Metro Detroit: residential location and neighbourhood perceptions

Metro Detroit has long been one of the most socially divided metropolitan regions in the United States. While the north-western suburbs are among the wealthiest in the nation, the region’s urban core has struggled with the nation’s post-industrial transition. Despite benefiting from various intra-regional ties, people from Metro Detroit’s suburbs often share negative stereotypes about the city at the region’s core and attempt to distance themselves from it. This article analyses surveys from 140 residents of the Metro Detroit region in order to understand better intra-regional perceptions of Detroit proper. Rather than the hypothetical neighbourhoods of varying racial diversity often found in perceptions research, surveys asked residents about real places in their home region. Asking about actual locations helped answer the research question behind this article: is residential location associated with neighbourhood perceptions? While race continues to influence neighbourhood perceptions, findings show that residential location is also a significant factor.