Richmond is part of the Detroit area. This page covers the whole metro.
How locals describe Detroit
The words residents use most, from 103 comments on Reddit, City-Data and Quora. Bigger means more people said it. Tap a word to read what they said.
"You can rent a 2br in my building in midtown for less than $1,600. My studio is under $900 utilities included."
"September is just another month of summer and we barely get any snow. We might get a couple storms from Dec-Mar, but that's about it."
Big-city feel, Outdoorsy, Historic
Scored the same way as the quiz, against 382 U.S. metro areas. A feel is listed when Detroit scores 70 or higher out of 100.
Less so: lively.
A walk through Detroit
Places residents talk about, in their words. Each photo is of the place named.
Look around Detroit
Google Street View near the center of town, taken 2022-05. Drag to turn, click the street to move.
Open in Google MapsPhotos and reviews come from Google Maps and show single places, not the whole area. Reviews are the most relevant ones Google returns for each place. We show the longest highly rated review under 400 characters and, when there is one, the longest low-rated review. Google doesn't verify reviews but removes fake ones when it finds them.
What Detroit is known for
Every year
AugMichigan Lottery Arts, Beats & Eats: Music, art, and food festival in downtown Royal Oakmetroparent.com
AugMichigan Renaissance Festival: Renaissance themed fair with jousting and entertainment in Hollymetroparent.com
SepDetroit Jazz Festival: Jazz music festival held in Detroitfestivalguidesandreviews.com
Busiest time
Late spring to summer: School is out and vacationers fill the citymyroost.com
On a normal week
Walking or touring along the Detroit riverfronten.wikipedia.org
Listening to live jazz music in Detroitvisitdetroit.com
Taking a cruise on the Detroit Princess Riverboatvisitdetroit.com
Around Detroit
Take a tour of Detroit
"Exploring DOWNTOWN DETROIT | WALKING TOUR" by Scottman895 Travel, on YouTube. Not made by Varro.
Downtown Detroit does not feel as upbeat or popular as other big city downtowns like Chicago.
“It’s so 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,...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2026Compared 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. A lot of...”
Read the full commentPosted Aug. 2024Neighborhoods in Detroit are described as niche, so newcomers need to choose carefully where to live.
“Food scene is decent, lots of cool places to hang out. The neighborhoods are kind of niche so you need to choose carefully and it can be...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2026One 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.”
Read the full commentPosted April 2026“It’s so interesting to me that Detroit is a major city”
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!”
Posted March 2025One resident recommends Independence Oaks in Clarkston as a serene lake for non-motorized boats like paddle boards and kayaks.
“Independence Oaks in Clarkston has the most serene lake for non-motorized boats. People paddle board and kayak there all the time.”
Posted July 2025One resident recommended the zoo, the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Detroit Historical Museum as great for kids.
“The zoo is great for kids. The DNR Outdoor Adventure Center is too.”
Posted July 2024One 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.”
Posted April 2026From 18 resident comments about meeting people and the social scene.
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. I’d love for more events to take place on a stage that showcases it.”
Read the full commentPosted June 2024One 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. Movement is pretty incredible and it handles that throughout the downtown❤️!”
Read the full commentPosted Feb. 2025One resident suggests joining groups like book clubs, music clubs, foodie communities, run clubs, dog park groups, rock climbing, fishing, or kayaking to find community.
“Groups! Book clubs, music clubs, foodie communities, run clubs, dog park groups, rock climbing, fishing, kayaking. .. find something you...”
Read the full commentPosted June 2026One resident believes Detroit is a great place to make friends by joining sports leagues, going to events, and asking people to hang out.
“I think detroit is a great place to make friends- I agree that joining a sports league, going to events, and honestly asking people to go to...”
Read the full commentPosted May 2025One resident says Detroit has so many groups that anyone can pick an interest and likely find a social group built around it.
“Detroit has so many groups you really can just pick an interest of yours and very likely find a social group the join based off that. Theres a...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2026One resident in their early 30s says it has felt difficult to make friends in Detroit despite living there a long time.
“I'm in my early 30's and I've been living here for a long while and it seems that it's difficult making friends here. It feels like...”
Read the full commentPosted Dec. 2023One resident tried online dating, bars, and MeetUp social activities in the city but did not meet many people worth keeping in touch with.
“I live in the city and have tried online dating, going to bars, social activities (i.e. MeetUp) - and haven't really met many people that I've...”
Read the full commentPosted May 2017. Things may have changed since.One resident noted that trivia is popular in Metro Detroit and mentioned an active singles group called Eventurous.
“Trivia is a big scene in Metro Detroit, There is a very active singles group for metro detroit called Eventurous.”
Read the full commentPosted July 2024One resident felt that part of the dating difficulty comes from Metro Detroit and the city proper being very suburban.
“When I was single I started to think that part of the issue is that Metro Detroit and the city proper, are just so damn suburban. This applies...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2023. Things may have changed since.One resident shared that Hinge worked for them and recommended keeping multiple dating apps active.
“If it has to be online dating, Hinge works for me. keep all the dating apps active. Hinge, tinder, bumble, feeld if you a freak.”
Read the full commentPosted Dec. 2024One resident grew tired of dating apps and started joining groups to meet people in the 25 to 35 age range in Detroit.
“I got sick of the dating apps and now I'm trying to figure out where people in the 25-35 age range are at in Detroit. Been joining groups and "following...”
Read the full commentPosted Sept. 2023. Things may have changed since.One resident said Tinder has the most users locally while Bumble attracts the highest quality users.
“Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble all have pretty good numbers around here. Tinder has the most users, bumble has the highest quality of users, both...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2023. Things may have changed since.One resident ranked the apps as Tinder then Hinge then Bumble, noting Bumble was best for casual dating.
“Top dating apps in Michigan by location. For me it's been Tinder > Hinge > Bumble. Bumble was the place to be for casual dating. Me personally...”
Read the full commentPosted Jan. 2023. Things may have changed since.One resident, newly single and recently moved to Michigan, said dating apps have not been going well for them.
“Hello! I’m a single 22F who moved to Michigan not too long ago. Just getting into the dating scene recently, tried dating apps, not going too well.”
Read the full commentPosted March 2026One resident said Cliff Bell's offers jazz music with a more mature vibe downtown.
“Plenty of options downtown. Cliff Bell's does jazz music and a more mature vibe. Paramita Sound is great and isn't as much of a dance scene but...”
Read the full commentPosted Nov. 2023One 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.”
Read the full commentPosted April 2026One resident said they and their friends keep returning to Tin Roof when looking for weekend activities.
“Me (22 f) and my 2 friends (both 21f), have been wanting to find new places to go for weekend activities. We always end up back at Tin Roof and I’m...”
Read the full commentPosted Sept. 2026One resident is planning a bar crawl and is deciding between doing it in midtown toward downtown or just downtown.
“I’m trying to plan a bar crawl downtown for this upcoming summer, I’m considering either midtown headed towards downtown or maybe just all downtown...”
Read the full commentPosted May 2023. Things may have changed since.One resident listed several breweries in and near Detroit, not all downtown.
“Detroit Beer Co is the only downtown brewery. Motor City Brewing, Elephant & Co., and Jolly Pumpkin. Batch Brewing and Brew Detroit are in a...”
Read the full commentPosted Aug. 2024One resident recommended hitting Batch, Six Spoke, EMBC, and Full Measure in the Detroit area for nightlife.
“In the Detroit area you could hit Batch, Six Spoke, EMBC, and Full Measure. I second MothfIre and HOMES in Ann Arbor but you could include Hear...”
Read the full commentPosted April 2026One resident thanked the moderators for creating Moving to Detroit guides that helped with the relocation process
“Thank you to the mods for their time and effort putting together the Moving to Detroit guides and metaposts. They've been super helpful as my husband...”
Read the full commentPosted Oct. 2020. Things may have changed since.One resident describes the community vibe as unique, electric, and beautiful, with friendly and resilient people.
“The vibe here is unique, electric, and beautiful. The people are friendly, good hearted, resilient, proud, and strong.”
Read the full commentPosted Aug. 2024Recent stories from local outlets. Tap a headline to read it.
About 13,890 business locations in the Detroit area, employing about 293,543 people. That's about the usual U.S. share.
U.S. Census County Business Patterns, 2023. Counts business locations with paid employees, not job openings.
One newcomer to the Redford area had a hard time finding permanent work after moving.
“I'm having a really hard time finding a job. I moved to the Redford area back in November and am really having a hard time finding a permanent job since...”
Read the full commentPosted Sept. 2025Michigan Works was described as a useful resource for finding job assistance in the area.
“Michigan Works is actually very useful in this regard. Find the office nearest to you and walk in. Larger employers work through the MEDC,...”
Read the full commentPosted Feb. 2026Pick a month. A dot means residents talked about that time of year.
No resident has talked about October yet.
What residents said in a local survey
From the Detroit Resident Voices Survey (2023).
- 51% of Detroit city residents are satisfied with healthcare availability.
- 29% of Detroit city residents are satisfied with the availability of affordable housing.
Around Detroit
What's nearby
Within 5 miles of the center of the Detroit area.
Counts from OpenStreetMap, a volunteer map, so small or new places can be missing. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Biking and trails
Within 5 miles of the center of the Detroit area.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Counts depend on how well local volunteers have mapped the area, so treat them as a rough guide.
Costs of moving here
What rent costs
Of about 485,898 rented homes in the Detroit area, 92% rent for under $2,000 a month and 98% for under $3,000.
Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 (table B25063). Gross rent includes utilities the renter pays. Today's asking rents for open apartments usually run higher.
What moving costs
Average cost: $1,946
From a 2025 survey of 1,000 people who hired movers. This Old House. Your quote depends on your stuff, stairs and the time of year.
The middle rented home in the Detroit area rents for $1,000 to $1,499 a month. Before you get the keys, expect about $2,000 to $2,998 for first month plus a deposit, or up to $3,000 to $4,497 where landlords also ask for last month.
Many landlords want your income to be about 3 times the rent. For $1,000 to $1,499, that's a yearly income of about $36,000 to $53,964.
Estimate from Census rent data (2019 to 2023, rent plus tenant-paid utilities). Deposits and fees vary by landlord and state law.
Moving to Michigan: before and after
- Forward your mail: USPS change of address. It costs about $1 online to confirm who you are.
- Switch your driver's license and car registration. Each state sets its own deadline, often somewhere between 10 days and a few months after you move. Find the Michigan DMV.
- Register to vote at your new address: Michigan voter registration.
- Set up power, gas, water and trash. Some cities bill water and trash together, and some ask new customers for a deposit.
- Update your address with your bank, employer, insurance and the IRS (Form 8822 if you're not filing soon).
- Find a doctor and dentist early. New-patient waits can be weeks, even in big cities.
Schools and childcare
Schools
33 public school districts in this county, with about 200,196 students in all. The county also has 131 public charter schools and 72 private schools. Which public school serves a home depends on its address.
Closest public schools to the center of Detroit
Straight-line miles from the center of Detroit, nearest first. Being closest doesn't mean a school serves a given home. "Passed the state test" is the share of students who scored proficient or better on Michigan's own reading and math tests in the 2021-22 school year, the latest year the U.S. Department of Education has published for every school. Each state sets its own test and passing bar, so compare schools within the same state, not across states. Test results track family income closely and leave out a lot (teachers, programs, how a school fits your child). For newer results, see the state's school report card.
Public school districts in the county
School choice and pre-K in Michigan
School choice: state law as summarized by the Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison: Open Enrollment Policies (2022). Pre-K: share of children in state-funded pre-K, National Institute for Early Education Research, State of Preschool 2025 Yearbook (2024-25 school year).
NCES Common Core of Data 2022-23, National Center for Education Statistics. Private schools: NCES Private School Survey, 2021-22. Varro doesn't rate or rank schools. For programs and newer results, see each district's site and the state's school report card.
Childcare and colleges
Michigan keeps an official list of licensed childcare, with inspection reports and openings in many states. In a lot of towns, infant spots fill up months ahead, so it helps to get on waitlists before you move.
| Age | Daycare center | Home daycare |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (under 2) | $177/week about $9,200 a year | $182/week about $9,500 a year |
| Toddler (2) | $177/week about $9,200 a year | |
| Preschool (3 to 4) | $165/week about $8,600 a year | $164/week about $8,500 a year |
| School-age | $143/week about $7,400 a year |
For an infant at a center: $177/week here, $166 across MI, $259 across the U.S.. Full-time infant care at a center here costs about 12% of a typical family's income. These are 2022 prices, the newest the government has published by county, and prices have gone up since.
19 colleges in the county and the wider metro around Detroit. Prices are yearly tuition and fees for full-time undergrads, before financial aid.
Moving for school? Public colleges charge state residents much less, and community colleges often charge even less to people who live in their district. Most states want you to have lived there about 12 months, for reasons other than school, before you count as a resident for tuition. The rules differ by state, so check with the college's registrar.
IPEDS 2023-24, National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS). Degree-granting public and nonprofit schools with 100+ students. Varro doesn't rank colleges.