Population: 79,735
Median home price: $70,000
Median household income: $36,194
A little about Flint: Flint is synonyms with its water crisis. When the city began sourcing from the Flint River, the distribution pipes started corroding and leaching lead into the water supply. It’s been over a decade since the switch, and some pipes still need replacing and people remain sick from years of drinking contaminated water, The Guardian reported last year.
At the time, the City of Flint said in a statement that it had significantly upgraded its monitoring and infrastructure. Though its water meets federal standards for lead levels, they stated that “no amount of lead in water is safe.”
Like Detroit, which is less than 70 miles southeast, Flint relied heavily on the auto industry in the past. In the summer, residents and visitors celebrate this history with the “Back to the Bricks” classic car event. Today, fast-food chains YaYa’s Chicken and Big John Steak & Onion both have ties to the city.
Sources: Population and income data are from the US Census, and median home prices are from Realtor.com.