Which Detroit suburb is in the worst shape? (Warren, Sterling Heights: crime, houses)

[us66]

The best source for an answer to that question would be the Grosse Pointe News. Their crime reports would probably even include spitting on the sidewalk.

[Jimbo94]

You guys need to realize dearborn is not at risk because the number one auto maker lately is Ford....dearborn ism still a nice community and still the westside of dearborn that doesnt border detroit is still populated with old money......6 months ago or even a year ago i may agree but you guys need to focus more on GM and Chrysler ran cities

[us66]

Originally Posted by Jimbo94

You guys need to realize dearborn is not at risk because the number one auto maker lately is Ford....dearborn ism still a nice community and still the westside of dearborn that doesnt border detroit is still populated with old money......6 months ago or even a year ago i may agree but you guys need to focus more on GM and Chrysler ran cities

A lot of the people on the CD Detroit forum are down on inner-ring suburbs. You'll hear from people on here that Royal Oak is hell on earth or close to it and that St. Clair Shores is nearing war zone status.

[donkensler]

From my driving around, I'd say the suburbs that are having the roughest time (excluding HP and Hamtramck) are the northern Downriver burbs (Ecorse, River Rouge, Lincoln Park), south Warren, and parts of southeastern Oakland county (Oak Park, southeast Southfield). Other inner-ring suburbs (e.g., RO, Ferndale, Wyandotte) seem to be weathering the recession okay.

Where I live (Bloomfield Township), there have been lots of empty houses, including a few foreclosures, but prices are adjusting downwards, and it looks like the inventory is being worked on. In some cases prices have come down to levels that would seem absurdly cheap in any other large metro area. I still see listings that make me say "you're dreaming if you think you'll get anything close to that", but fewer than a couple of years ago.

[From glasgow]

Originally Posted by Wendy from GP

Hemmie,

I've posted on your other thread as well about what Detroit suburb is in the best shape. I urge you to look at the census data. GP has a much higher concentration of academics and legal and medical professionals than the other suburbs. Most major law firms and medical centers are downtown. Obviously, Wayne State and Tech Town are in the city as well. Many people who work there live in GP. Also, there are three major hospitals in and around GP, and most of those employees also live there. On a person note, I live in GP and know of only one person who works in auto. All of my friends are lawyers, doctors, scientists at Wayne/Tech town, or in advertising (which is suffering very badly). See this week's Grosse Pointe News (www.grossepointenews.com). It mentions the large number of Wayne profs in GP as well.

Auto related industry has largely moved north and west over the past 10-15 years. See Northern Oakland Co. (i.e., Delphi, Chrysler, Borg-Warner, etc.) or the Western Suburbs (see Johnson Controls, Visteon, etc.) The western suburbs are more connected to UM and high tech, so I see them as being stronger to weather the storm. They just seem to lack character in my opinion, and I find the people there are wildly afraid of the city. This is very unappealing. My husband and I moved here from SF, and are urban people at heart. GM execs traditionally lived in the B'ham and Bloomfield (not GP), though that has changed somewhat since it moved its headquarters downtown a few years ago. Ford execs traditionally lived in GP or Ann Arbor, though I don't think that's true anymore.

Also, please see my post about how you are probably getting incorrect housing data. Many websites list Detroit homes as being in GP because of proximitely and shared zip codes. That obviously has a negative effect on the average home price. Similarly, don't just focus on B'ham's listing prices, but also look at their selling prices. They have a HUGE inventory right now. GP has adjusted to the downturn more quickly, but actually has a relatively low inventory, given the rotten state of the economy in SE Michigan. Prices are lower, but houses are selling.

Hi Wendy from GP
which ZIP CODES are "real " GP codes ?
I am looking for houses in GP in good elementary school district
we are relocating from scotland.UK as my husband got a job at Wayne State Uni.

[us66]

48230 is City of GP and GP Park. 48236 is all of the Woods, Farms, and Shores, with a small number of houses in Harper Woods (especially confusing as they have four digit house numbers and the real estate agents don't always advertise them as being in HW) and about a square mile of Detroit.

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by From glasgow

Hi Wendy from GP
which ZIP CODES are "real " GP codes ?
I am looking for houses in GP in good elementary school district
we are relocating from scotland.UK as my husband got a job at Wayne State Uni.

If the house has a "Grosse Pointe Park", "Grosse Pointe", "Grosse Pointe Farms", "Grosse Pointe Shores", or "Grosse Pointe Woods" address then it is in the Grosse Pointe schools.

Are you looking for Grosse Pointe South schools or Grosse Pointe North schools? Grosse Pointe South has always been the better of the two districts. The cities of Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe, and the southern part of Grosse Pointe Farms are in the GP South school district. While GP Woods, northern GP Farms, and GP Shores are in the GP North school district.

The east side of Harper Woods also belongs to the Grosse Pointe North school district.

[Northsider 248]

Originally Posted by Jimbo94

You guys need to realize dearborn is not at risk because the number one auto maker lately is Ford....dearborn ism still a nice community and still the westside of dearborn that doesnt border detroit is still populated with old money......6 months ago or even a year ago i may agree but you guys need to focus more on GM and Chrysler ran cities

Most of Dearborn is very nice, I agree. The borderlines around Detroit are a little nasty though. Everything changes drastically after you pass Wyoming, but it still has an undeserved bad rap.

Originally Posted by us66

A lot of the people on the CD Detroit forum are down on inner-ring suburbs. You'll hear from people on here that Royal Oak is hell on earth or close to it and that St. Clair Shores is nearing war zone status.

The estimate of unreported assaults in Royal Oak is crazy. In 2000, it was a trendy, emerging, upscale community. As of 2010 it's a lawn parkin', barn raisin', shotgun shootin' regular Alabama trailer park. Not including the 1992 post office massacre, the decennial murder rate for the '00s is twice of the '90s. And with the amount of businesses closing down and people moving out of SCS, you can't deny that it's worse off than it ever used to be.

Originally Posted by donkensler

From my driving around, I'd say the suburbs that are having the roughest time (excluding HP and Hamtramck) are the northern Downriver burbs (Ecorse, River Rouge, Lincoln Park), south Warren, and parts of southeastern Oakland county (Oak Park, southeast Southfield). Other inner-ring suburbs (e.g., RO, Ferndale, Wyandotte) seem to be weathering the recession okay.

That general Southfield area [SField, Lathrup, Oak Park & RO Twp] has been doing horrible lately. If you ask me, it's much worse off than the northern Downriver.

[Remisc]

Originally Posted by [JS]

And with the amount of businesses closing down and people moving out of SCS, you can't deny that it's worse off than it ever used to be.

While I agree that SCS is looking a little run-down in some areas, it still has a very low crime rate and people that care about their homes. The same can't be said for A LOT of other Detroit suburbs.

[us66]

Go to SCS. Look around. Go to Roachville. Look around. Go to Eastpointe. Look around (and if there's a garbageman around, duck). Then, tell us which one is the most run down. Tell us which one shows the most pride in ownership.