Detroit: most Murderous city (St. Louis, Caro: dangerous, club, safe)

[Brent85]

Troy is a very nice city, one of the 10 safest in the nation. Welcome to the City of Troy, MI

I don't like it when people lump the suburbs in with the city. I have a friend that has lived his whole life in Michigan, but has never been to Metro Detroit. His parents kept scaring him, saying he'd get shot if he came close to Detroit. He then lived in NYC for a year, and went to California, along the way telling everyone how horrible Detroit was.

I've walked around in Detroit and have never felt unsafe. I think people put the fear into other people, just because people like to complain about things by nature.

[diamondgirl45]

What a great response. THanks everyone. When I was visiting last summer we were driving to Utica from Plymouth and my husband had to find a washroom, so we stopped at a 7-11. When I noticed we were on 8 mile I suddenly remembered that folks had told me it was dangerous, and I got very nervous. Afterwards I felt rather foolish.
I was in West Edmonton Mall, in Canada, several years ago just before a gang member attacked a young boy with a machete right in the middle of the mall in front of everyone. Crime can happen anywhere, and innocent people are sometimes caught in the cross fire. But you can't live your life in total fear....or you are not living at all.
I am not scared to move near Detroit, but I need to be informed and stay clear of areas that are unsafe. Particularily since I am like a beacon of naeivety at times, lol.

My husband wants us to go to the Tiger games next summer, and I was a little worried about travelling through Detroit. But I really think it will be a wonderful experience for the children, so we will do it.

On a funny note, last fall my husband was travelling back from Windsor, ontario and using his GPS. He accidentally pressed the "no highways" button and ended up in the "ghetto" in his big truck. He said lots of people were out on the sidewalks barbequeing....and staring at the lost guy in the pick up truck.

[cowcat]

Overall, metro Detroit is like any metro, BUT it just so happens that the suburbs on average are better than most and the city on average is worse. In most other metros, it's more evenly spread out and not so polarized, though there's some of that in all of them. You'll be surprised how nice the suburbs are here since you automatically conjure all the negative connotations that outsiders normally carry about Detroit.

[detshen]

Originally Posted by diamondgirl45

What a great response. THanks everyone. When I was visiting last summer we were driving to Utica from Plymouth and my husband had to find a washroom, so we stopped at a 7-11. When I noticed we were on 8 mile I suddenly remembered that folks had told me it was dangerous, and I got very nervous. Afterwards I felt rather foolish.
I was in West Edmonton Mall, in Canada, several years ago just before a gang member attacked a young boy with a machete right in the middle of the mall in front of everyone. Crime can happen anywhere, and innocent people are sometimes caught in the cross fire. But you can't live your life in total fear....or you are not living at all.
I am not scared to move near Detroit, but I need to be informed and stay clear of areas that are unsafe. Particularily since I am like a beacon of naeivety at times, lol.

My husband wants us to go to the Tiger games next summer, and I was a little worried about travelling through Detroit. But I really think it will be a wonderful experience for the children, so we will do it.

On a funny note, last fall my husband was travelling back from Windsor, ontario and using his GPS. He accidentally pressed the "no highways" button and ended up in the "ghetto" in his big truck. He said lots of people were out on the sidewalks barbequeing....and staring at the lost guy in the pick up truck.

Thousands of suburbanites head into Detroit for Tiger games and other sporting and cultural events with no problems at all. I was driving down Woodward awhile ago and there were hundreds of children and parents milling about near the Fox, there was some sort of popular children's show in town. I remember thinking how nice for those kids that their parents didn't let unfounded fear keep them from going into the city, the kids were all jumping around and smiling so it must have been a good show.

I choose to spend my weekends at various restaurants and activities in Detroit. I love being there, I used to live in Rivertown and midtown. I have never felt threatened, not once. I have gotten lost and wandered into bad areas, but people just ignored me.

[cardwellave]

Originally Posted by detshen

Thousands of suburbanites head into Detroit for Tiger games and other sporting and cultural events with no problems at all. I was driving down Woodward awhile ago and there were hundreds of children and parents milling about near the Fox, there was some sort of popular children's show in town. I remember thinking how nice for those kids that their parents didn't let unfounded fear keep them from going into the city, the kids were all jumping around and smiling so it must have been a good show.

I choose to spend my weekends at various restaurants and activities in Detroit. I love being there, I used to live in Rivertown and midtown. I have never felt threatened, not once. I have gotten lost and wandered into bad areas, but people just ignored me.

So very true! There are soooo many wonderful parts of Detroit. Foxtown, Midtown, Mexicantown, Southwest Detroit, Hamtramck (not officially Detroit, but surrounded by it), and many others. There are certainly bad areas, and more of them than a lot of cities, but the image portrayed of Detroit is so much worse than it actually is.

And I very much agree with what someone said that our suburbs are better than most suburban areas. Nearly all of them make a comfortable home.

I find that amusing that you noticed the 711 was on 8 Mile and were frightened. 8 Mile certainly has a reputation. If it was near Plymouth, you were probably nowhere near the city limits. The last place Detroit touches 8 Mile is at Five Points Street just east of Telegraph, dividing Redford from Detroit. (On another note my dad grew up in Redford on the street one over from Five Points, and I've recently driven through the neighborhood, and it still looks good, one street from Detroit! (That part of Detroit looks O.K. also).

Metro Detroit is a great place! And while I have strong feelings of wanting to move to Port Huron or Mackinaw City ( for summers) in the next few years, it will be a hard decision based upon how much I love Detroit.

[diamondgirl45]

Originally Posted by cardwellave

I find that amusing that you noticed the 711 was on 8 Mile and were frightened. 8 Mile certainly has a reputation. If it was near Plymouth, you were probably nowhere near the city limits. .

You are completely right. I was frightened because of what I had heard, not what I knew. That is why I am glad there is a forum like this to educate people and dissipate myths.

[st8champ90]

Even though Detroit is renowned for it's crime rate, especially homicide, it should be noted that most murders throughout the country are directly related to a persons lifestyle. If you're slingin' dope on the street corner and you skim a little off the top, you're probably gonna catch a bullet. If you like to go drinking on Friday night and always get into fights, you may eventually run into someone who brings a gun to the fight. If you lead a quiet life, and don't put yourself in those postitions, you'll probably be fine. Very few murders are committed by strangers.

[ocean2026]

What about the part of the city next to Grosse Point - where the mayor's mansion is ( no not the prison lol) ? That is still city limits but is it dangerous near that marina?

[Coldjensens]

Even downtown, Detroit is not threatening. I am there every day. I walk around at night. No one threatens me or scares me. I have not hears gunshots (as I did many times while living in California).
It is in certain outlying neighborhoods that the crime problem is so serious. Most of the murders are situations where everyone in a drug house gets gunned down or something simlar. Not a lot of the crime involves random innocent persons. If you are not hanging out in a drug house, then those crimes will not effect you.

Some of the suburbs have very very low crime. Where I live I do not think that there has been a homocide in five or ten years at least.

[acapr220]

Originally Posted by diamondgirl45

Ok...so this worries me, since Troy is on 16 mile road....and that is probably where I am moving to.
Granted I am nothing but a hayseed, but an 8 miles difference seems like very little here.

This is why I value this forum: I can get valuable information from those who actually live in the area and know what it is like.

I don't want to live somewhere that it is unsafe for children to play outside, or to go for walks. I know you have to be careful everywhere, but there are places to definitely avoid. But as a new arrival to the area I would be unaware of these places.

I used to live in Clawson which is the city right next to Troy! You will have nothing to worry about there. I grew up near 16 mile and it is a total suburb if not a little snobby in Troy. You are half hour outside detroit and there are still plenty of great neighborhoods between Troy and detroit.