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my husband got a job in Wayne State University so we are moving from Scotland UK.I am looking for a good school for my 6 yrs old daughter.Which areas are safe and have good school.
my husband got a job in Wayne State University so we are moving from Scotland UK.I am looking for a good school for my 6 yrs old daughter.Which areas are safe and have good school.
To be reasonably assured of good schools and safe areas, you'll have to live outside of the city proper from what I've read here. If you do a quick search of this forum, you'll find many helpful threads on this very subject.
Detroit is a sad, but proud, punch-drunk warrior of a city. There are still buildings and pockets that are certain to impress, but the rubble that abounds will also surprise you. Until you see it for yourself, you won't be able to understand just how devastated and completely laid to waste large parts of the city are right now. I do hope that it bounces back someday, however I doubt that you'll want to live in the city proper in the hopes that you'll get a chance to be part of any renaissance. Other posters familiar with the area are certain to have a few helpful suggestions to offer.
I do wish you the very best of luck with your move and I hope that you'll enjoy your new start in the United States.
Last edited by maclock; 07-06-2010 at 12:41 PM..
Reason: Typo.
Unless you are in one of the Grosse Pointes, you will need to commute form 1/2 hour to 1 hour. a few of the nicer communites to consider are:
*Grosse Ile (south about 35 minutes)
Troy (North)
Birmingham (north expensive)
Bloomfield hills
Berkley
Farmington/Farmington Hills.
Novi
*Northville
South Lyon
*Plymouth
Canton (Plymouth Canton School District only)
*Rochester/Rochester Hills
*Franklin (very expensive).
Slightly less nice/less good schools:
Livonia
*Wyandotte
*Royal Oak (neat adult community, less family/children oriented)
Ferndale.
Southgate
Woodhaven
West Bloomfield
Dearborn (big place - results will vary with location)
*Milford (Has a huge and really terrific metropark)
Brighton
*These are my personal favorites.
I am missing a lot of places that belong ont he top list becasue I am tired. However this should give you a good starting point.
Safe and good schools narrows it down ot about 50 communiites wihtin an hour of Wayne State. You need to narrow down what you want more. Do you like samll towns? Community oriented? New subdivisions? McMansions? Rural? Do you want a place wiht a downtown? A shopping mall? Water? What budget? What commute distance? Are you looking for good, great, or execellent schools? Do you want big school distrcits with loads and loads of programs, or a small distrcit with fewer prorams but people who know each other?
You may want ot start withthe Grosse Pointes. They are close to WSU safe, family orineted and have execellent schools. They are also pretty expensive.
Once you narrow down what you want, look through these threads and look at the community websites and then come visit. Once you have selected three or so possible communities, start looking fo available rentals (assuming that you will rent).
You can also live in downtown Detroit parts of it are ok. The schools are terrible, with a few exceptions like Rennaissance high, and ther are few places where your kids can play safely, no where to shop, etc. However it would be close.
Many thanks for maclock and coldjensens for your very helpful reply.I may need to look closer at schools as mydaughter has mild learning difficulties.
if youhave any info in the context of special need child in detroit and surrounding areas please let me know.many thanks again.you both have been very helpful.
The Berkley school district is among the best in America, the town is very cheap and safe. I'm not sure how they accommodate special needs children, but any home in the Berkley, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Ile, South Lyon, Northville, Canton, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Rochester, Troy, Bloomington, Farmington, Bloomfield etc school district should suit you fine. Metro Detroit has some of America's finest educational institutions at all levels. Just avoid the city proper and some areas like Southfield, Lathrup, and Oak Park (for the schools, if you live in an overlapping school district, these areas are pretty safe and sometimes touch on Berkley and Birmingham district boundaries) and you should enjoy it.
If you are a younger couple (under 40) you would probably LOVE Royal Oak. It's a diverse area targeted at the livelier professional crowd. It'll probably be the closest thing to home for you as it's actually very walkable and enjoyable as opposed to car-centric like most American suburbs.
The Berkley school district is among the best in America, the town is very cheap and safe. I'm not sure how they accommodate special needs children, but any home in the Berkley, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Ile, South Lyon, Northville, Canton, Birmingham, Royal Oak, Rochester, Troy, Bloomington, Farmington, Bloomfield etc school district should suit you fine. Metro Detroit has some of America's finest educational institutions at all levels. Just avoid the city proper and some areas like Southfield, Lathrup, and Oak Park (for the schools, if you live in an overlapping school district, these areas are pretty safe and sometimes touch on Berkley and Birmingham district boundaries) and you should enjoy it.
If you are a younger couple (under 40) you would probably LOVE Royal Oak. It's a diverse area targeted at the livelier professional crowd. It'll probably be the closest thing to home for you as it's actually very walkable and enjoyable as opposed to car-centric like most American suburbs.
Check out Huntington Woods also, it's right next to Royal Oak and Berkley, it's in the excellent Berkley School district and a its filled with young families, there are tons of events for the kids and plenty for the adults as well. It's very friendly, people know their neighbors and take a lot of pride in the neighborhood. I moved in last year and can't believe how great it is. It's unbelievable safe, very little crime. The cops came in minutes when my fiancee' called because a cable salesperson was harassing me (my fiancee overreacted a bit!).
Hi Coldjensens I have looked up quite extensively at Grosse Pointes.If the school's OK it ill be my first choice.However I would like to know What's the differences between GP shores,farms,wood and Grosse pointe itself ? Many Thanks.
I'll let Coldjensens correct me if I'm mistaken, but as I understand it, they are separate municipalities that share the same school district. There are quite a few threads here about these communities. Between those threads and the input of helpful posters like Coldjensens, you won't be stuck for answers.
There are other distinctions, of course, and Coldjensens and others can help you out there. It seems that the further you move away from Detroit, the more the character of the Grosse Pointe communities changes from long-settled suburb with local services and conveniences often within walking distance into something a wee bit more bucolic.
Be mindful of the fact that at the edges of some parts of the Grosse Point communities, you are only a few blocks removed from pockets of Detroit blight. There have been reports of some possible spillover crime at the periphery, mainly petty thievery and burgulary. As these types of crimes happen almost anywhere, I don't know if the reports of such activity being spillover are entirely accurate. While I suspect that they are, you'd have to check the crime section of the local newspaper, ask local cops, or hang out in the local court houses to confirm where the perpetrators who are accused of such crimes do live. By the way, I've found that beat cops can be very helpful sources of information here in the United States when you're moving into a new area, and if you find one, they are normally quite happy to tell you the best bits of a given area to consider for the safety of you and yours.
The Grosse Pointes are seperate communities, but simlar.
They do share schools. Grosse Pointe South High School is considerably better than Grosse Pointe North but both are good schools. (Assuming that I have it right. I think that South is the one that is better).
Each community has its own exlcusive amenties. This mostly consists of a park and/or marina. Admission to these parks requires residency. People from GPP are not admitted to GPF amenties, etc.
The main difference in the various communities as far as I know are the age of the homes/buildings; the comparative wealth of the area and the proximity to various parts of Detroit. They are all upscale communities, but some tend to be slightly more so than others. Keep in mind that these communities are very much squished together and you can cross from one to the other without realizing it unless you notice the street signs. However when you cross from Detroit into the Pointes, it is very noticable. In fact it is incredible. Instant dramatic change.
The pointes used to be very much blue blood/old money families. It was a bit of a snobby place. That has changed in the last 20 years. It is primarily upper middle class families with some middle middle class families and a few apartments housing blue collar types. All of the pointes are very family and very community oriented. There are a few stores and shops scattered about and often within walking distance, but for real serious shopping, you have to go to Eastland mall (icky), or take a long drive to get to nice shopping (usually Somerset in Troy).
When considering the Pointes, be sure to visit the park/marina or other municipal amenties. Other than housing stock and stores, this is the main difference between them. All of them offer execellent police and fire protection. Very walkable neighborhoods, quailty housing, great schools, great municipal services (trash, inspection, code enforcement, etc.).
Persoanlly I am a fan of older homes (pre 1950s and preferably pre 1940). For me that makes Grosse Pointe more attractive. However everyone has different preferences. Spend a bit of time in each community and talk to some residents.
We considered Grosse Pointes for a while, but chose to live elsewhere because a. I wanted waterfront and could not afford it in Grosse Point; b. somone convinced us that it was still snobby (not true - at least most people are not); c. we wanted a more rural atmosphere (woods and open space); and d. it was a bit far from where I thought that I would be working and from the airport. Otherwise it was one of six or eight communities that we found to be ideal. There are a lot of really great communities around here. (our other favorites were Plymouth, Rochester; Northville; Chelsea - way too far away; Ann Arbor - too pricy no water and too far away; Wyandotte - bad schools; and, of course Grosse Ile - I think I may have left something out).
If he is going to be 2-3 days a week in Troy, then you probably want to stay north of Detroit. Troy is a bit of a trek from say Grosse Ile. Ann Arbor would be completely out of the picture for me if I was working in Troy 3 days a week. I find my 35 minute commute almost intolerable.
Most people fall in love with the Grosse Pointes if they visit. The main question is can you afford it? It is pretty expensive.
You may be better off not visiting Grosse Ile. Many people fall in love with Grosse Ile as well (it is completely different than the Grosse Pointes), and it may be too far away and only make you sad that you cannot live there. Troy is about an hour drive from Grosse Ile, maybe a little less.
You cna also look further north. Rochester is terrific for example. However you are a long drive from Flatrock. Even Troy is a long drive to flat rock.
Bloomfield hills is certainly a good place to view homes, if you are thinking of buying one. I am not sure about the schools compared to Grosse Pointe. I certainly agree with coldjensens that a rural waterfront property is good value, and people who have moved have had lot of good things to say. The commute may be a problem.
Good luck with your move!!!
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