Downtown/Wayne State area safe? (Detroit, Ann Arbor: home, rent, lease)

[annelotte]

My dad is looking to move to Detroit and he is looking at renting an apartment somewhere between Ford Field/CoAmerica and the Wayne State campus. He hopes to do a lot of walking in the area and walk to work at both Wayne State's campus and Detroit Medical Center. My sister from Ann Arbor says she is worried that it won't be a safe area for him to walk alone. Does anyone know about the safety of this area?

Also, he eventually wants to buy a place in the area - what areas are up and coming and would be a good investment?

Thanks for your help!

[Lola Granola]

Safe compared to what? It's safer than the projects/"Little Saigon" area... but it's not safe like the outer suburbs.

Don't buy there.

[sarahlizz3]

I lived just south of Wayne State for about 3 years while I was a student there (and for a year after), and that is a hard question to answer. There is crime around there, but I found I had more of a problem with schizophrenics that had been released from Detroit receiving. You can't really argue with someone (or plead for that matter) when they tell you Satan is coming out of your head.

However, with that being said, I never was accosted or mugged the entire time I was living down there - only frightened a few times. I was 21 years olds and am white and only 5'3" and I regularly walked home alone in the middle of the night (I worked late). So in that sense, you really are as safe in that area as you would be in any other big city (as it is generally not seen as a good idea to walk home alone as a female in the middle of the night in any city). I never ran into any problems other than crazy homeless people, and if you pay attention to your surroundings you can generally avoid them. I did carry pepper spray, but never used it.

I also want to mention that other people I was friends with were not so lucky, I had one friend down there that was car jacked 4 times, twice at the same gas station. I believe your attitude and presence has much to do with it - if you look like an easy weak target you will have a much rougher time. Simply being male, your dad will have an easier time :-)

The closer he can stay to Wayne State, the better as those areas are patrolled by Wayne State Police and are generally much safer. Within 4 blocks is generally good. It gets a bit shady once you move south of Canfield, but also things have been changing for the better since I lived down there. I still spend alot of time down there and there are some really nice lofts going up in the area.

[TheProf]

I never lived there, but last year had a girlfriend who worked at Wayne and we spent a lot of time dining and shopping in that area (she lives in downtown Detroit). My sense is there are more petty crimes in the area -- minor theft, car break-ins and the lot, but not a lot of the heavy duty stuff. Sarahlizz is right, the immediate perimeter of Wayne is well patrolled by campus cops. Also, the more retail and residential units go up -- like the mixed-use unit that went up roughly a year or so ago @ Mack & Woodward solidify the entire corridor. And of course we know that the pro sports venues and the Fox, et. al theaters continue to draw in folks from the entire region.... My guess is that your dad would be OK.

[ranman469]

i worked on a project for 1 year down town next to the DIA.
in that 1 year, my truck was robed 3 times. yes it had a alarm. on time in a guarded locked parking garage.
there was 2 killings during the day. one was a handicaped vet in a wheelchair, as he got off of a city bus, the other a vet who returned from irac, survived the war but died in detroit, he was walking on the sidewalk and was shot and killed.
one post said shopping?? where? where do you by food.
we would go to mc donalds for lunch and would be hit up by bums in the store. so many people just sitting on the streets doing nothing.
i was happy when i did not have to go there anymore.
i`m not typeing this to bash onyl to give you my opion.

[jeffncandace]

I'll add that I've usually felt safe in the area in question, although there seems to be an abundance of insane homeless people that really needs to be dealt with. Sometimes they can harrass you and it can get scary...but besides that it's generally a safe area, at least in comparison to most of the rest of Detroit!

[Slappy san]

Originally Posted by ranman469

i worked on a project for 1 year down town next to the DIA.
in that 1 year, my truck was robed 3 times. yes it had a alarm. on time in a guarded locked parking garage.
there was 2 killings during the day. one was a handicaped vet in a wheelchair, as he got off of a city bus, the other a vet who returned from irac, survived the war but died in detroit, he was walking on the sidewalk and was shot and killed.
one post said shopping?? where? where do you by food.
we would go to mc donalds for lunch and would be hit up by bums in the store. so many people just sitting on the streets doing nothing.
i was happy when i did not have to go there anymore.
i`m not typeing this to bash onyl to give you my opion.

There's the University Market which is across the freeway from Wayne State.

[Slappy san]

Originally Posted by annelotte

My dad is looking to move to Detroit and he is looking at renting an apartment somewhere between Ford Field/CoAmerica and the Wayne State campus. He hopes to do a lot of walking in the area and walk to work at both Wayne State's campus and Detroit Medical Center. My sister from Ann Arbor says she is worried that it won't be a safe area for him to walk alone. Does anyone know about the safety of this area?

Also, he eventually wants to buy a place in the area - what areas are up and coming and would be a good investment?

Thanks for your help!

He should be fine.

UCCA | University Cultural Center Association

[Coldjensens]

Keep in mind that a ot of the negativity that you will hear is based on things that happened years ago. The area had changed a lot in the past few years.

[ranman469]

thanks Slappy san
Member

i did not know that. but where is wall mart? my kids need diapers.
my story is from last winter. 07