Corktown and Brush Park are frequently highlighted as notable neighborhoods for food, drink, and local character. (greatstays.co)
One resident noted that choosing the right neighborhood matters since areas vary widely in character. (Reddit)
School quality is a recurring concern that some residents say keeps families from moving into the city. (Reddit, Reddit)
“It’s so interesting to me that Detroit is a major city” (a resident)
Who tends to love Detroit, MI
Live music fans: Residents praise jazz, rock, and the broader music and arts scene across the city.
Food and coffee seekers: Residents name many favorite coffee shops and restaurants across the city.
Remote workers: Housing is cheaper and rents are low compared to income for remote earners.
Outdoor and park goers: Residents recommend parks, dog parks, and kayaking spots around the area.
General impressions
Downtown Detroit does not feel as upbeat or popular as other big city downtowns like Chicago. interesting to me that Detroit is a major city, but downtown Detroit doesn’t seem nearly as upbeat and popular as other downtowns like Chicago,(Reddit)
Compared to Chicago or Philly, Detroit can feel somewhat sleepy despite its good food and music scene. Detroit has some great food and people, and a fun music scene, but it will probably feel somewhat sleepy compared to Chicago or Philly.(Reddit)
Neighborhoods in Detroit are described as niche, so newcomers need to choose carefully where to live. The neighborhoods are kind of niche so you need to choose carefully and it(Reddit)
One resident said the music and art scene in Detroit has always been top notch, though living downtown is not cheap. The music and art scene in Detroit has always been top notch(Reddit)
Food and coffee
Madcap, Anthology, and Trinosophes were named among the best coffee shops in the city. Madcap is the most consistent best coffee, Anthology is great, Trinosophes is amazing, Cafe Alto is a vibe, Milwaukee Cafe is cool, Coffee Down(Reddit)
One resident lists Fillmore 13 Brewery, Sylvan Table, Selden Standard, Takoi, La Feria, and Baobab as top picks. Sylvan Table, one of the best restaurants in the area. Selden Standard is top of my list(Reddit)
One resident recommends Al Ameer, Boostan Cafe, Tuhama's bread, and Hala Beirut's chicken loaded dish. recommend the Baladi Dakkah or Shat Shawish -Tuhama's: bread -Hala Beirut: recommend the Chicken Loaded(Reddit)
One resident names Mink and Ladder 4, Baobab Fare, Alpino, and Vecino as favorites while finding Selden and Grey Ghost lackluster. I think Selden is lackluster and Grey Ghost is(Reddit)
Nightlife and social
One resident said Cliff Bell's offers jazz music with a more mature vibe downtown. Cliff Bell's does jazz music and a more mature vibe.(Reddit)
One resident said The Outer Limits Lounge and Ghostlight are popular spots for rock bands. The Outer Limits Lounge is great for rock and they often have touring bands in the space. Ghostlight is also popular for bands and musicians.(Reddit)
One resident said they and their friends keep returning to Tin Roof when looking for weekend activities. We always end up back at Tin Roof(Reddit)
One resident is planning a bar crawl and is deciding between doing it in midtown toward downtown or just downtown. I'm considering either midtown headed towards downtown or maybe just all downtown(Reddit)
Jobs and work
Michigan Works was described as a useful resource for finding job assistance in the area. Michigan Works is actually very useful in this regard.(Reddit)
The State of Michigan is consistently hiring, with some roles based at the GM Building. State of Michigan is always hiring for something.(Reddit)
One newcomer to the Redford area had a hard time finding permanent work after moving. I moved to the Redford area back in November and am really having a hard time finding a permanent job since(Reddit)
One resident with auto industry experience said they cannot find work and companies are offering low pay for a degree, less than they made years ago at a coffee job. Companies offering $20 for a degree and I made more 6 years ago working at a coffee(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident suggests joining groups like book clubs, music clubs, foodie communities, run clubs, dog park groups, rock climbing, fishing, or kayaking to find community. Book clubs, music clubs, foodie communities, run clubs, dog park groups, rock climbing, fishing, kayaking(Reddit)
One resident believes Detroit is a great place to make friends by joining sports leagues, going to events, and asking people to hang out. joining a sports league, going to events, and honestly asking people to go to(Reddit)
One resident says Detroit has so many groups that anyone can pick an interest and likely find a social group built around it. you really can just pick an interest of yours and very likely find a social group(Reddit)
One resident in their early 30s says it has felt difficult to make friends in Detroit despite living there a long time. it seems that it's difficult making friends here(Reddit)
Dating
One resident tried online dating, bars, and MeetUp social activities in the city but did not meet many people worth keeping in touch with. going to bars, social activities (i.e. MeetUp) - and haven't really met many people(Reddit)
One resident noted that trivia is popular in Metro Detroit and mentioned an active singles group called Eventurous. There is a very active singles group for metro detroit called Eventurous(Reddit)
One resident felt that part of the dating difficulty comes from Metro Detroit and the city proper being very suburban. Metro Detroit and the city proper, are just so damn suburban(Reddit)
One resident shared that Hinge worked for them and recommended keeping multiple dating apps active. keep all the dating apps active. Hinge, tinder, bumble, feeld if you a freak(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident would love more events held on a stage with the Statue of the big lady as a backdrop. The big lady looks so beautiful as a backdrop(Reddit)
One resident says Detroit has a great music scene and would support more events, noting Movement handles things well downtown. Detroit has a great mucic scene and would support this for sure(Reddit)
Seasons and weather
One resident says September is just another summer month with barely any snow, with only a couple storms from December to March. September is just another month of summer and we barely get any snow(Reddit)
What Detroit, MI is known for
Michigan Lottery Arts, Beats & Eats (August): Music, art, and food festival in downtown Royal Oak
Michigan Renaissance Festival (August): Renaissance themed fair with jousting and entertainment in Holly
Detroit Jazz Festival (September): Jazz music festival held in Detroit
More on Detroit, MI
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Detroit, MI fits what you want.