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The gist of this article is that, statistically speaking, Fremont is the happiest city in the United States and that Detroit is the unhappiest.
Not Miami. Not Austin. The Happiest City In America Is Fremont, California.
Having spent quite a great deal of time in all three, I’m going to push back.
I get Fremont. Fremont is basically the Detroit of the 21st century; a working class town with close to the highest average income in the United States…in other words, what Detroit was for 75 years in the 20th century. Culturally speaking, I see low divorce rates, low separation rates, decent education. But frankly, I wouldn’t put it in the top ten places to live in California.
I lived in Detroit for four years. Fifteen years ago, it was a bleak place, the largest American city in bankruptcy (it emerged from bankruptcy on 12/3/2014, one month after I started working there). And yes, there is unpleasantness, but not as much as you might think. It was the definition of flight-to-the-suburbs for fifty years starting in the 1960s. But bit by bit, the downtown came back, the midtown never really left, and you can purchase a fully-functional, affordable house for $35,000 on a barrista’s income. Can’t do that in Fremont. Admittedly, there are 100,000 unoccupied residences as a result of the flight to the suburbs, so there are vast, empty stretches of the city where not even gangs reside. But it has a wonderful symphony, several great art museums, all four sports teams are downtown, real estate is making a comeback, there are lots of thriving businesses, and when I left in 2019, Dan Gilbert had just purchased his 100th building in downtown Detroit. Basically, it has enjoyed a renaissance.
There are areas you avoid in northwest and southwest Detroit, to be sure. But:
- p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Very affordable housing: Typical home prices in the city are often under about $110,000, and average rent is around $1,100 per month, far below most large U.S. cities.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Lower overall cost of living vs. big coastal metros: Everyday expenses and housing are significantly cheaper than in places like Los Angeles or other major coastal markets.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Strong cultural and arts scene: Detroit offers major museums, music history (Motown, techno, jazz), street art, and an increasingly active indie arts community.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Resurgent downtown and Midtown: Investment has brought new restaurants, entertainment, and jobs into core neighborhoods, with young professionals moving in.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Improving crime picture: Homicides fell to about 165 in 2025, the lowest level since the 1960s, and other violent crimes like shootings and carjackings have also declined.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Reasonable property price-to-income ratio: Indices show a very low property price-to-income ratio, which makes buying more attainable for middle-income households.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Major employers and universities: The metro area has big auto and mobility companies plus institutions like Wayne State University and strong regional health systems.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Diverse communities and food: Metro Detroit includes large Arab-American, Mexican, Black, and other communities, which show up in festivals and restaurants across the region.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Access to parks and recreation: The city has renovated hundreds of parks and offers riverfront access, nearby lakes, and regional outdoor options.</p> - p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
<p class=”my-2 [&+p]:mt-4 [&_strong:has(+br)]:inline-block [&_strong:has(+br)]:pb-2″>Room for impact and opportunity: Because not everything is “finished,” there’s space for entrepreneurs, creatives, and professionals to shape neighborhoods and organizations.</p>
Audaces fortuna iuvat
- p]:pt-0 [&>p]:mb-2 [&>p]:my-0″>
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