Those who work and study at Wayne State know Detroit is on the rise. Over the past year, the national media has taken notice, too.

This year, a variety of publications touted the city as a must-visit destination. In October, Lonely Planet, one of the largest travel book publishers in the world, named Detroit the second best city in the world to visit in 2018. Detroit beat out cities in Australia, Germany, Taiwan, Belgium, Italy, Mexico and Norway. It was the “latest national distinction in a growing list of them that officials say adds up to a lot of buzz,” Detroit Free Press reporter Frank Witsil wrote.

“Wayne State University has been in the heart of Detroit for 150 years, so it’s no surprise to us that the buzz is getting louder,” said Michael Wright, vice president of marketing and communications and chief of staff for Wayne State. “Every day, our students and faculty live, learn, work, play and participate in the reinvention of this great American city. Our students live up to the Warrior Strong motto; the same can be said for the city we call home.”

Earlier this year, The New York Times published its list of "52 Places to Go in 2017." Detroit beat out all of the exotic locales — landing ninth on the list, sandwiched between Tijuana, Mexico, and Hamburg, Germany.

Midtown, home of WSU’s 200-acre campus, is also getting into the national spotlight. According to HotSpot Rentals’ recent list of the “25 Hottest Neighborhoods in America,” Midtown made the cut for the first time alongside areas such as Roosevelt Row, Chicago, and the Lower Garden District in New Orleans. The study analyzed cities based on walkability, transit, budget, entertainment, lifestyle and weather.

“Ten years ago, this might have been unthinkable,” said Wayne State Police Chief Anthony Holt. “As someone who has lived and worked in the area for a long time, I could have never imagined the current collaborative environment and to see progress move this fast.”

Much of that success and collaboration can be attributed to Holt and the WSU Police Department. Midtown experienced another year of decreasing crime, a trend that has shown a 62 percent overall decline since 2008. WSUPD currently patrols a 6.5-square-mile radius. Next spring, when the new Mike Ilitch School of Business facility opens in The District Detroit, WSUPD’s coverage area will expand another 2.5 miles.