White Population Growing in Detroit

DETROIT - After several decades of what's been called "white flight", Detroit is seeing an increase in white residents.

Young people and many of them happen to be white are realizing Detroit has a lot to offer and they want to be part of it. Affordable housing, awesome neighborhoods and it's a great place to start a business.

"There's so much to do. There (are) great restaurants. There (are) great nightclubs. There (are) festivals," said Michelle Resto.

The 25-year-old moved to downtown Detroit a few months ago. She lives in a super cool condo at 200 River Place, and it is plush.

She had been looking all over for unique and rustic architecture at a reasonable price, and she only found it in downtown Detroit.

"I have two friends, white also, that after coming down here and not thinking of it as an option before are now looking for lofts down here," Resto said.

However, Harold Bailey says he's not seeing a resurgence of white people in the city, and he's been living there for ten years.

"I haven't noticed a big influx of any kind of white settlers moving down here," said Bailey. "I do see a lot of suburbanites coming down here, and they are frequenting the bars and some of the restaurants, but as soon as those close they're leaving. They're running back to the suburbs."

The numbers show a nice size jump from about eight-percent in 2008 to a little more than 13-percent in 2009.

"White people and everybody (are) starting to find cities to be very attractive, and whites have been looking at the city of Detroit, the opportunities that the city of Detroit presents. It's cool. It's gritty," said demographer Kurt Metzger. "We're seeing whites and young people moving into cities across the country. It's been a little slower here in Detroit than others."

However, there is something else going on in the city of Detroit. More blacks are moving out.

"We're starting to see this kind of reversal flow, so African-Americans are moving to the suburbs, whites moving to the city. So, we're starting to see city and suburbs look more and more like each other as opposed to this complete difference of African-American city surrounded by white suburbs," Metzger said.

Metzger is the expert, and he believes Detroit will continue to become diverse. Maybe one day where someone chooses to live and what they look like won't even be a thought.