[thesearch]

Can someone give me their input on what are the best places to live in lower southeastern MI and around Toledo OH? I am having the worst time trying to find out what places are safest and that have the most shopping options! Not to mention it seems like Ohio has really high property taxes. Can anybody give me info on a town that has:

1. Low Property Tax [ as low as possible anyway ]

2.Safest

3. Shopping/Restaurants [ walmart,pizza hut etc. ]

Thanks in advance.

[lilbear]

I'm curious to see people's answers. I'm from SE MI but economy is awful there right now. I have family there and also in-law family in Toledo and I need to move back closer to my family.

Novi, MI is a nice area, growing a lot. Farmington and Farmington Hills MI too. I don't know much about OH. There's Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. I think that's where my in-law Toledo family shops, unless new shopping centers have been built that I don't know of yet. But they live in northern Toledo.

[thesearch]

Originally Posted by lilbear

I'm curious to see people's answers. I'm from SE MI but economy is awful there right now. I have family there and also in-law family in Toledo and I need to move back closer to my family.

Novi, MI is a nice area, growing a lot. Farmington and Farmington Hills MI too. I don't know much about OH. There's Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. I think that's where my in-law Toledo family shops, unless new shopping centers have been built that I don't know of yet. But they live in northern Toledo.

Have you heard anything about Monroe MI?

[needing more]

Monroe is not a good area. Ann Arbor is probably the closest city to Toledo that I would want to live in. AA has been rated one of the best places to relocate several yrs now. I keep seeing it come up on different relocation sites. I currently live in SW MI... I have family in the greater Detroit area (farmington, novi... all that) and I would recommend moving to that area right now. It is very economic depressed right now. Jobs are hard to come by. People arent the friendlest. Stores are closing up.. Which makes people on edge.. In the rough ecomony.. living by detroit would NOT be on my top priority...lol.. Granted there isnt hard crime/murders outside of the detroit city limits but its only a matter of time before things spread... As far as Ohio... My sister lived in Cinncinnati for a while so I used to drive down there once a month. Traffic is hard on their few interstates. The police pull everyone over there.. The whole state is a speed trap. Toledo/ Cleveland area is hard hit with this ecomony too.. Not to mention Lake Erie is full of pollution from all the factories on the lake shore dumping into the lake. As a whole I would steer clear of this area.. I would choose Ann Arbor or Cincinnati (which I know is not in the Toledo area)

MI's Property taxes as a whole are cheaper then Ohio.. but it depends where in Mi too.. Gross Pointe area is VERY expensive.. So are all of the burbs around Detroit.. My uncles lives in Birmingham and pays over 20,000 a yr in taxes!! I have friends in Farmington and its hard for them too...

Closest to the inner cities area is rough with crime/drugs... But it spreads to the outter areas too. I dont hear too much about crime in Ann Arbor area though.

Everywhere in the bigger cities you can find a walmart or Pizza Hut. Plus all your other shopping centers/malls... Dundee area is an up and coming but still a small town.. It has the only areas Cabelas store and is quickly growing but is far enough away from the bigger cities to have it still be safe.

Good luck on your search. Personally I cant wait to leave MI. It just seems like its been going downhill for the past 20 yrs now...

[thesearch]

Originally Posted by needing more

Monroe is not a good area. Ann Arbor is probably the closest city to Toledo that I would want to live in. AA has been rated one of the best places to relocate several yrs now. I keep seeing it come up on different relocation sites. I currently live in SW MI... I have family in the greater Detroit area (farmington, novi... all that) and I would recommend moving to that area right now. It is very economic depressed right now. Jobs are hard to come by. People arent the friendlest. Stores are closing up.. Which makes people on edge.. In the rough ecomony.. living by detroit would NOT be on my top priority...lol.. Granted there isnt hard crime/murders outside of the detroit city limits but its only a matter of time before things spread... As far as Ohio... My sister lived in Cinncinnati for a while so I used to drive down there once a month. Traffic is hard on their few interstates. The police pull everyone over there.. The whole state is a speed trap. Toledo/ Cleveland area is hard hit with this ecomony too.. Not to mention Lake Erie is full of pollution from all the factories on the lake shore dumping into the lake. As a whole I would steer clear of this area.. I would choose Ann Arbor or Cincinnati (which I know is not in the Toledo area)

MI's Property taxes as a whole are cheaper then Ohio.. but it depends where in Mi too.. Gross Pointe area is VERY expensive.. So are all of the burbs around Detroit.. My uncles lives in Birmingham and pays over 20,000 a yr in taxes!! I have friends in Farmington and its hard for them too...

Closest to the inner cities area is rough with crime/drugs... But it spreads to the outter areas too. I dont hear too much about crime in Ann Arbor area though.

Everywhere in the bigger cities you can find a walmart or Pizza Hut. Plus all your other shopping centers/malls... Dundee area is an up and coming but still a small town.. It has the only areas Cabelas store and is quickly growing but is far enough away from the bigger cities to have it still be safe.

Good luck on your search. Personally I cant wait to leave MI. It just seems like its been going downhill for the past 20 yrs now...

Thanks for your input. Do you know about flooding in those areas?

[Ummagumma]

What's your definition of "average" tax ?

Ann Arbor is great. Around Detroit, areas like Troy, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills (east) or Northville, Farmington Hills, Novi, West Bloomfield, Walled Lake, Commerce (west) are very safe with good neighborhoods and good schools. You can look at Zillow.com to see what the property taxes are; Birmingham is a poor example since it's probably the most expensive town to live in here. Average taxes on a 2,300 sq ft home in WB / FH are probably around $4.5K now.

I don't really like Toledo so I can't comment on it.

Added: flooding isn't a problem here as there are few large rivers and the lakes aren't that flood prone (can't think of a single big flood in the last 20yrs or so).

[jeanniepep]

I was going to say Dundee too . . . not a very big town, but it's growing. At least it's a lot closer to the Ohio border.

Ferndale has very reasonably priced homes but the taxes are VERY high. But, nobody really has a big problem with that because the city provides very good services for the money. When I lived in Marshall (out near Battle Creek) the taxes were even higher but the city services were not so good. I guess it all depends on the neighborhood.

[needing more]

The only flooding I hear about in our areas is if your house is down hill/river from a river, lake or stream... We do get a lot of rain at times.. Like the past 48 hrs here in SW MI its been raining NONSTOP. But we only hear about flooding in the low ground areas. MI/OH can be quite hilly so finding a house shouldnt be an issue.

As far as areas and taxes.. It ranges.. My taxes are more then half of what SE MIs are.. but I live in SW not SE MI.. I have a 2500sq ft home on an acre and my taxes are under $2k a yr. My uncles house in Birmingham is exceptional (4000 sq ft 1/8 acre w/ 20k taxes) but I have friends who live in lovonia,dearborn,troy and all their taxes are still over twice what I pay... Yes theres more services but its if you USE those services thats makes the difference.. Now I have cheap taxes, and still have a great police, fire, library, new schools... So I cant complain.

[lilbear]

Ann Arbor just rocks.

[thesearch]

Thanks for everyone’s help! I have looked up Ann Arbor and it does seem nice. But, I'm looking for no more than a 40-minute commute to Toledo. I've heard of Holland and Sylvania Ohio has anyone been there? "needing more" mentioned that Monroe MI is not a good area, can you tell me why?