[Editors note:]
One of our Tango Echo editors has for some time been fascinated by the possibility of Detroit as the new American Frontier. A trend toward massive de-population has led to the promise of affordable open spaces – something increasingly difficult to find in America. The interesting twist on the collapse inward of a major metro area is the possibility of open spaces proximate to things like first run movie theaters, should those businesses in at least the very city center survive the collapse. Interested in some coverage of the issue that would fall between “Roger and Me” and the recent blog/pop media stories with headlines like “Filthy Hippie buys Crappy Home to build Awesome Bicycles!!,” Tango Echo has connected with a lifelong Detroit resident for an honest, realistic, and personal assessment of the realities of life in Detroit.

What do you think of when you think of Detroit? Cars? The Motown sound? The city with the first 0-16 pro football team? While Detroit may still have a crappy football team, its association with cars and the Motown sound are largely things of the past. In fact, you would be hard pressed to name one positive thing that the city is currently noted for.

With an unemployment rate near 30% (according to economagic.com), a poverty rate of about 33% (cbsnews.com), a high school graduation rate of 37.5% (according to theloop21.com), and a murder rate over five times the national average (according to cityrating.com), Detroit seems to lead the country in misery.

Those statistics can’t even begin to portray the desperation that is evident in the neighborhoods of Detroit every day. But how did it get so bad? Wasn’t there a time when people actually wanted to live in Detroit?