A few questions about Detroit... (Troy, Southfield: apartments, renting, car insurance)

[K12144]

I've been offered a job in Detroit rather suddenly but have a lot of questions!

Detroit is not exactly the first place in the area I'd pick to have a job in, but beggars can't be choosers.

I'm looking to live somewhere about halfway between Detroit and Troy (where my boyfriend works). Maybe Southfield, Royal Oak, Hamtramck (or if somehow I'm missing some little suburb in between with not too far of a commute to either place, let me know! I don't have a hard-copy Detroit map on me, unable to get one before I'd have to make a decision about the job, and anything I find online doesn't seem to be too inclusive).

Hamtramck is looking attractive simply because it seems relatively cheap for living (neither of us is exactly rich). But it also seems to be an itsy bitsy little town where there isn't much of anything (which is sort of the environment I'm trying to get away from!)?

Any recommendations? No concerns about "family friendly" as I'm staunchly childfree; while I appreciate culture and diversity (where I live right now, "diversity" means the "international" aisle at Meijer's), cost is the main issue right now and living somewhere I absolutely love can come later along with a bit more financial stability, and there's always the drive into another area. As long as it's relatively safe (don't need family and friends convinced I'm going to die every day) and not too expensive, I'm all about it. Race, religion, age, and such of the area are not a concern to me as long as it is safe.

One of my big concerns about the area is the commute, since I know nothing about the area; is the traffic awful on I-75? I know it was a bit congested as I was on my way to my interview but it wasn't too bad; however, that wasn't at rush hour. Am I going to be stuck in standstill traffic jams every morning and night or anything? Leaving an hour early to get to work on what should be a 15-minute drive (which sounds like it'd be the case from what I've read here)? I'd go crazy if that were the case. And, I trust my driving, I just don't trust anyone else's, especially if they're all running late in the morning and speeding and in the winter when the roads are horrid!

Also am wondering about the safety of the area I'd be working in--zip is 48226, address is Howard St., I believe (not knowing the area or having a map, all this talk of "stay away from the corner of St. X and St. Y" and "don't go north of St. Z" isn't too helpful to me).

[BurtsBees]

Downtown Detroit is easily accessible by I-94 to I-75 to I-375 (very quick jumps from 75 to 375). That opens up your options by a wide margin. St Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Fraser, certain areas of Roseville and Eastpointe, etc. Royal Oak is nice but expensive. Hamtramck, umm, Id stay away from Do you strictly need to know about Oakland county? Im from the east side, so I mainly know about Macomb

[and the]

You can get a house fairly cheap in Hamtramck, and there is somewhat of an arts/music community there that I like....It's surrounded by Detroit. Lots of good bars, bakeries meat marketts and restaurants. Very close to downtown, Eastern Market, etc. It's not really a suburb as much as it is a little chunk of Detroit with more viable neighborhoods and businesess than your typical Detroit neighborhoods of the same age/price range outside the downtown areas.

I wouldn't mind living in Hamtramck if I didn't have kids and was younger. It's not anywhere near as safe as Troy or Royal Oak though. There have been plenty of threads on Royal Oak and the Woodward Corridor. I hate to rely on Detroit freeways to commute. Seems like there's always constrution. I like to live somewhere where surface streets can easily get me to work if necessary.

Were you planning on renting or owning and how much did you want to spend?

[K12144]

Renting, for sure...and hopefully under $600 a month. Our salaries aren't TOO bad but I have a good amount of student loan debt, he has credit card debt from a business he used to own as well as some medical bills...so making debt payments and car insurance payments and buying gas and all that necessary stuff will eat up a bit of income. I've tried having a look around rent.com and move.com and such. I am willing to consider a flat in a house as opposed to an apartment community--they seem cheaper--but I'm not sure if he is.

We've considered roommates, but that's a touchy issue for us--he wants to save money, I want my privacy (and know too many people with roommate conflicts)!

As far as driving, right now I'm considering the SMART bus system, pending doing more research on it (anyone here who personally uses it that can tell me about it?). Someone I spoke with today at the office where I'll be working tells me traffic is awful (takes her an hour and a half from her home in Pontiac) and the parking cost is horrendous as well...considering the parking costs and price for the gas I'm sure I'll be eating up stuck in traffic, suddenly the salary they're offering doesn't seem quite so nice!

Definitely needs to be somewhere BETWEEN Troy and Detroit, and not off to the side like Roseville or anything; I don't think either of us needs to be driving any further than absolutely necessary! I was really hoping to find a job not so far away from where he works, but...well...it happens.

(I love the prices I've seen in Hamtramck but recognize that'd be a much longer drive for him than for me, and the distance isn't so much of an issue for me if I were to choose the bus over driving myself; I'd hate the long commute and don't do mornings well either way, but it'd be much easier to swallow if I also didn't have the added hassle of driving it. Out of curiosity, BurtsBees, what is it about Hamtramck you wouldn't recommend? Is it just the lifestyle there, or is it dangerous? I seem to've seen mixed things about it here. And how in the world do you PRONOUNCE it? My mum's guess was something like "hamtramek"?).

[elmoslg]

have you considered ferndale? you can get a nice flat for a decent price. the downtown area is really nice too, lots of restaurants and bars. the bus runs right up woodward and is reliable. my cousin takes it everyday. you would also be close to 696 and 75, the zoo, royal oak dining, and lots of entertainment venues.

[K12144]

Should also add, when it comes to apartments--we don't need anything fancy like pools and clubhouses and workout centers and such. So many places seem to think they need this crap and I'd rather they just LOWER THEIR PRICE!

And no, Detroit itself is not an option because like I said, there needs to be a fair commute for each of us.

[Guardian]

Here's some info on Hamtramck.
Hamtramck Visiting Guide

Hamtramck Moving Guide

[K12144]

Great links, thanks.

Not sure he'd agree to Hamtramck as it'd be a longer commute for him--anyone have an idea how long it takes from there to Troy if one wanted to be at work at 8?--but the prices sure are nice!

[elmoslg]

The ride north on 75 is not as bad as you might think. A lot the the traffic is suburb heading south to the city. Around the 696 interchange, it gets congested, then again around 12 - 16 miles. Depending where in Troy he works, it may be a 35 - 50 minute commute.

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by K12144

Hamtramck is looking attractive simply because it seems relatively cheap for living (neither of us is exactly rich).

Keep in mind you get what you pay for. Places are cheap are so because they usually aren't good areas.