for College Grads.

My little rant with the Biggest Problems with Detroit:
High Taxes / Strong probability to Unionize / To much local government / High Crime
and Finally the topic that nobody wants to talk about in fear of being called a racist… Race
There is about 800K people that live in Detroit. 8.3% White // 82.7% Black // Hispanic 6.4% // 1% Asian. No company wants to be confronted with the pressured to have employment quotas to match this community background. It defeats the purpose of freedom, entrepreneurship and free thinking. If the government is telling you what to do and how you should do it and how much money you should keep because it knows best. That is Detroit is in this economic death pit… Government

By: ndmeador

ndmeador — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:57:12 +0000

I'd also like to add that this is one of our main reasons for adding the Guest Essays section of the website. Think of it as an open publishing space for people all over the state (and beyond) to contribute their views on the topic. You can find more info here: http://generationymichigan.org/guest-essay-subm...

By: ndmeador

ndmeador — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:55:10 +0000

By: silverla

silverla — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:37:05 +0000

Hi Megan,

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I am actually going to make the trek to Grand Rapids over my thanksgiving break (next weekend) and hope to do a whole bunch of interviews there (I also hope to eat some good pumpkin pie, so if you have any suggestions please let me know!)

Please feel free to e-mail me at silverla@umich.edu to let me know more about what you think is going on for gen y in Grand Rapids, and if you would be interested in chatting.

Thanks!

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:21:18 +0000

As a Michigan native who moved to NYC and England after college… and then moved back to Grand Rapids this summer after 9 years away, I find this series very interesting. However, I've heard very little mention of any part of Michigan outside of Ann Arbor and Detroit. We exist over here and are, in fact, doing better and seem to be happier than the other side of the state. (I think?)

I realize that Ms. Silverman is in Ann Arbor and obviously has more access (and more time… are you really studying and doing this project simultaneously?!) for her local area. I also don't know what percentage of Michiganders live in the Detroit metro area vs Grand Rapids/K-zoo/Muskegon/Holland/Benton Harbor/Lansing… but surely we should be part of the conversation, too. I'd be interested to hear if the stories hold true everywhere in Michigan, not just the East side.

All in all, I've enjoyed the series. Thanks for your hard work and for running it!