Southwest Detroit is arguably the city's strongest neighborhood. The rundown of Detroit's stat sheet may not be exactly sterling, but if you look into Southwest, and Mexicantown, you'll find flourishing small businesses.
Excerpt from NPR:
With a stratospheric unemployment rate and major
job loss throughout Detroit, it seems there's no room for small
businesses to thrive.
But despite the city's severe economic problems,
it appears its Hispanic business community is flourishing.
Detroit's Latino population has more than
doubled in the past 10 years. Mexicans came in droves during the 1990s
and continue to trickle in. There are roughly 400,000 Latinos in
Michigan; half of them live in Detroit. Many work in construction,
landscaping and the service industry. But hundreds have opened
food-related businesses.
Listen to the broadcast here.