The most underrated things about Detroit

By Metro Times editorial staff on Thu, Jul 20, 2023 at 9:19 am

There are plenty of great things in Detroit that pretty much everyone already knows about — like our sports teams, a rejuvenated downtown, and too many big-name music acts to name. But there are also plenty of other things that make the Motor City great that fly under most people’s radars. Here are some of our favorites.

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We built the U.S. middle class.

Although its fortunes have declined since its heyday, Detroit was once possibly the wealthiest city, per capita, in the entire world. That was thanks in large part to Henry Ford’s famous five-dollar day, which attracted workers from the South, but also the strength of unions like the Detroit-based UAW, which fought for a higher standard of living for workers.

Evan Gonzalez/Detroit Stock City

Detroit is like a big small town.

Despite being the most populous city in Michigan, we are a big city with a small-town feel. The benefit of this is that we aren’t too packed and remain semi-affordable, and have a strong community.

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Skyler Murry

We ride for our city.

Detroiters can talk shit about the city all they want, but let someone else do it and it’s an issue. Our hometown pride will never fall short.

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Lee DeVito

Our coffee scene deserves buzz.

Especially with the uptick of remote work, a variety of cafes to choose from are needed to fuel creativity — and Detroit’s got ‘em.

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Our architecture is stunning.

Detroit is renowned for having one of the most impressive skylines in the U.S., with many existing buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

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Mike Pfeiffer

Our music scene really is one of the best in the world.

Whether you’re into rap, rock, jazz, or techno, there’s something for everyone here. The Detroit area has dozens of venues where you can catch live music pretty much every day of the week, contributing to our reputation as one of the top music cities in the world.

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Detroit-style pizza proves it’s hip to be square.

Forget New York and Chicago — come to Detroit for our signature square-shaped deep-dish pizza topped with tomato sauce. First created in 1946 by Gus Guerra at eastside Buddy’s Rendezvous, the staple is now offered all across Michigan — and is slowly catching on beyond our borders.

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Lamar Landers, BLKOUT Walls

Our art scene is unmatched.

In April, Detroit selected 25 artists for the 2023 City Walls mural program, allowing local art to continue to beautify the city. Drive down Mack, Gratiot, literally anywhere, and there are tons of large, beautiful murals to glance at or take pictures in front of, courtesy of festivals like Murals in the Market and BLKOUT Walls. The local creative community is flourishing.

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Lee DeVito

Neighborhood coney islands are the best ones.

The fight between Lafayette and American is irrelevant when neighborhood coney islands enter the chat (and don’t even think about National). Neighborhood coneys have bigger menus with all-day breakfast, pita wraps, nachos, and pretty much any other greasy food you could think of. If our chili cheese fries and caramel cake aren’t served at 1a.m. through bullet-proof glass, we don’t want it. Neighborhood coneys also get extra props for having drive-thrus.

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Canada is just a stone’s throw away.

When you’re at Detroit’s riverwalk, across the river is the skyline of Windsor. You can quickly land in another country by taking the tunnel or the Ambassador Bridge. Another underappreciated fact for many: Unlike most other places in the U.S., un Detroit, Canada is actually to the south.

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Lee DeVito

We’re home to one of the world’s largest used bookstores.

John K. King Used & Rare Books is a four-story former glove factory with more than one million used and rare books, offering one of the largest and most interesting collections anywhere.

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Detroiters have a unique taste in fashion.

We didn’t invent them, but Detroiters have popularized items like Cartier Buffs, fur coats, and alligator skin shoes. There are also homegrown brands like Pelle Pelle’s leather jackets and, of course, Carhartt, which was founded in Detroit in 1889 and is beloved by both blue-collar workers and Gen Z hypebeasts alike.

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Facebook / Keep Growing Detroit

Urban gardening continues to grow.

The large amount of vacant lots in Detroit have been brought to life in recent years, with many urban farms sprouting up all over the city. Urban gardening promotes healthy eating and draws the community together, and also utilizes vacant space not found in other major cities, putting the D on the map as an environmentally-friendly place.

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Courtesy of the Arab American National Museum

We have the biggest population of Arab people in the U.S.

Just a short drive from downtown Detroit is Dearborn, home of the largest Muslim population in the country per capita, as well as the Arab American National Museum, the nation’s only institute documenting cultural history of Arab Americans. Bonus: That’s why we have so many great Lebanese restaurants here.

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Kahn Santori Davison

A whole new era of Detroit rap is making heads nod.

While Eminem and 8 Mile are viewed as bringing Motor City hip-hop to the mainstream, there are a slew of newer artists keeping the scene alive, including Snap Dogg, Skilla Baby, Sada Baby, Babyface Ray, Baby Money,BabyTron, Kash Doll, and Peezy, among many others. Plenty of acts that predated Em are still going strong, too, like Slum Village and Esham.

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KelleyCook, Wikimedia Creative Commons

We are a city of firsts.

Detroit was home to America’s first mile of paved road (Woodward Avenue, between Six and Seven Mile), first tri-colored traffic light, and first urban freeway (the Davison).

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Our outdoor spaces are top tier.

Belle Isle is home to an array of affordable activities great for Detroit residents or people from out of town, including a museum, a beach, a conservatory, the nation’s oldest aquarium, parks, trails — the list goes on. Down the street is a beautiful greenway the Dequindre Cut and a riverwalk that was named best in the country by USA Today for the last three years.

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Tom Perkins

Southwest Detroit is a gem.

Food and culture is prominent all over the city, but Mexicantown takes the cake. Almost 60% of the Southwest Detroit neighborhood is Latino. There is no better place to go when looking for authentic Mexican food and dessert.

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Courtesy of the DIA

Our world-class art museum is free to visit.

For residents of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland counties, the Detroit Institute of Arts is completely free to attend. For other adults it’s $18. Either way, its exhibitions make it worth a trip — and you’ll never see everything in its massive collection in one visit.

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Sony Pictures Classics

Some great movies were made here.

Obviously 8 Mile and Detroit were filmed in the D, but so were hits like Gran Torino, Only Lovers Left Alive (pictured), and the recent horror flick Barbarian.

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City of Detroit

We have trails galore.

Detroit’s outdoor wonders and surrounding areas all offer great nature trails to walk on. Currently, Joe Louis Greenway is in the works to unite 23 metro Detroit neighborhoods with a 27.5-mile recreational loop combining new trails, existing greenways and on-street protected bike lanes. The greater metro Detroit area also has plenty of hiking trails.

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The most underrated things about Detroit

Tags:

We built the U.S. middle class.

Detroit is like a big small town.

We ride for our city.

Our coffee scene deserves buzz.

Our architecture is stunning.

Our music scene really is one of the best in the world.

Detroit-style pizza proves it’s hip to be square.

Our art scene is unmatched.

Neighborhood coney islands are the best ones.

Canada is just a stone’s throw away.

We’re home to one of the world’s largest used bookstores.

Detroiters have a unique taste in fashion.

Urban gardening continues to grow.

We have the biggest population of Arab people in the U.S.

A whole new era of Detroit rap is making heads nod.

We are a city of firsts.

Our outdoor spaces are top tier.

Southwest Detroit is a gem.

Our world-class art museum is free to visit.

Some great movies were made here.

We have trails galore.

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