Any good old working class neighborhoods in Detroit (Dearborn, Dearborn Heights: houses, business)

[spicemice]

I'm originally from Detroit and have great memories of my old neighborhood in the early sixties. It was wonderful place to be... 2-family flats in an ethnically diverse (Italian, Armenian, Irish) neighborhood right near where the Daimler/Chrysler Jefferson plant is now. My old house is one of the few left standing and actually occupado over there. Anyway, they say you can never go home, but darn it can't I get close? I like areas where neighbors are out alot, stores and restaurants in walking distance etc. What is Hamtramck like?

[illmatic774]

South. West. (except Delray obviously)

Once working-class, always working-class for this neighborhood. I'm proud to say that I'm from SW Detroit. The growing Mexican population helps spur business and development in this neighborhood. Very diverse and outside Hamtramck has the best storefront activity in Detroit.

Hamtramck is awesome as well but we never made it down there too often as a kid.

[OhEdo]

Originally Posted by illmatic774

South. West. (except Delray obviously)

Once working-class, always working-class for this neighborhood. I'm proud to say that I'm from SW Detroit. The growing Mexican population helps spur business and development in this neighborhood. Very diverse and outside Hamtramck has the best storefront activity in Detroit.

Hamtramck is awesome as well but we never made it down there too often as a kid.

That sums it up pretty well from my experience around here.
I know they aren't actually in the city, but what about parts of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights as classic working class neighborhoods?

[cardwellave]

I can't think of too much of Dearborn Heights as working class. The northwest part where I live is a lot of older people. I think the south end does still have some working class neighborhoods.

[Dexterguy]

Hamtramck is a great little Suburb of Detroit, even though today it has more of that "city neighborhood" feel, and is completley surrounded by the City of Detroit. The city itself has made a great come back in the last few years. With cleaning up its streets, and building new affordable houses. From the 2000 census the city grew 25.1% after losing population for decades. It also has some of the best restaurants in Metro Detroit, Ethnic European "Polish". What I have seen is that most of the "old neighborhood" people (Polish, Ukrainian, German, etc) live in the southern section of the city, mostly near the GM Poletown Plant. The Northern Section of the city is more diverse, and has a large population of Arabs, African-Americans, Asians, and Albanians. Hamtramck is a great city to live in if you like the urban setting.

Some other old neighborhoods are like said earlier the South-West, some scattered eastside ones, and the Corktown area of Detroit.

[SamOrtiz]

Dexter guy summed it up pretty well...As in any of these areas expressed suitability or adaptability is on a grouping of blocks in each area.....That there is easy access to the neighboring suburbs is great too.... Sam Ortiz 48209

[spicemice]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am on a one-year move back plan. I may regret it, from all the negatives I hear about Detroit, but I have to see for myself. When I lived there as a teenager I loved it. I lived upstairs from the Union Street Bar on Mack (near Alter Rd.) It was the seventies and Detroit was "murder capital" back then, but I always felt safe in my neighborhood...safer there, than when we moved to Dallas, Texas, talk about culture shock! - had to deal with the red-neck element (I'm Latina), wow...what a trip that was.