[HeadingNorth11]

Hi,

I will be relocating to Michigan in the next few months and was looking for some insight into either Oakland County or the Grosse Pointes. Grosse Pointe Park seems nice but it's proximity to Detroit concerns me. Should this be something to worry about? Does any of East Detroits violence spread into Grosse Pointe? How far of a drive is it from GPP until you hit areas you would not want to send your worst enemy to? I have a young family and was wondering if I would be better off in Oakland County. Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

[canudigit]

Try posting this in the Detroit forum and I think you will get a lot of knowledgeable answers. I wish I could help you, but I don't live close enough to the Detroit metro area to know about the Grosse Pointes. I can tell you that they feel very, very safe and upscale whenever I have been up that way, but without living in the area I can't say for sure.

Like I said, try the Detroit forum. I'm afraid this thread might get lost on the general Michigan forum and you won't get the answers you need.

Good luck!

[chiroptera]

My ex's ex and kids (that looks strange) lived there and I was in the Pointes about once a week, picking them up or dropping them off...also spent a fair amount of time going for walks and shopping around there. My impression: very upscale, quite insular, safe. Walk a few miles north, east or west, it gets shabby but not scary. (Then again I don't scare easily so that's a subjective call.)

[scolls]

Grosse Pointe has some of the lowest crime rates in the state. However literally as soon as you cross the border on the south side of Grosse Pointe Park you are in the wild west. Alter RD is the border. The part of Detroit that borders Grosse Pointe Farms up near St Johns isn't too bad. You have to go a couple miles east of Mack before you end up in some really bad areas. That part of Detroit is the East English Village. It has declined but is not the worst part of Detroit by any means. Grosse Pointe has great schools and is safe. Grosse Pointe has some of the lowest violent crime rates in the state. Just don't go too far into Detroit. Honestly, there shouldn't be any reason you'd to go into Detroit anyways. Also stay away from Eastland Mall.

[HeadingNorth11]

Thanks for the information! It's hard to believe that things are that bad in parts of Detroit. You would think it's Baghdad for all of the horror stories you hear.

[Newtgirl]

I've never been to Baghdad, but from pictures, I suspect they're pretty similar.

[detwahDJ]

You have to go a couple miles east of Mack before you end up in some really bad areas.

You mean WEST of Mack? Could be confusing to a newcomer.
FYI I was born & raised at Mack/E. Warren/Balduck Park, attended grade school at Marquette elementary on Canyon Street. You can see these at Bing Maps. Google "crime maps" - spotcrime.com opens with crimes by area for a 2-month period. Can't vouch for the completeness but its a start.
I was there years ago so I'm sure things have changed since then (but I know the area very well).
The Grosse Pointes are old-money suburbs on the lakefront while Oakland Co absorbed much of the "white flight" of earlier decades. I'm fairly sure (without consulting crime maps) that Oakland Co is the safer area, if safety is the major concern.
Both areas have wealthy and middle-class residents. The "Pointes" and areas north have the big lake, which is nice (lots of boating, cruising north to Lake Huron or south to Ohio).
The Pointes are laid-back residential while the Detroit suburbs in Oakland Co are more "action" oriented.
I have more opinions if you want them.

[scolls]

Yes I did mean west of Mack. Grosse Pointe is just as safe as any place in Oakland county. There hasn't been a murder in Grosse Pointe Park in over a decade. There hasn't been more than one rape in any one year the past decade. There has been under 10 robberies the past three years. Grosse Pointe Shores literally didn't have a reported crime in 2009. All 5 Pointes combined for one murder the past 10 years and that was in 2005 in Grosse Pointe City. Grosse Pointe Park has technically the highest crime rate. The Pointes are one of the safest areas in Michigan and the country. Don't be fooled because they border Detroit. You'll be hard pressed to find safer areas. I have lived in Harper Woods the past 2 years without incident. I live by Moross and 94 only about 4 blocks from Detroit. If Grosse Pointe isn't safe enough for you then you live a sheltered life.

[Remisc]

Originally Posted by scolls

Yes I did mean west of Mack. Grosse Pointe is just as safe as any place in Oakland county. There hasn't been a murder in Grosse Pointe Park in over a decade. There hasn't been more than one rape in any one year the past decade. There has been under 10 robberies the past three years. Grosse Pointe Shores literally didn't have a reported crime in 2009. All 5 Pointes combined for one murder the past 10 years and that was in 2005 in Grosse Pointe City. Grosse Pointe Park has technically the highest crime rate. The Pointes are one of the safest areas in Michigan and the country. Don't be fooled because they border Detroit. You'll be hard pressed to find safer areas. I have lived in Harper Woods the past 2 years without incident. I live by Moross and 94 only about 4 blocks from Detroit. If Grosse Pointe isn't safe enough for you then you live a sheltered life.

Wow, I'm actually agreeing with scolls?

Must be the holiday spirit!

[Jwo85]

Originally Posted by HeadingNorth11

Thanks for the information! It's hard to believe that things are that bad in parts of Detroit. You would think it's Baghdad for all of the horror stories you hear.

From the neighborhoods I been in Detroit, I would mistaken them for being a middle-class suburb