Best location between downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor?? (Dearborn, Canton: how much, townhouse)

[Philly716]

My husband and I need to find a place to live that will allow me to commute to downtown Detroit and him to get to Ann Arbor every day...which suburbs are the safest/upscale and possibly the most "lively" (we currently live in Center City Philadelphia)?? So far I've only heard of Canton as a possibility, but really know very little about the area...

[zthatzmanz28]

Northville, Plymouth and Novi come to mind.

[MIW14]

I have to agree with the above poster. Novi and Northville are both very safe and upscale. Northville is home to a very nice downtown area. Novi is the major shopping hub of the Detroit. It features a wide variety of shops, many of which are upscale. Both towns are very safe, have great schools, nice homes, and easy access to freeways. If you have any more questions feel free to post them! I hoped I helped.

[Philly716]

Thanks for those suggestions! Are any of those 3 places a particularly younger crowd/young professionals or young families? We are in our late 20's and are moving for our residencies/fellowships in the medical field

[313 TUxedo]

Between Northville and Novi, both are fine, and choice comes down to personal taste.

Northville has a walkable downtown with local shops and restaurants and housing of various sizes and eras, and conveniently close to Novi.

Novi is turn-of-this-century Generica. Twelve Oaks is my favorite shopping mall in the whole area, surrounded by more stores and upscale chain restaurants, in turn sounded by comfortable McMansions. It is, however, conveniently close to Northville.

Canton is further South, and is like Novi, but not upscale.
It is, however, more affordable, and close to the line between the D and A².

Good luck on the move, and welcome to Michigan!

[Thomas_Thumb]

Originally Posted by Philly716

Thanks for those suggestions! Are any of those 3 places a particularly younger crowd/young professionals or young families? We are in our late 20's and are moving for our residencies/fellowships in the medical field

There are some parts in West Dearborn that are nice. However, none of the places (Canton, Northville, Novi and Dearborn) are particularly good for younger professionals. Young professionals (20's) either flock toward Royal Oak or Ann Arbor.

[zthatzmanz28]

Plymouth is very desirable with the younger crowd. My daughter (26) has quite a few friends in the Plymouth area. The downtown area is very retro and rebuilding to be an artsy destination. Downtown Northville was crowded with strollers and younger folks the last time we were there. The 7 Mile area around Haggerty Road. Actually from 6 Mile all the up to 8 Mile along Haggerty is booming with folks. On a Friday (used to anyways) every resturant had 30-45 minute wait. There is even an REI, how young is that? The shopping complex at 6 Mile had 2-3 of the trendy baby stores. Novi is aging compared to the others, but is closer to night life and clubs around Novi Road / 12 mile area. Also easy access to Orchard LAke 12 Mile for dining options and some night life.
Royal Oak used to have a reputation for a younger, but we found it more avant-garde crowd. It has a great environment, but if you aren't the cutting edge type who can appreciate shoppes like Noir or read Metro Times from cover to cover, then Royal Oak is probably more of a hangout than a destination. In recent years RO has tried to recreate itself by forcing outthe small quirky businesses that made it a gathering point for people and setting up established main-stream institutions like Borders and Barnes $ Noble. There might be folks who do appreciate that transformation. Seems many of thos businesses that have been influenced to move from Main Street in RO are relocating to 9 Mile in Ferndale.

[canudigit]

Birmingham is very safe and upscale and has a great, trendy downtown that attracts upscale shoppers from around the area. I have never researched it, but I hear that Birmingham can be a pretty expensive place to live. However, if you're used to the prices of Center City Philly, then Birmingham probably won't seem out of line. It is a bit further from Ann Arbor than most of the other cities mentioned here, however. It's doable, just not quite as close.

[MIW14]

Two questions will help out a lot...
1. How much are you willing to spend on a home?
2. What kinds of homes do you like? ( New, Old, a certain style)

[Philly716]

Originally Posted by MIW14

Two questions will help out a lot...
1. How much are you willing to spend on a home?
2. What kinds of homes do you like? ( New, Old, a certain style)

We are used to relatively high rents, but would like to spend less than $2000/month for 2 bed/2 bath. We are willing to spend a bit more to be in the "best" location for us...convenient to ann arbor and downtown detroit (ideally no more than 30-40 min. commute) safest, near some shops/restaurants, some kind of activity or walkable downtown area, some young professional presence...not sure if such a place exists in this in-between location, but willing to search hard for it and will compromise.

Would prefer a newer townhouse style or walk-up rental, but don't mind high-rise style apt. (if that's even common in the area)

Thanks again for all the suggestions!