I was born and raised in Pontiac. Most of my family worked at Pontiac Motors back in the day. The city has been in decline since the mid 80’s with the loss of jobs at GM. Pontiac is just another GM boom-bust ghost town along the I-75 corridor, with the likes of Flint, Lansing, Saginaw, and Bay City. I left there a long time ago, and never looked back.
My dad, now in his 70’s, worked at the Mud Farm. He was born and raised in Pontiac (both my grandfathers worked for Pontiac and Fisher Body)’ graduated from Pontiac Northern, and remembers when The Mall went in. He describes a city I couldn’t even imagine. Maybe that’s why I grew up in Lake Orion and later, Clarkston.
Money isn’t the problem. It never is. But it’s easier to blame poverty than the real reasons for the decline.