They’ve been leaving Detroit for a long time. Its one of the factors that is driving Michigan rightward.
That’s good news; I always wondered why people would want to be poor in cold cities when it is probably much more comfortable in the South. I know it is all about the freebies, but even so the cold stinks (I hate winter more with every passing year).
If I lost everything I would get onto 95 south and grub rides until I reached an area where one could sleep comfortably under a bridge in wintertime...