Best and Worst Detroit suburbs (Westland, Southfield: houses, community, buy)

[kobraf150]

I love how NONE not one of the areas that are majority black are considered to be good suburbs. Inkster, Southfield, Highland Park, also the "bad" areas of Westland and Redford are where the blacks happen to live. If we brought Plymouth or Northville up to 2% black from 0.02% black you'd be sayin that they were bad areas too. Nothing has changed.

[cardwellave]

Uh actually Oak Park and Southfield are a lot more than 2% black and I wouldn't call them bad areas. Same goes for Westland. The "bad" areas of Westland are closer to Inkster and Wayne (think Norwayne area, especially around Grand Traverse Street and the area around Wildwood and Palmer. That area, coloquially called Shacktown, is actually pretty white. It's made up almost entirely of duplexes, and is about two miles wide by a half mile tall. I know some people who used to live there.) The blacks in Westland are pretty well scattered around...most of them aren't even in the bad areas.

Inkster and Highland Park are absolute pits and nothing in either place looks like it's changing any time soon. (For the record I would say Redford has some pretty decent areas. I like it). Inkster is such a cess pool though honestly. I'm like a mile from the border and it's perfectly fine here, as is it right along the border along Cherry Hill....but once you cross into it, it is just such a mess.

[kobraf150]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

Uh actually Oak Park and Southfield are a lot more than 2% black and I wouldn't call them bad areas. Same goes for Westland. The "bad" areas of Westland are closer to Inkster and Wayne (think Norwayne area, especially around Grand Traverse Street and the area around Wildwood and Palmer. That area, coloquially called Shacktown, is actually pretty white. It's made up almost entirely of duplexes, and is about two miles wide by a half mile tall. I know some people who used to live there.) The blacks in Westland are pretty well scattered around...most of them aren't even in the bad areas.

Inkster and Highland Park are absolute pits and nothing in either place looks like it's changing any time soon. (For the record I would say Redford has some pretty decent areas. I like it). Inkster is such a cess pool though honestly. I'm like a mile from the border and it's perfectly fine here, as is it right along the border along Cherry Hill....but once you cross into it, it is just such a mess.

Yea, there's how it really is! Southfield ain't half bad. I'm mostly directing that previous comment was mostly directed twords those who were only saying that the high-class areas were nice and that areas like Canton were bad. I was just screwing with them, yeah Inkster looks pretty bad. After I moved to GC, one day I had to take Cherry Hill home from Canton cuz Ford was under construction, Cherry Hill had a train so I took Palmer. It looked great...until I came to a dead-end at an open lot in Henry Ruff yuck city!

Now, I came from a bad area in Detroit. Still, look by Wayne State and tell me there aren't some nice suburbs there now.

[cardwellave]

That area where Palmer ends at Henry Ruff is downright freaky with the empty lots. Very strange area. Palmer goes through some ugly neighborhoods in Westland too. Right near Shacktown.

[Coldjensens]

Most of downriver is pretty nice.

Wyandotte and trenton are both quaint with a small town atmosphere. Wyandotte has iffy schools. Taylor is sprawl but nice, and friendly and with lots of great shopping. Not so good schools in Taylor either though.

Go further downriver and there are lots of nice small towns, Rockport, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, etc.

Grosse Ile is a gem and it is now generally affordable. Prices have fallen massively and about one in ten houses are for sale.

Lincoln Park and Allen Park have some really nice areas. Parts of Dearborn are awesome. Not everyone considers Dearborn downriver (but it is).

Most of Melvindale is awful. Ecorse is basically terrible except where it borders n Wyandotte.

I would not worry overly much if any given area is mostly white, mostly black or mixed. There are good and terrible areas with all make ups.

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Most of Melvindale is awful.

Yeah, that sure is one little weird town.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Most of downriver is pretty nice.

Wyandotte and trenton are both quaint with a small town atmosphere. Wyandotte has iffy schools. Taylor is sprawl but nice, and friendly and with lots of great shopping. Not so good schools in Taylor either though.

Go further downriver and there are lots of nice small towns, Rockport, Flat Rock, Gibraltar, etc.

Grosse Ile is a gem and it is now generally affordable. Prices have fallen massively and about one in ten houses are for sale.

Lincoln Park and Allen Park have some really nice areas. Parts of Dearborn are awesome. Not everyone considers Dearborn downriver (but it is).

Most of Melvindale is awful. Ecorse is basically terrible except where it borders n Wyandotte.

I would not worry overly much if any given area is mostly white, mostly black or mixed. There are good and terrible areas with all make ups.

I don't think many people consider Dearborn downriver, I've never heard it included. Dearborn seems to almost stand alone, rather than as a part of the suburb groupings.

[Spartanclan]

Daniel T, I owned a home in Bloomfield Township for many years, very close to the areas you have been looking at. Bloomfield Township covers a range from very nice to extremely upscale. The schools are outstanding, it is very safe, there is essentially every kind of shopping nearby. Like many of the suburbs, the Police and Fire are ridiculously responsive and capable. There is so little crime that where there is a break-in they investigate it like CSI.

If you want a generally older feel, Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham are great bets also, just much more $ for the house. None of the Bloomfields are in any way trendy or exciting, which for us was just fine. You can find deals galor with the recent economic trends in MI. I would be very choosy.

[Miami305Kid]

Flint is the worstttttttttttttt by far

[kobraf150]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

That area where Palmer ends at Henry Ruff is downright freaky with the empty lots. Very strange area. Palmer goes through some ugly neighborhoods in Westland too. Right near Shacktown.

Yea, it's quite a streat with transition. In Canton it looks great, then it goes up and down through Westland, then gets really nice before a dead end at the Inkster city limits. They gotta clean that up, looks like my old hood in the D.