Personally, I think this thread is most interesting when the response for any given city is narrowed down to a single #1 item. (Like the psychologists’ exercise: “Say the first thing that pops into your head when I mention ___”.)
In that scenario, I think that the answer for Detroit has to be something along the lines of “The Motor City”, “the U.S. auto industry”, etc.—I don’t think urban decay, Motown Records, or anything else outweighs that.
On the other hand, Flint = Flint water crisis.
Flint is just like Detroit, it's an automotive town. It's known as the Vehicle City. The water crisis has only been the last 6 years that's certainly not what it's known for.
I disagree. If you tell someone from around here that you're from Flint, I think they're much more likely to say "Don't drink the water!" than to say anything automotive-related.
A lot of people know Detroit as an automotive town, but that's about all they know about Michigan. If anything else, they also know that Detroit is home to current urban decay. They don't know anything else about any other town in Michigan except what they've heard on the news about the water in Flint.
The auto industry is what built Flint and ultimately what killed Flint, same as Detroit. This post asks for what your hometown/city is known for, Flint is well known as an auto town even outside of Michigan. General Motors was founded in Flint and if you were to ride around Flint you'd notice that it's an auto town and if you were to fly into Flint you'd be greeted by a huge General Motors plant as you leave the airport.
Just put in google, "What is Flint, Michigan known for?" and it will say the birthplace of General Motors.
Okay, but very few people outside of Michigan know that.
Right now, if you pick a random person from one of the other 49 states and ask them where GM started, their answer is very likely to be Detroit even if that’s wrong. That same person, if they even know Flint exists, has only ever heard of it because its water issues keep making it onto the evening news.
People haven't heard of Flint just because of the water crisis that isn't true at all. Flint was known before the water crisis that's for sure.
How many people from other parts of the country can distinguish between Flint, Ann Arbor, and Dearborn?
I have always prided myself on my geography skills and knowledge about places, especially in the US...and yet I dont know what the difference is between any of those rust belt cities. Especially not Michigan. I think of Michigan as a place filled with dying, rusted over cities that have long passed their glory days ad the buildings slowly rust and the people move out into the suburbs. I think of cities that once were major destinations...that have multiple major freeways running through and connecting them, and 3dis a plenty, where people used to actually thrive and where tourists flocked--but that are now dilapidated, those 3dis seemingly superfluous now that no one drives them anymore and those major freeways only serve as a ways for people passing through to get the hell out as soon as possible.
But thats how I envision most of Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, all of West Virginia, and most of upstate New York. I have actually been to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey and it certainly seemed like any growth or whatever stopped long ago. Those places felt decidedly much different than the way cities feel here in Texas...but it wasn't just the Northeast. I feel that stagnation and decay all over Louisiana too...and Mississippi when I go to visit my parents. I dont know how it is in other states, but theres not nearly the zest for growth and newness that we seem to have here in Texas.
I dont know what it is about this state either. I'll admit there are some really problematic issues here, but in general it's been a very good place to live and there is always something new just around the corner, for good or bad. Don't like a road? Don't worry because it will be rebuilt within ten years probably. Old building thats an eyesore? It'll be gone next year and replaced with a shopping center or condos.