Most major U.S. cities (and major world cities) have neighborhoods that are either organically or intentionally filled with LGBT-oriented commercial and residential districts. The last area Detroit claimed as a "gayborhood" was Palmer Park, bordered by McNichols, Woodward and Pontchartrain Blvd. Prime time for the neighborhood filled with gorgeous apartments (now under restoration) was the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Talk is getting a bit louder that it'd be a mighty fine idea to develop a gayborhood in the city once again. Read an excerpt from Slate (which itself was excerpted in
Deadline Detroit):
(KICK's) Curtis Lipscomb hopes to make Detroit’s LGBTQ community more visible. Although gay neighborhoods usually develop organically, Lipscomb has been meeting with a group of about 10 people from the banking, nonprofit, and community development sectors who want to establish a gay enclave in Detroit. "Detroit has more gay bars than the suburbs, better nightlife, and arts that make it attractive. And depending on the area, it has cheaper rent too," he said.
The gay neighborhood, which could include retail locations, housing, cultural institutions, places of worship, and gay bars, would likely be developed in Palmer Park, Midtown, or downtown Detroit.
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