This Michigan City Takes Lead as ‘Neediest’ City in America

Many cities across America grapple with a range of economic and social challenges, spanning from hunger and poverty to homelessness. As part of an analysis following their study on the most charitable states, WalletHub, a financial advisor website, assessed over 180 U.S. cities. The report took into account 28 indicators of economic disadvantages, including child poverty, food insecurity, and uninsured states, to identify the neediest cities.

Claiming the top spot for the most pressing challenges is Detroit. The ranking primarily attributes this to the city’s 8.3% unemployment rate, the highest in the country. Additionally, Detroit contends with the second-highest adult poverty rate and the third-highest child poverty rate nationally, with over a quarter of adults and nearly half of children living below the poverty line. Despite its significant role in the auto industry, the study reveals that Detroit's residents face considerable challenges.

The ranking highlights that Detroit's challenges extend beyond financial concerns, with safety issues, including the second-highest violent crime rate per 1,000 residents, contributing to one of the highest overall crime rates.

Following closely is Brownsville, Texas, with education disparities identified as a significant contributing factor. The report reveals that 32% of Brownsville's population aged 25 and above never graduated high school. Additionally, the city faces challenges related to a lack of access to continued education online, ranking first in households lacking a computer and broadband internet connection.

Securing the third spot is Fresno, California, mainly due to it having the highest homelessness rate in the nation. Unfortunately, the situation for Fresno's homeless population is exacerbated by stringent laws against begging, loitering, and sleeping in public places, as mentioned in the study.

WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe underscores the multifaceted nature of a city's neediness, stating, "When most people hear the word ‘needy,’ they immediately think about physical needs like food, healthcare, and shelter. Many other factors that can contribute to a city’s neediness aren’t immediately obvious. Cities also need to address problems like school dropout rates, lack of access to quality internet, overcrowding in housing units, poor mental health, and more."

You can check out the full report here for a detailed list of other cities that made the rankings.

Festivals give people the feeling of joy. It's a chance for festival goers to get together, celebrate life and create memories. They even promote a sense of community pride.

Michigan has a lot to offer when it comes to festivals. Maybe, it's because Michigan has a lot to celebrate, like live music, beer, and food. Some festivals in Michigan focus on what some might find odd or unusual. From asparagus, bacon, and baby food to cereal Elvis and bologna.

If you have room on your festival bucket list, you may want to add these unique Michigan festivals.

Here’s a list of 15 unique Michigan festivals you need to check out.

This unique festival is located near Sleeping Bear Dunes in Empire. It has been happening since 1974. Featuring food and drink vendors, a display of the season’s largest asparagus, the crowning of an asparagus queen, and even an asparagus poetry contest. The Empire Asparagus Festival is scheduled for June 3.

There are two festivals in Michigan that celebrate asparagus. This National Festival is in Hart, which is in Oceana County. National Asparagus Festival is the longest-running asparagus festival in the country and 2023 marks the 50th festival. It takes place this year on June 20.

Battle Creek is the home of the Kellogg’s brand and the National Cereal Festival. The festival features a variety of entertainment; live music, children’s activities, inflatables, and free cereal for attendees. This year’s event will take place on June 10.

The Outhouse Classic is a unique twist on outhouses. They are made of wood, crates, cardboard, and other items, put on skis, and then raced down Main Street by a pair of runners. Prizes are given in different categories to the teams with the best times. This event happens February annually in Trenary, Michigan.

This 3-day festival takes place in Yale, located in St. Clair County. The Yale Bologna Festival has been a tradition since 1989. The festival includes outhouses races, a street dance, fireworks, and a parade down Main Street. The 33^rd Yale Bologna Festival will take place this year July 28 through July 30.

Elvis Fest is a celebration of all things Elvis. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll fans can see Elvis impersonators, dance to classic songs, and enjoy beer and food. This year’s venue will be the Wayne County Fairgrounds, Belleville on July 7 and July 8.

This one-day festival is for those who love bacon. Michigan Bacon Festival has everything from bacon mac and cheese, bacon beer, to bacon donuts. The festival will take place on July 30 at Jackson Field in Lansing.

Beautiful works of art from hundreds of pounds of scrap is created and displayed at Old Town Scrapfest in Lansing. The festival began as a scrap metal artwork competition and has grown into a full art festival that focuses on up-cycled and repurposed artwork. It has a scrap metal sculpture competition, eco-art booth vendors, family activities, live music, and food. Scrapfest is scheduled for July 14 and July 15.

This one-day Ukulele festival takes place in East Lansing. It features workshops, lessons, and performances.

The national headquarters of Gerber Products Company is in Michigan. So, it makes sense that the state has a National Baby Food Festival in Fremont. It’s a celebration of baby health and nutrition. The festival features a baby crawl, a baby food-eating contest, a farmer’s market, a car show, and more. The weeklong event takes place annually the third week of July. The next National Baby Food Festival is happening on July 19 through July 22.

More than 50,000 people travel to New Baltimore for Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival. The festival has live entertainment, a Miss Bay-Rama Queens Pageant, fireworks, a parade, and kids day. The weeklong event is happening June 21 through June 25.

Festival of the Forks is held in downtown Albion. It doesn’t celebrate forks. It’s a celebration of Albion’s food, music, diversity, healthy habits. This event will take place on the third weekend in September, the 15th through the 16th.

The Wizard of Oz Festival in Ionia allows attendees to dress up like your favorite character and participate in arts and crafts, photo opportunities, a 5K race, movie screenings and more. According to the event Facebook page. It is scheduled for September 23, 2023.

Gizzard Festival in Potterville is scheduled for June 8, 9, and 10 this year. Attendees can enter the gizzard eating contest, play in the corn hole tournament, or take line dancing lessons. The festival will also host its second annual Gizzard Fest Pageant.

This two-day festival in August celebrates the mushrooms that grow in the community. Specifically, the 38-acre humongous fungus that was discovered nearly three decades ago. The Humongous Fungus Festival in Crystal Falls features food from local vendors, craft vendors, a mushroom cookoff, and guided walks identifying different types of mushrooms. This festival is scheduled for August 25 and August 26.