DETROIT, Michigan
Population: 688,701
Unemployment: 7.7 percent
Top University: Wayne State University
Many residents say they haven’t seen this kind of energy in Detroit for decades. TechTown is an internationally recognized urban research and tech business park that brings together entrepreneurs with investors and service providers. The city’s first “innovation district” allows leading-edge institutions and companies to cluster and connect with start-up talent and numerous incubators and accelerators. That energy has attracted businesses such as Quicken Loans and Rock Ventures back into downtown while drawing manufacturing interests into midtown.