[Tyryztoll]

Wife and I are considering moving downstate to be closer to family and better medical facilities for our young kids. We could easily land in metro Detroit, but were wondering about Port Huron as well, seeing it's one of the few places in the state niether of us has been to. PH looks to have plenty of water adjacent to it, which we obvioulsy enjoy up here, and is also very convenient to the Detroit area for our other needs.

Anyone lived in or spent a good bit of time in Port Huron? I'm in the medical field.....what kind of rep do the local hopsitals have and what not? We have 4 kids ages 0 to 10. They get along fine up here, but does the PH area have any kid friendly stuff worth mentioning? What about the town itself? Crime and the likes? Housing costs? The usual questions, ya know.........thanks in advance.

[belleislerunner]

The hospitals/medical field is probably the best industry in Port Huron. It has two large hospitals. It used to be a solid manufacturing town but a lot of companies/tool&die shops etc have closed shop - leaving it as a city with two halves - a well to do half and a government assisted side. There is one mall in town that has your staples (e.g. Macy's/Kohl's) which benefits from the Candian consumers. There is a new YMCA just south of downtown that is state of-the-art in terms of gym. The Raven is the best coffee shop in St. Clair county. The Raven Café: "a cultural, musical and culinary Mecca in the heart of Port Huron (Michigan)" | Home.

St. Clair is another option worth considering - and if would only be a 15 minute commmute to work in PH. It has a much nicer waterfront - world's largest freshwater boardwalk, marinas, quaint downtown (Sue's Coffee Shop) is legendary. St. Clair would be more family friendly/higher home values than PH - and the economic diversity is not as vast a spectrum as PH.

[TigerDan]

Actually, the waterfront is better in Port Huron, depending on what you are looking for. St. Clair has a very nice riverwalk, but that's about it. In Port Huron, you have a nice riverfront south of the Blue Water bridge and nice beaches on Lake Huron. With the Black River, St. Clair River and Lake Huron Port Huron is a diverse boating community. Port Huron is the largest city in St. Clair County and does have some of the issues associated with services provided. Avoid the south end of Port Huron (south of the Black River). There are parts of the north end that aren't that nice either, most of the quality of the neighborhoods revolve around water access (if you're on the water or close to the water in the north end - whether it's the lake or the Black River - you're generally OK.) Port Huron Hospital on the north end of town is a little bit nicer than Mercy Hospital on the south end of town and has more services, so may better fit any specialty you have. St. Clair is a nice town and worth a look, but, IMO, is a bit of a hike from the lakefront. Marysville is also a nice town and is closer to Port Huron. Within Port Huron itself, concentrate mainly on the north end of town. Waterfront properties are largely affordable in this corner of the world, so give it a look. Fort Gratiot is connected to Port Huron to the north and is also worth a look. For your children, Port Huron schools are not the best out there. Marysville schools and St. Clair schools are both better than Port Huron. That said, Port Huron schools have a high amount of variability, much like the city. So, some of the schools are decent, while others need to be avoided. St. Clair County has schools of choice, so if you wanted to send your children to another district, you should be able to do so. From Port Huron, you can be downtown Detroit in about an hour. If you're used to a much more rural area like Northern Michigan, Detroit and its suburbs can be overwhelming and painfully congested. The Blue Water area (Port Huron, PH Township, Fort Gratiot, Marysville and St. Clair) offer less congestion and more of a small town feel while remaining close to all of the amenities a large Metro area like Detroit provides.
Hope this was helpful. Good luck!

[She'sWorldly]

Port Huron Natives should refrain from giving advice about the city and its "amenities" if you can call them that. Especially when you think its an hour drive to Detroit and use the word "variability" in the same sentence as Blue Water Area. Pretty crafty there. The only time I could recommend anyone relocate to the area, is by chance they were an addiction/behavior specialist. If the town needs anything (besides a lobotomy, a good scrub down, years of intense therapy and a massive rehabilitation center) is help with the areas addiction epidemic.