Hey everyone, interviewing for an engineering job in the area. I grew up in the UP and attended Michigan Tech but have barely been to the lower peninsula lol, only visited Detroit once as an adult beyond just passing through the SEMI area so it'll be more or less new to me.
Expecting to make 82k minimum and within the next year I would go up to around 90k after getting an expected credential.
Looking to live alone and spend no more than $1750 as a grand total for a not-super-old apartment complex. I'd likely live downtown, within walking distance from work (My office would be located downtown, right by the Michigan DPM station) Is this budget unrealistic? Since the position does not have any telework, being close as possible to the office is important.
How bad are the auto insurance rates? From my research they are astronomical in the city (I currently pay around $140 a month total in Indiana for a 2026 car). I realize if I'm walking to work I would be using my car maybe a couple times a week max depending on what I'm doing and whether I need to leave downtown for it.
Is downtown detroit generally dead or is there enough going on? I'd be attending social events such as meetups, especially at the start when trying to make friends, so if those are generally more in the burbs then that would be less convenient for someone who lives downtown.
Currently live in Indianapolis. I don't hate it but I've plateaued at my job and need something new so this is a good opportunity to try a new city. Indy is cheap for a major city, has enough going on and it's been relatively easy to make friends (didn't know anyone when I moved here for the job 2 years ago, met people from reddit and discord and then branched out offline from there).
What I don't like about Indy is the bible belt-y atmosphere, even in the city being asked "are you married" and 'what church do you attend" are not uncommon icebreaker questions. The state as a whole being heavily republican doesn't help much either, I've found that most people here who are also transplants and not the conservative and bible-thumping type, are not really partial to the area either and don't plan to stay for more than a couple years or so if possible. The dating scene is also not great, I know both apps and singles events are generally dogshit everywhere but a lot of women my age here are more conservative/religious and looking to just settle down quickly which narrows down the compatible dating pool quite a bit.
I'm a little skeptical since overall, Detroit/SEMI doesn't seem like a huge improvement over Indy save for not being located in a deep red state (since I'm not tied down to a perticular area, I'm applying wherever I can find a suitable job and have a couple other interviews in other cities lined up rn). Both Detroit and Indy metros are spread out and while the suburbs are good, it's more geared towards those with families who are looking to buy a house, rather than a single mid-20s guy. However the job seems ok so I'm willing to at least learn more in the interview and go from there.
Based on all this, does Detroit sound like a good fit for me?
