Detroit, once a great city who was the worldwide hub of auto manufacturing, has filed bankruptcy. At one time it had the highest per capita incomes in the nation. Now it's a city in demise. However, the demise of Detroit didn't take place yesterday. It's been happening for the last few decades. The Motor City's decline started soon after residents started to move to the suburbs to take with them businesses, jobs, and tax dollars. The 1967 race riot in Detroit accelerated the trend. As the population dwindled from 1.8 million to 700,000 residents, city officials struggled to keep up with providing municipal services in the 142-square mile city, with the tax base half of what it was. Also, auto plants opened up in other cities which meant that Detroit wasn't producing nearly the number of vehicles it once did. Also, Japanese vehicles were dominating the international market. Things started snowballing from there. Today Detroit has one of the highest crime rates in the country. It's tragic. To read the full story, click on the above link from FoxNews.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment