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I've lived in the so-called "Undesirable" downriver my entire life. I would not consider myself or my family "Hickish" and really take offense to those comments. My father was educated and retiree from Ford Motor as many in the area work for the auto companies. I am educated as is my husband and I am always amazed at what a bad rap it gets. Some areas of downriver the bad reputation is earned, but the communities like Trenton, Grosse Ile and Riverview are quite nice. While some might consider blue collar areas as hickish there are many down-to-Earth friendly people. Keeping up with the Jonses as someone also mentioned in another post and if that is a concern for you - you probably would not fit in.
Also if you continue down into Monroe County such as Carleton or Monroe itself there are some beautiful country homes and it is rural farmlands. It's quite nice there and commutable to Detroit or to Toledo.
I live in Riverview. While there isn't much of a downtown they have good schools. Most of the homes are older, but there are so-called McMansions over by the golf Course off Sibley Road. People brush off Trenton as just a big box complexes and subdivisions. However, the old downtown of Trenton is quite nice. It's really quaint and it ends in Elizabeth Park, which is a REAL gem right on the Detroit River. The free bridge over to Grosse Ile is at the Southern of Elizabeth Park. They have some beautiful stone bridges in the park. The "toll" bridge to the Island is further north in Riverview off West Jefferson. That area isn't as nice. Mostly old McClouth Steel plant is there, but Riverview's vast majority of homes are not in this area.
Wyandotte has a really great downtown with tons of restaurants. It's not far for Grosse Ile natives to travel to. There are shops there too and Some nightlife. Probably no where near what the north suburbs have though. Wyandotte has some stunning older homes and many Victorian homes but it's not as safe and the schools aren't as good are Riverivew,Trenton and Grosse Ile schools. GI is probably the safest community, but Riverview was voted in the top 8 safest towns in the entire state. GI was probably in the top 3.
If you are looking for a lot of nightlife I don't think GI is for you. It's considered one of the "Richest" areas in downriver, but honestly it's mostly upper middle class, but there are some multi-million dollar homes especially on East River Drive (facing Canada).
There is a lot of wildlife on the Island. The Township has designated open spaces (wooded areas) and a wildlife sanctuary at the north end of the island off Horsemill road. There is a riding stable at Centennial Park. Of course, boating is a big thing on the island. I believe there are 3 yacht/boat clubs. There is also a marina at Elizabeth Park in Trenton just across the bridge. There is a golf course and Country Club if you like those things.
True there are not many amenities on the island. There is a grocery store (Kroger) and gas stations. A few small restaurants, a lot of churches, but I think the pull for the island is actually people who LIKE this little bit of isolation. When you travel across the bridge you definitely feel like you are in a different time and place than most areas. My husband and I were driving the island and had to wait as a herd of deer crossed at multiple locations. I say herd because it wasn't just 1-2, it was literally groups including a huge buck. They were right in a church parking lot near the wildlife sanctuary and also wandering down the road. The townships takes a lot of care in preserving open spaces, wildlife and just general conservation of the environment on the island. There are a few newer subdivisions, but really I find it's more discouraged than encouraged. I've heard that there are about 10,000 residents. Not sure how accurate that number it. There are ton of biking paths - people are always out walking dogs, jogging, biking. There are multiple nature trails scattered throughout the island.
In summary, I really think the island is for people looking for a slower pace of life not a faster pace. If you want that you will have to leave the island for sure.
Biggest problem with commute are the bridges. Since I don't live there I am not sure how bad traffic, but my son does take a vocational teaching course at the High school on GI. He does have to allow time to travel across the bridge and they are fairly lenient at the high school because they know students traveling either by car or bus from other districts for the vocational program are going to encounter traffic. There are a lot of trains in the area of the mainland adjacent to the island. You have to sometimes find different routes when you encounter one. Usually not a problem. If we encounter them at Sibley and Fort trying to go down W. Jefferson to the island - we simply reroute and take Fort to Van Horn and enter the island there. The toll bridge is closer to Riverview but we rarely use it as the cost is too high, 2.00 per crossing. I believe you can buy tokens or a card that reduces price to 1.75 or 1.50 per crossing. It's privately owned and in my opinion the owner is raping the residents because well he can - there ARE only two bridges. The "free" bridge is south and less convenient in some ways, but it's free and will save you some money and only add maybe an extra 5-6 minutes to your commute if you are coming from the north end of the island.
The biggest issue for us in considering GI to live is the high taxes compared to other areas. They are definitely the highest in the area and I have heard on par with the northern suburbs. But I guess you have to look at what you get for it. GI is continually voted on of the safest communities in Michigan. It's very unique. The homes are nice. You have access to water since you are on the island. The island is very clean and there is strong police presence. There is a lot of wildlife and you get that small town feel. You can sometimes find a deal on a home if the owner wants to sell fast. The schools are consistently one of the best in the area. I have no idea why the low rating some people mentioned. As I said, my son attends Riverview HS, but he is at GI HS 3 hours of his day in a teaching cadet program. He says the schools are WAY nicer and newer. They have air conditioning, a salad bar (he was quite excited by this), the building is well kept, teachers are friendly, students behaved. They have a high graduation rate. The down-side is there isn't much diversity as far as race etc. Mostly white.
My cousin works at Wayne State downtown and commutes from Hickory Island - island off the south of the Grosse Ile and part of the township. She doesn't seem to have a problem. Yes, the island has a lot of middle level and executives from auto industry and chemical engineers, but also a lot of nurses, doctors, and medical professionals also live on the island and commute to the hospitals in Detroit. Yes, there are quite a few small business owners as well. People do tend to retire there also. Many times it's a multi-generational. People will go away from the island to attend college, but many return to raise their own family.
It's really hard to compare it to the northern suburbs - really very apples and oranges.
I would say if you like a more laid back lifestyle, you like nature and outdoors such as biking, hiking, boating, etc, and you are more family oriented this probably would be a good fit. If you want a lot of fast nightlife and you need to be near the highest end shopping and restaurants, then maybe the Northern burbs would be better.
THanks for sharing, very insightful and informative!
1. Wyandotte has a really great downtown with tons of restaurants. It's not far for Grosse Ile natives to travel to.
2. GI is probably the safest community, but Riverview was voted in the top 8 safest towns in the entire state. GI was probably in the top 3.
3. When you travel across the bridge you definitely feel like you are in a different time and place than most areas.
4. Biggest problem with commute are the bridges. Since I don't live there I am not sure how bad traffic,
5. The island is very clean and there is strong police presence.
6. He says the schools are WAY nicer and newer. They have air conditioning, a salad bar (he was quite excited by this), the building is well kept, teachers are friendly, students behaved.
This is a very well done assessment Riverclark.
1. It can take 20 minutes get do Downtown Wyandotte, depending on how fast you paddle and which direction the wind is. A bicycle will also take at least 10 minutes.
2. GI is consistently ranked the safest place in Michigan and sometimes top 25 int he USA. It is very safe (unless you are a guinea pig).
3. Most people say they feel their body and mind relax upon crossing the bridge. It is odd, but you suddenly feel like you left the weight of society behind. When you arrive on the islands, you are safe and everything is ok for now. Maybe a psychologist could explain it.
4. The bridges are virtually never a problem for traffic. Once in a blue moon you will encounter them being open and you either have to make a run for the other bridge, or wait. It is usually no more than 10 minutes. The trains in Woodhaven/Trenton can be awful. There are switching yards all over and they can block multiple roads for half an hour, even an hour and a half once. You learn to go around. (Go through Trenton and up West - that is what ambulance drivers told me they do automatically, they cannot risk getting caught by a train and going through Trenton and under the RR tracks on West only takes about 5 minutes more). I boycott the toll bridge. What they charge is offensive (I think it is $2.50 or $3.00 each way now). The bridges are three miles apart, so at most you add four or five miles to your trip. To me it is worth it just as a matter of principal, however I will use the toll bridge once in a while if ten minutes will make a difference. However there is not good freeway access form the toll bridge, so I am not sure you save any time, unless you go all the way up Fort.
5. The islands are clean in large part because we (residents) clean them. Every spring the Kiwanis puts together an island clean up where 150 - 200 people go out and clean up the trash along the major roads. Other groups also conduct smaller clean ups in specific areas. All types of safety (Fire and Rescue, Police, ambulance) are exemplary. A few of the police officers think they are Rambo, but most are Barney Phyfe. One time I got pulled over for having a headlight out and the police officer fixed it for me. They do not have a lot to do. We have minor issues (drunk driving, vandalism, petty theft), but not a ton. They give out a lot of speeding tickets.
6. The school is actually pretty old (60s I think), however they recently renovated it it at a cost of about $40 million, so it looks newer and fresher. There is something going on at the school and we have had a huge turnover in teachers/administrators this year. We will see what the new people ar elike. Hopefully they will be the same. It is esier to be nice when the students are not unruley.
I have lived all over Michigan and I recently visited Grosse Ile and all I can say is wow. Some of these home are really something to look at, a lot when I was growing up and even today had some rough things to say about Grosse Ile, but later it mostly always comes down to they couldn’t afford to live there even if they wanted to. I have a 7,700 square foot home in Bloomfield, but if I could afford the same one on Grosse Ile i would be there right now, unfortantly like most people I don’t have 10 or 15 million dollars laying around for a home like that, but if you do I would jump on it because that place is what dreams are made of, good luck to you
Heh, funny to see this old thread pop up again. That house is next door to where our house used to be. They guy who bought the property where our house was wanted to build something else there, so he gave the house to the historical society who sold it to us (for $1). We moved it to the other side of the island. The people who lived in our house for 50 years bought it from a family who lived there for 100 years prior. They sold part of their land to the people who built the pink house and said they always regretted it. Partly because they did not like the pink house and partly because they regretted the loss of the land. It was all part of a farm of about 400 acres (give or take a lot) once upon a time. The guy who gave our house to the historical society ran into the recession and never built anything on the land and it is now for sale. Effectively, we moved the house for nothing. However it unquestionably would eventually have been torn down one day to be replaced by a modern giant. It is on east River Road after all, some of the best real estate in Michigan. So now, you could buy the pink house and the lot next door and essentially reverse the roles of the two houses.
The pink house is well known in the township. It has lots of nicknames. I will not repeat all of them because I like the people who are selling it. The more common names are the Barbie house, and the Pink McDonalds (because of the big arch int he front). I have been inside it (one of my kids was friends with the daughter of the owners). Regardless of what you think of the outside, it is stunningly beautiful inside. It is set up to be very peaceful and that goal is accomplished. I could just sit there all day and watch freighters go by for weeks. It would be hard to leave leave to go to work. No questions that house is unique. Some love it, some hate it but it definitely adds to the eclecticism of the Township architecture. I think it has or had a very nice dock too. If you buy it, you would definitely want a boat or three.
Quality of life on Grosse Ile was been massively improved by an invasive species (zebra muscles). They are a nuisance pest, but they also filter the water. What used to be a chemical soup is now clean and swimmable thanks mostly to Zebra muscles (assisted by the EPA and the decline of the US steel industry). However that may be why you used to hear awful things about Grosse Ile. Back when the water was brown instead of its natural green/blue you did not want to eat the fish or swim in it, even though some people still did. Now it is fine.
BTW out of roughly 4000 homes, there are only three I am aware of in the 10 million plus range. There may be ten, since many of the uber wealthy people are very private and many are just not into the flash. The wealthiest person in GI that I know lives in a house that is probably valued at less than $5 million even though they can probably afford pretty much any house in Michigan.
Prices are typically: East River: $700,000 - $20,000,000, but most are in the $700K to $2 mm range.
West River: $350,000 - $3 mm. Most in the $500,000 - $800,000 range. Hickory Island or Elba Island $1 mm - $4 mm, but there are some affordable smaller houses on the West side of Hickory island. Inland with canal frontage $250,000 - $800,000. Inland no water access - $78,000 - $450,000.
There are a few outliers in all of those areas. I know one guy who bought a small house near Centennial farm for $14,000 during the recession. It was a mess, but it is nice now. Not sure what it would be worth. There are a lot of oddball houses form all eras of history. Even a few log cabins (not super old ones).
Last edited by Coldjensens; 08-22-2018 at 12:07 PM..
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