Detroit Rocks!

Recently, a friend who lives in another state asked me "What is so great about Detroit?" I had to put some thought into my answer, because I feel quite strongly about the Detroit area. I've lived in other states, but I came back to Michigan. At the time that I last moved back (1992), it was mainly because my family is here. But since then, I've considered moving, but have come to realize that I really like living here.

When most people talk about "Detroit", they are referring to "the Detroit area" or "southeast Michigan". However, for the purpose of this piece, I expand this to include the state of Michigan in general (for the most part).

So why does Detroit (and the state of Michigan) rock?

1. Sports. Detroit is one of the greatest sports cities in America. The Red Wings and the Pistons had the best records in their respective leagues in the past season, even with both having new head coaches. Of course, their playoff records were nothing to celebrate, but you can't have everything, right? And the Tigers, even though they weren't quite as sharp as they could've been in the last week of the regular season, made the playoffs this year for the first time in nearly 20 years. Football? OK, nobody's perfect. The Lions haven't had a great team since... ummmm.... forever. But there's always University of Michigan football. They threaten to have a decent team nearly every year. Oh, and lest I forget: The Detroit Shock recently won their second WNBA championship in four years. (Yes, I do care.)

2. Music. Old school: Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, Motown. New stuff: Eminem, Kid Rock. Somewhere in between: Madonna, Alexander Zonjic.

3. Blue-collar, down-to-earth roots. Even though more and more people are moving to high-tech jobs, most people in the Detroit area have or had at least one family member who worked for Ford, GM, or Chrysler. In other words, we don't walk around with our noses in the air, thinking we're better than other people. It's kinda like the South, only with less heat and less bugs.

4. Four seasons. Even though the weather can be pretty odd at times, we do have all four seasons here. And by the way, I think winter has gotten an undeserved bad rap. Everything needs to have balance, and the seasonal cycle is no exception. Yes, there is snow in the winter, and yes, it does need to be shoveled. But winter's also got its upsides: snowball fights, snow angels, sledding, skiing, ice fishing, Christmas caroling (which, how can that be any fun unless you can see your breath?). And you just can't beat it for a White Christmas. Plus, it makes you appreciate the other seasons, and you think twice before bitching about the heat and humidity in the summertime.

5. Very seldom do we have DEATH WEATHER. What do I mean by that? Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, blizzards, tornados, and so on. We do have the occasional tornado in the summer, but it's very rare to have the killer variety like they do in places like Kansas and Nebraska, where whole towns get destroyed. Blizzards are also pretty rare. Snow, yes, but generally speaking, not of blizzard strength. Also, although not technically weather-related, we don't have much in the way of poisonous snakes, insects, or other critters. I have a friend who moved from the Detroit area to Yuma, Arizona a few years ago. He was telling me how the side of his house was covered with black widow spiders at night. YIKES!!!!! Oh, no big deal, he said, you just have to have someone come and spray your yard every three months. All right, maybe it's just me but this IS a big deal! If you forget to have someone come spray for crabgrass, I suppose you'll survive. But forget to call the spider-spraying dude? Hell, that might be the last thing you ever have a chance to forget! So, no life-or-death spraying situations in Michigan. (I don't want my life in the hands of the Orkin man. No offense.)

6. A system of lakes, rivers, and streams that is virtually unrivalled in the United States. No matter where you are in the state of Michigan, you're not more than six miles away from a body of water. To me, that's a HUGE plus... although I suppose that if you didn't like the water all that much, then that wouldn't be very impressive.

7. Fall colors. One of the best things Mother Nature ever came up with. The leaves on the trees give a display of red, oranges, and yellows that is nothing short of beautiful.

8. Hunting and fishing. OK, I don't do these things myself, but I know lots of people who do, and one thing I've known most of my life is that Michigan totally rocks for hunting and fishing. If you don't believe me, just ask the Nuge.

9. Crime rate. I know Detroit's crime rate gets a bad rap, but if you looked at the crime rate of the three-county Metro Detroit area, you'd find a crime rate on a par with any other major U.S. metropolitan area.

10. Unemployment. Now, I can almost hear you saying, "Wait a minute! Michigan has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country!" Well, OK, you got me there. For now. But... Michigan's econonmy has traditionally had ups and downs in sync with the auto industry. With the rice of gas falling dramatically, I think we'll see a resounding comeback by the Big 3 in a little while. Plus, the state of Michigan is getting into the technology sector more and more with each passing day, especially driven by the research and development of its fine universities.

"Michigan... it's not just for breakfast any more."