Best and Worst Detroit suburbs (Sterling Heights, Royal Oak: crime rate, high school, subdivisions)

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by 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.

I am sure if you asked any resident of Highland Park or Inkster if they LOVED living in the city and chose to buy a house there because they actually LIKED the city every single one of them would say NO.

If they were giving away two houses, one in Highland Park and one in Bloomfiled Hills I am pretty sure which one every poster would pick.

I believe that it is a thing always about race, and truly it is not! It is mostly about the wealth of the community and the different tastes that every one has. Don't tell me that many of Detroit's upscale suburbs don't have African-Americans. Example: Bloomfield Hills has dropped down to 89% White, I have never heard of the "Black areas" or the "Asian areas" of Bloomfield Hills, every one has money so everyone gets along.

[railsplitter]

Originally Posted by Blue Grass Fever

Well, speaking for Lincoln Park. The property taxes, last time i checked, were the highest in the general downriver area. (less "bang for your buck"..) The low house prices are offset by the high property taxes, which, in my opinion, you don't get appropriate services you deserve that you can typically find elsewhere. It is your typical inner-ring older-than-norm suburb with an infrastructure that's in serious need. Guess what? More taxes to come coupled with the high foreclosure rate in Lincoln Park.

Appreciate your input. Stand on the corner of Southfield and Fort Street and point out any improvement in the last 50 years. Oops! Sorry can't find any?It looks like the dredges of downriver. Is there any rationalization for the rising taxes while the home values decrease - even before the economy could be blamed? Has anyone, other than myself, tried to carry on a coherent conversation with anyone at city hall? The council does like to hear themselves talk (about nothing that will improve the city). The citizens of Lincoln Park should beg to have the city divided up and taken over by neighboring communities, preferably Southgate and Allen Park. During one of our recent snow storms, I drove through Southgate and was amazed at the perfectly plowed streets. It looked as if the police enforced the no street parking during that time and it showed. Lincoln Park officials just seem to do everything in the worst possible way.

Allen Park is the "Dearborn" of downriver. For those of you know about Dearborn and its history, i'm sure you'll derive to some conclusion.

Melvindale is flanked by the ever-so-scenic and beautiful Rouge River for those who dream of one day becoming a sludgin' cess-pool sailor. Also, there are a many industries flanking the northern and western part of town. A good waif of sulfur or God-knows-what smell in the morning or can be used as a compliment to the midnight crisp summer air when leaving your window open. I have other complaints about the city, but it is not warranted on these forums. I'll leave it up to you to do your investigative leg-work on other matters.

See above in reference to Lincoln Park.

[Shrewsbury Road]

Theres no doubt that Detroit's Suburbs are amongs the best in the country and I believe that every should know Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, and the Grosse Pointes including Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Shores, and Grosse Pointe Farms are among the Wealthiest but the actual suburbs that are the best for people who aren't rolling in money are Livonia, Westland, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Rochester Hills, Sterling Heights, Troy, Auburn Hills, West Bloomfield, and Suburbs along Woodward Avenue Including Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, Berkley, Oak Park, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Beverly Hills. But in my opinion Detroit doesn't really have bad suburbs but some of my least favorite ones are Warren, Madison Heights and if you consider Hamtramk to be a suburb than that too.

[Shrewsbury Road]

Originally Posted by Dexterguy

I am sure if you asked any resident of Highland Park or Inkster if they LOVED living in the city and chose to buy a house there because they actually LIKED the city every single one of them would say NO.

If they were giving away two houses, one in Highland Park and one in Bloomfiled Hills I am pretty sure which one every poster would pick.

I believe that it is a thing always about race, and truly it is not! It is mostly about the wealth of the community and the different tastes that every one has. Don't tell me that many of Detroit's upscale suburbs don't have African-Americans. Example: Bloomfield Hills has dropped down to 89% White, I have never heard of the "Black areas" or the "Asian areas" of Bloomfield Hills, every one has money so everyone gets along.

Disagreeing with kobraf150 and agreeing with Dexterguy, I don't believe it has ever been about race it just depends their minority, If someones generally poor and they were not brought up with respect and the need to do good rather than cause comotion and commit crimes, it's not about race at all I know because had black neighbors in Livonia, onece I had Hispanic neighbors, and they were decent hard working people like myself. My grandparents lived in the fifties in Detroit where race did matter and ashamed to admitt they were racist too are black neighbors and my great grandfather was one who wanted his then neighborhood in Detroit to be segregated because he generally didn't like black people due to his southern mannerisms, it had nothing to do how other races behaved or what crimes they committed because every race has people who commit crimes.

[consideringamove]

I can't speak for every area but I'd definitely say that Lake Orion & Rochester go in a class together. They're northern Oakland county, nice areas. You can find older homes and newer. Low crime and what there is of it is not violent.

Auburn Hills borders Pontiac and although it is NOT undesirable like Pontiac, it's not quite upscale.

My daughter's friend moved from LO to Pontiac and when I went to pick her up for a sleepover, I was scared!

[Tehspilly]

Commerce/Walled Lake/Wixom/White Lake are all very nice areas that are within reasonable distance to Detroit or Pontiac.

[Shrewsbury Road]

Originally Posted by Daniel_T

Thanks for the links. Those are very interesting. Are there other areas in Detroit besides Indian Village and Boston-Edison that are nice? I keep hearing about this place or neighborhood "Sherwood Forest"?? Where is that and it it nice? I saw a 3000 SQ ft home there for 321,000. Seems kinda low for a home that looked that nice with all that room.

Back to the suburbs, i've heard Livonia is a nice place to live. Would you agree? How about New Baltimore?

Iv'e got to tell you, Sherwood Forest and Palmer Woods are the absolute best neighborhoods in the city. It's all forested and the architecture of the mansions are so beautiful, and the streets gentlt curve. I lived on Shrewsbur Road there. It's boundaries are Eight Mile Road West to the North, Woodward Avenue to the East, Livernois Avenue to the West, and West Seven Mile Road to the East. Most of the streets are named after cities in England like, Canterbury Road, Sherbourne Road, Cambridge Avenue, Warrington Drive, Chesterfield Road, Parkside Street, Stratford Road, Berkley Road, Bloomfield Road, Kingston Road and Roslyn Roads for Sherwood Forest and for historic for Palmer Woods too, Argyle Crescent, Strathcona Drive, Woodston Road, Lincolnshire Drive, Lucerne Drive, Barmoral Drive Ect. And Don't forget the wonderful and proffesional neighbors as well as active neighborhood organizations.

[Lady Driver]

Originally Posted by HeleenieWeenie

I agree that Auburn Hells is NOT upscale; it has always been Hillbilly Heaven! 25yrs. ago those places is where we went to pick apples, get organic milk, chickens, honey or fresh turkeys. NOW? its Double-Wide Trailer Trash.

An old brick estate with a gatehouse, stables, house in back for the groundskeeper? NOW THAT IS MONEY, and how to live.
As for the ridiculous comment that bashed the "shpping in Grosse Pointe is bad, surroundded by Detroit"...YOU must have never lived or shopped there as I had. We used to shop at the Kroger on Kercheval, or Produce markets. The area for shopping?
Its called "On the Hill"...on Kercheval Ave...The Jacobsons', the Linen shoppes, jewelry stores, all that is THE place to shop when living in Grosse Pointe.

Jacobsons was in" The Village" not on "The Hill". Jacobsons is no longer in business,a Trader Joes is open in that location along with some other stores.The Borders in the village is a great place too. If you want to live in Groose Pointe I hope you have a lot of money. It's nice but the taxes are very high.I live in SCS,it's safe and quiet.If you live off the water than you get good value for your money.Living on the south side of SCS is close to the GP's without the high taxes.

[Kincaid]

To correct an earlier poster, Northville is not even close to an hour away from downtown. It's more like 30 minutes.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Kincaid

To correct an earlier poster, Northville is not even close to an hour away from downtown. It's more like 30 minutes.

I lived just outside of northville for 24 years. In college (Wayne State) my carpool met in Northville and drove to Detroit. It took 55 minutes every day from parking lot to parking lot. We could get there a bit faster on no traffic days by driving really fast and a bit slower when there was snow or heavy rain. Back then the speed limit was 55 but we generally drove 65 to 70. Today, if you drive 80 you could do it in 30 minutes.