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We are contemplating a possible move back to Michigan but I really don't know much about the areas around Warren. I'd like some input, please. My husband and I grew up in Michigan but south of Detroit so we are mostly knowledgeable about Wayne county. We still have family in that area which is somewhat of the appeal of moving back as our parents are aging and developing more health issues.
There is a possibility of a potential job offer for my husband in Warren. I want to be prepared and have some info in case something is offered and we need to make a fairly quick decision. I have been to Warren and the surrounding areas a time or two but this was many years ago. I don't know much about the area in general. My husband is willing to commute up to 35 minutes but not sure how that really pans out when factoring in traffic. I work from home and can live anywhere so a job is not a concern for me. We have a son that is already graduated from high school and looking to start college in the Fall or Winter semester. He may or may not move with us, so public schools are really not a main concern anymore but obviously good schools help with real estate values.
We currently live in a upper middle class area and have enjoyed some of the perks of shopping options such as whole foods and we are not far from Chicago. I'd kind of like the same or close to it if possible. Basically I like to hit Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and whole foods on a regular basis. Nothing extreme. I am aware of Somerset Mall but not sure of what else has been built since I left years ago. We have a nice home which is going to be hard to leave. It's about 2000 sft. including the basement. Not oversized and was looking to stay around the 1500 sft. range but not go over 2000 sft. I don't see the purpose of paying utilities on a massive house. We do have a large lot here, almost an acre. I am used to having some space so some of the areas appeal to me with larger yards but I do miss the walkability factor and think I could have a small lot again. Basically, I'd like to have a house with a master bathroom and depending on where I look that is a definite yes or a big no/maybe. Our max budget would be 250k.
So just looking at the map and eyeing all the cities I have listed what I have found, thoughts?
Berkley seems really cute and walkable. Housing seems on the small side and expensive for what you get.
Ferndale is supposed to be a hip place but it looks exactly like the area I grew up in. I am artistic but we are middle aged and might not like the area, if it is geared more towards 20 somethings or singles. No idea. Add seems pretty darn expensive.
Franklin seems nice but haven't seen much in housing in our budget.
Beverly Hills. Few housing options I like. Heard its nice.
Troy, don't know much about it. Only have driven through on the way up north.
Farmington and Farmington Hills. Family say "anit what it used be." No idea what that means.
Bloomfield, Bloomfield hills, West Bloomfield and Bloomfield township. No idea. Found a couple of really nice homes in our budget. One didn't have a basement which seemed odd to me. Also water softeners were listed. Is the water hard there? Don't know the difference between each of them.
The Pointes, adore the older homes. Taxes seem outrageous.
St. Clair Shores. Never been. Seems nice.
Rochester. Heard nice things about the downtown area.
I'm new to the area and also working in Warren. Your descriptions of the towns sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what's up and I wouldn't disagree strongly with any of it.
Franklin is a lot more up-scale than people realize when they're not here. When I was looking from my old home town, I didn't realize it was essentially the Beverly Hills of Detroit. The median household income there is like 160k a year, so unless you're pretty well off I wouldn't give it much consideration. Same with Bloomfield Hills/Twp. Water from all of Metro Detroit should come from Lake Huron, it's not very hard. You'll find very little hard water unless you get on a property that's using a well out in the country in a town like Holly or Clarkston. (If you do that, test it - just trust me, test it.) West Bloomfield is moderately-upscale and more affordable. Plus, you'll find huge lots, if that's what you're looking for.
Troy is nice. It's a pretty generic middle to upper-middle class suburb. My biggest complaint about Troy is just that. It's incredibly generic, but almost in a good way. People talk up the schools, the mall and the city center, and they do this because there really isn't much else to say about Troy. Troy is a stereotypical American suburb, but if that's what you want - Troy is perfect. Also worth mentioning here is Birmingham, which is kind of like if Troy had personality and a Downtown core, it would be Birmingham. You'll pay an additional premium for Birmingham, but it's really nice.
Farmington/Hills are also nice. I have no idea why people say they "aren't what they used to be" or whatever. I think that's racist code speak for "There's more black people here than there used to be." Don't think that means it's the hood though. It's mostly middle and upper middle class. I'd actually compare the area to Troy in many ways. Just a typical suburb.
Berkley (and Royal Oak and Clawson) are where I ended up. Well, specifically Royal Oak for me. The three towns all kind of run together and feel very similar. Royal Oak has more of a Double-Income-No-Kid vibe than the other two. Berkley and Clawson are both more family oriented. Berkley is slightly more liberal and Clawson slightly more conservative - but otherwise they're all quality little gentrified towns with their own downtown cores. If you don't mind an older and smaller, but well maintained house, this area works out great. Also, don't take this to read "There are no families in RO or singles in Berkley and Clawson" because that isn't the case (we are a family in RO) - the differences between all 3 are very minor.
St. Clair Shores is all right. We looked at renting there when we moved from an apt to a rental house. It's more blue collar, but in a good successful blue-collar kind of way. Not like in a perpetually unemployed way. The houses are all kept up, most people have a boat, and there are no Camaros on cinder blocks.
Rochester/Hills is beautiful and I think at the top of our list (along with Royal Oak) for where we want to eventually buy. It's going to be a bit upscale, but not at all like Bloomfield or Franklin. The downtown in Rochester is beautiful, and nice - but traffic tends to suck. Schools are good, homes are reasonable priced and typically a bit newer than the inner-ring burbs. The demographic here seems a bit older though. At 30, I kinda feel like a little kid when I'm up here.
I've sadly still not been to the Pointes (other than the park in St. Clair Shores that Farms owns) and surprising I've not been to Ferndale either, except when I get off the freeway at 10 Mile. I have no idea why I've not been to Ferndale. I live walking distance to it, but I hear both are nice. The Pointes have top notch schools from what I understand and Ferndale supposedly has a bit of a hipster vibe.
Other places to consider I'd think would be North Warren (it's actually pretty nice if you're not looking for good schools) and Sterling Heights. Utica/Shelby could be on your shopping list and if you're looking for something exurban but not a bad commute to Warren, New Baltimore would fit the bill. A lot of my coworkers here live in Northville and Novi. The 30 mile commute is a bit much for me, but if that doesn't bother you guys - they're similar to Troy, but maybe a bit newer and Northville has a cute downtown core like Rochester's.
Best of luck and let me know what you find or decide!
Last edited by Geo-Aggie; 08-12-2016 at 08:13 AM..
I would suggest St Clair Shores - nice waterfront town - lots of marinas for outdoor cocktails, close to freeways - homes tend to be ranch style so easier to navigate. The "Mall at Partridge Creek" is the new thing on Hall Road (as opposed to Somerset) which has your upper style shopping (Nordstrom/LL Bean etc). There is a Nino Salvaggio right next door which is much better than Whole Foods. Even Midtown Detroit has a Whole Foods now - which would only be a 15 minute drive down 94.
I've sadly still not been to the Pointes (other than the park in St. Clair Shores that Farms owns) and surprising I've not been to Ferndale either, except when I get off the freeway at 10 Mile. I have no idea why I've not been to Ferndale. I live walking distance to it, but I hear both are nice. The Pointes have top notch schools from what I understand and Ferndale supposedly has a bit of a hipster vibe.
Other places to consider I'd think would be North Warren (it's actually pretty nice if you're not looking for good schools) and Sterling Heights. Utica/Shelby could be on your shopping list and if you're looking for something exurban but not a bad commute to Warren, New Baltimore would fit the bill. A lot of my coworkers here live in Northville and Novi. The 30 mile commute is a bit much for me, but if that doesn't bother you guys - they're similar to Troy, but maybe a bit newer and Northville has a cute downtown core like Rochester's.
Best of luck and let me know what you find or decide!
You still haven't been to the Pointes! Even rabid haters of Metro Detroit, NOLA101 and Bimmerfanboy, have had positive things to say about the Grosse Pointes!
To the OP, I would suggest Rochester, Utica, and Romeo. Rochester and Utica are upscale and next to upscale areas with lots of shopping in their vicinities. Romeo is farther out, but you might find a house on an acre out there. All 3 cities have cute small-town downtowns.
What about parts of northern Southfield near Beverly Hills that are in the Birmingham school district? It appears to be a middle class area that ranges from lower to upper middle class when looking at the median household income. Here are the areas I'm referring to: Census Tract 160700 in Oakland County, Michigan
You can click on the census block groups for more specific information, as you may find areas within a census tract with a median household income higher than the tract figure. Just as a frame of reference, the Michigan median household income is $49,087 and it is $53,482 for the United States during this same time period used in the reference.
You still haven't been to the Pointes! Even rabid haters of Metro Detroit, NOLA101 and Bimmerfanboy, have had positive things to say about the Grosse Pointes!
To the OP, I would suggest Rochester, Utica, and Romeo. Rochester and Utica are upscale and next to upscale areas with lots of shopping in their vicinities. Romeo is farther out, but you might find a house on an acre out there. All 3 cities have cute small-town downtowns.
Bahaha, I quite enjoy Bimmerfanboy and NOLA101. Their arguments about the importance of expensive real estate and Michigan's economy are fun to refute, and then when that's done they stop responding and then show up a week later in another thread making the same arguments.
I know, I know, I need to get out and see both of those areas. I have no excuse for why I've not seen Ferndale yet. Highways just work as such an artificial barrier sometimes and I feel like the primary draw to Ferndale would be trendy shops and bars. When one already lives walking distance from trendy shops and bars it takes a while before one must get in the car to venture out to other trendy shops and bars. The Pointes on the other hand are all isolated down in that corner, but that's no excuse. I'll find a reason to make a visit soon, even if only to stop in and get lunch.
Farmington Hills is nice and will have the amenities you are looking for. The schools are hit and miss depending on where you are, but they're good enough where you don't have to worry about them negatively impacting property values.
However, it might be longer than a 35 minute commute depending on where your husband is commuting to in Warren (and which side of Farmington you would be on).
You can always rent for a year until you get a good feel for the area and what you want.
Bahaha, I quite enjoy Bimmerfanboy and NOLA101. Their arguments about the importance of expensive real estate and Michigan's economy are fun to refute, and then when that's done they stop responding and then show up a week later in another thread making the same arguments.
I know, I know, I need to get out and see both of those areas. I have no excuse for why I've not seen Ferndale yet. Highways just work as such an artificial barrier sometimes and I feel like the primary draw to Ferndale would be trendy shops and bars. When one already lives walking distance from trendy shops and bars it takes a while before one must get in the car to venture out to other trendy shops and bars. The Pointes on the other hand are all isolated down in that corner, but that's no excuse. I'll find a reason to make a visit soon, even if only to stop in and get lunch.
Next time your in the city... just drive up Jefferson until it becomes Lake shore rd, it's beautiful. The water on one side and the mansions and mini mansions on the other. It's one of the most scenic drives in Metro Detroit. I think it was in a couple of movies too.
Okay, so earlier I said that "Franklin is the Beverly Hills of Detroit" and that was a lie. Detroit has a Beverly Hills. It's called Beverly Hills. Haha, but if I were going to draw comparisons to LA I would probably say Birmingham is more like Beverly Hills from housing stock, cultural, and income perspective. Franklin is more like Beverly Crest (bigger houses, older demographic, less hip, more money) while Bloomfield Hills would be like Bel Air.
I don't know why I'm drawing these forced comparisons. OP may know nothing about LA.
Okay, so earlier I said that "Franklin is the Beverly Hills of Detroit" and that was a lie. Detroit has a Beverly Hills. It's called Beverly Hills. Haha, but if I were going to draw comparisons to LA I would probably say Birmingham is more like Beverly Hills from housing stock, cultural, and income perspective. Franklin is more like Beverly Crest (bigger houses, older demographic, less hip, more money) while Bloomfield Hills would be like Bel Air.
I don't know why I'm drawing these forced comparisons. OP may know nothing about LA.
Haha. No worries. I appreciate the info. We are going to visit in a week or two to take a look around the area. I have been reading more about the Pointes as well but wowza, the taxes are so high! I really appreciate the older homes. I did see a gorgeous home in Royal Oak but after looking at google street view, didn't realize it was on such a busy street.
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