Detroit- highland park and hamtramck? (Dearborn, Redford: crime, new home, neighborhoods)

[Midwesterns45]

I know that these two cities are in the middle of detroit..
Is highland park just as bad as Detroit?
Are these areas just as impoverished as Detroit's worst streets?
**I need a recommondation for a place that is safe and free of most crimes within city limits of Detroit...Does anybody know if there are any detroit residental communities other than downtown that are good areas?
Since my relative has children, she would like a place that has a good school system. PLEASE RESPOND WITH AS MUCH TRUTHFUL INFO AS POSSIBLE!

[Nearborn]

Why do you have to be in the city limits of Detroit? They got rid of residency years ago. Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park are all suburbs of hell. While not quite hell, they are all certainly at least as hellish as Purgatory. Well....Detroit might be hell. Highland Park is Purgatory and Hamramck? Up until a couple years ago, it was Limbo.

Come to think of it, have you been to Hell? It's near Howell. Much nicer than Detroit, so I guess I'd say you'd rather go to Hell than Detroit.

[illmatic774]

HP is awful, but Hamtramck is cool. Its not your creampuff suburb, but its pretty cool if you can put up with the cultural dynamic.

[detshen]

I can't understand why someone would need to live in a city that's "inside" Detroit. There are nice cities like Ferndale and Dearborn that border Detroit. Depending on finances there are some parts of Detroit that are okay to live in like Indian Village, Boston Edison, East English village, but private or parochial school would be a necessity since Detroit schools are not just bad, many are quite dangerous. I love Detroit and always encourage people without kids to move there, but people with kids, no way!

Anyway, Hamtramck has some decent areas, but Highland Park is pretty bad, most of it is on par or worse than the bad areas in Detroit.

[usroute10]

I am a Detroit booster until I die. I am a current resident and ain't never going to leave unless the Lord tells me to. That being said...

Try Dearborn or if you have money, the Grosse Pointes.

I say this because, the Detroit Public Schools have a number of great schools, but they are vastly outnumbered by bad schools. So if you can ensure that your child will attend the best schools in the school district, then I can recommend to you a TON of neighborhoods such as Rosedale Park, Grandmont, East English Village, West Village, Boston-Edison, etc. But if your child cannot get into those few schools, then just choose the suburbs.

Highland Park is very neglected and decayed, and very much abandoned by white folks. In fact, I was reading in the Detroit News about 5 years ago - The Highland Park school district had 1,100 students, and only TWO were white! The City of Highland Park is only 4% white, and 93% black. It borders Hamtramck, which is only 15% black!

Hamtramck is a very diverse and densely populated city. Very walkable. It's crime issues are not as severe as Detroit's and Highland Park's, but I don't think the schools are that great academically.

[detshen]

I should have mentioned that there are a few good schools. I live in Detroit and most of the kids around here attend the good schools and they are smart kids, a few schools focus on the arts as well.

[Dexterguy]

In DETROIT - The areas that I would suggest in Detroit City Limits are Indian Village, Boston-Edison, and East English Village. The Rosedale Park area is nice also, with mostly kept up homes. Two other areas that I can suggest also are Corktown (next to downtown) and Downtown itself, I know that you said you did not want to live in Downtown. Any other area of Detroit I would avoid.

In HIGHLAND PARK - As many of the other posters have pointed out already Highland Park is best avoided. The city has been in trouble for many years with money, and tax problems. Many of the neighborhoods in Highland Park are also very run down. If you are interested in the city though I will suggest you look into the area where they built some new homes a few years ago. The homes are small, but are affordable. If you have the money, STAY OUT of Highland Park!

In HAMTRAMCK - Hamtramck is actually nicer than many suburbanites believe. It is more of a city for the "lower class" or "working class" but still has many young people moving in and building strong roots in the city. Hamtramck has also become a city with a cultural center. The city was once known for its large Polish population, even though it still remains very much Polish in many areas approx. 22%. If you are looking for the more "old world European" Hamtramck look around the GM assembly plant and in the southern areas of the city. The more diverse areas of the city are in the northern reaches of the city. Diverse meaning more African-American, Indian, and Asian population. Hamtramck has its ups and downs but should be put on your list.

In SUBURBS - Some of the suburbs that I would suggest to you that are "close knit" in around the City of Detoit are Ferndale, Dearborn, and on the west side, Redford.

I hope this helped, happy house hunting!

[prairiestate]

Slight detour. How on earth did Hamtramck remain relatively safe and stable, being surrounded by the staggering blight of Detroit and Highland Park?

[Nearborn]

Polish people and new immigrants, that's how.

[Cherry]

I live in Hamtramck. We have more than our share of crime, but our police force and fire department is independent from Detroit, and the average response time is around 2 minutes.

The area around GM is known as the Arab South End because most immigrants from Yemen live in that area. (The census categorizes Yemeni-Americans as "other West Asia".) North of Caniff is more Ukrainian, Bosnian, and Bengali. East of Conant and West of I-75 are the last traditionally Black neighborhoods that were not destroyed by "urban renewal". Polish people are everywhere, but West of Joseph Campau, especially around St. Florian, is more Polish than other areas. The central area is very mixed.

There are several good elementary schools in the city. The middle school and the high school have problems. Hamtramck kids can go to Detroit schools, but I think Detroiters are first in line for the best schools.

Highland Park would be good for someone who has 10 years to wait for a return on their investment and is looking to renovate an enormous house. The planned rail line on Woodward is going to make HP a very desirable location.