[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by pokeable

Bias2: For folks saying Oakland County it one of the richest counties in the nation...it's not. Definitely culture shock coming to the Md/Dc/NoVa megaburb.

Would definitely agree there. OC is nice and affluent, but it's pretty much middle class compared to the DC burbs and probably even a lot of the NE metro suburbs.

[Republic of Michigan]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Would definitely agree there. OC is nice and affluent, but it's pretty much middle class compared to the DC burbs and probably even a lot of the NE metro suburbs.

The housing stock of northern Virginia is disgusting. I live in Falls Church, VA. However, it is expensive. Northern VA does not have nice size houses which you see plenty of in Oakland County. You have to go to Mclean, Vienna, Fairfax and Reston to see houses you get in West Bloomfield.

[leroythelion]

Originally Posted by EugeneOnegin

Canton shouldn't be in that group, it is by no means a bad area or a working-class suburb. It is a pretty affluent and rapidly growing middle class to upper middle class area.The median household income in Canton is ~$70,000 (other sites say $80,000, CNN Money says $95,000, not sure why there's such a variance). Much higher than for Michigan as a whole ($46,000). Median home price is about $200k, 2x as high as the metro Detroit (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston). Some stats from city-data: 60% married, 40% have bachelor's degrees, poverty level of 5.5%. Low crime, good schools. Large population of Asian and Indian engineers and a very nice city civic center with pool/basketball courts/gym/trails/etc.

A bunch of current and former NFL, NBA, and MLB players live in Canton e.g. Reggie Bush, Lindsay Hunter, Charlie Bell, Cliff Avril, Ryan Broyles, Nate Robertson, Kevin Smith, Kevin Jones, Spencer Haywood, etc.

My biggest complaint with Canton is that it is a township and therefore Wayne County is supposed to maintain the roads. I cannot explain in this short space what an utter catastrophe that is. The U-turns on Michigan Avenue were still snow-covered 5 days after last week's storm.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Republic of Michigan

The housing stock of northern Virginia is disgusting. I live in Falls Church, VA. However, it is expensive. Northern VA does not have nice size houses which you see plenty of in Oakland County. You have to go to Mclean, Vienna, Fairfax and Reston to see houses you get in West Bloomfield.

I also would agree that much of the development there lacks much of the character quality you'd see in the Midwest. I think the average household median income in the DC metro is something like $80,000 which is way above the typical US amount which is around $45,000-$55,0000. Even OC is around $45,000. I'm too lazy to look it up.

[joefab2015]

Yeah, my other options for Relocations are:

Philadelphia: I like Philly a lot and like Detroit it gets stereotyped often but for a different reason, ....Philly's stereotype is the rude people....which I have been there a few times, I dont see it, except for at sporting events lol. Philly gives you the big city life feel but not at the insanely ridiculous cost of NY, Boston and DC...but ...there is just something about Philly and it's suburbs set up that is very uncomfortable...lot of older real estate as well...and commuting would be hell...Idk if I could do Philly?

Chicago: I really like Chicago a lot......but what I dont like, is the taxes are out of control, the state is a mess and Illinois very well might be the state fiscally in the country.....it's also corrupt as f$$$
and people think Detroit going bankrupt is bad....Illinois is walking a fine line for bankruptcy itself....they are broke.

Minneapolis-St.Paul.... Dont know much about it except it might have the best economy in the nation and it's in great shape....low unemployment....but its so far and the climate makes detroit and Buffalo look like Miami

Based on my needs....i'd Detroit is in the lead by far

[DaniellaG]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Would definitely agree there. OC is nice and affluent, but it's pretty much middle class compared to the DC burbs and probably even a lot of the NE metro suburbs.

At one point Bloomfield Hills was considered the 4th wealthiest city in the US. I am not that familiar with DC but thought it was costly to live there compared to MI suburbs. See in OC you can live in an upscale area for a more affordable price compared to many other states. I know when I have lived out of the state and in the new state wanted a similar area to what I was used to in MI it came with a much higher price tag.

OP I have lived in a few different states and what I have learned is there is no perfect. Every place has its pros and cons. So it is about finding the best in the situation you are in.

[Bimmerfanboy]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Would definitely agree there. OC is nice and affluent, but it's pretty much middle class compared to the DC burbs and probably even a lot of the NE metro suburbs.

I agree with both of you. People in SE Michigan love to say that Oakland County is very rich but that's just not the case. It's such a big county that it only has a few pockets of actual wealth. Much of Oakland County looks rich because (aside from the roads) it is manicured and well-maintained. It may sound shallow to some but you can get an idea of how rich a region is by the cars people drive. In metro Detroit seeing a BMW or Mercedes is not very common. As I said, there are pockets of real wealth, but for the most part folks in metro Detroit drive ordinary American cars.

I live in King County in WA state which encompasses Seattle, its suburbs, and complete barren areas. Seeing new luxury vehicles is very common. At every stop light there's a few of them. Homes are very expensive here so most neighborhoods don't look as polished as some of those in Oakland County, but if those same people moved to Michigan they could afford a gigantic house.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by Seatown1

I agree with both of you. People in SE Michigan love to say that Oakland County is very rich but that's just not the case. It's such a big county that it only has a few pockets of actual wealth. Much of Oakland County looks rich because (aside from the roads) it is manicured and well-maintained. It may sound shallow to some but you can get an idea of how rich a region is by the cars people drive. In metro Detroit seeing a BMW or Mercedes is not very common. As I said, there are pockets of real wealth, but for the most part folks in metro Detroit drive ordinary American cars.

I live in King County in WA state which encompasses Seattle, its suburbs, and complete barren areas. Seeing new luxury vehicles is very common. At every stop light there's a few of them. Homes are very expensive here so most neighborhoods don't look as polished as some of those in Oakland County, but if those same people moved to Michigan they could afford a gigantic house.

OC is top 10 in wealth for counties with a population above 1 million.

[belleislerunner]

Just move here and be done with it already! We're comparing Buffalo and Detroit. They're siblings compared to Seattle and Detroit.

Midtown Detroit and Downtown Detroit are booming - where the DMC is located - so that's the hot spot for young professionals in their 20's. Ferndale and Royal Oak are the next tops spots for incoming folk.

Social scene is great - it all depends on how much effort you put in. There's an old proverb that says "He who has friends must show himself friendly" - Go out and say hi to folks/start conversations and you'll be fine. Play the victim card and wait for people to talk to you and you'll forever be miserable. In any city. It takes effort any time you move to a new city to make friends (events to attend, churches to visit, sports leagues to join, bars to bar hop etc).

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by Seatown1

I agree with both of you. People in SE Michigan love to say that Oakland County is very rich but that's just not the case. It's such a big county that it only has a few pockets of actual wealth. Much of Oakland County looks rich because (aside from the roads) it is manicured and well-maintained. It may sound shallow to some but you can get an idea of how rich a region is by the cars people drive. In metro Detroit seeing a BMW or Mercedes is not very common. As I said, there are pockets of real wealth, but for the most part folks in metro Detroit drive ordinary American cars.

I live in King County in WA state which encompasses Seattle, its suburbs, and complete barren areas. Seeing new luxury vehicles is very common. At every stop light there's a few of them. Homes are very expensive here so most neighborhoods don't look as polished as some of those in Oakland County, but if those same people moved to Michigan they could afford a gigantic house.

Audis are pretty common from what I've seen, especially around Troy. Though I sort of wonder if the climate has something to do with it. I don't think too many people want to use their luxury cars in snow.

It would make sense then that it's more common in Seattle if the worst people have to content with is rain for most of the year.