When Rosetta Newby and her husband moved to their neighborhood near the Davison Freeway and East McNichols 44 years ago, it was racially mixed, and on every lot stood an occupied home.
Newby, 75, and now a widow, recalls the neighborhood had grocery stores, restaurants and other businesses. She could walk to everything.
Four decades later, nine occupied houses remain on her stretch of Charest. The closest grocery store is miles away on 7 Mile Road, and many businesses such as dry cleaners and drug stores are gone.
Newby, 75, and now a widow, recalls the neighborhood had grocery stores, restaurants and other businesses. She could walk to everything.
Four decades later, nine occupied houses remain on her stretch of Charest. The closest grocery store is miles away on 7 Mile Road, and many businesses such as dry cleaners and drug stores are gone.
In the Davison Freeway and East McNichols area on Detroit's east side, Rosetta Newby knows the cost of living in a neighborhood marked by abandonment.
Her homeowners insurance is escalating, and no other company will insure her at an affordable rate, she said. Her bank turned her down for a loan for new windows and other improvements to her home of 44 years on Charest.
There's no grocery store near her, and few streetlights work. All that's left is a sprinkle of residents, shells of houses and vacant lots framed by crumbling sidewalks.
Her homeowners insurance is escalating, and no other company will insure her at an affordable rate, she said. Her bank turned her down for a loan for new windows and other improvements to her home of 44 years on Charest.
There's no grocery store near her, and few streetlights work. All that's left is a sprinkle of residents, shells of houses and vacant lots framed by crumbling sidewalks.
The City of Detroit can no longer afford to give the same services to all areas. Neighborhoods now are ranked according to a market type that will determine which city services an area receives. Among the factors considered are how many people live in the neighborhood, the number of bank-owned houses and whether there are stores, schools and other amenities.
