Michigan - State of Disrepair, State of Denial

Transplanted, that's what I am. I'm a person living in exile. I'm the daughter of a military man, so I'm used to living as a vagabond. Michigan is not where I was born and raised, but it's been my home for over twenty years now. At times, it's been a great place to live. When I moved here to follow my husband from Minnesota, I bought into the notion that Detroit was going through a renaissance and that the only place that this state could go was up. The Detroit area doesn't have the charm and hominess of the Twin Cities, but it had the potential. At the time, Coleman Young was the mayor, and James Blanchard was the governor. These were two Democrats with a lot of drive, charisma and enthusiasm. A lot has happened in Michigan over the last twenty years. Over the past few years, especially, I've been increasingly concerned about the state of the state.

You've all probably read the bad news on how dangerous it is to live in this state. Detroit and Flint still hold honored spots in the top 10. Certainly, this is the place that spawned Eminem's "Eight Mile," and the semi-autobiographical description of his life doesn't stray far from real life. No matter what good Detroit has going for it, whether it be new stadiums, a really great symphony orchestra, wonderful art museums or hockey team, no one really wants to travel south of Eight Mile Road. There are beautiful neighborhoods in Detroit, and we actually considered buying there, but the fear of the unknown kept us north of that border.