Best & Worse Cities in the Metro Detroit area (Warren: to rent, lofts)
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Best and worst are subjective value measurements. Most people agree crime = bad. Increasing Value = Good. However, we as individual vary in how we value the various components of property value. Fortunately, the is an accurate way to measure the societal value of property. It is called price. While you may disagree about the "value" of a historic neighborhood or of living in a diverse community or having a long commute, there exists an equilibrium assessment of whether your comparative assessment reflects reality- What will the propertywill sell for. Any discussion of say, why Detroit property is undervalued, is really discussing how your values differ from the Norm. Its fine to try and convert others to your value system, but arguing about subjective values generally isnt a good way to convert someone.
i'm not trying to convince him to move out here lol or that where i live is the best place in the world. if i had the money i wanted, i'd be either in the hills or south beach, or the upper east side, draped in armani, prada. Man, I'd buy out all the italian fashion! I'm not saying the hoods I live are the most desirable but they are livable..
for people to bash them as dangerous, hell holes, ghettos, crime ridden. Now that's just uniformed. And that's what retroit get's upset about when people talk about eastpointe. not that eastpointe isn't as fancy or what. that it's not livable. i get upset too.
i'm not trying to convince him to move out here lol or that where i live is the best place in the world. if i had the money i wanted, i'd be either in the hills or south beach, or the upper east side, draped in armani, prada. Man, I'd buy out all the italian fashion! I'm not saying the hoods I live are the most desirable but they are livable..
for people to bash them as dangerous, hell holes, ghettos, crime ridden. Now that's just uniformed. And that's what retroit get's upset about when people talk about eastpointe. not that eastpointe isn't as fancy or what. that it's not livable. i get upset too.
I agree. I don't think anyone aspires to live in Eastpointe or Roseville or even Warren. But the people who live there do enjoy it and call it home. No one aspires to live in a 2 bedroom 1940s tract home, but some people do and they're okay with it. Not everyone aspires to have the biggest house or even the newest house but they have what makes them comfortable. Different strokes for different folks basically and Metro Detroit provides for as many as it can at different incomes and priorities.
I think the problem comes from where people try to tell people where to live based on their own values rather than what the other person may be looking for or is comfortable with or even what they can afford. To use another cliche, they just really think that everything is black-and-white when it never really is.
I think the problem comes from where people try to tell people where to live based on their own values rather than what the other person may be looking for or is comfortable with or even what they can afford. To use another cliche, they just really think that everything is black-and-white when it never really is.
As a MARRIED man who has just Suffered through the process of moving, I can testify to the truth of your statement brother! My wife and I became empty nesters and decided it was time to downsize. I started our house search looking for a little one story two bedroom condo. Like most people, we were taking a bath on our house, so I figured buy a cheap condo and put the extra 150k into the bank for retirement. I was thinking Royal Oak because I like the old "town" feel and the short commute. My wife had slightly different ideas. I never knew what hit me. Somehow, I am writing this message from a brand new 2800 sq ft two story house in Lyon township, which by the time I am done, will cost more than our old house. My commute is tripled. Just have to keep reciting "Happy wife, Happy life!"
As a MARRIED man who has just Suffered through the process of moving, I can testify to the truth of your statement brother! My wife and I became empty nesters and decided it was time to downsize. I started our house search looking for a little one story two bedroom condo. Like most people, we were taking a bath on our house, so I figured buy a cheap condo and put the extra 150k into the bank for retirement. I was thinking Royal Oak because I like the old "town" feel and the short commute. My wife had slightly different ideas. I never knew what hit me. Somehow, I am writing this message from a brand new 2800 sq ft two story house in Lyon township, which by the time I am done, will cost more than our old house. My commute is tripled. Just have to keep reciting "Happy wife, Happy life!"
Lol, I was thinking more along the lines of dictating people where to live that you had no connections with whatsoever, but your example works as well. Tough spot to be in though. I don't envy you at all.
There's a video I've seen where the couple went exactly what you went through but they ended up in a condo in Detroit. And while they don't mention it in the video, the condos are pretty cheap compared to newer built ones in the suburbs. And it also isn't one floor but look at the views you get!
that's all mkrajenke did. she went about listing what areas of the metro she felt were good and bad. yours ended up being bad as did mine.
my neighborhood isn't on your good list either. so what do you think of morningside? what do you think about 7 mile near pershing high? how about the north end? all places i lived and while not very pretty, they still have blocks or half blocks of maintained housing.
I'm not impressed by Morningside anymore. Audubon, sure, Courville, maybe, but the rest of it is not what it was even a few years ago. EEV is looking a bit worse for wear in places, too. Makes me a bit sad to see this because that is a great housing stock.
Certain brick areas near Pershing: I know what you're talking about- some of it looks okay, but the surrounding areas are lousy. Nice brick houses and you wouldn't expect that around there. Joseph Campau around McNichols comes to mind. I'm not sure if it's a safe area (guessing not) but the housing stock is a bit on the suburban side in places. My friend's father graduated from Pershing in the late 50s and he claims the school was hell on earth even then. Going further east, there's some nice-ish stuff around Outer Drive (and around 7 Mile) and Van Dyke, too, but again, islands of nice stuff within walking distance of the Third World. There's also some random all brick areas just south of Eight Mile here and there on the west side.
South of Eight Mile immediately south of Eastpointe (previously mentioned by Retroit): Wasn't that bad even just a few years ago. Some blocks are virtually identical to Eastpointe, except there are more bars on the windows (uncommon in Eastpointe, though there's one on Sprenger that has bars on the second floor- security doors are now common, though) and the streets are much better lit. Blight is creeping into the Detroit side, though, and who knows if it will remain okay.
that's all mkrajenke did. she went about listing what areas of the metro she felt were good and bad. yours ended up being bad as did mine.
my neighborhood isn't on your good list either. so what do you think of morningside? what do you think about 7 mile near pershing high? how about the north end? all places i lived and while not very pretty, they still have blocks or half blocks of maintained housing.
That's true. Those are among the nicer areas. I guess it depends on what you are comparing them to. To most of Detroit, they are pretty nice. To most of the suburbs, they are sub-standard. To a lower- income black person, I guess they would be adequate. I confess I am guilty of being a little subjective when someone comes on the forum and asks about neighborhoods/suburbs. I assume they are like myself: middle-income white person and I answer accordingly, unless they specify differently. Therefore, I would have no qualms about recommending the inner ring suburbs. There is a wide diversity in quality of homes to suit just about everyone, yet all very affordable. And the neighborhoods are all intact and fairly safe.
Hazel Park : north of 9 mile is alright but south is bad because it borders Detroit. Hazel Park is mainly a blue color community that is small and close-knit and has a reputation for southern people or rednecks living in it.
I actually beg to differ it's now been two months I've been living in Hazel Park with no issues. It is actually very quiet around here, minus the fireworks... which I can understand it is a very patritic time of the year but other than fireworks, there is not a problem with barking dogs, no gun shots, people are not usually yelling if they are it is usually small children. I have even left my car doors unlocked on accident multiple times and nobody has tried to get inside, it is parked on the street. And there are a few Southern people you will meet around but Southern does not always mean bad and I would not call them rednecks, when you think of rednecks you think of confederacy flags and slobs with alcoholism and I have not seen any of that.
So I would not really say it is bad, I think some people are just intimidated by the city because it is more urban... not like urban like people shooting guns but I mean like the houses are smaller and closer together, less room to park on the streets, older houses and everything of that. I actually think it has a nice vibe to it (as in Ferndale they say ) and I have done some driving in my past two months in the US and in Detroit area and I prefer the urban Hazel Park houses to the brick neighborhoods in Warren and the new houses out in Troy/Farmington Hills and those areas.
So I really do hope this post changes peoples minds about Hazel Park and Ferndale as well because Ferndale is also the same.. I guess it all depends on what it is you like, if you like bigger lots or newer houses then yes this is a good list for you but I think it is unfair how places similar to Hazelpark/Ferndale are on the other side of list just because of small things - Royal Oaks downtown, Berkley's churches (which by the way Hazel Park has very many churches).
South Warren I can very much agree with though, in South Warren there are many old trailer parks. Pontiac I can agree with too, as I had driven up to Pontiac to take care of some things at the county building and I took Huron through downtown and back to I-75 thinking it was going to be a nice area and there were some nice big old houses but there were alot of boarded up buildings.. I would not say it's a very good area... east of Downtown looked 100 times worse than west too. Probably not somewhere I will be looking for a house in lol.
Anyway I am just asking the people reading this post and the OP to rethink your view on Hazel Park... it is not all poor, there is not a big drug problem, it is not loud. There are some southern people but I would not call them rednecks, the southern people I have seen actually seemed very polite. The houses are very small and very close together but at the same time that makes it easier to meet your neighbors, I met my neighbor on one side just walking out to my car...
(Edit: Wow that is the longest post I've ever written in my life! )
And while they don't mention it in the video, the condos are pretty cheap compared to newer built ones in the suburbs.
Yes, but you've got to add in city income tax to the price. For us, that adds about $625 a month. When you add the double/triple millage on the property tax. You have to figure an extra $275 per month. Add another $100 per month for insurance. Thats the equivant of an extra $225,000 in the price. Thats more than the total I originally planned on spending. This is really what is killing Detroit. We are well off, no kids needing schools (Frankly, I'd never consider Detroit with school age kids), Detroit centered and like the urban lifestyle. EUPPIES (elderly urban professionals) like us are who Detroit needs. Ignoring Crime, race, resale and every other possible negative stereotype about Detroit, the taxes alone drive us towards the suburbs.
If you want to renew Detroit, one of two things has to happen. Either the state subsidizes the city so they can lower taxes and be competitive, or the tax rates in the region have to raised match Detroit. I don't see either ever happening
Yes, but you've got to add in city income tax to the price. For us, that adds about $625 a month. When you add the double/triple millage on the property tax. You have to figure an extra $275 per month. Add another $100 per month for insurance. Thats the equivant of an extra $225,000 in the price. Thats more than the total I originally planned on spending. This is really what is killing Detroit. We are well off, no kids needing schools (Frankly, I'd never consider Detroit with school age kids), Detroit centered and like the urban lifestyle. EUPPIES (elderly urban professionals) like us are who Detroit needs. Ignoring Crime, race, resale and every other possible negative stereotype about Detroit, the taxes alone drive us towards the suburbs.
If you want to renew Detroit, one of two things has to happen. Either the state subsidizes the city so they can lower taxes and be competitive, or the tax rates in the region have to raised match Detroit. I don't see either ever happening
Yea, that's always the kicker when it comes in to factoring living in Detroit. I mean, it technically still is a big city in terms of infrastructure. So it still has big city taxes. They've subsidized on the small scale for retail and renovations, but definitely no way around the taxes unless Detroit consolidated with the tri-county area (might as well suggest something impossible).
Though, realistically, they could give up some things to the surrounding communities. That would seem impossible but I think it has more to do with pride and politics rather than economics and practicality.
glad you liked hazel park mihai remember all the guys who advised against it and how wrong they are.
pontiac, you may find yourself in for some night clubs if that's your thing. but i'd never live in pontiac because it's way on the edge of the metro and far from everything else. But other than population loss, and some boarded up buildings pontiac isn't bad. you won't hear gunshots at night either.
but did you check out hamtramck yet? it has an eastern european enclave as well as grocery stores. it's also very diverse. You may come to love that place
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) and I have done some driving in my past two months in the US and in Detroit area and I prefer the urban Hazel Park houses to the brick neighborhoods in Warren and the new houses out in Troy/Farmington Hills and those areas.
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remember all the guys who advised against it and how wrong they are.
