Impressions of Ferndale

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by alwaystraveling25

I agree with what you said, Coldjensens, which is why I commented to the OP that Downriver would not be a good match for her. I grew up Downriver (Lived in Taylor 22 of my 26 years), so I stand by my opinion as it being a good place to raise families, but definitely not the most open-minded or liberal area in Metro Detroit. Of all the gay people I know that live in Metro Detroit, none of them would live in Downriver because a) they don't feel comfortable there and b) there is not a real gay community there, like there is in Ann Arbor, Ferndale, and my current city. However, I can't completely "downplay" downriver b/c it was a good place to grow up and is solidly middle-class. I liked growing up there, but I would not choose to live there as an adult.

I agree with you. Your assessment of Downriver is mostly spot on. Although we do nto include Taylor as Downriver - no river and no muskrat dinners. Down is not a very liberal area, not terribly Gay friendly, but a nice family oriented place to live. Wyandotte is less family orineted, but still a nice place. (although not super liberal or gay friendly). However when someone says that I am insane for suggesting Wyandotte becuase it is "Gross", that is an example of someone with no real knowlege of a place providing advice about it. Wyandotte is a nice city with great people, just not so good schools and too much traffic and craziness for family/kids. Ever been there during the Cruise? It is great.

Now I am curious. THe only places that I know of that will generally tolerate openly gay persons are Ferndale, Ann Arbor and parts of Detroit (Palmer Park or woods - I forget which). I am obviously missing another city, unless you are no longer in the Metro area. I only know one gay person in Michigan so it does nto much matter, but I like to know everything that I can about this area.

[alwaystraveling25]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

I agree with you. Your assessment of Downriver is mostly spot on. Although we do nto include Taylor as Downriver - no river and no muskrat dinners. Down is not a very liberal area, not terribly Gay friendly, but a nice family oriented place to live. Wyandotte is less family orineted, but still a nice place. (although not super liberal or gay friendly). However when someone says that I am insane for suggesting Wyandotte becuase it is "Gross", that is an example of someone with no real knowlege of a place providing advice about it. Wyandotte is a nice city with great people, just not so good schools and too much traffic and craziness for family/kids. Ever been there during the Cruise? It is great.

Now I am curious. THe only places that I know of that will generally tolerate openly gay persons are Ferndale, Ann Arbor and parts of Detroit (Palmer Park or woods - I forget which). I am obviously missing another city, unless you are no longer in the Metro area. I only know one gay person in Michigan so it does nto much matter, but I like to know everything that I can about this area.

First, I definitely would consider Taylor to be a Downriver community. Although it does not border water, neither do countless other cities that are considered Downriver: Southgate, Brownstown Township, Parts of Woodhaven. Not bordering water does not exclude them from being part of the Downriver Community. I know for a while, Taylor's website said "Taylor: A Downriver Community" and I know for a fact that Southgate Ford print's "#1 Downriver" on their license plate holders of the cars they sell. I'm not trying to nitpick, but I grew up in Taylor and definitely consider myself to be from "Downriver"; although it is not as well-reputed as Wyandotte or Grosse Pointe, it is still a part of the community, although it certainly has it's rough patches (Sin City, anybody?).

The gay-friendly areas of Metro Detroit, in my opinion, are Ann Arbor, Ferndale, and to a lesser extent, Royal Oak. I know a few wealthy gay men who have bought houses in Royal Oak and done a complete gut rehab. Royal Oak also has a gay bar/restaurant/bakery combo in "Pronto!" (The restaurant and bakery has a lot of straight customers: the bar is more exclusively gay and lesbian). I'm sure gays would be tolerated in other cities like Troy and Birmingham, but I don't feel there is a significantly visible population there to make it very visible.

Outside of Metro Detroit, the only other real gay "Mecca" in Michigan is Saugatuck, on the West Side of the state, off I-196 between Holland and Benton Harbor. It has a definitely big gay population year round that swells in the summer due to the "Dunes Resort", the largest gay resort in Michigan (and I'm pretty sure in the Midwest). I know a ton of gays and lesbians from Chicago that go there to party for Memorial Day and Labor Day, and that own vacation houses there.

As Far as Gay Bars in Metro Detroit, the only ones are in Ferndale, Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, and in the city of Detroit (in some VERY rough areas, IMO, with barbed ware parking to boot).

I hope you feel more informed now about Gays and Lesbians in Michigan!

[Coldjensens]

Thank you. Now if anyone asks, I have soemthing to relate.

Taylor does not serve Muskrat - therefore it is not Downriver.


(By the way I was only kidding, Even Dearborn is sometimes included as Downriver. Taylor always is as far as I know). Some commuities are funny. Riverview for xample. It is hard to firgure out just where Riverview starts and ends, but it appears that they have a tiny stretch of riverfront that is less than a mile long. So who is is called Riverview if it is mostly inland and out of sight of the River?

[jeanniepep]

Originally Posted by Called_Out

I'm a Ferndale resident (who lives south of 9 mile) and I think that in terms of purchasing a new house, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase new south of 9 again. I would, however, probably recommend staying north of Marshall St - esp. if you were looking east of Woodward. All of Ferndale is safe and young and fun, but you'd probably be making a better financial investment if you stay at least 3 or 4 blocks north of 8 mile.

In terms of the differences in neighborhoods (north of 9 versus south), here's a "local's" perspective: A lot of older residents and people who have inherited family homes reside north of 9, and there are certainly lots and lots of gorgeous homes. Most first-time buyers, however, are priced out of "north of 9 mile" Ferndale. As a result, you'll see a lot of young people - newlywed's, young families, and yes, renters - living south of 9. Your south-of-nine-mile neighbors will likely be couple's in their 20's and 30's who work for advertising agencies - young professionals or students who want to live in a place where they can still enjoy city amenities like walking or biking to the bar, but don't want the hassel of living in downtown Detroit. My south-of-9 neighbors include a women who teaches dance at a local university, an ad agency couple, an young attorney a stay-at-home mom and two real estate agents.

Thank you so much, this is exactly what I was hoping to find out! We looked at quite a few houses around the area on Monday, and it feels like the "golden zone" where we would love to live is S of 9 Mile, between Woodward and Livernois (as you mentioned, N of 9 is beautiful but mostly priced out of our range). I liked the pretty streets and proximity to all the fun!

The one part I am not too sure is on Marshall just W of Livernois, near the little flower market on the corner. Looked like a nice street, and the house is GREAT, but based on the Taxable Assessed Values, that area is lower in value and declining faster than the neighborhoods E of Livernois. Not sure if that means anything for quality of life but it will probably impact any future resale value, so that's a concern (I'm more concerned about quality of life, but future resale is a factor). Maybe it just means we can offer less and get a great deal, but I just want to make sure we'll be happy living over there.

[Coldjensens]

Can you make a deal to rent the place for six months and put part of the rent toward a down payment?

One thing that will help a lot is to get to know the neighbors immediately.

[jeanniepep]

I have 3 dogs and 4 cats...renting probably won't work.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by jeanniepep

I have 3 dogs and 4 cats...renting probably won't work.

If you do a lease/option it might. Nothing is selling. They could do a lease option and have something to offset the morgage, or the house can sit for another two years with no buyer. We rented a house with 2 huge dogs, a cat, a bird, and some flying rat things (sugar gliders). We had to pay a double security deposit, but it was not too hard to find a house to rent.

In case you do not know, the way a lease option works is that you pay rent for a certain time period. At the end of that time period (or earlier if you desire), you have the option to buy the house at a pre agreed price (or at a new price based on an appraisal) and then a portion of the rent you paid is credited as a down payment. If you decide not to buy, then they just get the rent and you get no credit. Sometimes even, if you decide not to buy, you can continue to rent.