Detroit is a damn complicated place. Thank goodness there's a slew of talented local bloggers toiling away at their computers to help us deepen our understanding of this unusual American city. Do yourself a favor and read what they have to say. Here's my (by no means comprehensive) list of great local blogs you need to be reading:

Data and Maps

Lovers of maps (cartophiles?) need to follow Detroitography, a blog "featuring and creating great maps of Detroit." Explore the

GooBing is the act of comparing images of the same location with Google Street View and Bing Maps. When GooBing Detroit first hit the Internet, most Google Street View images were taken c. 2009, while most Bing Maps images were taken c. 2012. When presented side-by-side, the images reveal the (often dramatic) transformations experienced by Detroit locations over three short years. Thanks to the release of

A creation of

Sports

Fifteen years after the final Tigers game was played at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Corktown, the Detroit Athletic Co., located a block away from the old Tiger Stadium site, endures as the premier location in the city to buy local sports apparel and memorabilia. It also happens to run a kickass blog featuring nuanced stories about contemporary Detroit teams (Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons) and articles about days of yore in Detroit sports, such as

News and Commentary

Aaron Foley Jalopnik Detroit is a car blog...sort of.

Not being a car guy, I prefer posts like

There is no ambivalence about this site. You love it or you hate it. Dedicated to investigative journalism, Muckraker goes places where major media outlets fear to tread. MCMR founder Steve Neavling's coverage of the barn blockade on Kercheval at the Detroit/Grosse Pointe Park border has raised the region's consciousness of modern forms of segregation. His coverage of fires and arson in Detroit have alerted the public to the struggles of the Detroit Fire Department. This is a must-follow blog.

Check out his simple but powerful

Still in beta stage, Detroit 143 is an ambitious project that serves as "an online resource that reports on community efforts to rebuild the city." Focusing initially on Southwest Detroit, Detroit 143 has plans to expand its coverage to all of Detroit's 143 square miles. Currently, the site "relies on such tools as Twitter, Instagram (hashtags #trueSWdetroit and #atcafeconleche), Facebook, SeeClickFix and Fliptu to enlist residents in documenting neighborhood needs and achievements." Funded by large grants from the Knight and Kresge foundations, this site is one to watch as it grows. Could it create a new paradigm for local journalism? We'll see.

A collaborative project of

Oral History

Donna Jackson The experiences of Detroiters are often overlooked in media coverage of Detroit's financial and political challenges. That's why designer and artist

History

A painstakingly researched blog, Corktown History gives us the backstory of the streets, lots, and buildings of "Detroit's oldest neighborhood." Particularly pleasurable reads include

Did you know that Wayne State University's Department of Anthropology has programs that focus on urban archaeology? Pretty cool, right? Did you know that that department also has a wonderful blog that focuses on collections-based archaeological research at Wayne State? Well, now you do.

Visit Unearthing Detroit and explore WSU's Department of Anthropology's collections at the

"Every building has a story." That's the motto of Historic Detroit, a site that serves as a database of the stories behind many of Detroit's notable historic structures -- those standing and those that are long gone. Well-researched and driven by passion, Historic Detroit is a great local history resource.

You may know "The Night Train" as a classic R&B

The Detroit Aesthetic

You've seen them everywhere, but have you really

This blog features images of things found in Detroit's public spaces -- statues, signs, plaques, murals, graffiti, vistas, streetscapes, and more. Simple yet exploratory, Down I-94 is a fresh perspective on the city. You're invited

Arts, Culture, and Lifestyle

Detroit Grams is a blog that looks like a magazine -- a self-described "never-ending ethnography of Detroit’s past, present and future." New issues of Detroit Grams come out about once per quarter. They are well worth the wait, featuring beautiful photography and great stories about unique people and places in Detroit.

The Last Supper Table is an art project of

Abir Ali and Andre Sandifer

Since 2004 (was blogging even a thing back then?), Motor City Blog has been publicizing music and art happenings in and around Detroit, serving as a resource for local artists and culture seekers alike. Next time you're looking for something to do in Motown, check out MCB. It's also fun to click through the archives for snapshots of the changing Zeitgeist of Detroit's music and arts scenes.

The Built Environment

This Instagram photo blog, created and populated by Detroit photographer and cinematographer

Perhaps the most exciting historic restoration project in Detroit, the Grand Army of the Republic Building -- a castle-like structure that once served as a clubhouse for Detroit veterans of the Union Army -- will soon re-open for the first time in decades. Once renovations are complete, the building will house the offices of

The El Moore is poised to be the city's greenest apartment building when the folks behind the

Ever thought about fixing up a home in one of Detroit's historic neighborhoods? Maybe you should read

Detroit Urbex (short for 'urban exploration') is mind blowing, plain and simple. The site examines the past, present, and future of the city with historical and contemporary photos that document the city's continual transformation. Dismissing the 'ruin porn' label, Detroit Urbex claims, "The goal of this website is not to aestheticize ruins, but to document them. That’s why we focus on historic photos, facts, and narratives about these locations."

Detroit Urbex's