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lakecountylifer is right on. I have friends in Royal Oak, MI and we stay in Novi (hotel) quite a bit on business for my wife's job where they have a plant in Plymouth. Very good comparisons that he made.
Downtown Chicago is more important to the area than downtown Detroit is to its metro. Commuter trains to get you there are important consideration. By contrast, even if Detroit had them, the destination is not much of a draw.
There is always a word war about this topic. But I need opinion for my situation. We lived in Michigan for 10 years before we moved to Chicagoland for my spouses' college. We like the NW suburbs so far. We have 2 young kids (3 &6) Having worked in automotive industry for 10 years, I feel that I have better opportunity in Michigan. In Chicago, my only concern at this point is travel time to and from work. Plus, I hear the taxes are going to go up and worst state of finances for Illinois. What is your opinion, especially to raise family? We don't do too much outdoor activities... in Michigan we travelled to Mackinaw and thats about it. About museums and other activities that chicago has to offer. in the past 2.5 years, we only did musuem once or twice. Couldn't we do it drivingfrom michigan? Plus Michigan has low cost of living....
I appreciate your opinion in this matter.
You would've perhaps found opportunities if you weren't all the way up and out in the NW Suburbs. There's a huuuge Ford plant on the far southeast side of Chicago. It's around 130th and Torrence. It's in the Hegewisch neighborhood. There's a Ford Stamping plant on the eastern reaches of Chicago Heights, IL on 211th Street and Cottage grove. It borders Ford Heights, IL and that's where the town's name comes from.
You are right BUT your viewpoint is still very skewed. You might have been able to find opportunities if you weren't so far away from them. In the end, that shouldn't be too bad because you're really close to O'hare and a ton of white collar opportunities (assuming you're qualified). There's a reason why Arlington Heights and Wheeling have less crime than Calumet City and Ford Heights.
[*]Evanston (N border burb) / Oak Park (W border burb)would be a mix of Birmingham and Royal Oak (leaning to Birmingham) with maybe a little Dearborn thrown in.
i'd say Evanston has a little Ann Arbor thrown in, too, in Big Ten terms (I realize A2 isn't a suburb per se, but it is on the fringe of metro Detroit and usually considered part of it.
There is no doubt that the city of Chicago is much nicer than Detroit..in fact, there is almost nothing to compare.
However, Chicago's suburbs do not feel like the suburbs of Detroit. The suburbs in Western Oakland county of Detroit are absolutely stunning.
1) To begin, the topography of Metro Detroit is beautiful with many lakes. (Wing Lake, Walled Lake, Upper Straits Lake , Middle Straits Lake, Lower Straits Lake, Orchard Lake, Pine Lake, Walnut Lake, Sylvan Lake, Cass Lake, Pleasant Lake, Square Lake Hammond Lake, Upper Long Lake, Lower Long Lake, Crystal Lake, Elizabeth Lake, Otter Lake) For all of you Chicagoans who think that Chicagoland has suburbs that look like this, go on Google maps and then talk about even trying to compare the two areas. All of these lakes are surrounded by upscale communities and are breathtaking in beauty. There are public beaches, and in Walled Lake, MI, there is a downtown area on Walled Lake with restaurants, cafes, etc. CHICAGO will never ever have this!! Chicago has the Skookie lagoons and Glenview lake...But, the topography of Oakland county is stunning with hills and lakes.
Secondly, Detroit has suburbs with downtown areas. 1)Ferndale, 2)Royal Oak, 3)Berkley, 3)Birmingham, 4)Pontiac, 5)Rochester, 6)Utica, 7)Mt. Clemens, 8)Grosse Pointe, 9)Wyandotte, 10)Plymouth, 11)Northville, 12)Wixom, 13)Walled Lake, 14) Ann Arbor, 15)Ypsilanti, 16)Farmington. Look them all up and compare with Chicago. What suburbs of Chicago with the exception of Evanston have pedestrian downtowns with cafes, restaurants etc as mentioned above.
Third, Detroit's suburbs house a lot of cultural and business districts. The Place of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Zoo, Cranbrook Museum, Greenfield Village of Dearborn, Metro Beach, Ford World Headquarters, Chrysler Headquarters, all the office towers in Southfield and Troy.
Fourth, Detroit's suburbs have cities with major economic powerhouses. Most people forget that Chicagoland's GDP and economy is dependent on Chicago. The first thing economists mention about Metro Detroit is that the region has 2 separate economies side by side. That being said, major economic powerhouses in the Detroit region are in the suburbs, not downtown. They are in Southfield, Troy, Farmington Hills, Auburn Hills, Dearborn, Warren, Livonia, Sterling Heights..etc.
Southfield alone is a commercial and business center for the metropolitan Detroit area, with Southfield's 27,000,000 square feet (2,508,400 m2) of office space surpassing that of even Detroit's central business district. Several internationally-recognized corporations have major offices and headquarters in Southfield, including the North American headquarters of Denso, Peterson Spring, Federal-Mogul, Lear, R.L. Polk & Co., International Automotive Components, Stefanini, Inc., Guardian Alarm, and Online Trading Academy. Today, more than 100 Fortune 500 companies have offices in Southfield.
So the city of Chicago is much better (can't even compare to Detroit) but I have to say the suburbs of Chicago will never have the stunning beauty of Oakland counties lakes or all the downtown areas mentioned above.
It is not really possible to make the comparison of of Detroit to include places so far away. I means seriously, Ann Arbor exististent completley separate from Detroit and it is nothing like a suburb at all -- it would be like saying since Notre Dame in South Bend IN is the closest self sustaining let's call it a suburb or Chicago. Just silly.
That said I do like the little lakes and such that are in some of the suburbs that are close to Detroit but you can't compare any of them to how effectively Chicago or any of the lakefront suburbs managed to respect their Lake Michigan shoreline compared to how poorly thought out much of the similar areas of Detroit and its suburban areas with Great Lakes frontage have been handled.
I understand that the guy that made a fortune with Quicken Loans is spending a lot of money and energy to try to create a more viable urban core in Detroit but that can't replace the scale and vibrancy that Chicago has sustained by not having a single industry focus as Detroit does. The long history of Chicago's financial markets, its important retail sector, it extensive healthcare networks, respected institutions of higher learning, vast range of corporate employment centers that stretch over an area that is home to more than 10 million people all prevent any direct comparisons to Detroit.
Most people believe Detroit is "down for the count," but some see it rising again. Plus factors: low cost of living. You can buy a house for the down payment of one near Chicago. And being right across from Canada, a thriving country.
If your heart is in Michigan you should live there. Illinois economy should not be a deciding factor. The elephant in the room should be employment. I like Niles MI, but I have no idea what kind of drive it would be for you to work in Chicago especially when WI is much closer. Erza points out the huge Ford Factory in the burbs. Chances are it is a union shop with good wages. He certainly has a handle of the quality of life and where it is. There is no place like home, and that may well be the deciding factor for you.
It is not really possible to make the comparison of of Detroit to include places so far away. I means seriously, Ann Arbor exististent completley separate from Detroit and it is nothing like a suburb at all -- it would be like saying since Notre Dame in South Bend IN is the closest self sustaining let's call it a suburb or Chicago. Just silly.
That said I do like the little lakes and such that are in some of the suburbs that are close to Detroit but you can't compare any of them to how effectively Chicago or any of the lakefront suburbs managed to respect their Lake Michigan shoreline compared to how poorly thought out much of the similar areas of Detroit and its suburban areas with Great Lakes frontage have been handled.
I understand that the guy that made a fortune with Quicken Loans is spending a lot of money and energy to try to create a more viable urban core in Detroit but that can't replace the scale and vibrancy that Chicago has sustained by not having a single industry focus as Detroit does. The long history of Chicago's financial markets, its important retail sector, it extensive healthcare networks, respected institutions of higher learning, vast range of corporate employment centers that stretch over an area that is home to more than 10 million people all prevent any direct comparisons to Detroit.
I have to disagree with you! First off, Ann Arbor is a suburb of Detroit. It is only 28 miles away, it is closer to Detroit than Naperville is to Chicago. Why should you call Arlington Heights or Evanston a suburb of Chicago and not Ann Arbor a suburb of Detroit. You missed the point of my comments to this thread. The suburbs of Detroit are cities of their own right! There are separate economies in one geographic area. But at the end of the day, all of these cities are considered part of the Metro Detroit area. And what about Dearborn? What about Warren? What about Sterling Heights? What about Auburn Hills? What about Southfield? What about Troy? Ann Arbor is a suburb of Detroit just like Evanston is a suburb of Chicago.
2)Detroit does not need to develop its lakefront. For what???????? We live in Michigan, a state with over 3300 miles of shoreline. So there is no need to develop a shoreline like Illinois which has only 65 miles of Lakefront. However, that being said, Detroit has redeveloped its Riverfront. It will be 5 miles long. Secondly there is Metro Beach, New Baltimore, Wyondotte, and Grosse Ile. Last thing, Detroit is on a river, not a lake.
Detroit is on a slow pace back to revitalization. However, the point of this thread is to compare the areas surrounding Detroit and the areas surrounding Chicago. Not Chicago and Detroit proper. Sort of like when people try to compare Illinois to Michigan. People in Illinois can never separate Chicago from the equation. Illinois is Chicago and Chicago is Illinois. Whereas Detroit is NOT Michigan and Michigan is NOT Detroit.
There is no doubt that the city of Chicago is much nicer than Detroit..in fact, there is almost nothing to compare.
However, Chicago's suburbs do not feel like the suburbs of Detroit. The suburbs in Western Oakland county of Detroit are absolutely stunning.
1) To begin, the topography of Metro Detroit is beautiful with many lakes. (Wing Lake, Walled Lake, Upper Straits Lake , Middle Straits Lake, Lower Straits Lake, Orchard Lake, Pine Lake, Walnut Lake, Sylvan Lake, Cass Lake, Pleasant Lake, Square Lake Hammond Lake, Upper Long Lake, Lower Long Lake, Crystal Lake, Elizabeth Lake, Otter Lake) For all of you Chicagoans who think that Chicagoland has suburbs that look like this, go on Google maps and then talk about even trying to compare the two areas. All of these lakes are surrounded by upscale communities and are breathtaking in beauty. There are public beaches, and in Walled Lake, MI, there is a downtown area on Walled Lake with restaurants, cafes, etc. CHICAGO will never ever have this!! Chicago has the Skookie lagoons and Glenview lake...But, the topography of Oakland county is stunning with hills and lakes.
Secondly, Detroit has suburbs with downtown areas. 1)Ferndale, 2)Royal Oak, 3)Berkley, 3)Birmingham, 4)Pontiac, 5)Rochester, 6)Utica, 7)Mt. Clemens, 8)Grosse Pointe, 9)Wyandotte, 10)Plymouth, 11)Northville, 12)Wixom, 13)Walled Lake, 14) Ann Arbor, 15)Ypsilanti, 16)Farmington. Look them all up and compare with Chicago. What suburbs of Chicago with the exception of Evanston have pedestrian downtowns with cafes, restaurants etc as mentioned above.
Third, Detroit's suburbs house a lot of cultural and business districts. The Place of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Zoo, Cranbrook Museum, Greenfield Village of Dearborn, Metro Beach, Ford World Headquarters, Chrysler Headquarters, all the office towers in Southfield and Troy.
Fourth, Detroit's suburbs have cities with major economic powerhouses. Most people forget that Chicagoland's GDP and economy is dependent on Chicago. The first thing economists mention about Metro Detroit is that the region has 2 separate economies side by side. That being said, major economic powerhouses in the Detroit region are in the suburbs, not downtown. They are in Southfield, Troy, Farmington Hills, Auburn Hills, Dearborn, Warren, Livonia, Sterling Heights..etc.
Southfield alone is a commercial and business center for the metropolitan Detroit area, with Southfield's 27,000,000 square feet (2,508,400 m2) of office space surpassing that of even Detroit's central business district. Several internationally-recognized corporations have major offices and headquarters in Southfield, including the North American headquarters of Denso, Peterson Spring, Federal-Mogul, Lear, R.L. Polk & Co., International Automotive Components, Stefanini, Inc., Guardian Alarm, and Online Trading Academy. Today, more than 100 Fortune 500 companies have offices in Southfield.
So the city of Chicago is much better (can't even compare to Detroit) but I have to say the suburbs of Chicago will never have the stunning beauty of Oakland counties lakes or all the downtown areas mentioned above.
Are you kidding me?
One- The north shore suburbs, with beautiful lake front homes and stunning views, Lake Michigan beaches, etc. is unmatched in Detroit suburbs. The chain of Lakes in Lake county, south to the Fox River Valley, down to the wooded trails of Palos are wonderful.
Two- Pedestrian downtowns with Cafes, coffee houses, shopping and walkable downtowns- I would take any of the following as more desirable and upscale over the Detroit suburbs: 1. Winnetka, 2. Glencoe, 3. Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, Lake Bluff, Glenview, Libertyville, Northbrook, Oak Park, Long Grove, Park Ridge, LaGrange, Frankfort, just to name a few. And all of our nice suburbs don't have nasty looking stop lights strung up with a million ropes and force you to drive past an intersection and UTurn (I.e. the stupid "Michigan left"). Plus for every acceptable town in Detroit suburbs, you have pits like South Gate, Woodhaven, Trenton and the marginally safe Dearborn. Even Livonia has seen better days.
Three- Cultural and Business districts- We have the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago Botanic Gardens, Morton Arboretum, Ravinia Festival, Long Grove, Rosemont Horizon, Sears corporate (moved to get out of the Detroit Suburbs), Abbott, Walgreens, Baxter, Allstate, Kraft, Mondelez, Fortune Brands----plus distinguished higher learning such as Northwestern University and Lake Forest College.
Four- Chicago suburbs have multiple cooridors of economic power: The industrial steel and fuel processing areas in the south side/burbs, the business cooridors of I-90 and 290, the health care cooridor of Lake County. All of these areas are far superior to Detroits suburbs. Look at the Woodfield area in Schaumburg for an example of superior business and retail climate to anything in Detroits Suburbs. Besides the mall in Novi, poor Detroit shoppers basically have to rely on Kohls and Walmart.
If you take the automotive industry out of the Detroit suburbs, you aren't left with much.
As I stated 6 months ago. Detroit burbs are acceptable, while the Chicago area is desirable.
Last edited by lakecountylifer; 07-08-2013 at 01:20 PM..
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