Regionally Speaking

There are 131 municipalities in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties, each with their own mayor, borders and identity. Regardless of whether you live in Royal Oak or Royal Oak Township, Grosse Pointe Woods or Grosse Pointe Farms, Dearborn or Dearborn Heights, or anywhere else in this region, there is no doubt that we are all in this together. By this I mean economically, culturally and how we are perceived nationally…the whole kit and caboodle, and like it or not…Detroit is the nucleus.

 

We try to help people see the benefits to Detroit being the region’s anchor. Yes, it has problems, but it also has history, culture, industry and an indefatigable spirit. You could take the nicest house, in the nicest suburb and if you picked it up and put it the middle of nowhere its value would decrease. It’s the proximity to museums, theaters, sporting events, industry and much more that make it a desirable place for people to live.

 

The future is about regionalism – about working together and realizing that each city brings its own benefits to the region. Each city has pros and cons, and one person’s pro might be another person’s con, but that’s what is great about this region. We have something for everyone.

 

We have a group from the Army coming into Detroit in a couple of weeks that is considering relocating over 100 families to Southeast Michigan. We are very excited to show them the breadth and depth of our region. We will not just show them Detroit. We will not just show them one county. We are going to show them the entire region and hopefully they will choose to move here. If they do, they will do so not just because of the assets of one county or one city but because of all the assets in the region as a whole.

 

While these families explore our region, I challenge each of you to do the same; to answer the question: Why do you live here?

 

If you can’t come up with a good list, then it’s time to get out of the house. Explore Detroit…the whole Detroit. If you live in Chesterfield Township go check out the Henry Ford in Dearborn. If you live in Northville, go see the new Partridge Creek Mall in Clinton Township. If you live in Pontiac, go for a walk in Downtown Wyandotte….and if you live anywhere in the region…come discover all the amazing things that Detroit has to offer. Trust me, you’ll be happy that you did.

 

Written for Metromode.