They live in areas with names, like Corktown, Woodbridge and Mexican Village. They chose the city because the price is right — but it isn’t only about the money. Downtown Detroit is where their friends are, it’s where they work. They like the edgy urban energy that eluded them in the suburbs, and they crave the sense of community created by urban living.

In what looks to some like a reversal of white flight, white people, many young adults, are leaving behind  suburban settings and moving into the city.

Recently released data from the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey indicate the population of non-Hispanic white people living in Detroit jumped a surprising five percentage points from 2008 to 2009 — 8.4 percent to 13.3 percent.

Some argue that the increasing white population numbers may actually be a reflection of a decreasing black population.  The complete 2010 Census numbers will be released in December, and may paint a clearer picture.

But media reports have suggested that the sudden rise in the white population is due to an increase in young white people who are drawn to the city by the relatively inexpensive housing and because they think it is “cool.”

In the aftermath of the recession, young adults from the Midwest are often forced to move elsewhere to look for work.  Cities like New York and Chicago offer job opportunities but rent is costly and often prohibitive.  Detroit, with its cheap rentals, offers an appealing alternative to young people who are looking for an urban experience and willing to take a more alternative approach toward a job search.

Aaron Mondry, 25, a U of M graduate, said that he pays $750 a month for the spacious two bedroom apartment that he shares with a roommate in Midtown, just east of Woodward around the corner from the Majestic Café

Mondry, who lived in Japan and taught English for a year and a half after college before returning to Detroit, said right now  he makes his living playing poker online and at the casinos. He likes the location of his apartment because he can walk to the casinos.

He said that he moved to Detroit after hearing how much his friends loved living there, but also because “the cheap cost of living is definitely an appeal.” Mondry said because the cost of living is so cheap, he doesn’t have to work long hours and has plenty of free time to explore “the strange environment that is Detroit.”

He talked about one event last summer, The Sunday Blues, that was held “in a couple of vacant lots on the east side.”  He said it’s a huge community gathering where people bring their families and bar-b-que, motorcyclists come and “show off” and there’s lots of great blues music.  “Just a weird, wild event,” he said.

Many of Mondry’s friends get involved in community projects. Mondry said that one of his friends worked for Southwest Solutions, which finds low income housing for poor people.  Another worked for Greening of Detroit.  “There’s so many grassroots things going on here which is so wonderful … weird small ventures that are just great to, you know, improving Detroit on a local level. That’s what Detroit is all about these days.”

Mondry said that most people like him who live in the city are somewhere between the ages of 24 and 40. He said his group is racially diverse but that most of his close friends are white.  “It’s Detroit. In every single group there’s going to be a number of black people. ” He said that kind of racial comingling is something that always happens, but in Detroit,” it’s a necessity of living.”

Mondry said that one of the main deterrents to living in Detroit “is obviously crime.”  But, he said some of his friends who have lived downtown for a long time have never encountered any crime at all. He mentions two friends who did get in a “sticky situation” at night when they were drunk and weren’t paying any attention. But he said, you don’t get into trouble “if you just keep your wits about you and don’t do anything dumb.”

He said since he’s been living here, car issues are the only crime element that he’s encountered. “It’s a terrible headache,” he said.

His car was stolen, but it was retuned practically undamaged.  He said the odd thing was, they didn’t even use up all of the gas. “It’s like they just needed to get somewhere.”

When the city repaved the street, the police towed his car. He said they gave him only half-a- day’s notice to move it.  “This speaks to the terrible inefficiency of the city. … I called parking violations bureau and I called the police department and neither had any record of the car. … Eventually it was found,” he said. Mondry said the car had been marked as stolen even though the club was still on the steering wheel.

Mondry has friends all over the city but he doesn’t walk alone at night “unless I’m going to like, across the street to the liquor store, or to Union Street or the Majestic.”  But he said if he needed to walk a mile to visit a friend at night he’d feel safer someone went with him.  He rides his bike almost everywhere. “Biking, I wouldn’t hesitate to go.”

Like Mondry, Blair Nosan also grew up in the suburbs and moved away after college but returned to live in Detroit.

“I knew that I wanted to live in Michigan but I didn’t want to live anywhere that wasn’t an urban center, she said. ” I felt l like Detroit was the last stop for me… I wouldn’t have been happy here if it weren’t more exciting and challenging and different from the way things were when I was growing up.”

She said that more than anything, she has been “inspired and moved” by the community. When she went to college she said she had plenty of friends but never really found a group of friends that she really identified with. In Detroit, she said, she found what she was looking for.  “I was amazed when I moved there, how strong the sense of community was downtown … Detroit is a place that really forces you to interact.”

Nosan said she’s planning to stay in the city. “I feel really committed to the city. I think that the one thing that would lead me to not stay would be not only a lack of success (financially)…but, who knows, if I lost hope or something.”

Mondry said he plans to stay, too, at least for now.

“There’s so much cool stuff going on… You get swept up in it.”