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‘Nothing left.' After decades of decline, Highland Park fights for a future
- rmason 4y agoThere are two cities that are completely surrounded by Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Both were affected by the decline of Detroit. Hamtramck was an almost entirely Polish enclave that is now populated by mostly Arab immigrants. It was never as dependent upon the auto industry and has fared much better. Hamtramck was wholly dependent on the auto industry with both Ford and Chrysler plants. Chrysler even had their headquarters there until 1996. There was concern over how city leadership would react to this major loss of revenue when Chrysler left. The city leaders kept spending as usual pretending it didn't happen until the city hit a wall and then rapidly declined. Unlike Detroit the city never declared bankruptcy and is carrying crushing debt. As a result there is no high school, no streetlights, a weak police/fire department and the roads are third world quality. In other words it is far worse than Detroit was in 2008.