I live in Baltimore, which is only a notch above Detroit in people's minds (we're talking perceptions here...). I work remotely and can afford to live a life I'd only dream about in Brooklyn, NY: Great apartment, great neighborhood, and enough disposable income left over for travel and other activities.
The nice thing about owning a reasonably sized home is that I have a pretty decent home office setup when I need to WFH. I can segregate it from my 'play' area enough so I don't feel like I'm constantly on the clock.
Baltimore seems like a great place. Plus you have the advantage to ultra-commute to DC if you need to.
sure, a cheap cost of living can be had anywhere in the world. but I think it's unique in a 4 million+ person metro area in the united states. Especially with the history and architecture that Detroit has.
SF is a cartoon world. Yes salaries are less here, but I feel so much more at ease owning my place and can live a pretty comfortable life.
If worst comes to worst, there is always remote work.