Are American ghettos completely beyond hope?

[Alcon]

I have a question that's probably dumb, but there are no ghettos where I'm from.  This street block looks pretty damn well-kept for a place where several houses are selling for under $2,000.  How?

[Alcon]

I have a question that's probably dumb, but there are no ghettos where I'm from.  This street block looks pretty damn well-kept for a place where several houses are selling for under $2,000.  How?

There are certainly parts of Detroit that aren't in collapse, especially in the northwest where that's photo's from, even if they're not exactly thriving. For a little stereotype-busting, consider that the total white population of Detroit and that of Tacoma are actually quite similar.
12%*912,000 = 109,000
60%*197,000 = 118,000
Plus of course many blacks aren't in severe poverty.

Thanks -- I knew there are quite a few whites in Detroit, although I had no idea where they were concentrated.  It was the price on that northwestern block that surprised me. Are these $2,000 houses in the less collapsed areas a steal?  Or is "uncollapsed" a relative term?  I can't imagine a Detroit postal address is that toxic.

[Alcon]

I have a question that's probably dumb, but there are no ghettos where I'm from.  This street block looks pretty damn well-kept for a place where several houses are selling for under $2,000.  How?

There are certainly parts of Detroit that aren't in collapse, especially in the northwest where that's photo's from, even if they're not exactly thriving. For a little stereotype-busting, consider that the total white population of Detroit and that of Tacoma are actually quite similar.
12%*912,000 = 109,000
60%*197,000 = 118,000
Plus of course many blacks aren't in severe poverty.

Thanks -- I knew there are quite a few whites in Detroit, although I had no idea where they were concentrated.  It was the price on that northwestern block that surprised me. Are these $2,000 houses in the less collapsed areas a steal?  Or is "uncollapsed" a relative term?  I can't imagine a Detroit postal address is that toxic.

Oh, so the $2000 house is in the same specific area as that photo? Sorry, I thought you meant the city. In which case, I don't really have any idea. Is the property itself abandoned and in disrepair? If so, it might be essentially worthless in a place where houses are so cheap anyway.

Edit: Actually, I think you can see the thing itself by clicking on the link to the left of the picture, and assuming it's that green one, it appears to be a complete dump.

Yep, that one does.  There are a few down the street or elsewhere that look fine and don't mention work needed.  Then again, I suppose when you get down to $2k the whole idea of "as-is" is pretty implicit.

[Alcon]

I guess this is a good occasion to ask another stupid northerner question.  Why is El Paso, despite being right across the river from Ciuadad Juarez, one of the safest big cities in the U.S.?  It's safer than New York, and has a murder rate about half of the national average.

It seems that Mexican communities, when they're not run over with gangs, are pretty astoundingly safe -- more even than whites of similar incomes and community stabilities.  But everyone I've asked about this around here wonders if there's some taboo around reporting crime to account for this, or something.