Recent College Grad moving to Detroit (Ann Arbor, Livonia: middle-class, apartment complex, rent)

[littlekeri]

I'm currently living in Houston working for an ad agency and have the opportunity to move to their larger office in Detroit. The idea of moving to Detroit to me is not in the least thrilling, but career wise I think it's a good move. Like every city I know there's good parts and bad. I would be working in downtown Detroit, and would like to be 15-20 miles max from work, at most a 45 minute commute. Where are the areas to completely avoid (please don't say "all of it"), and what are nicer, but yet still affordable areas to live? I'm not really a "city" person so suburbs would be great.

Also what kind of rent might I expect to pay for an apartment in Detroit? I want to be in a nice area so I'm not looking for the cheapest rent around, but I won't be able to afford more than $850/month. Is this even possible?

I'm a recent college graduate, no kids, and I'm nervous about safety especially because I am a woman who would be living alone. Also, how is traffic in Detroit? Traffic in Houston is ridiculous, and I'm just assuming it's no better than Detroit. Are there areas to avoid because of high traffic flow?

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by littlekeri

I'm currently living in Houston working for an ad agency and have the opportunity to move to their larger office in Detroit. The idea of moving to Detroit to me is not in the least thrilling, but career wise I think it's a good move. Like every city I know there's good parts and bad. I would be working in downtown Detroit, and would like to be 15-20 miles max from work, at most a 45 minute commute. Where are the areas to completely avoid (please don't say "all of it"), and what are nicer, but yet still affordable areas to live? I'm not really a "city" person so suburbs would be great.

Also what kind of rent might I expect to pay for an apartment in Detroit? I want to be in a nice area so I'm not looking for the cheapest rent around, but I won't be able to afford more than $850/month. Is this even possible?

I'm a recent college graduate, no kids, and I'm nervous about safety especially because I am a woman who would be living alone. Also, how is traffic in Detroit? Traffic in Houston is ridiculous, and I'm just assuming it's no better than Detroit. Are there areas to avoid because of high traffic flow?

When I first moved to Michigan I lived in Canterbury Park Apartments in Livonia. (On 7 Mile Rd east of Farmington Rd.) It was a very nice complex and quiet, too. Livonia is a middle-class burb so it's nice but not too fancy. You're only a few miles from some really nice burbs like Northville, Plymouth, Novi, etc. Also, I-96 is an easier path to downtown compared to the Lodge or I-75, too. I think it would be very close to a 20 mile drive.

The issue Detroit has is most of the older burbs that connect to the city are not as nice as some on the outskirts.

Some other suggestions would be:
Van Buren Twp/Belleville
Plymouth/Canton
Northville/Novi

Most of those are on the west side and a bit further out. (Closer to 25 miles to downtown.) It's easier to reach downtown from Van Buren via I-94 since traffic is not too bad. Commuting from the north part of the city is much harder so commuting from a place like Novi would take you longer. Coming via the Lodge or I-75 is more problematic.

[RedWingsFan]

Don't live anywhere in the city of Detroit and be very careful driving in and out of it to work. Make a wrong turn and you could wind up in a horrible situation. It's the second most dangerous city in the country and for good reason. Have you ever visited there? Before accepting a job and moving there, why hop on a plane for the weekend and take a visit?

If you must go, live in Troy or somewhere out there. That's where my family lives and it's nice out there. And Troy is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Don't live anywhere in the city of Detroit and be very careful driving in and out of it to work. Make a wrong turn and you could wind up in a horrible situation. It's the second most dangerous city in the country and for good reason. Have you ever visited there? Before accepting a job and moving there, why hop on a plane for the weekend and take a visit?

If you must go, live in Troy or somewhere out there. That's where my family lives and it's nice out there. And Troy is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.

Geez...you make the place sound like Iraq or something. It's not that bad. Downtown Detroit actually has a very low crime rating. (Note I said downtown - some other areas of the city like the northwest side are admittedly very bad.)

It's not hard to get out of downtown - Anywhere on the freeway system is fine. There are a lot of very nice (and new) condos/apartments downtown, too, as a matter of fact.

Detroit's reputation is far worse than reality. I had the same people telling me this stuff when I moved here from North Carolina. My wife and I think the Detroit Metro area is very nice and we like it here a lot - 10 years later.

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Don't live anywhere in the city of Detroit and be very careful driving in and out of it to work. Make a wrong turn and you could wind up in a horrible situation. It's the second most dangerous city in the country and for good reason. Have you ever visited there? Before accepting a job and moving there, why hop on a plane for the weekend and take a visit?

If you must go, live in Troy or somewhere out there. That's where my family lives and it's nice out there. And Troy is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.

Troy is nice, but driving from there to downtown everyday is not something I would recommend to others. That I-75 traffic is terrible during rush hour. One of the worst areas for congestion in the city.

[P. Anthony Allen]

Originally Posted by iamweasel

Geez...you make the place sound like Iraq or something. It's not that bad. Downtown Detroit actually has a very low crime rating. (Note I said downtown - some other areas of the city like the northwest side are admittedly very bad.)

It's not hard to get out of downtown - Anywhere on the freeway system is fine. There are a lot of very nice (and new) condos/apartments downtown, too, as a matter of fact.

Detroit's reputation is far worse than reality. I had the same people telling me this stuff when I moved here from North Carolina. My wife and I think the Detroit Metro area is very nice and we like it here a lot - 10 years later.

True, there are very nice (and expensive) condos/aprtments in the downtown Detroit area. There is a extensive police presence and in recent years downtown has become a much safer place to visit. Yet, I digress. Here's the problem with moving/living in downtown Detroit. Being a young adventurous, outgoing upwardwarly mobile individual, it is likely that you would feel the need to venture beyond the confines of the immediate downtown area. This is when (highly likely) possible problems could arise.

1. There are many blighted and crime infested area's within a "stones throw" of downtown. A casual 20 minute walk in any direction from the Riverfront Towers Apartments would place you in a "sedy" area/nieghborhood.

2. The summer months is when Belle Isle Park becomes the "playground" for the inner-city youth. It is my advise that you steer clear of the park and the surrounding area's during this time of the year (particually at night).

As far as apartment living in any other part of Detroit....FORGET ABOUT IT!!
There were at on time several nice apartment complex's. Palmer Park has denegrated to non-caring tennants and slumlords. Every apartment complex along Greenfield Ave. has stooped to the same level. The same applies for those along Telegraph, 8 Mile Rd, Hoover, Morang, Moross and 7 Mile Rds.

Your best bet for a well kept, clean and safe apartment living (a couple of complex's I am personally familiar with) with good Exp-way access to and from the city is;

Canterbury Park
Ph: (877) 891-3083
19400 Mayfield Road
Livonia, MI 48152 2 bd $775/month 1bd $660/month

Village Green Townhomes
Ph: (248) 547-9393
10811 W. Ten Mile Road
Ferndale, MI 48220 2bd $750/month

On-line resource; http://www.villagegreen.com/

In my personal opinion, to which is widely considered as sound advise, is NOT to move within the city limits. Furthermore, if it is at all possible, try your best to transfer away for the Michigan area all together. Many large companies (including financial institutions such as Comerica Bank) are fleaing the city/state. Make and save as much money as you can and get out before you become "stuck" here. The economy is dying here and there's nothing the politiciains can nor will do to help working people.

[littlekeri]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Don't live anywhere in the city of Detroit and be very careful driving in and out of it to work. Make a wrong turn and you could wind up in a horrible situation. It's the second most dangerous city in the country and for good reason. Have you ever visited there? Before accepting a job and moving there, why hop on a plane for the weekend and take a visit?

If you must go, live in Troy or somewhere out there. That's where my family lives and it's nice out there. And Troy is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.

Ofcourse I'm going to visit first, nothing is completely decided yet. I just want to get a good idea of the city before I go there so if I end up going I can find a place quickly.

This is what scares me about Detroit, the reputation is horrible. I really hope the reputation is more hype than reality, because reading these boards makes me nervous just to visit my company when I do make the trip. My company is located on Woodward Ave very close to the waterfront and the Windsor tunnel. Am I in danger of taking a walk on my lunch break and being shot?

The thing is with my company our headquarters is there (I'm in automotive advertising). However, the way the company is structured is such that I have to spend 8-12 months in Detroit to be able to get promoted into what I want to be doing. Beyond the 12 month mark, I'd be able to get another promotion and move to one of our other offices around the country (and hopefully get myself OUT of automotive and into one of our other accounts).

Something else - how is the public transportation in the Detroit area? Is it possible to take a bus or train to work?

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by littlekeri

Ofcourse I'm going to visit first, nothing is completely decided yet. I just want to get a good idea of the city before I go there so if I end up going I can find a place quickly.

This is what scares me about Detroit, the reputation is horrible. I really hope the reputation is more hype than reality, because reading these boards makes me nervous just to visit my company when I do make the trip. My company is located on Woodward Ave very close to the waterfront and the Windsor tunnel. Am I in danger of taking a walk on my lunch break and being shot?

The thing is with my company our headquarters is there (I'm in automotive advertising). However, the way the company is structured is such that I have to spend 8-12 months in Detroit to be able to get promoted into what I want to be doing. Beyond the 12 month mark, I'd be able to get another promotion and move to one of our other offices around the country (and hopefully get myself OUT of automotive and into one of our other accounts).

Something else - how is the public transportation in the Detroit area? Is it possible to take a bus or train to work?

If your company is downtown by the Ren Cen you'll have no problems walking around that area. Look at a map, and the downtown corridor bound by the Detroit River, the Lodge/M10, I-75 and I-375 is very, very safe. I worked in the Ren Cen for a while and LOVED it. For lunch we could walk to Greektown, Harmony Park, Foxtown, or several other locations. (Even Campus Martius now that is there.)

The Ren Cen itself has several stores/restaurants and they are building a lot of new things along the river in that area. (Including a long riverwalk which was not there when I worked in the Ren Cen. It is a LONG walking path along the river that will end up being several miles long. They are also building a new state park just east of the Ren Cen.)

As far as public transportation goes there really isn't any good options in Detroit for that. Bring a car. They have the People Mover but it's just an elevated tram that circles around the downtown area. It's nice to use it in the winter or to avoid a long-ish walk but it's certainly not mass transit.

Given your situation in your career, coming to Detroit for a year is a no-brainer. Don't let the city's reputation scare you away. Heck, I've been to Houston several times and I'd rather live in Metro Detroit straight-up. (Not kidding.)

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by littlekeri

This is what scares me about Detroit, the reputation is horrible. I really hope the reputation is more hype than reality, to work?

You will learn quickly that with Detroit the reputation is reality, not hype. The city really has earned it's awful reputation.

[iamweasel]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

You will learn quickly that with Detroit the reputation is reality, not hype. The city really has earned it's awful reputation.

That is a bunch of crap. Detroit is not THAT bad. Sure there are bad sections but that goes for any other major city. Sure the downtown area is not filled with shopping districts like Chicago or New York but the city is only 1/4 of the size of those places.

In addition, the Detroit METRO area is quite nice in a lot of areas. One thing I noticed about this area is because it got spread out there are many "cool" suburban downtown locations with many things to do. (Royal Oak, Birmingham, Ann Arbor, Plymouth, Northville, etc.)

I came from North Carolina and all I heard were doom and gloom stories before I got here. (So much so that I almost didn't come.) Boy that would have been a major mistake. I've spent enough time in Houston where if someone can make it there coming to Detroit is no big deal. Much of Houston is not exactly paradise, either.

What is with the negativity? That is one thing that is too commonplace here. People have "grass is greener" syndrome because it gets pounded into them over and over how inferior they should feel because they live in Detroit. Get over it and appreciate what you have or move out of town.