Bloomfield Hills,MI and Detroit,MI (Troy, Jackson: safe area, theater, private schools)

[DHurley23]

Im thinking of going to boarding school in Bloomfield Hills
Have you have heard of Cranbrook Schools?
Is it good?
Also, is Bloomfield a safe area to live?
How bad is the Winter weather?
If I just go to Detroit for sporting events and shopping trips will I be safe?
Also,how bad is Detroit and is it improving?

[Beetuna]

Originally Posted by DHurley23

Im thinking of going to boarding school in Bloomfield Hills
Have you have heard of Cranbrook Schools?
Is it good?
Also, is Bloomfield a safe area to live?
How bad is the Winter weather?
If I just go to Detroit for sporting events and shopping trips will I be safe?
Also,how bad is Detroit and is it improving?

Everyone has a different opinion on these questions, but here's my take:

- Yes, I've heard of Cranbrook. It is supposed to be an absolutely stunning place to see. Apart from that I don't know much about it.

- Bloomfield Hills is incredibly safe

- Winter weather is the same as anywhere else around the same area... there is snow, and it's cold. A few times a year, driving completely sucks.

- If you go to the main places in Detroit for sporting events, with other people, then it's fine. Not sure where you would go shopping... all the good shopping is well outside of Detroit.

- Lastly, Detroit is very bad. There are a few 'main' areas that are ok, and you can safely go to Tiger's games or some of the restaurants, but that's it. Do not just go driving around down there. In my opinion, it is not improving at all.


Good luck! Bloomfield Hills is pretty far away and isolated from Detroit, so I wouldn't worry about that.

[Jwo85]

Sporting events and downtown Detroit are safe. Like any big city though, you just have to use common sense.
Most of the shopping is done out in the suburbs. The local TV news over the past years have been reporting about muggings at Suburban malls parking lots. So be careful when out and about at malls or other strip mall areas.

[DHurley23]

because I have the option of a wide range of schools
should I avoid Detroit and go to Jacksonville/Boston/Cleveland?

[MI-Roger]

Of your four choices Boston is the only one with a dynamic downtown or Big City feel. I live near Detroit, and thru my sons' educational experiences I have knowledge of Boston and some knowledge of Jacksonville.

Cleveland is probably better than Detroit, but Detroit is half-way between Chicago and Toronto - two great vibrant cities easily reachable by rail. Cleveland is halfway between Toledo and Buffalo - 'nuff said.

You really need to decide based on the educational opportunties offered by the various schools.

[Beetuna]

As MI-Roger said, "You really need to decide based on the educational opportunties offered by the various schools.".

Pick based on the school. I would suggest that you take the city of Detroit as minimal (if any) impact in the decision.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by DHurley23

Im thinking of going to boarding school in Bloomfield Hills
Have you have heard of Cranbrook Schools?
Is it good?
Also, is Bloomfield a safe area to live?
How bad is the Winter weather?
If I just go to Detroit for sporting events and shopping trips will I be safe?
Also,how bad is Detroit and is it improving?

Cranbrook is one of the best private schools anywhere. It is also very expensive.

Bloomfield is very safe.

The winter weather is awesome! Or it is awful depending on your persepctive and personal tastes. If you do not enjoy winter, then Michigan is a terrible place to live. If you enjoy winter then you will be hard pressed to find a better place to live. Fall is unbelievably beautiful. Spring is wonderful and summer is mostly nice. Winter depends on you. Most of the winter is fairly mild. You will have some reasonably warm days all the way into December in most years (reasonably warm means 40 - 50 degees). However sometimes we get snow as early as October, then it might warm up for a while again (or it might not). It gets really cold for a few weeks in January/February (i.e. well below zero). By March, even the people who like winter are pretty well sick of it. We are happy when the trees start to bud.

In the past month we have had days as warm as 80 and as cold as 31. We get a lot of variation.

There is no shopping in Detroit. Your shopping Trips will probably be to Great Lakes Crossing (A mall) or to Somerset Collection (a really big fancy mall). Or to downtown Rochester. All are safe and are closer to you than Detroit.

UNless you are an idiot, you should be reasonably safe attending sporting events in Detroit. Keep in mind that the Pistons do not play in Detroit. However the Lions, Tigers and Wings are all in downtown Detroit. If you use common sense, you should have no problems. I work in Downtown Detroit every day that I am in Michigan. I often work until 10 p.m. or later. I never have any concerns walking around downtown. But then I use common sense and stay out of bad areas and do not attract attention to myself when I am alone.

Downtown Detroit is not bad. Some parts of Detroit are quite nice. Other parts of Detroit are horrid. Some parts are improving. Most parts are not. Many parts are decaying. It all depends on which part you are in. If you cannot tell the difference between a nice area and a bad area, stay away from Detroit.

If you are going to Cranbrook, you are too young to have a car. How do you plan to get to Detroit?

[DHurley23]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

If you are going to Cranbrook, you are too young to have a car. How do you plan to get to Detroit?

I would go with the school on weekend trips or with my family when they are visiting

[jerky1280]

After having just spent my first winter in Detroit, I'd say that it's not as bad as everyone says. Yes, it's cold, but you can always put on another layer. Long underwear is a must!

I lived in Seattle for two years, and I'll take the cold of Detroit over the rainy misery that is Seattle in the winter.

[crazysheli]

Cranbrook is an excellent school. When I was in college at Oakland University one of my professors was a teacher at Cranbrook (7th grade social studies) and from everything she would tell us it sounds like an amazing school. The campus is beautiful. I used to volunteer at the Cranbrook Institute of Science and lead nature walks for various school groups, absolutely beautiful. They also have an Art Museum on campus. Supposedly it is a well known school around the country for excellence. If we could afford it (well that and if we weren't about to move to AZ), I would send my kids there in a heartbeat!

As far as heading into the city for sporting events, totally safe, using common sense of course, but it is safe. I often headed into the city as a teenager (16, 17) for events, not just sports but also theater, and always felt safe and still feel safe going downtown. I would think that with a school group or even your family you would be just fine. Shopping is fairly limited in the city, but Cranbrook is near Downtown Birmingham (tons of shopping) and Somerset Collection (mall) in Troy, a huge upscale mall. You also wouldn't be too far from Great Lakes Crossing (mall) in Auburn Hills which has tons of outlet stores.

As for the weather, one great thing about MI that I am going to miss in AZ is all 4 distinct seasons. The down side is winter seems to last FOREVER. It is cold and can snow anytime from October to April (though most snow occurs December to March). Every once in a while during winter though you will get freak warm days. Fall and Spring are goregous! If you have a chance to go to any orchards in the fall, go. The crisp fall air, fresh donuts and cider, and a haunted hay ride or corn maze (and for me apple picking and my kids pumpkin picking) make for a fun trip. And summer (though I don't know if you'd stay here in summer) gets very humid but there is a ton of stuff to do.

Good luck on your decision!