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Midtown Detroit: The City's Hippest New Neighborhood

DETROIT (WWJ) - Stories about the decay of Detroit's neighborhoods are easy to find, but there is one area of the city of Detroit that's growing by leaps and bounds. The midtown area houses Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center and the city's cultural institutions.

Sue Mosey, President of Midtown Detroit Inc. says there is a 95 percent occupancy rate for rentals in the area.

"Each day business owners are in my office asking about space. They have a business or a retail location that they want in Mid-town," Mosey said.

Fifty-thousand people work or visit the area every day. Thanks to efforts by Midtown Detroit, street lights, green belts and new street signs dot the landscape.

Ann-Marie Borucki is the project manager for the community garden at Second and Willis.

"There is a waiting list for space in this garden," Borucki said.

Brian Perrone of Slow's To Go on Cass points to new development in the area.

"This area has had to overcome the image of the 'Cass Corridor' which has been in people's minds for decades. It's a whole new place now," Perrone said.

Mosey and others credit the stable environment and development to partnerships, public and private.

View photos of Detroit's Midtown area below.

Detroit Midtown - City Street
Detroit's Midtown area, near Cass and Willis. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne, File)
Detroit Midtown - Community Garden at Second and Willis
Detroit Midtown - Community Garden at Second and Willis. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
Project Manager of Midtown's Community Garden Ann-Marie Borucki
Project Manager of Midtown's Community Garden Ann-Marie Borucki. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
Detroit Midtown - Slo's To Go on Cass
Detroit Midtown - Slo's To Go on Cass. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
Detroit Midtown - Canfield Lofts
Detroit Midtown - Canfield Lofts. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
Detroit Midtown - City Bird
Detroit Midtown - City Bird. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
Detroit Midtown - Bureau of Urban Living
Detroit Midtown - Bureau of Urban Living. (WWJ Photo/Marie Osborne)
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