Where to live in Oakland Co. MI...Royal Oak, Ferndale, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Brighton etc. (Detroit: low crime, house)

[Mimi24]

My husband and I are 29 and 30 with two kids, looking to possibly move to the metro-Detroit area including any cities I didn't name. We'd like to live in a city that:

1) has low crime.
2) is family friendly (i.e. NOT a good town for singles).
3) is not too artsy or liberal.
4) is more age 30's friendly vs. age 20's.
5) is not terribly stuck-up.
6) we could buy a 3 bed. home for under 225K in a decent part of town.

Suggestions? Comparisons between cities? If it were you, which city would you choose?

Many many thanks in advance!

[Cato the Elder]

If I read you correctly, it sounds like you want Pleasantville suburbia. Without more specifics, I would suggest Troy. By crime, I assume you mean blue-collar crime, so this would rule out anything too close to the city for most people, like Ferndale. If family-friendly means bad for singles for you, I would probably rule out Royal Oak, though much of it is family friendly. Not too artsy or liberal - this probably rules out Berkley. Not stuck-up? You just ruled out Birmingham, Bloomfield, and maybe Brighton.

[motown mary]

You need to look into Clawson. It is not artsy, snobby, too much for singles or too expensive. It is up & coming and unlike Troy, it has a downtown & a very small town feel. Schools are the best in SE Oakland County...the Detroit Free Press actually did a story on Clawson Schools because they're so effective for a school district of that size.
Many families in Clawson, many younger kids whose parents moved here as newlyweds & now have 2-3 kids & a dog. Very cozy place to be.

[maja]

Check out Farmington Hills or West Bloomfield as options also.

[dmetro]

Lake Orion, Clarkston and Oxford should also fit the bill. They're newer, mid-priced, safe, clean, upper-middle class yet not snooty, suburbs with a suburban/rural feel. Not to mention that they all have nationally acclaimed schools, excellent shopping centers, and proximity to I-75 and places of employment. They're also very family friendly and conservative, which I think you're looking for.

[Mimi24]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

If I read you correctly, it sounds like you want Pleasantville suburbia.

Yes. That is exactly what I want.

[maja]

Oh, I love Clarkston! Charming community.

[Mimi24]

Would love more suggestions!

[jonjj]

It sounds like you would love anyplace boring and mundane. Most of Detroit's suburbs fit that bill so you should have no problem.

[northernguy1960]

Brighton is actually in Livingston County, not Oakland, and a bit further out than the other cities that you are considering. If you don't mind going out as far as Brighton, you could go one more town and check out Howell.

Howell is the county seat of Livingston County and it meets all of your criteria. The under $225,000 for a nice 3 bedroom home has only been possible since the building bust, but you can find them in that price range nowadays. (We sold a 2000 sq. ft. 3 bedroom house on an acre just outside of the city limits for $204,500 earlier this year to relocate, and I'm sure it would sell for even less now)

Crime is low, and it is a family oriented town that is conservative politically.

I liked the town better when I was growing up in the '70's and it was a small farm town, but a lot of people like it how it is today because you've got a more traditional downtown with beautiful older buildings with an outside strip of all the box stores and restaurants.

It's convenient for commuting as well, being geographically a hub between Lansing, Detroit, Jackson, Ann Arbor, etc.

One more suggestion, anyway

Jeri