Should we move to the Detroit area? (St. Clair Shores, Ferndale: sales, real estate)

[msa76]

My husband has been offered a very good job in Detroit, but I have heard it has a really bad reputation. But the job offer is a good one and might make it worth the move. I am a teacher; what are the schools like? I would prefer to live in a suburb rather than Detroit proper. (I am originally from D.C. so the prospect of a big city doesn't necessarily scare me off; but I want to live somewhere more low-key, family-oriented, with a yard, etc.) Would anyone recommend Detroit? Where are the good areas to live?

[MIEng]

New teachers are having a real hard time now. Detroit is closing a lot of schools and in the suburbs districts are not hiring for the most part. Most new teachers have to leave the state. Consider how much your husband will make and if that income alone is going to be enough for your family.
If you don't have kids you could live in Detroit. There are some very nice neighboorhoods like Palmer Woods, Boston Edison and the Indian Village among other places.
If you have kids it may be better to look into the northern and western suburbs so you don't have to worry about safety and about paying private schools.

[momtwoboys]

Check out Beverly Hills for good schools, great family neighborhoods and a central location. We are in the Birmingham school district which is one of the best in the state. Check out the MEAP scores. Also, housing ranging from 100 - 500K in neighborhoods with large backyards, mature trees, local swim & tennis clubs and a wonderful park.

[behindenemylines]

Detroit proper is nothing like DC. You are right to look in the 'burbs. Whereabouts is your hubby's job? There are lots of good 'burbs in Metro Detroit but before I would recommend any I'd want to know where the job is. Detroit is a big area and its not always easy getting from here to there so you should consider his commute.

[glendak]

Looking to move out of Detroit to the suburbs. I want a good neighborhood, peaceful, low crime rate and clean. Any recommendations. I work out by Grosse Pointe area but that neighborhood is to high for my budget. Please help with advise if you have any. Thanks so much!!!

[behindenemylines]

glendak, I would recommend St. Clair Shores.

[Coldjensens]

Detroit proper has some neat areas if you have a pioneering spirit and want to take risks to live in a cool urban environment. I would live in Detroit if I did nto ahve children and if I did not so much love the community where I live (Grosse Ile).

Detroits suburbs are the nicest collection of suburbs that you will find anywhere. Your probelm will not be finding a good suburb to live in, but choosing which awesome community you prefer. Real estate prices are very very low everywhere. (for example, where we live, several large waterfront houses that were near $1 million in 2005, are now listed for $450,000 and still not selling) Beware, property taxes are very high in Michigan. However sales tax and income tax are pretty resonable.

There is a wide variety of different types of suburbs all of which are really nnice and have great schools, community events, etc. Most of the better suburbs have good, great, or execellent schools. How good do you need? What criteria do you want to apply in choosing schools? Does diversity matter to you? (pretty much no place is diverse). Does school quality outweigh other factors (i.e. if you want a liberal, tolerant atmosphere, Ferndale may be the only place you will find, but their schools are nto very good - which is more important?

You may want to consider not only schools and community, but what type of community you want. Newer subdivisions, quaint olf fashioned neighborhoods. Small town, straight suburban sprawl, shopping mecca, horse country, inland lakefront, large lakefront, island community, snobby, anti-snobby, in between, commute (this will be very important). Does a tiny ski hill appeal o you? Does a huge park with trails beaches and various facilities for kids and adult fun appeal to you? Is proimity to culrural activities (i.e. theater, museums, colleges,) important to you? What about proximity to major sporting events? How important is water views/access? Do you prefer to be surrounded by houses with sod lawns or forest? Do you care if your road is bumpy or even dirt?

Personally one of the most important factors is your commute. Where specifically will your husband be working?

Teaching jobs are extremely hard to find here. In part that is becuase Michigan is one of the highest paying states for teachers. Most districts are cutting back. Many are downsizing (Michigan is slowly losing population and some area are losing population quickly).

Substitute teaching is available, but you are looking at minimum wage, no benefits irregular work and you are basically on call each day beginning at 5:30 a.m. Sometimes you may not have any assignments for weeks at a time.

I could give you a list of 20-30 outstanding suburbs that meet the nice place/good to execellent schools criteria. Howevr that would be a waste of your time and mine. Give us more information about what you are looking for and people will give you more focused suggestions. Also browse these threads. There is a lot of execellent discussions about various areas and their benefits. What price range are you looing for?

There are also a few communities that you should probably avoid, but more of them are nice than bad.

[ckhthankgod]

Anywhere in Woodward Corridor in Oakland County will have "diverse" and generally good schools. I'd go with the Berkley SD.

[zthatzmanz28]

If you have steady employment, there are many places worth living in around Detroit. Most districts are contracting with third party agencies for substitute teachers and you might get 3-5 days a month? Find a district that is still calling its own substitutes and you can probably get 2-3 days a week if you want to work that much...either route will pay around $55-$75 a day...

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by glendak

Looking to move out of Detroit to the suburbs. I want a good neighborhood, peaceful, low crime rate and clean. Any recommendations. I work out by Grosse Pointe area but that neighborhood is to high for my budget. Please help with advise if you have any. Thanks so much!!!

I also would recommend St. Clair Shores or Harper Woods. Check the local banks' foreclosure lists to find the best deals on real estate.

It really depends, though, on where in Detroit you work. There are nice places all around the downtown area and you don't want to have to drive an hour or more because you didn't choose the right 'burb.