is lincoln park really a suburb or just an extension of detroit (Southfield: real estate)

[terrie07]

i am considering moving downriver i work near the new center area of detroit
and i like downriver i know lots of people bash it unsure why

but i like that 75 south isnt nearly as bad as 75 south at 5pm everyday i like
the proximity of being close to work especially because i hate long commutes or traffic jams at all

so i was considering lincoln park i am not handy dandy so i wanted a 3br 2bath in decent shape
and after looking at 200 hommes i found mostly what i like in lincoln park

i really wanted southgate but couldnt afford and tyalor most homes had no basement --few homes in my price range in allen park--and wyandotte just
couldnt find the right house that fit me

so my question is this people bash lincoln park all the time and say really bad things so is it really a suburb or just a much smaller detroit

the north end of southfield side has lots of boarded homes and mexicans
and i've read the schools suck so are these things accurate or not

[ImaMichigander]

I grew up in Lincoln Park, as did my parents and grandparents. I haven't lived in Lincoln Park for a long time, but did just move out of Brownstown-- another Downriver Community.

I can say that I really like the Downriver Communities. I like the people. We are all a bit crazy, but in a nice way. I think from so many chemical plants, steel mills and such-- there is stuff in the air, water, ground, etc.

As for Lincoln Park, I have a grandma that still lives there, near the Bandshell.

There are decent groceries-- I like the Kroger at Dix and Southfield and the Meijer in Southgate ins't too bad.

There are decent restaurants all within a short drive. My personal favorite is TV Diner-- on Fort between Harrison and West. Great food, terrific soup, wonderful desserts and you can have a beer or glass of wine with dinner. My kids and I miss it on more than a weekly basis.

Southland, as a mall, sucks. But there are quite a few stores in the area, that will suffice in a pinch. And great malls within about 45 minutes to an hour.

I have not heard great things about Lincoln Park Schools. That has been true since I was in school, back in the late 80's early 90's. I think that they haven't gotten better. I think that you can do school of choice though, with Allen Park and Wyandotte, and possibly Southgate. BUT Lincoln Park has a great variety of Parks and Rec programs-- we often came to Lincoln Park for better times and availabilty, when we lived in Brownstown.

I think that the ethnic diversity in Lincoln Park has really taken off in the past few yers. Not saying that in a good way, or bad way, just that what used to be a pretty homogenous community is much more diverse now.

Housing everywhere in the Downriver Communities is pretty cheap right now. I had a friend that bought a house to flip in Lincoln Park, right on the ALlen Park boarder-- pretty close to Cabrini. Completely renovated it, stainless appliances, granite, new everything. It had 3 bed and a finished basement. I think they were taking it to auction last I heard, in June. I think that they were asking like $65,000. It was a nice neighborhood too, with people that seemed to be taking care of their homes and lawns.

With all of that said, Lincoln Park would not be my first choice of Downriver Communities, but I certainly wouldn't count it out either. And given your driving situation, Licnoln Park is VERY nicely located for a quick trip up 75.

Good Luck!

[Coldjensens]

Lincoln Park has some nice areas and some not so great areas. It is a suburb. Schools are not too good. Wyandotte is really neat if you are close to downtown. Trenton is worth a look too. Some pretty affordable places there. Grosse Ile is fabulous, but somewhat more expensive. Grosse ile seems to have been hit the hardest real estate wise so there are huge deals there, but it is still generally more expensive than other communities.

[Coldjensens]

By the way. With the 75 closed for two years the commute to downriver is a bit longer than it was

[djones87]

from wyandotte and grosse ile the better commute, esp now is to avoid 75 and take jefferson or fort - if you need schools you should choose only trenton or grosse ile

[plannine]

Most of the area's you listed have "better" and "not so good" sections.
I lived in Lincoln Park in the late 60's, and again in the late 70's, and Im sure if I went back, it wouldn't be anything like I remembered (but nothing ever is). A good student will do well anywhere.

[zakian]

Originally Posted by terrie07

i am considering moving downriver i work near the new center area of detroit
and i like downriver i know lots of people bash it unsure why

but i like that 75 south isnt nearly as bad as 75 south at 5pm everyday i like
the proximity of being close to work especially because i hate long commutes or traffic jams at all

so i was considering lincoln park i am not handy dandy so i wanted a 3br 2bath in decent shape
and after looking at 200 hommes i found mostly what i like in lincoln park

i really wanted southgate but couldnt afford and tyalor most homes had no basement --few homes in my price range in allen park--and wyandotte just
couldnt find the right house that fit me

so my question is this people bash lincoln park all the time and say really bad things so is it really a suburb or just a much smaller detroit

the north end of southfield side has lots of boarded homes and mexicans
and i've read the schools suck so are these things accurate or not

I would really double check Southgate again. SOMEONE I was talking to and trust said Southgate is the place. fyi only.

[fallingwater]

Originally Posted by terrie07

i am considering moving downriver i work near the new center area of detroit
and i like downriver i know lots of people bash it unsure why

but i like that 75 south isnt nearly as bad as 75 south at 5pm everyday i like
the proximity of being close to work especially because i hate long commutes or traffic jams at all

so i was considering lincoln park i am not handy dandy so i wanted a 3br 2bath in decent shape
and after looking at 200 hommes i found mostly what i like in lincoln park

i really wanted southgate but couldnt afford and tyalor most homes had no basement --few homes in my price range in allen park--and wyandotte just
couldnt find the right house that fit me

so my question is this people bash lincoln park all the time and say really bad things so is it really a suburb or just a much smaller detroit

the north end of southfield side has lots of boarded homes and mexicans
and i've read the schools suck so are these things accurate or not

I grew up in Lincoln Park and spent most of my adult life there until last summer. I did own a home in Southgate and Wyandotte for a period of time. Lincoln Park always got a bad rap as far as I can remember. I think now its starting to live up to the reputation that was established for it so long ago. For one its a working class town. Most people that live in Lincoln Park are blue collar workers. This isnt a bad thing but for some people they think it is.

The North end started to get pretty rough about 10 yrs ago although it wasnt considered a desirable area for many many yrs. I would say the worst pockets are between Dix and Fort street, especially between I-75 and Fort. I owned a home by Sears along the Allen Park border. I had no problems there. What I didnt like that people started letting their properties go. Some cut grass, others did not. I also found this area to be a haven for sex offenders. Lincoln Park has a high concentration of them. Do a sex offender search before you buy and that goes for any city you look at. LP schools are not the best but in last years MEAP scores, they were about as comparable to Southgate and Wyandotte which shocked many people.

In the past 10 years there has been a explosion of diversity in the city. I would say more Mexicans have moved into the city than any other ethic group. The only compliant I have about this is my son made friends with several children that were mexican and the parents didnt seem interested in letting their children play with kids other than their own kind. The parents were never rude to me but made it obvious that their children play with their cousins only. My son ended up playing mostly with the white kids and honestly the mexican kids were much nicer and more well mannered. So I found that to be a bit frustrating on the segregation the mexicans want.

There are a lot of foreclosures in LP so we saw a lot of kids move in and out of the city. Sometimes my son would have 30 kids in his class and a month later it would drop to 21. Then go back up, etc etc. I sent my son to a school on the south end of town. LP does let you take advantage of the open schools. It can be tricky but if there is an opening, you can put your son in a school anywhere in the city. I personally liked Carr elementary. I liked the principle very much. There were a few teachers that clearly needed to retire but over all it was a decent school.

I do not think LP is a horrible place to live, if you can only afford so much for a home then there are many places in LP that offers decent safe neighborhoods. I personally think Southgate is over rated and has been for many years. There is a neighborhood called "Homestead" that is really nice in Southgate. Its off of fort street between fort and Trenton road. There are neighborhoods behind Eureka that are very nice as well. Wyandotte is a charming town with old homes, nice downtown area but its a very clicky city. People that live there take great pride in the fact they grew up in Wyandotte. The politics of the city are down right corrupt, worse that I have ever seen in any city besides Detroit. I lived there 5 yrs and hated it. My neighbors were awesome but dealing with the city officials on city certs was a down right nightmare. They have their city services such as cable, water and electric. I found my bills to be much less living there verses what I paid in LP. However, it also means you do not have a choice in what cable company you want. But I can honestly say their cable service was just fine.

If I were to move back, I would move to Trenton. Riverview is not bad either and both of these cities have the better schools in the area. Grosse Ile is very nice but finding a home, even in this market is still tough if you need something under 120K. If you find something you like feel free to PM me. I can tell you about the neighborhood. I owned 5 homes in LP all in different areas in the city. Good Luck!