Rust Belt City?

[BuffCity]

What is your favorite Rust-Belt / Power-Belt city in the Northeast and Midwest?

[Badgers77]

Chicago. If not Chicago, then Pittsburgh or Milwaukee.

[Steely Dan]

the poll question is a tad confusing as chicago still remains a formidable powerhouse of industry, commerce, and finance on a national and global scale. yeah, it went through rust-beltitis just like the rest of the great lakes cities, but chicago retained a far greater percentage of its national and international prestige than the others, so i have a hard time seeing chicago as a former powerhouse. it still is a mighty powerhouse.

[Neph]

I voted for Detroit but I really didn't understand the pole question. BuffCity, in the OP, more or less asked what our favorite city was in the rustbelt but I thought the meaning of the pole question was more like, what is your favorite run down city that once was a big powerhouse. That would be Detroit. :) :runaway:

[BuffCity]

It says former powerhouse...so I would imagine the question is what city do you like that was once a powerhouse and perhaps still is or is no longer worthy of that status today.

sorry about the confusion...just pick a city.

[Neph]

It says former powerhouse...so I would imagine the question is what city do you like that was once a powerhouse and perhaps still is or is no longer worthy of that status today.

sorry about the confusion...just pick a city.
No problem and I already did pick and I guess I'll stick with it...Detroit

[hudkina]

How is Detroit not a powerhouse? It's fortune 500 companies gross more money than any other city besides New York. It is the center for the automotive industry, and is the leader in high-tech research and development.

I'd say Buffalo or Pittsburgh are the cities that should top this list.

[samsonyuen]

Chicago's not a Rust Belt city. It's above it, still very strong, and getting better. I would love for Detroit to regain its past glory the most, and Buffalo too.

[BuffCity]

I dont think Rustbelt means the city is "rusty" or dirty, it just refers to the Great lakes steel industry that dominated nearly every one of these cities.

and yes...Chicago too

[Minneapolitan]

Buffalo seems like it was a cool city back in the day.

[lammius]

Pittsburgh. That steel built our cities.

And Detroit's cars destroyed them.

[i_am_hydrogen]

I don't really understand Chicago being included in there, either. But, imho, Detroit is definitely the greatest former Rust Belt powerhouse. Pittsburgh is second.

[jmancuso]

chicago is a rust belt city that has been sand blasted becuase it pretty much came out of the decline that the rest of the north is still dealing with.

detroit and buffalo have taken the biggest hit.

[EastSider]

chicago is a rust belt city that has been sand blasted becuase it pretty much came out of the decline that the rest of the north is still dealing with.


Are you saying most cities are still in their Rust-Belt era, because I'd have to disagree. Yes you can see the effects of the rust-belt era on the great-lakes cities, but today with the turn around of many of those cities, that history adds to it's gritty charm. (of course that's IMO.)

[VansTripp]

Detroit.

[JivecitySTL]

How can anyone say that Chicago isn't a Rustbelt city? That's ridiculous. "Rustbelt" refers to a region, not a condition.

St. Louis is often grouped with Rustbelt cities as well due to its economic and developmental commonalities.

[Vlad the Great]

Chicago is my favorite.
But I also would like to see a rebound in Detroit and Buffalo.

[jmancuso]

Are you saying most cities are still in their Rust-Belt era, because I'd have to disagree. Yes you can see the effects of the rust-belt era on the great-lakes cities, but today with the turn around of many of those cities, that history adds to it's gritty charm. (of course that's IMO.)


there maybe others but most have not seen the turn-aound as seen with chicago. most are still losing people to the south and i think new york and chicago are the only two major cities who had positive growth. the decline is slowing down considerably, however.

[Ben]

How can anyone say that Chicago isn't a Rustbelt city? That's ridiculous. "Rustbelt" refers to a region, not a condition.

St. Louis is often grouped with Rustbelt cities as well due to its economic and developmental commonalities.

And the reason that region got that name is because of their look and what their major money sources looked like in that region(prodominantly gritty manufacturing and industry related stuff).

[BuffCity]

What will shock us all...

When these gritty workhorse town convert after death (lol) into tech, bio white collar cities with awsome architecture and the best food.

Chicago is a good example and progress in Cleveland and Milwaukee make places like Detroit, Buffalo and Pittsburgh feel good about the future.

[Steely Dan]

How can anyone say that Chicago isn't a Rustbelt city? That's ridiculous. "Rustbelt" refers to a region, not a condition.


of course chicago is a rust-belt city, but i think most people here were objecting to chicago being called a former powerhouse, because from all indications, chicago is still a current powerhouse. chicago has never lost its "powerhouse" status, despite the decline of industry throughout its metropolitan region.

[Michi]

Detroit is still one of the most powerful and influential cities in the United States. It too, is a "Rust Belt" city. But I can understand what you would mean by it being more of a powerhouse in its hayday.

[AZian]

I too object to Chicago being called a "former powerhouse," it today is still a powerhouse at the third largest city in the country and its ability to post a population gain from 1990 to 2000. Chicago is a powerhouse that is alive and well, and I am sorry to say it, I cannot say much good about Detroit.

With 82 percent of the population black, its population slipping below 1 million for the first time since 1920, and a loss of 1000 residents a month, Detroit is going nowhere great for a while. White, middle class, educated people are fleeing the city and fast, leaving the central city a rotting mess of drugs, crime, and decay. Wayne county is also losing people indicating that they are moving away from the city entirely! While Detroit may have many fortune 500 corporations, none of the employees actually live in the central city anymore. They all commute fromt the suburbs and avoid it as much as possible.

Sorry, Detroit has a loooooong way to go to get to Chicago status.

[Steely Dan]

^ uh-oh................

let the shit-storm begin. ;)

[BuffCity]

Let me sling some mud...

HEY Chicago, you sure are short and skinny compared to lets say...NYC?

lol

[Jaybird]

Detroit is definitely my best RUST-BELT city, with Buffalo second. :) Both cities are experiencing quite the rebounds, although at the moment, Buffalo is getting more rebounds and things done, but Detroit has the advantage with more to do and being the powerhouse and influent city that it is, even though the population is about 900,000, that is still a lot of people. I visit both cities as often as I can. I seem to like blue-collar cities for some reason. Maybe it's because I fit in better with them.

I don't really consider Chicago a rust-belt city, so much going on there right now and is a world-class leader right now.

[JivecitySTL]

^once again, there seem to be a lot of people here who consider "Rust Belt" to be a condition rather than a geographic region. Chicago is a Rust Belt city, even though it has a more robust and stable economy compared to other Rust Belt cities. Chicago was built on industry and that is a key component of a big Rust Belt 'burgh.

THE RUST BELT IS NOT A CONDITION, IT IS A REGION.

[Dampyre]

With 82 percent of the population black

Yes, and with that many jigs nothing good can happen, right?

:evil:

[Daytwahs Own]

IWhile Detroit may have many fortune 500 corporations, none of the employees actually live in the central city anymore. They all commute fromt the suburbs and avoid it as much as possible.

Sorry, Detroit has a loooooong way to go to get to Chicago status.

How do you know that to be true?


Anyway People are leaving primarily because the property taxes and secondary jobs. People say things like crime thats actualy bull (look at all the people moving to Atlanta). If Detroit lowered its property taxes people would start moving in.

[ManageMich]

AZian, someone from Phoenix has no basis to talk about Detroit in terms of suburbanization. Have you looked around there? I couldn't disagree with you more about Detroit. I wonder if you've ever even been here? The city has problems, but is slowly getting its act together. Detroit is a powerhouse plain and simple and has the surrounding population and corporate base to back it up. Once things get rolling in terms of ever increasing housing demand (high rises) in the city's center, I don't see it stopping. There are a lot of areas that have changed almost overnight including my favorite Brush Park, once a wasteland but now a hot bed for new construction townhouses and redevelopment lofts. Detroit is different today than it was only a few years ago because there is a magnitude of pent up demand from suburbanites to return to urban America because amazingly enough, the suburbs are pretty damn boring. It's painful to see that you're playing into the stereotypes from the 70's and early 80's when the city hit rock bottom.

[BuffCity]

Detroit, ah never been there, but wow...she is big, and she still has her stuff in the bag. I've looked at Detroit a little and it has alot in common with Cleveland and Buffalo, both of which are finally starting to see gains. Detroit has a larger metro and population to deal with, which kind of explains her problems, that city was an industry powerhouse, Automotive, everything...when they started changing that industry it was quicker than the city could handle...so it bottomed out.

Lets suppose the fine people of Michigan see the light and begin to shift more towards urban infill, well that will be the cities rebound, and while Detroit might not have the Skyscrapers of Chicago, it does have some gems that will one day be surrounded by even more modern stuff...as the one forumer said...TAXES (it is why the Northeastern and Midwestern Industrial towns died!) If anyone gets confused by this, please ask

[40748246]

Uh, Pittsburgh?