Detroit, Cranbrook Schools, Bloomfield Hills, oh my

[mwj119]

Lived in Boston for the better part of my life, and am pretty familiar with the Detroit metro.

Sherborn is very bucolic, as is typical of metrowest towns that sit outside of 95. I grew up in one of those towns, too. You won't find the same type of country roads, stone wall, farm, town center aesthetic... Which is to be expected.

If you want to maintain low density, in an upper class community, my recommendation would be Bloomfield Hills or Northville/Northville township is worth exploring. Northville has a nice little downtown, and puts you closer to Ann Arbor.

If you want to take advantage of being able to afford a nice house in a more dense location - which will be cheaper cost of living relative to dense and upscale Boston suburbs - I'd look at Birmingham. All around, the nicest Detroit suburb for a family in my opinion. Large downtown area, great schools, seems to be the top destination for families with a $1M+ budget. Pristine neighborhoods on a gridded format.

If you want the old money - roaring 20s look and feel, a brand name, and easy access into Detroit, than the Grosse Pointes are the pick. They're the Newton or Brookline of Detroit. The other obvious advantage is that Grosse Pointe is on Lake St. Clair, which is a very fun lake for a family and for a boat.

[reverberation]

Originally Posted by secondbreakfast

Here are my 2 cents beyond what the other posters said:


...inner-ring suburbs lose population as family sizes shrink (see my point about retirees above)

While that has been the general trend, it isn't entirely accurate. According to the 2020 US census, Dearborn's population increased by 12%, which places it among the top 3 fasting growing cities in metro-Detroit. The demand is there to prove it as well - for example, according to Redfin, houses in the 48124 zip code go from listing to pending in 3-6 days, sell at 5-12% above list price, and are ranked at 89 out of 100 nationally in terms of buyer competitiveness.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by mwj119

Lived in Boston for the better part of my life, and am pretty familiar with the Detroit metro.

Sherborn is very bucolic, as is typical of metrowest towns that sit outside of 95. I grew up in one of those towns, too. You won't find the same type of country roads, stone wall, farm, town center aesthetic... Which is to be expected.

If you want to maintain low density, in an upper class community, my recommendation would be Bloomfield Hills or Northville/Northville township is worth exploring. Northville has a nice little downtown, and puts you closer to Ann Arbor.

If you want to take advantage of being able to afford a nice house in a more dense location - which will be cheaper cost of living relative to dense and upscale Boston suburbs - I'd look at Birmingham. All around, the nicest Detroit suburb for a family in my opinion. Large downtown area, great schools, seems to be the top destination for families with a $1M+ budget. Pristine neighborhoods on a gridded format.

If you want the old money - roaring 20s look and feel, a brand name, and easy access into Detroit, than the Grosse Pointes are the pick. They're the Newton or Brookline of Detroit. The other obvious advantage is that Grosse Pointe is on Lake St. Clair, which is a very fun lake for a family and for a boat.

Some of the neat little towns like Northville, Plymouth, Saline, Brighton, and even Ann Arbor are awesome if you live within walking distance of the little downtown, however if you have to drive to get to town, you are better off in an adjoining township, paying less in both purchase price and taxes and you can still enjoy the town in the same way (by driving to it).



Other neat little downtown in SE Michigan include: Wyandotte (really awesome little downtown area); Tecumseh; Chelsea; Birmingham; Rochester (city not hills); Milford; and to a lesser extent South Lyon and Farmington (city not hills). If you want really bucolic and rural you can go to Hell (Literally, Hell Michigan is out near Pinkney, NW of Ann arbor)


If you have no reason to need to be in SE Michigan, I woudl suggest you stick to the west side however. It is prettier more open, and has less traffic and other problems. Also cheaper. SE Michigan if museums, theaters, music clubs, pro sports, and big corporations are important to you. There is a lot more demand for workers in SE Michigan, but right now there is a lot of demand everywhere. Also if you do not want to join a union, you are better off on the West side of the state or up north. You can work in SE Michigan as an electrician, but you are much better off if you join a union (both in pay and in opportunity).

[slowdawg]

Originally Posted by trevor0101

I'm curious about a few things that I'm hoping some locals can help me understand a bit better!

A few facts about us:

Family of three with an elementary age kid.

We are currently located in Metrowest Boston (Sherborn, MA). We are considering a move to be closer to family who are in Canada.

Solid income, and housing budget of $1.8M.

We like access to the usual suburban stuff that families like, and cities for concerts, museums, airports, etc.

Highly value education, and strongly considering private school. We are in a top tier public system currently.


Questions we have:

I have visited Detroit a few times, and obviously it has had a (very) significant decline from it's glory days. My understanding is that the surrounding suburbs are very nice, although I have not been to them.

1. Are there many families around the nicer Detroit suburbs, or is it mostly retirees / old rich car execs?

2. Is there the feeling of growth in the metro itself?

3. We're a white family. Is there a weird "thing" with white people in fancy suburbs that may cause people to look at us oddly? What is it like growing up as an "upper middle class" white kid in Detroit? That's a weird question, I know. I am cognizant that there are bubbles all over the US, however, in Boston there is a feeling that the metro is doing well, and while there are pockets of areas that struggle that they are still getting better. Places like Metrowest are very nice, and getting better too. I recognize this may be a bit naive, but my spirit of intent with this question is not meant to be ignorant or rude.

4. How is Cranbrook as a school? I cannot seem to find comparisons between it, and other K-12 private schools I am familiar with like Milton Academy near Boston, Rye Country Day School near NYC, or even Nichols in Buffalo.

5. Do people that attend Cranbrook as a day school tend to live in the immediate area, or do they live all over. If we wanted to live in Ann Arbor, would this be tenable, or too far? What other areas might be great suburbs we could consider if we wanted to attend that school?

6. Has anyone compared the solid public school districts around Cranbrook to the school itself? It would seem that Cranbrook probably has a nicer campus, better funding for various things, etc. But would love to know more, especially from those with first hand knowledge.

Thanks!

I grew up a few miles from Cranbrook and still have family in the area so I’m qualified here.

If you are in Birmingham or Bloomfield, you’ll fit in fine as an upper class white kid. Troy Is different. It’s very diverse, with Chaldeans and people of various Asian backgrounds, particularly Indian. It can be ethnically cliquish with major language barriers. Indians stick with Indians, Koreans with Koreans, and so on. Birmingham is “whiter” to be honest with more language and cultural commonalities. You will have a racially mixed area due to all the international businesses and many of the white collar jobs are held by foreign-born people. Like doctors, for example. Good, hardworking people.

I wouldn’t discourage any of the suburbs based on racial makeup, though.

I personally believe AA is too far-especially in winter. You’re looking at a good hours drive, especially factoring in the constant road construction and worsening general traffic in the area.

Beyond Birmingham-Troy-Bloomfield, I’d consider Oakland Twp, Orchard Lake, West Bloomfield, possibly Novi, though you’re looking at a longer commute with that one. All prosperous, safe communities.

Cranbrook also has forms for residents so that may be an option if you wanted to live farther away and not commute everyday.

Birmingham, Troy and I think Novi have a record of being among the best districts in the state, in every regard.

Birmingham is changing. It seems to be getting younger. Troy, Novi, Oakland Twp have always appealed to families with kids, so it’s not all old execs.
I think the older auto execs are now in Bloomfield Twp. West Bloomfield is aging, and skews Jewish and Chaldean so there are tightly-knit neighborhoods where residents stick around longer and don’t move as much when they age. Lots of lawyers, doctors and business owners.

Hope that helps a little bit.