moving to Detroit (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Royal Oak: buying, college, living)

[vwjetta1]

I am moving to Detroit and am looking to live in a diverse, progressive community with other young people, and amenities within walking distance - if this kind of thing exists in Detroit. I will be commuting to work downtown and would like to be fairly close. As a 20-something female living alone, I am also concerned about safety.

An area that interests me is Ferndale - any thoughts on this, or other suggestions?

[Angel Bear]

Ferndale is a great, upcoming community. It's very close to Detroit proper, but still considered a suburb.

Myself, I'd move to Royal Oak...You have safety, close proximity to freeways, great markets, restaurants, a great downtown with bars and nite life, and cool stores, etc. It's more family-oriented than Detroit just by a little, but it is also great if you're single.

Berkley is near Royal Oak and Ferndale and has an up and coming downtown too.

If you want diversity, Ann Arbor is the place to be since it's a college town

Best wishes with your search!

[ohiostate]

I will be graduating from college in June and I have accepted a job with one of the Big 3. I have been doing a lot of research recently, and almost everyone I have talked to has said that Royal Oak is a good place for young singles to live. Being young and single myself, and also coming from a college town, I was looking for a place with at least a small amount of things to do after 8 pm.

p.s. Since I am from Columbus, OH, I can't live in Ann Arbor otherwise none of my friends will come to visit me.

Where is a good place to live in the Detroit Metro area for someone who isn't looking to start a family anytime soon?

[Andre5140]

Royal Oak is pretty much your only option for a lively downtown near Detroit. It has older smaller housing stock (1920s and 30s) but a nice (see: over-rated) active downtown scene.

Ferndale is ghetto.

Rochester has a nice downtown but further north and more families.

Royal Oak is the place for younger people who want action.

[UpperPeninsulaRon]

Originally Posted by ohiostate

I will be graduating from college in June and I have accepted a job with one of the Big 3. I have been doing a lot of research recently, and almost everyone I have talked to has said that Royal Oak is a good place for young singles to live. Being young and single myself, and also coming from a college town, I was looking for a place with at least a small amount of things to do after 8 pm.

p.s. Since I am from Columbus, OH, I can't live in Ann Arbor otherwise none of my friends will come to visit me.

Where is a good place to live in the Detroit Metro area for someone who isn't looking to start a family anytime soon?

I recently retired from a job with one of the automotive companies there and it depends on which one of the companies you are with to decide on where to live. With GM or Chrysler, Royal Oak would indeed be a good choice. With Ford, located in Dearborn, you might want to consider Wyandotte which is south of downtown. It is also right on the Detroit River, and if you are interested in boating, sailing, personal watercraft, etc., this is an added plus. Some interesting eateries, bars, shops, etc. combine with the kind of housing a single person would look for. And it's far enough away from the U of M that your friends will still visit. When I was younger, I lived in Dearborn and that gave me a great mix of things to see and do.

[durpan]

Hi
I am planning to move to detroit from India soon with my wife with green card, sponsored by my son.I am 58 years old ,well qualified and have rich banking and retail selling experience.Is it easy to get jobs there with this background?I and my wife want to live independently

[sugarbeet]

Detroit is not the greatest place to look for jobs right now, but if you are not looking for a high-level executive position, you should be able to find something. Your banking and retail background should offer some opportunities.

[Angel Bear]

Royal Oak is not as good as Ann Arbor nightlife-wise, but it's more centrally located in Metro Detroit, so you're close to lots of different areas. I go to concerts all over town and I enjoy being close to downtown Detroit for more concerts, restaurants, and other culture, etc.

A small 1000-1200 sq. foot bungalow in Royal Oak or a small 800-1000 sq. foot ranch in Royal Oak is not as risky of an investment compared to buying some big, behemouth McMansion in the Northern suburbs. I am so glad I didn't buy up there. I won't lose money when it's time to sell soon and move

[Yumi]

Originally Posted by ohiostate

I will be graduating from college in June and I have accepted a job with one of the Big 3. I have been doing a lot of research recently, and almost everyone I have talked to has said that Royal Oak is a good place for young singles to live. Being young and single myself, and also coming from a college town, I was looking for a place with at least a small amount of things to do after 8 pm.

p.s. Since I am from Columbus, OH, I can't live in Ann Arbor otherwise none of my friends will come to visit me.

Where is a good place to live in the Detroit Metro area for someone who isn't looking to start a family anytime soon?

I am also from Columbus, OH and my brother used to live in Ann Arbor, he still has a PO Box there and I have to go there occasionally to pick up his mail. I live in Metro-Detroit. I have a job with a Tier 1 supplier in Northville.
I currently live in Wixom, MI. I chose that because it reminds me of Worthington, OH. The manufacturing aspect of it. I am young and single myself, but am more of a homebody than a night clubber. I can't stay awake past 11. I have visited Ferndale a couple of times to pickup my brother from Chicago. (He used a bus that time). I am going to Ann Arbor this Friday to pickup my brother and his GF from Chicago. The Amtrak station there is fairly nice.

My brother showed me around a little of the city of Detroit, having had lived in Ann Arbor for 2-3 years. His girlfriend went to Wayne State U. and they met somewhere in between. He showed me Easter market, which is a farmer's market that displays all of local MI produce. Really fresh!

I got to see avante garde art at the museums they have there. I have yet to go to zoo, since it's been cold recently. I plan to go to Frankenmeuth once the weather warms up more, and to Holland for the tulips.
I visited my brother and his GF in Chicago, and that pace of life was too stressful for me. I am a suburban, Ohioan girl. U of M has a nice campus. I must say as an OSU alum, I hate to admit it, but I think I like the U of M campus more than I did OSU. I almost got mugged while on OSU's campus...it was 10 AM and sunny with lots of people around.

My brother is the type that likes very urban places, so he always likes to drive me to downtown Detroit whenever he comes to visit. He's parked in dark alleyways with maybe one lamp light lit, and I've always come back to a unbroken-into car. Albeit, being a former Ohioan I was paranoid the whole time (I've been a Detroiter for 3 months now), but my brother just laughed at my paranoia so I didn't want to feel paranoid in the city anymore so, I just decided to leave it to fate.

I think I really like Ann Arbor, so I know why my brother likes Ann Arbor so much. I don't like Twelve oaks as much as Polaris or Tuttle Malls (in Ohio), but I really prefer the mall I went to in Maryland.

I think I will stay here for now, and see if a better opportunity happens.

[vwjetta1]

Thanks for all the helpful replies so far! Right now Royal Oak seems to be at the top of my list. However, I also recently became interested in Grosse Pointe Park - which from what I gather is cheaper and closer to Detroit than the city of Grosse Pointe.

Should I consider looking at all in Canada, Windsor area? I have no knowledge of what rents are like there or how difficult the border crossing is for a daily commute.