Thinking of moving home.. What is the right city for me? (Detroit: for sale, rent)

PreservationPioneer · 10-07-2011, 09:40 AM

Hi everyone,

I moved to Pittsburgh three years ago to find a job after college. While I love Pittsburgh, I have been thinking of moving home to be closer to my family.

I grew up in Howell, went to school in Mt. Pleasant, and generally am familiar with a good chunk of the state. My parents still live in Howell, so I would like to live within an hour and a half of them (two hours at most).

I have a bachelor's degree in Social Work. Part of the reason I moved was because I had so much trouble finding a job in that field. I wonder if things have changed much? Now that I have three years of experience in my field, I'm hoping things might be easier.

But anyway, to my main question: Which city would be a good fit for me (and have jobs in my field?). I'm mid-20s, white gay male. I am interested in historic architecture, especially Victorians, so I would love to live in an affordable city neighborhood where there are people who restore old homes.

Here are some of the cities I've considered:

Flint -- I'm in love with the historic district there, Carriage Town, and I love downtown Flint. However, I'm concerned about the reputation the city has for violent crime, as well as lack of jobs. So while I like Flint a lot, and it's very close to my family, I feel trepidation about living there.

Jackson -- I love the historic buildings there, and the affordability, however there aren't any jobs I could find there. It's one of my favorite places in Michigan. I just think it's a pretty area. And it's super close to my parents.

Lansing -- Seems there are more jobs in my field in Lansing, and it's very close to family, but I can't get over the lack of vitality there, as well as the complete lack of historic preservation in the city. So I have always had mixed feelings about the city.

Detroit -- It just seems too far gone, although I have heard there are some nice neighborhoods. Am I being too hard on Detroit? Should I give it a chance?

Ann Arbor -- I have always felt that Ann Arbor was just not historic enough for me, so I have always written it off.

Pontiac -- I was looking at pictures of downtown Pontiac and I couldn't get over how much potential was there. However, it seems Pontiac has a lot of crime. Is it unsafe?

Grand Rapids -- I've always loved Grand Rapids, however it's a little far from home (but not too far).

Toledo, OH -- Yes, I know it's not in Michigan, but it seems to have most of the things I am looking for in a city. Any opinions on Toledo?

Well, I look forward to hearing from you guys about what you think my best options are, or if you can suggest somewhere I haven't considered. Please weigh in with your opinions! Thanks!

Coldjensens · 10-07-2011, 11:58 AM

Ann Arbor, Ferndale, Palmer Park/Woods. These are the places where a gay person is most likely to be accepted and to find other openly gay people.

All three have historic homes, but Victorians are mostly in Ann Arbor. Even there, there is more Craftsman than Queen Ann, shingle or stick homes. Michigan is pretty newly developed.

In this area, most victorian era homes were farmhouses. Except in a few cities. Until the advent of the automobile, S.E. Michigan was mostly a farming and lumbering state. Detroit made a lot of stoves and machinery and processed/shipped lumber.

The rest of the area had lots of very small towns. When the car factories started upand freeways were built, growth exploded and the farms were turned into subdivisions. Some little towns disappeared entirely. Still you can find old farmhouses here and there. Some small towns have a couple of dozen victorian homes. A few have more. Marshall has a lot. Monro has a lot. Detroit has more tudor homes but there are some areas with victorians. Many of Detroit's historic homes have fallen to ruin. Palmer park/woods is still nice (has its own security) and lots of older homes and a substantial gay population. Ferndale is a 1920s-1950s community that is known to be pretty open to gay residents. There are many other places where you would feel anything form uncomfortable to scared.

Ann Arbor is one of the more historic communities in Michigan. There are more turn of the century homes there than most other places. Ann Arbor is a very liberal college town and there Gay couples do not often stand out enough to notice. You might get a little harrassment, but not often. However there are 20,000 to 30,000 residents who are pretty immature during the school season.

DaniellaG · 10-08-2011, 04:54 AM

First I would look online to see what the career outlook is? Maybe look on some hospital websites as well.
I think Ann Arbor,Ferndale,Royal Oak,even downtown Birmingham or downtown Plymouth/Northville? Royal Oak or Ferndale you have a lot of major hospitals near and also medical centers. If you look on realtor.com at homes for sale or rent even it can give you an idea in each city what is out there as well.
Also I would think that areas such as I stated would pay better then Flint which is not an area I would feel is nice to move to.
Good luck

7Millionaire7 · 10-08-2011, 05:48 PM

As someone from Flint, and someone who lived in EL/Lansing for a time, I wouldn't really recommend them to someone with a historic kick and looking for a job in your field. GR isn't really that far from Howell, not really any closer than Detroit at least.

tccmv · 10-10-2011, 06:53 AM

You will want to steer clear of Grand Rapids. The western side of Michigan is ultra conservative and very closed off. There are a few pockets of areas with gay community’s but for the most part you will experience discrimination. This is one of the reasons I took my family out of West Michigan and back to the east side. If you are not dutch and christian reformed you will be an outsider. I would say Ann Arbor is your best bet. There is a lot of history there when you get down to it and it is probably one of the most liberal and accepting communities our state has. Not to mention it is a just a very cool town. I work in Ann Arbor but live in West Bloomfield.

danielj72 · 10-10-2011, 09:17 PM

Most of Michigan is fairly conservative on social issues. Several of the places you listed, Grand Rapids, Howell, and even Lansing and Flint to a lesser degree would likely have many people who are not that accepting of homosexuality. From the way you describe yourself Im thinking you would be a good match for Ann Arbor. Lots of young people there, im sure its more tolerant of your lifestyle and I think you'd be suprised at the amount of historic homes in that city. AA used to have one of the better job markets in the state as well. I havent been to Ann Arbor in years, but from what I remember its biggest downfalls would be its cost of housing and PARKING TICKETS. The parking gestapo is very very aggressive there.

PreservationPioneer · 10-11-2011, 06:04 PM

Thanks for all of your suggestions, everyone! I'm considering Ann Arbor and Detroit more than I have in the past.

Sharks With Lasers · 10-11-2011, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielj72

Most of Michigan is fairly conservative on social issues. Several of the places you listed, Grand Rapids, Howell, and even Lansing and Flint to a lesser degree would likely have many people who are not that accepting of homosexuality. From the way you describe yourself Im thinking you would be a good match for Ann Arbor. Lots of young people there, im sure its more tolerant of your lifestyle and I think you'd be suprised at the amount of historic homes in that city. AA used to have one of the better job markets in the state as well. I havent been to Ann Arbor in years, but from what I remember its biggest downfalls would be its cost of housing and PARKING TICKETS. The parking gestapo is very very aggressive there.

The Lansing area is pretty liberal when it comes to social issues, at least in the Ingham County part. It's not quite Ann Arbor, but it's more so than any other area in the state. I do understand the OP's concerns about a lack of dedication to historic buildings, but in reality - anywhere there's old buildings, there are restorers.

My suggestion to the OP is to apply for jobs all over in southern/central Michigan, because where he lands, you really can't go wrong.

fallingwater · 10-12-2011, 08:35 AM

My friend is a social worker and got laid off last year. The place she worked at lost their funding due to budget cuts. She works part time for one mental health facility and works another part time job in retail so she doesn't starve to death. Human services is being cut left and right by the government.

ram2 · 10-12-2011, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tccmv

You will want to steer clear of Grand Rapids. The western side of Michigan is ultra conservative and very closed off. There are a few pockets of areas with gay community’s but for the most part you will experience discrimination. This is one of the reasons I took my family out of West Michigan and back to the east side. If you are not dutch and christian reformed you will be an outsider. I would say Ann Arbor is your best bet. There is a lot of history there when you get down to it and it is probably one of the most liberal and accepting communities our state has. Not to mention it is a just a very cool town. I work in Ann Arbor but live in West Bloomfield.

I wouldn't exactly consider Saugatuck to be ultra-conservative.