I need to set a chapter in Dearborn, MI (or possibly another Detroit suburb, but I do like Dearborn) and am just wondering if anyone can give me a better sense of life in the city than the stats I can get from wikipedia. Any help with the following questions (or any other details you can think to add) would be greatly appreciated!
- If people in town work in the auto industry, would they tend to work for Ford, or do many work for GM and Chrysler as well?
- Any idea what time the evening shift change occurs at the Ford plant? Would you see a significant increase in traffic around 11 pm or whenever that shift change occurs?
- What name do locals give to the University of Michigan in casual conversation? Do you call it Uof M, or something else? Would you use a different name to refer to the Dearborn campus vs the one in Ann Arbor?
- My character frequents a cafe late in the evening, just before closing time. Usually there aren't many other customers when he's there. I imagine the cafe closes around 11 or so. What would be a good neighborhood to locate this cafe? Would it be in a mall or plaza, or in sort of a downtown area? Or are there lots of cafes like that? It's either a Starbucks or an independent cafe (not Dunkin Donuts).
- Does anyone have any knowledge about working at the Henry Ford Museum? I think I'd like my character to work there - maybe as a security guard or else doing maintenance/upkeep work. But I'm open to other interesting places where a character can work a lonely night shift around Dearborn. (not working on a line).
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Mayo 16, 2008 - 00 28
Also: Can you see the towers or the smog of Detroit from anywhere in Dearborn?
6,132 / 50,000
Mayo 16, 2008 - 19 35
I can't help much re: Dearborn, but "U of M" is a very common nickname for the unversity. Ann Arbor is often referred to as "A squared" or "Ace deuce," which is also sometimes synonymous with the U of Michigan, but wouldn't apply in the Dearborn case. And, whether or not it's true, Ann Arbor Wolverines generally don't think U of M Dearborn and Flint are quite up to par as the main university.
Also, I think there is a significant percentage of the Dearborn population that is of Middle Eastern descent. And the auto industry is slowly failing, so that could come up as well.