What are the best suburbs of Detroit? (St. Clair Shores, Royal Oak: homes, neighborhoods)

[Twehttam]

I'll second the Grosse Pointes, where you'll get two of the best high schools in the state (+1 for Grosse Pointe South), safe neighborhoods, an easy commute to downtown, less than an hour to DTW...but a bit soft on shopping. There are some corner stores and smaller boutiques in the GP's, but you'll need to drive 15-20+ minutes for well equipped malls and the sort.

My wife and I moved to Grosse Pointe Farms last Fall and we're very happy with our choice. We looked at other areas (Beverly Hills, Royal Oak, Troy, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield), but picked GP and haven't looked back.

Good luck!

[biblegal]

Thanks so much for all of your assistance!

Biblegal

[momtwoboys]

I'll agree Grosse Pointe has good schools but do you really want to be that close to Detroit? The only thing nice about GP is in GP so one wrong turn and you can end up in Detroit. Check out www.wdiv.com for the latest news about a carjacking gang initiation problem that is going on at Eastland mall (very close to GP) and other news about the area. Anywhere in Oakland county would probably be more like what you are used to in MN. Look at a map and see how many lakes are in this county. Northville, Troy, Rochester, Birmingham/Bloomfield all have equally good schools, homes with lots of property around and you will be miles away from the city.

[Bhaalspawn]

Will you be driving to and from work everyday? It's difficult to give you a good answer without knowing where you need to go. As a general rule, you'll find the upper middle class in the northern and northwestern non-inner-ring suburbs of Oakland County, especially in what I like to call the "Lakes Country".

[BurtsBees]

Originally Posted by momtwoboys

I'll agree Grosse Pointe has good schools but do you really want to be that close to Detroit? The only thing nice about GP is in GP so one wrong turn and you can end up in Detroit. Check out www.wdiv.com for the latest news about a carjacking gang initiation problem that is going on at Eastland mall (very close to GP) and other news about the area. Anywhere in Oakland county would probably be more like what you are used to in MN. Look at a map and see how many lakes are in this county. Northville, Troy, Rochester, Birmingham/Bloomfield all have equally good schools, homes with lots of property around and you will be miles away from the city.

Grosse Pointe is as good as anywhere, and the police keep the trash from Detroit from seeping over. They do a great job as border patrol.

BTW, the carjackings at Eastland....thats in Harper Woods, which isn't on the same page as the Grosse Pointes.

[momtwoboys]

Originally Posted by BurtsBees

Grosse Pointe is as good as anywhere, and the police keep the trash from Detroit from seeping over. They do a great job as border patrol.

BTW, the carjackings at Eastland....thats in Harper Woods, which isn't on the same page as the Grosse Pointes.

Well thank you BurtsBees, you just helped me prove my point that if you live in GP you shouldn't leave GP. I'm not sure what you mean by Harper Woods not being on the same page as GP. It's not like it's 10 or even 5 miles away. I'd also like to make it clear that I am not a GP hater. Actually, I have family there and really like it. The homes have quality and character that is unlike any other area. The public parks and rec are some of the best in the metro area. I have spent many summer days as a guest at the lake front park at Jefferson & 9 mile and my kids just love the waterslide and high diving boards. The recreation building is also very teen friendly with ping pong tables and a work out facility. The Country Club of Detroit is the most beautiful club I have ever been to. I'm just trying to help someone make an informed decision.

[Bejapa]

Thank you so much for this post. I am relocating to the Detroit metro area this summer and your list is very helpful!

[BurtsBees]

Originally Posted by momtwoboys

Well thank you BurtsBees, you just helped me prove my point that if you live in GP you shouldn't leave GP. I'm not sure what you mean by Harper Woods not being on the same page as GP. It's not like it's 10 or even 5 miles away. I'd also like to make it clear that I am not a GP hater. Actually, I have family there and really like it. The homes have quality and character that is unlike any other area. The public parks and rec are some of the best in the metro area. I have spent many summer days as a guest at the lake front park at Jefferson & 9 mile and my kids just love the waterslide and high diving boards. The recreation building is also very teen friendly with ping pong tables and a work out facility. The Country Club of Detroit is the most beautiful club I have ever been to. I'm just trying to help someone make an informed decision.

Harper Woods has much, much more of "Detroit" coming through and well, its just not Grosse Pointe. THey have a larger crime problem than Grosse Pointe.

[ckhthankgod]

What about the Berkley area?

[curliq]

Originally Posted by BurtsBees

Harper Woods has much, much more of "Detroit" coming through and well, its just not Grosse Pointe. THey have a larger crime problem than Grosse Pointe.

Other than car theft, Harper Woods crime stats are similar to Royal Oak - yet, I hardly read any posters warning of crime in our much-touted Royal Oak area?... Let's be candid and admit that many of us blindly hold Royal Oak on the same real estate pedestal as the GP's, and we're hair-trigger quick to suggest these two areas to out-of-towners/potential homeowners?

I only point this out because I presently live in Harper Woods (moved here from Royal Oak), and I can honestly say I feel safer here. To be fair, I live in the NE corner, bordering Grosse Pointe Woods and St. Clair Shores - so Eastland Mall is not in my backyard. But you'll find me, a young/white woman, shopping at Eastland's Target and Lowes a couple times a week sans incident - GASP, imagine that!

My experience with crime ballooned the minute I started living/working in glorious Royal Oak. I've witnessed SWAT prostitution stings in my work parking lot, aggressive homeless people, carjackings, and a crazy drug addict tried to assault me on 11 Mile (he was sent to jail for 3 years). Yes, all of this in an area where real estate averages over a quarter of a million dollars.

My point: let's ease up on pushing geographical stereotypes onto the newbies. Leave the commenting to the people who actually live in the area. Harper Woods is a great place to live, but with posters constantly knocking our area, yeah - HW will eventually become another decrepit wasteland because house-hunters have been scared away with the negative, hyped-up opinions. Surely the GP'ers don't want another "Detroit" bordering their pristine neighborhoods?...

[Stepping down from soapbox] Thanks for listening to my $.02.