5 Reasons Detroit is the Comeback City of 2014

Few American cities have been as down, out, and utterly written-off as Detroit, Michigan, an old Midwestern powerhouse that suffered crippling economic collapse after the financial meltdown of 2007.

And yet, if Detroit is known for anything, it is its unbelievable ability to comeback. Indeed, if you look into what's actually going on in the city today, it's pretty clear that 2014 will be the year of Detroit's return to American prominence, effectively combining a renewed emphasis on the industry the city was always known for, with high-tech solutions to the special problems that beleaguer it.

In honor of that, we have listed, below, 5 of the reasons Detroit is going to be (and in some ways already is) the comeback city of 2014, reasons that you should consider visiting, working in, or moving to the auto-capital of the world as soon as you can.

5. The Car Industry

Although it's undoubtedly true that the American car industry is suffering, it's also true, that the automotive giants in Detroit are healing at a remarkable rate. Ford, for example, went from an annual revenue of just under 130 billion in 2010, to a projected almost 145 billion this year. GM's growth was even more remarkable, gaining about 30 billion dollars in revenue over the last four years to a current total of 165 billion. Indeed, foreign auto-giants (like Shanghai Automotive Industries) are setting up offices in Detroit, showing just how impressive the rebound of the industry is.

4. New Tourism

This may not seem like a real thing - after all, who goes to Detroit on a vacation - but tourism can, and should be one of the biggest sectors of Auto Capital's economy. For example, hotel stays have increased by over 60% in recent years, and new visitors to the city has likewise increased.

Plus, when you actually look at what Detroit has to offer, you would be hard pressed to say it's not worth a visit. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, for example, just a short drive outside of the city, house some of the most remarkable things in the country, like the car John F. Kennedy was shot in, the original factory of Thomas Edison, and the home bicycle shop of the Wright Brothers. Food and Drink in Detroit is also exquisite, with the Grand Truck Pub and Alex's of Berkely receiving top marks. In other words, not only is tourism increasing in Detroit, but the increase makes sense, meaning we can expect even more growth in coming years.

3. Start-Up Industries

But Detroit isn't just about established institutions. Their collection of start-up industries is also extremely impressive, and another reason that the city is only going to improve in the future. For example, 5-Hour Energy, of economic and advertising fame, makes its headquarters in a suburb of Detroit, showing how the city can attract some of the most exciting businesses around. And it doesn't stop there - four more of Brand Innovator's "Start-Ups to Watch" make their home in or around Detroit, meaning more jobs, more capital, and ultimately, more growth for the city.

2. Living Conditions

As crazy as it may sound, one of the biggest reasons Detroit is coming back is extreme improvement in living conditions. In the last ten years, for example, Detroit drove its crime rate down 20%, a statistic that only gets larger as the years go on.

And residents are taking notice. Perhaps as a result of Governor Rick Snyder's plan to move 50,000 new skilled immigrants to the city, more people are moving to Detroit everyday, pushing housing prices and average payrolls higher than the national average. In other words, with every passing month, Detroit is becoming a better place to live, a fact that has motivated, and will continue to motivate many citizens to move there.

1. Loyal Residents

But the absolutely most remarkable thing about Detroit, the reason that it is definitively poised for a comeback this year, is the absolute refusal of its residents to let it die. Detroit garners some of the greatest loyalty of any city in the country, with even its upper 1% of residents dedicating themselves to bringing it back to prominence.

Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert, for example, spent over a billion dollars rehabilitating real-estate in the core of the city, while famous local artist Jack White spent $142,000 buying the local landmark Masonic temple. Even resident industries, like Blue Cross Blue Shield, are moving their offices into the heart of the city, in an attempt to bring more commerce to what was once one of the most bustling downtowns in America.

In short, because of both the entities and individuals that make-up Detroit, it is almost certain that this year will be the year of the cities comeback. While Detroit may have been down in the last decade, you should not count it out, just another reason that the moniker "comeback city" really fits.