A few years ago, I got an assignment from another media outlet to cover various attractions and places of interest in Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding suburbs, which proved to be one of the hardest gigs I've ever encountered. There's not much happening in Detroit -- at least according to the haute parameters of Conde Nast, it turns out. Well, that particular Conde property bit the dust as a result of the Great Recession, and now Detroit is going to be saved from its economic woes as a result of weed.

Forbes trotted out a "Most Toxic" survey, and proudly crowned Atlanta the Queen of Dirty, with Detroit coming in as runner up (can they ever be the best at anything?), and Houston, Chicago, and Philly rounding out the top five. And by "toxic" they don't mean backstabbing and trash talking, so unfortunately they're not referencing NeNe, Kim, Lisa, Kandi, or Sheree. Instead, the survey focuses on air quality and the amount of toxic chemicals released into the water and air in the metro areas. Atlanta takes the top spot because of its dirty immediate neighbors -- Forbes is quick to point the finger at Sandy Springs (holla Sheree!) and Marietta.

If you've ever wanted to be a homeowner, but just can't seem to scrape up the cash to make the down payment, you might want to consider moving to Detroit. Yeah yeah, it's got a high crime rate, and it's kind of depressing to live there, but! you can buy a real home there for only $100 right now. It's not a scam, you'd just be benefitting from other people's foreclosure nightmares. Given the latest round of layoffs at GM, housing prices are the lowest they've been in decades, and several artists are moving in to take advantage of the goods. Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert started the trend by purchasing a depressed-market home. They bought into the north Detroit neighborhood called "BanglaTown," known for its mix of Bangladeshis, African-Americans, Poles, Ukrainians, and the occasional shady character, for only thousands of dollars. Never mind that the place had been stripped of anything valuable -- including the electrical wiring -- they saw value in the home.

Screw government bailouts for automakers. Know what can save Detroit? T-shirts. Since Robert Dempster started printing T-shirts reading "Save Detroit Save America," thousands have been clamoring for his threads. Sounds like the guy can't even leave his house without getting hounded for a shirt, which is a good thing for sales, and great thing for his home town. (Shades of the classic and wildly successful post-Katrina "Defend New Orleans" T-shirt craze.) "Robert has been at a gas station filling his truck when people asked where they can get the shirt ... the bank, retail stores, UAW workers and everywhere," says a press release. "Then they follow him to his store or car to purchase them."

He really does! The native Detroit rocker is giving a little back and partnering with Wayne State University to fund a music scholarship to boost Detroit youth interest in music and, presumably, all things that rock the rust belt. His T-shirt company, "Made in Detroit," is footing the bill and rolling out limited edition tees featuring the MID tag embedded in Wayne State's logo. All the proceeds go to local kids who wanna rock. Why Wayne State? Rolling Stone has named it among the top the schools that rock. Whatever. But give it up for the Kid!

When I tell people I'm from Michigan, I usually do the whole this-is-my-hand-as-Michigan thing and point out where Detroit downtown is, and how far away my prefab suburban hometown is from downtown. And then they sneer at my sheltered upbringing. Despite a staggering crime rate, an incompetent mayor, and a ghetto line of the dingiest bars on the wrong side of 8 Mile, there's a shinier, resilient core of fringe art and pop culture. This other Detroit presents a flipside to the grim wasteland known to those who don't experience the city so much as rush through on their way to Canada. For just one example, take a look at C-Pop.