# Thinking of moving to Detroit in the future **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 26, 2018, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180 "2018-03-26T01:05:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Marcus\_Flavius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@Marcus\_Flavius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus_Flavius)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/21 "2018-03-27T00:03:35Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > So (and I ask this with the understanding that you are not in any way obligated to share details of your personal life or amitions on a message bord) what does interest you? Is there something in your interest or hobbies that could generate income? $50k plus educational assistance from the [Post-9/11 G.I. Bill](https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/post911_gibill.asp) can take you a long way in studying or training in some area of interest, and the GI Bill benefits aren’t just limited to four year college and trade schools; you can use it for otherwise unpaid apprenticeships, on the job training, and so forth, in the arts and crafts like sculpture, painting, and fine carpentry. It even comes with a housing stipend (depending on your situation and time in service), which would allow you to keep your nest egg intact and invested. This is a fantastic benefit that is really one of the absolute best deals for your service and sacrifice, and everybody who has served should avail themselves of this benefit because who knows how long it will be before the self-proclaimed fiscal conservatives will realize they can cut it and save money by ignoring veterans. > > On the other hand, if you just want to lie around all day and watch television then I guess Detroit is as good a place as any. But even if you don’t mind the decay, crime, and corruption, Detroit is a far-north city with all the terrible weather that entails. If I were going to pick someplace cheap to lounge about it I’d look for somewhere warm, like the Gulf Coast or the Florida/Georgia/South Carolina coast, or if you want inland and mostly drier, someplace like eastern New Mexico or Utah. If the only appeal of Detroit is that it is cheap take a visit in mid-winter and see how much you like it then. > > Stranger I don’t really have any interests that could be financially lucrative. The GI Bill is great, and I intend to milk it to the very last drop. I’ve heard all about the Michigan winters, and I’m not excited. Another place I’m considering is Memphis, Tennessee. The city does have a relatively high crime rate, but overall it’s far more “normal” than Detroit while somehow being almost as inexpensive to live in, and having a more pleasant climate. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/22 "2018-03-27T14:49:49Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Your “:dubious::D” wouud appear to stem feom a lack of reading comprehension. Comprehension is a problem but worse is not reading the entire post. (Nor yours either) Sorry about that. Did they actually mean the decades?? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/23 "2018-03-27T16:08:07Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > I don’t really have any interests that could be financially lucrative. > > The GI Bill is great, and I intend to milk it to the very last drop. > > I’ve heard all about the Michigan winters, and I’m not excited. Another place I’m considering is Memphis, Tennessee. The city does have a relatively high crime rate, but overall it’s far more “normal” than Detroit while somehow being almost as inexpensive to live in, and having a more pleasant climate. I’m not going to press you on your interests, and I wish you well in your plans, but I would encourage you to actually sit down and look at a budget because barring buying a remote plot of property and living off the land, I don’t think you’re going to be able to stretch that $50k nearly as long as you think even if you are very frugal. And being poor sucks, especially when some health or transportation crisis comes along. It is ironic truism that it is expensive to be poor, because the sort of issues that would be nominal for a median household become fiscal crises for a poverty-level one, and poor people frequently have to make the choice between having a car to get to work or being able to eat decently for the next week. For the problems Memphis has (crime, higher than average unemployment, schools that are less than great), it is actually a pretty decent place to live if you don’t mind living in the South (and at least it isn’t in the Deep South although it is edging on it). However, while the cost of living is certainly lower than the Eastern Seaboard or the Pacific Coast, it isn’t what I would exactly call cheap. I’m sure there is someone here who can give specifics on the city and surrounding areas (and explicit warnings to avoid West Memphis at all costs) but I don’t think it is really going to allow you to stretch your nest egg very far. > [@WildBlueYonder](#): > > Comprehension is a problem but worse is not reading the entire post. (Nor yours either) > > Sorry about that. Sorry about my overly snippy response; it was uncalled for. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/24 "2018-03-27T16:43:51Z")
I thought East Saint Louis was the worst city in America? Also, Stranger offhand mentioned moving to Alaska. The cost of living in Alaska is pretty dang high, and that’s not even counting the costs of not freezing to death. It’s not ludicrously more expensive than the lower 48, but it’s not a cheap place to live. And there also aren’t vast tracts of cheap land lying around. If you wanted cheap acreage for living a semi off-the-grid lifestyle you’re much better off looking somewhere in the midwest or great plains. Lots of old farms and dying small towns where you can buy a dilapidated old house with some land for dirt cheap. The problem with those dying small towns is that there aren’t any jobs or services. If you’re living off of social security or a pension or retirement savings the lack of jobs won’t matter, but maybe you won’t like having to drive two hours every time you want to see the dentist. However, $50,000 in savings isn’t going to get you more than a couple of years of not working, so you better get used to the idea of bringing in money somehow. Yeah, work sucks, that’s why they call it work. There are ways to make a living without working, but they usually require a lot more work than just plain working. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/25 "2018-03-27T16:51:54Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > I’ve heard all about the Michigan winters, and I’m not excited. Another place I’m considering is Memphis, Tennessee. The city does have a relatively high crime rate, but overall it’s far more “normal” than Detroit while somehow being almost as inexpensive to live in, and having a more pleasant climate. You’ve _heard about_ Michigan winters. Right. Even if you honestly think you don’t care about the cold, one thing remains true: You cannot live as cheaply in the cold as you can in the heat. You _need_ winter clothing, you _need_ warm blankets, you _need_ insulation on your house (yes, _need_, given that necessities other than your person are damaged by the cold) and, while there are assistance programs for some of those things, one, they might not be very willing to apply to a healthy NEET like you who simply _doesn’t want_ to work, and, two, they _don’t cover everything_, never will, and that’s by design. And if you honestly think you don’t care about the cold, you’ve never been cold. ---
**Author:** ![Marcus\_Flavius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@Marcus\_Flavius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus_Flavius)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/26 "2018-03-28T04:03:54Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I thought East Saint Louis was the worst city in America? > > Also, Stranger offhand mentioned moving to Alaska. The cost of living in Alaska is pretty dang high, and that’s not even counting the costs of not freezing to death. It’s not ludicrously more expensive than the lower 48, but it’s not a cheap place to live. And there also aren’t vast tracts of cheap land lying around. > > If you wanted cheap acreage for living a semi off-the-grid lifestyle you’re much better off looking somewhere in the midwest or great plains. Lots of old farms and dying small towns where you can buy a dilapidated old house with some land for dirt cheap. > > The problem with those dying small towns is that there aren’t any jobs or services. If you’re living off of social security or a pension or retirement savings the lack of jobs won’t matter, but maybe you won’t like having to drive two hours every time you want to see the dentist. > > However, $50,000 in savings isn’t going to get you more than a couple of years of not working, so you better get used to the idea of bringing in money somehow. Yeah, work sucks, that’s why they call it work. There are ways to make a living without working, but they usually require a lot more work than just plain working. Yeah, as much as I detest work, it is sort of a necessary evil for anyone who isn’t a trust fund kid. Work does indeed ‘suck,’ but it’s not just that. We spend the vast majority of our waking hours either at work, getting ready for work, traveling too and from work, or recovering from work. Undoubtedly some people will shame me for not wanting to work, but I can’t help it, I’m just not a masochist. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/27 "2018-03-28T16:40:00Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > For the problems Memphis has (crime, higher than average unemployment, schools that are less than great), it is actually a pretty decent place to live if you don’t mind living in the South (and at least it isn’t in the Deep South although it is edging on it). However, while the cost of living is certainly lower than the Eastern Seaboard or the Pacific Coast, it isn’t what I would exactly call cheap. I’m sure there is someone here who can give specifics on the city and surrounding areas (and explicit warnings to avoid West Memphis at all costs) but I don’t think it is really going to allow you to stretch your nest egg very far. > Stranger Memphis isn’t cheap except in comparison to California or New York. Mosquitos are a bitch. Summers are freaking hot. That being said, I like living here as well as any other place I can afford. Spring and Fall are beautiful, Our music is phenomenal, International blues Festival? The barbeque is the best. If I was moving here now at age 20ish I would look at the Crosstown area or South Main district… lots going on for young and/or able people. But of course living near where you want to work so you aren’t dependent on public transportation is important. FedEx is a major employer here and provides benefits for part time. This is also a large transportation hub so lots of logistics type jobs too. If you have questions about Memphis, I can try to answer them. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/28 "2018-03-28T18:49:22Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > Yeah, as much as I detest work, it is sort of a necessary evil for anyone who isn’t a trust fund kid. Work does indeed ‘suck,’ but it’s not just that. We spend the vast majority of our waking hours either at work, getting ready for work, traveling too and from work, or recovering from work. Undoubtedly some people will shame me for not wanting to work, but I can’t help it, I’m just not a masochist. you can’t get out of working 😉 work is work, whether you’re working directly on sustaining yourself, or working for someone else who then gives you the money to sustain yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Marcus\_Flavius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@Marcus\_Flavius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus_Flavius)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/29 "2018-03-29T00:16:03Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > you can’t get out of working 😉 > > work is work, whether you’re working directly on sustaining yourself, or working for someone else who then gives you the money to sustain yourself. It’s true that ‘work’ is inescapable for almost everyone. And as if that weren’t bad enough, by far the most widespread version of it (known as “employment”) is radically disempowering. ---
**Author:** ![Marcus\_Flavius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@Marcus\_Flavius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marcus_Flavius)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/30 "2018-03-29T00:20:56Z")
> [@adhemar](#): > > Memphis isn’t cheap except in comparison to California or New York. Mosquitos are a bitch. Summers are freaking hot. That being said, I like living here as well as any other place I can afford. Spring and Fall are beautiful, Our music is phenomenal, International blues Festival? The barbeque is the best. If I was moving here now at age 20ish I would look at the Crosstown area or South Main district… lots going on for young and/or able people. But of course living near where you want to work so you aren’t dependent on public transportation is important. > > FedEx is a major employer here and provides benefits for part time. This is also a large transportation hub so lots of logistics type jobs too. > > If you have questions about Memphis, I can try to answer them. I’ve changed my mind on Memphis. Detroit it is. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/31 "2018-03-29T17:16:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Detroit is definitely on the upswing. It gets a bad rap from those who don’t know any better. Someone with typical low expectations would be astonished at how lively and vital much of it is. Downtown, Greektown, Mexican Village, the River Walk, Corktown, Eastern Market, etc. etc. True. Great city, improving a lot. The Detroit-metro area is, and always has been, great. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/32 "2018-03-30T03:28:54Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > I don’t really have any interests that could be financially lucrative. > > The GI Bill is great, and I intend to milk it to the very last drop. > > I’ve heard all about the Michigan winters, and I’m not excited. Another place I’m considering is Memphis, Tennessee. The city does have a relatively high crime rate, but overall it’s far more “normal” than Detroit while somehow being almost as inexpensive to live in, and having a more pleasant climate. I say this as a born Detroiter who loves her hometown but fled after 35 Michigan winters; have you looked at Chattanooga? They’re progressive for a TN town and have had municipal wi-fi for years. You can even live in GA and work in the 'Noog. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/33 "2018-03-30T03:36:50Z")
There are other countries in this world where the American dollar will go even further than in Detroit. Maybe that’s something to consider, if you’re as detached as you say you are. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Innuendo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@Textual\_Innuendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Innuendo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180/34 "2018-03-30T13:53:37Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > There are other countries in this world where the American dollar will go even further than in Detroit. Maybe that’s something to consider, if you’re as detached as you say you are. Seconding this, this is a fantastic idea. I’d recommend the Philippines - it’s warm and tropical, more beautiful than any US state including Hawaii, and jaw-droppingly cheap. You can have a cook and a maid for $200 a month, live in a fantastic beach-side condo for $400, and eat top-shelf seafood cooked by your cook every day for another few hundred a month. On your $50k you could live like a king for 2-3 years, or live like a pauper for 5-8 years, all in beautiful environs with absolutely no snow or winter to deal with. Even if it’s not a perfect long-term solution, I guarantee you won’t regret those 2-3 years if you go there! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-of-moving-to-detroit-in-the-future/811180.md?page=1)