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A Giant Candy Store
For a long time, Detroit's outdated reputation as crime-ridden and empty has plagued the City and the State. But Detroiters today will tell you that something is afoot: a revival of the culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism that made Detroit great is underway. And a profile this weekend in The New York Times did a remarkably spot-on job of capturing that spirit.
Recent census figures show that Detroit’s overall population shrank by 25 percent in the last 10 years. But another figure tells a different and more intriguing story: During the same time period, downtown Detroit experienced a 59 percent increase in the number of college-educated residents under the age of 35, nearly 30 percent more than two-thirds of the nation’s 51 largest cities.
These days the word “movement” is often heard to describe the influx of socially aware hipsters and artists now roaming the streets of Detroit. Not unlike Berlin, which was revitalized in the 1990s by young artists migrating there for the cheap studio space, Detroit may have this new generation of what city leaders are calling “creatives” to thank if it comes through its transition from a one-industry.
The article goes on to document myriads of businesses started by young people, as well as the foundations and organizations that support new businesses in a variety of ways. This combination of energy and infrastructure is making Detroit "like a giant candy store for young college graduates wanting to be their own bosses." People are having an incredible amount of fun reinventing Detroit.
But the reason this article, and the statistics about our increase in college-educated residents, isn't just exciting, but is vitally important, is that it directly answers this dire prediction from Michigan Future, Inc.'s last report about Michigan's path to prosperity:
Our best guess is that unless we substantially increase the proportion of college educated adults – particularly in our biggest metropolitan areas--Michigan will continue to trend downward in the per capita income rankings towards the bottom 10.
Are we in the midst of a reversal of college-educated losses? It may be too early to tell, but for now, we are sure you'll join us in saying, "Party on, young entreprenuers, party on."
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