[moskiter]

Why there are houses in Flint, MI so cheap? Is it too dangerous to live there or what? I would buy $5k house and move there but where is a catch?

[danielj72]

Have you ever been to Flint??? Drive through it just once and youll see why its so cheap. Unemployment is outrageous, more people dont have jobs than do. Crime is outrageous, lock your doors and dont go out after sunset. Flint is one of the most depressing places ive ever seen. The buildings are boarded up, run down and the roads and other infrastructure crumble away. The people are just rough and beat down by the tough life in Flint. Dont buy a house there, your just wasting 5k. Anything that is good about Michigan does not exist in Flint, in fact most Michiganders avoid Flint because of its problems. Just visiting Flint may cause you to feel the need to take a happy pill, or go get yourself a drink. It is that bad.

[moskiter]

I am from Nowa Huta, Poland, the most dangerous place in Poland, VERY gloomy, all buildings are grey and generally if you want to enter your condo you have to give your cigarettes or money to drunk soccer fans who sit on benches in front of entrances, otherwise you may end up in a hospital with broken skull The best enjoyment of these people is killing or beating up fans of other Nowa Huta's soccer clubs, and nearly 80% of boys who live there, is fans of one of three soccer clubs that exist there. Going to a soccer game (in the meaning of fighting against other fans) for them is like going to Great America Six Flags for Americans. Very interesting place to visit by the way Currently I live in Cragin district in Chicago that is also not too safe

Anyway thanks for your warning, do you know where in Flint it is "safe" to live for white person?

[jeanniepep]

I think that the closer you get to the easternmost border of Flint, the better off you'll be. A friend of mine had a very cute little house in a pleasant neighborhood that was just south of Court St. and just west of Dort Highway. Dort is definitely pretty crappy for the most part, but her neighborhood was cute and I felt safe parking my car there.

Downtown Flint is where things get pretty dicey. I have never felt comfortable there after dark - I wouldn't want to walk from my car to a building down there at night, much less buy a house there. I had another friend who lived right downtown and her street was VERY scary. She could not allow her kids to wait for the bus outside and neighbors were constantly having violent fights, stealing stuff out of her yard, and throwing things at her house.

Unfortunately, this nasty downtown area is where homes are so cheap. The safer/nicer areas are going to be more expensive.

[jmlowman]

Not all of Flint is that bad or dangerous. As was mentioned, the area south of East Court Street but west of Dort Highway is still very nice. When I attended high school in the 60s I went to school with children of doctors, dentists, attorneys and other professionals who lived in that area. The houses are older but are still very well maintained.

Another nice area is along Nolan Drive, to the east of Mott Park golf course.

While on vacation this summer I drove around and found a very nice neighborhood that I was unaware of, just off Miller Road by Michigan School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. However, a few blocks away, the neighborhoods are a different story.

Definitely avoid the north end, especially the northeast. That area was bad when I was a kid, and still is, and has spread across northern Flint to once-nice neighborhoods like Civic Park.

Definitely more expensive, but areas outside of Flint proper, like Grand Blanc, Mundy Township and parts of Flint Township are very nice. In general, look to the south instead of the north, in Flint or in Genesee County.

[danielj72]

If your really interested in Michigan, I would suggest a different part of the state. Grand Rapids area is nice, Holland, Traverse city, Midland, Bay city, Ann Arbor or Kalamazoo. These towns are not perfect but they will offer a much nicer Michigan experience. I know some of the people in here are not happy with my description of Flint proper, but it is accurate. If you must be near flint you can find cheap houses in better towns outside of flint. Clio, Montrose, Flushing, swartz creek, Fenton and Grand Blanc are nicer towns to live in. No you likely will not find 5000 dollar houses there, but you will find saftey and a sense of community. With the housing crises you can find a 2 bedroom for under 50k in a NICE town. Flint is one of the worst towns in the entire midwest, dont waste your time or money there because its not improving.

[Tricia819]

Oh gimme a break...

Flint, like all cities, has it's good side and it's bad side. I've lived here my whole life and have never experienced the type of problem you describe with your present living situation. There are areas to avoid, and unfortunately that is where the majority of the $5000 houses your seeing will be. However, housing even in the decent areas is still cheaper than the surrounding suburbs.

[Dave Wojo]

Forgetting about the crime on the streets for a moment, what about City management? The State is very close to having to step in, again. How thoroughly mismanaged does a city have to be to allow that to happen?

For me, I would be very hesitant to consider moving to a city with a track record of mismanagement such as Flint's.

[fteo36]

It's not a catch. I think it's because Detroit had the big break down during the peak of the crisis. I lived in MI for 2 years and Flint is not a dangerous place or anything like that. Been there twice back then

[mike0618]

Just stay away from north end and mt morris twp. Downtown and near kettering is cleaning up