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Old 05-22-2022, 01:59 PM
 
Location: Metrowest Boston
279 posts, read 311,636 times
Reputation: 367

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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!
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Old 05-22-2022, 10:55 PM
 
1,317 posts, read 1,916,867 times
Reputation: 1925
A lot to respond to here, but I'll try to summarize the best I can:

1. Are there many families around the nicer Detroit suburbs, or is it mostly retirees / old rich car execs?
Tons of families and people of all ages in the nicer suburbs of Metro Detroit. Lots of people of all ages in places like Birmingham, Bloomfield, Grosse Pointe, Troy, Rochester, etc. This overall is a non-issue. There is a lot of a "changing of the guard" in many places as older people downsize/move-out/retire/die and younger people move in. Nowhere do I see this in any of the more afluent suburbs at all.

2. Is there the feeling of growth in the metro itself?
Metro Detroit overall is a mature, relatively low growth region. Its nothing like the sunbelt regions, and that is actually a good thing. There is generally organic growth, but not a lot of transient influx of people for other regions. That may change a bit if people realize its generally a lower-cost region compared to the big coastal metros. But you have to tolerate the climate....and the general insular / provincial mentality of the region.

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.
Not at all. I grew up a white family in an upper middle class family. I grew up in the Birmingham area. Its not weird at all.

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.
Cranbrook is one of the most expensive private schools in the state. It has national recognition. Its know for the arts

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?
Many live in the immediate area. I would not want to live in Ann Arbor and commute your kid to Cranbrook as thats a 45-60 minute drive each way. Thats nuts. The majority live within a 20 mile radius in the higher end adjacent suburbs.

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.
The public school districts in the immediate surrounding area are some of the best in the state. Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, and Rochester rival some the best private schools in the country. You can't go wrong with any of those areas.

With a $1.8 M housing budget you can pretty much buy anything you want within reason in the area.
I would strongly consider living in Birmingham and sending you kid to Birmingham Public Schools.
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Old 05-24-2022, 08:02 AM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
Reputation: 39408
[quote=trevor0101;63479953]I'm curious about a few things that I'm hoping some locals can help me understand a bit better!



Solid income, and housing budget of $1.8M.


That will buy you a house on water - a really really nice house on water; or major acreage; or a slightly above average house in Bloomfield Hills.


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


Detroit is the primary place for those things. Detroit is now one of the most awesome cities in the nation. All the cool stuff without lines and crowds (usually). Detroit supposedly has more theater seats than any city East of the Mississippi except Manhattan. It is a crazed fan sports town and hosts three professional sports teams with a soccer team supposedly coming. Downtown has become a foodie mecca. It is also a big music place with many music venues (especially Jazz), and lots and lots of festivals.


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

All of the nicer suburbs have great to excellent public schools. There are a lot of great private schools as well, but many are Catholic.



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?


No. Mostly families. Retirees go to Florida, or become snowbirds.


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


Overall in the metro - not much feeling. Specific areas have growth, especially downtown Detroit. The explosive growth of the early 2000s is gone and that is a good thing. One of the primary benefits of Michigan is it is not so crowded. We want it to stay that way. Many of us see no benefit to "growth" that results in waiting in lines and sitting in traffic.


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.


Not sure what you mean, but SE Michigan is very segregated. It is getting better, but most high end suburbs are 90% or more white. You get a bit more of a mix in Novi and Ann Arbor. Some places tend to be enclaves for specific groups. For example Canton is very popular with people from India, Chaldeans seem to like Hamtrammak. Middle Eastern people like Dearborn. Downriver is heavily Polish and slavic. There is a concentration of Jewish people in Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield. None of these areas are exclusive to their particular enclave, just popular so you find a lot more people of a specific cultural background in some of these areas than you find in most other areas. There is not a lot of diversity in many of the higher end suburbs, so your kids may grow up in somewhat of a bubble. In our community, our kids grew up entirely in a bubble. It was nice for them as kids, but when they went to college they had to learn things like you need to lock your doors and you cannot just walk into someones house and get a drink of water.



4. - 5. Cranbrook


A friend of mine lives in Rochester Hills and sent all of his kids to Cranbrook. Be aware it is incredibly expensive (I think it is close to $40,000 per year per kid, but I could be wrong). If you want your kids to hob knob with the kids of sports stars and the uber wealthy elite, then you need to send them to Cranbrook. It is certainly an excellent school and highly rated nationally. Personally I do not think it makes a huge difference. How your kids do is more about you and them than it is about what school they go to. Cranbrook does provide an elite peer group however. There are national rankings of such schools and it is up high on some of the lists. However most of those lists are weighted toward east or west coast preferences. Cranbrook is certainly the most highly rated school in Michigan, although that depends on the source as well.


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.


There is only one other school that significantly competes with Cranbrook for academic ratings. I think it is called International Academy or something like that. Thee are other good private schools and public schools int he area. Country Day is a good Private school (there are others but I am tired and do not want to think today), Rochester hills, has very good public schools as do a lot of the suburbs in that area. IN choosing a school you need to look at what the various rating systems consider. For test scorers, graduation rates and the like, Cranbrook is hard to match. However, Cranbrook is not very competitive in sports, in fact I am not sure it has many sports teams (never hear about them). They do have some basketball and baseball I know, but I do not think it is a great place for people who want to be competitive in sports. They are not that well known in the arts either, but they do have good programs. Cranbrook seems to be more focused on academics.



Being in Michigan, you may want to split your house budget and buy an estate up north someplace. Most wealthy people have an estate up north. Where and how far up north depends on your preferences, but the great tings about Michigan, is we have "up north".


You will encounter quite a lot of traffic in the Bloomfield hills area (most of North Oakland County). You can avoid it by working at home or by driving in off times. It is nothing compared to Southern California traffic (where we moved from), but it is enough to make me say I would never live in that area. I realty hate traffic and crowded situations (mostly I just do not like waiting).



Send me a private message and I can get you in touch with my friend whose kids all went to Cranbrook. He is much more in touch with the country club lifestyle than I am and an give you more pertinent information than I can.
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Old 05-24-2022, 10:22 AM
 
2,041 posts, read 1,830,369 times
Reputation: 3494
Regarding the comment about retirees...we stay here for the most part. Most of us like it here (a lot!) especially if our children and grandchildren are still in the area. Ours are and it's wonderful.



Yes, white upper middle class kids most certainly do live and learn about life...in a bubble. I didn't grow up this way myself and found the real world much easier to adjust to than friends who did grow up in such communities. Mine was a working class community in upstate NY with lots of kids and good teachers and schools, and immigrants. In school you had to apply yourself and be motivated. I have to add that good schools alone can't accomplish that for a child; they have to want it and be encouraged. I just wanted it and was stubborn.


There are pluses and minuses to bubbles.

Last edited by mgkeith; 05-24-2022 at 10:32 AM..
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Old 05-28-2022, 08:41 PM
 
269 posts, read 283,485 times
Reputation: 628
Here are my 2 cents beyond what the other posters said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
1. Are there many families around the nicer Detroit suburbs, or is it mostly retirees / old rich car execs?
No, there are plenty of families in these areas, due to the desirability of the school districts. The places with the most retirees are generally the working class suburbs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
2. Is there the feeling of growth in the metro itself?
No, metro Detroit has been in stagnation for the last 50 years. Detroit is emptying out, inner-ring suburbs lose population as family sizes shrink (see my point about retirees above), and exurbs sprawl out into the country. But as another poster mentioned, we kind of like it this way. It keeps traffic manageable and the cost of living low.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
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.
Not sure who you fear will be looking at you oddly. There's a major class and racial divide in Metro Detroit, but that isn't unique to Detroit. If you're a rich white person, you're going to be insulated from the economic struggles that a lot of the people experience. That causes a bit of resentment, which I think is what you're getting at. However, my advice is don't be a snob or a racist or an a**hole and you will be fine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
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.
Cranbrook has an elite, preppy, East Coast boarding school feel about it. Perhaps that's what you are looking for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
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?
The drive from Ann Arbor to Cranbrook would be equivalent to driving from Worcester to downtown Boston. Doable, but not really recommended, especially in snow or construction. In terms of suburbs, your options (assuming < 30 minute commute) would be Bloomfield Twp/Hills, Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Franklin, West Bloomfield, Troy, and Rochester Hills. These are generally upper-middle class or even upper-class suburbs that have a lot in common but they have their own unique character depending on what you're looking for.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
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.
Bloomfield Hills has one of the best performing districts in the state. As does Birmingham. Troy is also excellent. However, as per my usual rant, this is because the students come from affluent, educated families, not because the teachers are better.
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Old 05-29-2022, 09:20 PM
 
2,261 posts, read 1,067,589 times
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Clarence "Papa Doc" went to Cranbrook, it's a private school.
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Old 06-09-2022, 11:15 AM
 
3 posts, read 6,787 times
Reputation: 22
[quote=Coldjensens;63490561]
Quote:
Originally Posted by trevor0101 View Post
I'm curious about a few things that I'm hoping some locals can help me understand a bit better!



Solid income, and housing budget of $1.8M.


That will buy you a house on water - a really really nice house on water; or major acreage; or a slightly above average house in Bloomfield Hills.


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


Detroit is the primary place for those things. Detroit is now one of the most awesome cities in the nation. All the cool stuff without lines and crowds (usually). Detroit supposedly has more theater seats than any city East of the Mississippi except Manhattan. It is a crazed fan sports town and hosts three professional sports teams with a soccer team supposedly coming. Downtown has become a foodie mecca. It is also a big music place with many music venues (especially Jazz), and lots and lots of festivals.


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

All of the nicer suburbs have great to excellent public schools. There are a lot of great private schools as well, but many are Catholic.



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?


No. Mostly families. Retirees go to Florida, or become snowbirds.


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


Overall in the metro - not much feeling. Specific areas have growth, especially downtown Detroit. The explosive growth of the early 2000s is gone and that is a good thing. One of the primary benefits of Michigan is it is not so crowded. We want it to stay that way. Many of us see no benefit to "growth" that results in waiting in lines and sitting in traffic.


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.


Not sure what you mean, but SE Michigan is very segregated. It is getting better, but most high end suburbs are 90% or more white. You get a bit more of a mix in Novi and Ann Arbor. Some places tend to be enclaves for specific groups. For example Canton is very popular with people from India, Chaldeans seem to like Hamtrammak. Middle Eastern people like Dearborn. Downriver is heavily Polish and slavic. There is a concentration of Jewish people in Bloomfield Hills and West Bloomfield. None of these areas are exclusive to their particular enclave, just popular so you find a lot more people of a specific cultural background in some of these areas than you find in most other areas. There is not a lot of diversity in many of the higher end suburbs, so your kids may grow up in somewhat of a bubble. In our community, our kids grew up entirely in a bubble. It was nice for them as kids, but when they went to college they had to learn things like you need to lock your doors and you cannot just walk into someones house and get a drink of water.



4. - 5. Cranbrook


A friend of mine lives in Rochester Hills and sent all of his kids to Cranbrook. Be aware it is incredibly expensive (I think it is close to $40,000 per year per kid, but I could be wrong). If you want your kids to hob knob with the kids of sports stars and the uber wealthy elite, then you need to send them to Cranbrook. It is certainly an excellent school and highly rated nationally. Personally I do not think it makes a huge difference. How your kids do is more about you and them than it is about what school they go to. Cranbrook does provide an elite peer group however. There are national rankings of such schools and it is up high on some of the lists. However most of those lists are weighted toward east or west coast preferences. Cranbrook is certainly the most highly rated school in Michigan, although that depends on the source as well.


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.


There is only one other school that significantly competes with Cranbrook for academic ratings. I think it is called International Academy or something like that. Thee are other good private schools and public schools int he area. Country Day is a good Private school (there are others but I am tired and do not want to think today), Rochester hills, has very good public schools as do a lot of the suburbs in that area. IN choosing a school you need to look at what the various rating systems consider. For test scorers, graduation rates and the like, Cranbrook is hard to match. However, Cranbrook is not very competitive in sports, in fact I am not sure it has many sports teams (never hear about them). They do have some basketball and baseball I know, but I do not think it is a great place for people who want to be competitive in sports. They are not that well known in the arts either, but they do have good programs. Cranbrook seems to be more focused on academics.



Being in Michigan, you may want to split your house budget and buy an estate up north someplace. Most wealthy people have an estate up north. Where and how far up north depends on your preferences, but the great tings about Michigan, is we have "up north".


You will encounter quite a lot of traffic in the Bloomfield hills area (most of North Oakland County). You can avoid it by working at home or by driving in off times. It is nothing compared to Southern California traffic (where we moved from), but it is enough to make me say I would never live in that area. I realty hate traffic and crowded situations (mostly I just do not like waiting).



Send me a private message and I can get you in touch with my friend whose kids all went to Cranbrook. He is much more in touch with the country club lifestyle than I am and an give you more pertinent information than I can.
Lol, Detroit has 4 major league sports teams (Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings) AND a professional soccer team (Detroit City FC)...they just play in the league below MLS.
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Old 06-21-2022, 01:50 PM
 
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I'd be looking for something in Washington Twp., Romeo, Rochester, Birmingham, or Grosse Pointe. With that budget you should be able to find something that suits you perfectly.
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Old 06-23-2022, 01:17 PM
 
3 posts, read 6,787 times
Reputation: 22
You've clearly not visited much of Detroit if you don't think that there are nice areas in the city proper. Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, University District. Indian Village, West Village. All of these are excellent areas to raise a family.
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Old 06-28-2022, 03:20 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
Reputation: 39408
Quote:
Originally Posted by KnnNike View Post
You've clearly not visited much of Detroit if you don't think that there are nice areas in the city proper. Palmer Woods, Sherwood Forest, University District. Indian Village, West Village. All of these are excellent areas to raise a family.



As long as you can afford private schools, and as long as you want your kids to stay in a very limited area and keep your eyes on them at all times. I still would not call anyplace in the city an excellent area to raise a family. Maybe if you were in walking distance of Belle Isle. Otherwise there is really no place for the kids to roam, plat, explore, get away. Detroit is a city. It is a really neat city in places,but still a city. Few or no cities are excellent places to raise a family and for raising a family, Detroit is less compatible than many or most cities. I love Detroit, it would be a great place for me to live now (or when I was much younger), but I would not raise kids in the city. They can move there when they are in college.
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