White flight? Suburbs lose young whites to cities

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

I just don't see at all why anyone would choose the suburbs in the first place.

For Realz? I don't see why people would want to pay $400k for a 900 sq ft condo when they can get a 3,000 sq ft house with a yard and a driveway 20 mins outside town for $200k. Not everybody works downtown and some people want to own actual property, not just a unit in a building. While I prefer city living, I like it on a smaller scale a la Ann Arbor than Manhattan.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

For Realz? I don't see why people would want to pay $400k for a 900 sq ft condo when they can get a 3,000 sq ft house with a yard and a driveway 20 mins outside town for $200k. Not everybody works downtown and some people want to own actual property, not just a unit in a building. While I prefer city living, I like it on a smaller scale a la Ann Arbor than Manhattan.

I agree but remember that there are plenty of home owners in the city.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I agree but remember that there are plenty of home owners in the city.

I was referring to what i've seen in Detroit. The new high priced residencies are all downtown and had not existed just a few years ago, while the houses* are all in the neighborhoods. There was never really any housing in downtown Detroit other than a few high rises which where pricey as hell to begin with. No one is trying to fix up the neighborhoods in the D other than a few which have always been well to do to begin with. The thing about Detroit is that the resurgence is mostly professional blacks that are moving into these properties.

I'm all for it, the one thing that city needs the most is a tax base.

* the average value of a house in Detroit is about $40,000