Suburbs Through the Ages

Hi, sorry its been a while since my last post; I do have a life.

Here is another link to the map showing the places I refer to in this blog: http://maps.yourgmap.com/v/i_bt_The_Old_Neighborhood_In_Detroit.html

But now I want to start to make the case that suburbs were always part of Detroit, and that the outward expansion is to some extent a natural force, even without the racism component. I think it has to do with the newer and better homes being in the suburbs, so people that can afford to move to the suburbs do.

My great-great grandfather Franz Bieke came to Detroit in 1857, and settled within walkng distance of St. Joseph's church. His son, Daniel Maternus Bieke, is my great-grandfather. He lived his life at a house at 3754 Field Street, a block away from Grand Blvd. and Mack. This address is further out from the city center than St. Joseph's neoghborhood. I suspect Grand Blvd was the suburbs back then, but in any case it must have been pretty cool to live there. I know that Belle Isle is a short distance away, and back in those days they also had the Electric Park (roller coasters, dance halls, etc.) in what is now Gabriel Park.

My grandfather, Daniel Anthony Bieke, started raising his family in a house at 4528 Baldwin. This is maybe 3 short blocks and 1-1/2 long blocks away from his childhood home on Field Street. And coincidently, it is further from the city center than his childhood home. Anyway, he started raising his family there, then moved to a bigger house on Wilshire Street when his family was getting too big for the house on Baldwin. And guess what? The Wilshire house is further from the city center than the Baldwin house. Shortly after we moved from Wilshire to Lansing, my grandpa moved out to the suburbs. I can't remember for sure which, but I think it was Fraser.

So there you have it. In 3-5 generations and 4 moves, each one further out from the city center than the last, finally ending in the suburbs. Q.E.D.

My Dad's side of the family had kind of a similar story. My great-grandfather settled in within walking distance of St. Joseph's in 1885. His son, Vince, first moved into an apartment near Mack and Gratiot, then the house my great-grandfather built on Crane Street. Then the house on Crane Street wasn't big enough for his growing family so he moved to 11768 Kilbourne. He lived most of his life there, until he moved to an assisted living facility in Centerline. Again, each of these moves were one step further from the city center. Q.E.D.

But we can take this even one step further. A couple of my uncles raised thier families in Sterling Heights. Keep in mind that Sterling Heights is living better than 95% of the world's population already, but now these uncles are living out in Rochester and Oakland, in the same neighborhoods as the Clampets. Why? Because they can! (Actually, I have never questioned them why they moved from Sterling Heights, so I am guessing here; nevertheless, I don't think that "white flight" had anything to do with it). Again, people that can move out to the suburbs, with the bigger and better houses, do. Q.E.D.

It would be really interesting to get more data regarding these moves, going back to 1857, to find crime and racial and income data for each of the neighborhoods and see if these played any part in the gradual moves outward from the city center.

I guess that with all these moves, and with each one was further from the city center than the last, lends support to the hypothesis that outward expansion was always a part of life in Detroit, at least since the mid 1850's.