Whether you’ve moved to the D from a much bigger city or a small town, or even if you’ve lived here your entire life, Detroit can surprise people. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, but it certainly leaves an impression. 

We asked Reddit to name the biggest culture shocks in moving to the Detroit area. Here are some of the best responses:

“Unbelievably aggressive drivers.” –Old-Macaroon8148 Credit: Photo via The Odyssey
“The love/protective instinct for the community is contagious.” –ellexoxo_07 Credit: Courtesy of The Chip Bag Project
Have a Motor City birthday with free local gifts You can get a free car wash at metro Detroit’s Jax Kar Wash, a free coffee at Biggby, and a free four-square pizza at Buddy’s. All you need to do is sign-up for each rewards program to receive the gifts on your special day. Credit: Courtesy photo
Park in New Center or Midtown and take the QLine City life comes with the major annoyance of parking. While there are a lot of areas of Detroit where finding free parking is easy, it can be difficult downtown on a busy day. So, if you’re getting ready for a concert or other event and want to spend less, you can park further north for as low as $5. The QLine streetcar isn’t always on time, but it can be worth it to use to save some cash. Just be sure to plan ahead. Credit: Steve Neavling
Best Coney (Macomb) Detroit’s Finest Coney Island 25801 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-777-4002 detroitsfinestconeyisland.com Photo courtesy of Detroit’s Finest Coney Island Credit: Courtesy of Detroit’s Finest Coney Island
“Those u-turns aka Michigan Lefts.” –chicagotodetroit Credit: larrysphatpage, Flickr Creative Commons
“How much of a melting pot Detroit/metro Detroit is.” –pH2001- Credit: Instagram, @jmoneyj12
“Architecture. Downtown Detroit has some awesome buildings to look at.” –bustmcnutt Credit: Shutterstock
“The high density of Arabic culture.” –spaghet-erette Credit: Viola Klocko
“The cynicism and sarcasm.” –tkesmitty720 Credit: Jenifer Daniels, Detroit Stock City
The word “soda” It’s pop. Photo courtesy of @faygo Credit: Photo courtesy of @faygo
“Hardcore love of sports. Little ole ladies yelling the F-word at the Lions’ game. Amazing.” –bustmcnutt Credit: Joe Maroon
“Ranch dressing!” –msspider66 Credit: Shutterstock
“How segregated it is.” –stos313 Credit: Shutterstock
“Things are way spread out.” –NPR_is_not_that_bad Credit: Shutterstock
“Urban farming is such a cool thing in the city!” –it-was-justathought Credit: Cody Ross, Detroit Stock City
“The smell of pot is everywhere.” –Old-Macaroon8148 Credit: Mo Williams
“Suburbs being more expensive than the city.” –stos313 Credit: Redfin.com
“Sharp dividing lines of socioeconomic level.” –it-was-justathought Credit: Matt Harmon
“Litter in the city.” –stmije6326 Credit: Shutterstock
“How massive it is. It shocks people when I tell them that if you combine Oakland county with Detroit it’s 2x the pop of Indianapolis even tho it always ranks lower in city size.” –bustmcnutt Credit: Steve Neavling
“We love cars, but have potholes everywhere.” –LetItRaine386 Credit: Michael Jackman
“How many people have never left Michigan.” –stos313 Credit: Detroit Eviction Defense
“The general blight and desolation in much of the city.” –reymiso Credit: Steve Neavling
“I got stabbed there once. Still love the city.” –UsernamesCannotExcee Credit: Shutterstock

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Layla McMurtrie is the digital editor of Detroit Metro Times. She's passionate about art, music, food, and Detroit's culture and community. Her work has been featured in the Detroit Free Press, Between...