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Detroit has suffered a bad reputation for years now, thanks to its weak economy and mass exodus of residents. "It's a tale of two cities: the one that’s bankrupt and then there’s the one that’s revitalizing its downtown and attracting the 'young and the restless,'" says Lee Fisher of CEOs for Cities. Detroit's downtown is transforming in large part thanks to billionaire and Quicken loans founder Dan Gilbert, who has poured millions into redeveloping the area's commercial real estate, relocating many of his businesses to the area. In 2011, five companies — Quicken Loans, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, Compuware, DTE Energy and Strategic Staffing Solutions — pledged more than $4 million to encourage and aid employees in buying, renting or remodeling homes in the area. It's part of a larger initiative to attract 15,000 young professionals to downtown by 2015, Forbes' Joann Muller says.
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