Working In Warren but don't wanna live there (Detroit, Sterling Heights: environment, budget)

[lovindfw]

We are moving from Fort Worth to Michigan. So, I hear Warren is not the place to live if you have kids and want to put them in a good school system. I will be working in Warren but was looking for some input as to what areas I should be researching that may not be too far away from TACOM but also have good schools. I thought Farmington Hills would be nice but now I am thinking it may not be close. I am not one for sitting in traffic or driving an hour to get to work. I can see 20 maybe 30 minutes but that is about it for me. Thanks for any and all input you have.

[cardwellave]

Well if you're into suburbia and lack of character Troy is a good option and not too far from Warren. Ditto to Rochester and Rochester Hills. All three are pretty pricey. They're both about 20 minutes, though depending on wear more than that. Probably too far.

Northern Warren is also newer suburbia, and not too bad. Don't know too much about the schools. Personally I like southern Warren and Center Line, more character. Sterling Heights is also pretty suburban, but nice schools and homes.

Royal Oak, Clawson, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge area could be an option also. More character, though drive times could vary depending on where you are going in Warren. Not too far of a drive.

I would look into St. Clair Shores also if I were you. Pretty decent schools, near to Warren, and nice homes. Though commutes will vary wherever you are. Warren is Michigan's third biggest city, so where you are working in Warren will affect drive times.

What's your budget?

[lovindfw]

I will be working at the Army base-TACOM in Warren. I am looking at renting a house with rent/utilities not going over $2K a month.

[lovindfw]

Troy appears to have a pretty good school system. Anyone know if it is more expensive to live hear when compared to Sterling Heights?

[*Danielle*]

Utica/Shelby Twp...wonderful schools and just a little north...so small commute...

[illmatic774]

thats on 11 mile right? Pretty much all of Warren above 11 mile constitutes a the "newer suburbia" that you are looking for. me personally i'd have no problem living in lower Warren, but i can say that the schools are better where you will be working. moving to Troy isn't necessary IMO.

[lovindfw]

I will have to check that out...I never considered Warren because of all the negativity I have heard about it.

[kimba01]

I agree with everyone here. But, it depends on what you are looking for in a community. I don't think Warren schools are bad, my kids went to them. My daughter graduated from Warren Mott and did fine.

I moved to Sterling Heights and I love the schools here. I love the community and the people here. I grew up in Ferndale and lived in various cities around there also. I would not choose Ferndale because of the school system, but MI has schools of choice and you can choose to send your children to a different district.

I think Sterling Heights and Warren are pretty diverse, even though I think some people would not agree with me. I work PT in the schools here and also worked in the schools in Hazel Park. For your price range you can find a very nice home to rent.

I have never lived in Troy, but when we were looking to buy, that area was out of our price range. Not sure about renting, though.

[lovindfw]

So you like the schools in Sterling Heights...would you say they are better than or equivalent to Troy? I just do not want to put my sons into a hostile environment where there will always be reminded tha they are not in the majority.

[wanderer74]

My aunt works at TACOM in Warren and lives in Sterling Heights above 17 mile. It seems like it's a reasonable commute to work. Sterling Heights is unfortunately nicknamed "Sterling Whites" by a lot of people although their Middle Eastern population has really grown in recent years and it's more diverse than it used to be. Honestly I think Sterling Heights has a bit more character than Troy (not the dubious and rundown kind of "character" but Troy is extremely sterile in my opinion). Both areas are very safe and have good school districts. Farmington Hills is a bit far and commutes might be slow depending on the route you take. I used to live in Fort Worth and can tell you that traffic in metro Detroit is nothing compared to FW, but if you want to be fairly close to work in Warren I think Sterling Heights would be great. Or to put it in terms of FW suburbs, in my opinion Troy is very comparable to Southlake, Sterling Heights is more like Keller (or at least Keller a few years ago before it got as crowded as it is today).