Harper Woods vs Hamtramck? (Detroit, Highland Park: to rent, insurance, buying a house)

[Bubba410]

Considering a job near Midtown Detroit. Looking for a place to land before I decide on something a little more long term. Housing in both Harper Woods and Hamtramck look good, but the only thing I can find online is about the football games. Are these two areas so different that one person wouldn’t consider either? So what’s the skinny on this one?

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by Bubba410

Considering a job near Midtown Detroit. Looking for a place to land before I decide on something a little more long term. Housing in both Harper Woods and Hamtramck look good, but the only thing I can find online is about the football games. Are these two areas so different that one person wouldn’t consider either? So what’s the skinny on this one?

Yes, these communities are very different.

HARPER WOODS is a declining inner ring suburb of Detroit that has experienced significant white flight over the past 20 or so years. It is not known for its 'walkability'. It has a mall, Eastland Mall, that was the 2nd mall built in the Detroit area in the late 1950s, but has declined so much that it is going to be redeveloped.

To demonstrate the extent of the white flight, see the drastic change in enrollment in Harper Woods High School over the past 30 years.




Right now, Harper Woods' long term prospects are grim. It is not as bad as say Highland Park or downriver suburbs like Ecorse, but it is on a downward trajectory. The saving graces are that, it's still not Detroit, which means people fleeing from the City are still moving there because the crime/decay not as bad as the city, and a portion of Harper Woods falls in the Grosse Pointe School District, a school district, while not as elite as it once was, is still a top-15 school district in the state of Michigan.

HAMTRAMCK is more like an enclave of the city of Detroit, it is completely surrounded by the city and is only 5 miles from downtown Detroit. It is known as a heavily-immigrant community, with heavy representation from the Middle East, Bangladesh, and to a smaller extent, Eastern Europe. It is the most densely populated municipality in the state of Michigan, and its population grew by almost 30% from 2010 to 2020. The city now has a Muslim Mayor and Muslim Majority City Council. Despite the increase in Middle East influence, it has a ton of neighborhood bars, some lively music venues, a comedy club, and is known for its walkability. It is increasing popular amongst hipsters and artists. Unfortunately, from reading comments on Reddit, it has some infrastructure issues.

Hamtramck is the better investment if you are trying to buy between the two. Buying a house in the portion of Harper Woods that is in the Grosse Pointe School District would also probably be a smart buy, but if you are younger and looking for an interesting walkable community, then seek out Hamtramck.

[Bubba410]

Thanks usroute10! That is super helpful

[MaryleeII]

Check out the property taxes in both locations. You may find Detroit property taxes to be higher. Also, look at car and homeowner's insurance in both.

[keraT]

As a Hamtramck resident, I can confirm it is a great city to live in if you don't mind the crowd. Lot of options with in walking distance and you have several freeway to go anywhere you want. People are friendly & most have lot of stories to share with you if you have time to listen. But:

1) Houses are old, almost 100 year old. Many basement often floods, make sure you do inspection & stay on top of house maintenance. Lot of potential for upgrade & DIY project, if you into that stuff.
2) Good Luck finding street parking in the evening. Most house have ally garage but no one wants to use them because its not in main road. You can always put some money in fixing your garage/back yard for parking space
3) Hope you are comfortable with kids running around the residential street without care for traffic. Although this is not the suburb, there are lot of kids here.
4) If you have extra space like an attic then turn it into Airbnb, very popular. It is like mini NYC here, people are willing to rent attic. If basement flooding wasn't an issue, we would have people renting basement too.