In the Denver, Colorado market these OZONES are in some very interesting areas that are very close (within one mile) to some very vibrant areas. 

Milwaukee is sitting on some of the most affordable housing in the country, is adjacent to one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, has entertainment & food that rivals every major metro, it's sports teams bat way above average for a small market which attracts hundreds of thousands if not millions of people here annually, economic development has been happening at a level unprecedented since the '50s (we are breaking ground on the world's largest mass timber building in June), has a tech ecosystem on the ground floor of attracting major talents with partners from the fortune 500 companies in town... this run-on sentence has gone a bit too long, I'll stop here.If you are looking for the days of the 2% deal, they are over. 

Depending on the size of city (likely not with an ecosystem the size of Dallas) it's not crazy to think they all run into each other from time to time.Anyway, as a Cali out-of-state investors, I think this is all a moot point. 

The neighborhood has some boarded up properties, low rate of home ownership, and a vibrant neighborhood (think lots of people out on their porches during the day).

@Zeng FanWelcome aboard the vibrant BP community.

New job aside, my qualms about the $400/month rent ecosystem aside, you really have to (in my opinion) make an offer based on how the property is performing today.  

The East Side with neighborhoods like College Hill, Hope, Blackstone and Fox Point are great- safe, vibrant and hip.

I'm a long time Brad Sumrok (note, "rok, not "rock") student; he calls it the Eco-System, I like to call it Sumrok University. 

We're going to do a little work to the place and hopefully get some young and vibrant renters in there soon!

It may be absolutely true that there are vibrant neighborhoods in Detroit, and that young people want to live in the city and amenities are following them into certain neighborhoods.