Not Like Detroit

After a short visit and some 300+ photos later, I've returned from San Francisco with another perspective about Detroit and southeastern Michigan. Some history first:

• Detroit area was settled in the early 1600s; San Francisco started with a Franciscan mission around 1776.
• Detroit reached a peak population of 1.8 million in 1950 and has declined to about 880,000 or less; San Francisco has had a relatively stable population of about 750,000 restricted by space and cost of housing.
• Detroit's population is about 87% black and 13% white; San Francisco is about 50% white, 30% Asian, 8% black, and the remainder miscellaneous.
• In 2003, Detroit had 29,000 violent crimes; San Francisco had less than 6,000.
• In 2002, Detroit had a median income of $30,000; San Francisco had a median income of almost $60,000.

Detroit, unfortunately, represents the worst of what comprises a large, American city; San Francisco represents the best. San Francisco has some natural advantages over Detroit, but not as many as you might think to make the difference between the two cities.

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