LOOKING FOR ADVICE : Middle-aged couple being relocated, due to employment... (Detroit: rent, home)

[wermrnmrsb]

Hi - My husband and I are in our mid 40s. He is a mechanical engineer, who is in the final stage of interviews for a position at Marathon refinery, ( in Melvindale, MI. ). Because of what he does, he will likely be "on call" at times, and therefor will need to be reasonably close to work, ( not more than 20 - 30 mins? ), maybe. Can anyone tell me anything about this area, please? ( Like is it safe? ) I am very concerned about safety, as I have Epilepsy, and will be home by myself much of the time. Can anyone recommend any other nearby areas? Any help/advice given is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[fmax]

The area could be safe, what area are you comparing it too. And which factors are you considering.

For example, rape is highly unlikely in Melvindale but air quality is bad, so lung cancer awareness should be heightened.

Live "overrivers". Windsor CA is within 30 minutes. Have you thought about moving there?

[urbanliving99]

The area is fine in terms of safety. Two towns I'd recommend that are within a 10-15 minute drive would be Dearborn, MI or Wyandotte, MI. Wyandotte will have a small town feel complete with water views. Dearborn has more culture and activities and is more centrally located.

[Retroit]

Originally Posted by fmax

Live "overrivers". Windsor CA is within 30 minutes.

Seriously? Why would you recommend that, of all places? (Or am I mising the sarcasm?) Seems very inconvenient and unnecessary. Metro Detroit isn't that bad.

To the OP: it's not the greatest of areas, but like fmax said, it depends on what you are used to and what you desire. Generally, neighborhoods/suburbs will get progressively better as you go west and/or south. You can get a pretty good feel for neighborhoods by going to maps.google.com or www.bing.com/maps

[zthatzmanz28]

LOok around Allen PArk, Wyandotte and DEarborn. Not sure if you are buying or renting>? Renting would probably be best as this gives you both time to learn the area. Dearborn will probably be most expensive of the three. Parts of Allen Park can be pricey. Wyandotte may be the best value for your dollar.
Do not count out parts of Melvindale..northern Melvindale is pretty nice as far as being downrver.

[Forant]

I agree with zthatzmanz, I would rent first and then see where you want to buy. I don't know that area at all but I would definitely take a look at Dearborn.

[fmax]

At one time Detroit was a major industrial city. This was before the hippy environmentalists took over Washington. On a side note; as a result legend has it Lake Erie caught fire. I guess at one time rivers would just burst into flames around these parts.

Moreover, downriver is contaminated from years and years of acid rain. Stay away unless you have asthmatic friends and relatives you're trying to ward off.

Notice the varying shades of water colors -

Melvindale, MI - Google Maps



The air is good right now in the middle of winter. Once the spring time humidity arrives, doom.

Birds Falling From Sky Scene From Movie: The Core



Birds Falling From Sky Scene From Movie: The Core - YouTube

Melvindale Air Quality

Homefacts Overall Air Quality Grade - 2.5/10

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed


Air Quality Index

Melvindale, MI Air Quality Index - WeatherBug.com

[Retroit]

Either ignore fmax, or have a good appreciation for sarcasm.

Detroit declined as a major industrial city because of free trade which allowed in cheaper made foreign goods which do not have to follow laws that the hippies in Washington impose on American companies but not foreign companies that sell products here.

Lake Erie did not catch fire, but the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland did. Several times, in fact.

The air quality downriver is probably no worse than in Windsor, and probably not much worse than elsewhere in the city or than any other city with factories, power plants, refineries, etc.

The differences in water color have little to do with pollutants (although these are present in all color waters). It has more to do with the turbidity of water as it flows through rivers and meets water from other rivers.

As for worse air in the spring: it has more to do with the wind speed than temperature. A windy summer day is better than a calm winter day.

Birds falling from sky?

Air quality? Yeah, definitely would not want to live downwind from a refinery. I always put my air conditioner on "recirculate" when driving on I-75 past that refinery. It stinks pretty bad.

However, Melvindale has better air quality than my suburb (according to that site), and we are nowhere near a refinery.

[Coldjensens]

Your nicest option is Grosse Ile, but it is probably half an hour drive. Grosse ile is extremely safe, very quiet, pretty, and a bit more expensive than nearby areas. It is one of the nicest places in Michigan. UNless you are looking for nightlife and excitment, Grosse Ile is about as nice as it gets.

Wyandotte is a neat lively small city. It is closer to the refinery. It has more crime, but not terrible crime. There is a major hospital in Wyandotte. They also have their own power plant which is nice. Schools are not too good, but you apparently do not care about schools. Downtown has some neat palces to eat and shop or drink. You do not want to be on the Ecorse edge of Wyandotte unless you are on Jefferson.

Trenton is also nice. Smaller than Wyandotte and a bit more tame. Slightly less crime. Cute, but sort of empty downtown. Neat county park. Decent schools.

Woodhaven, Riverview, and Southgate are all decent middle class suburbia. Nothing special, but nice. I like woodhaven the best of these.

Melvindale, Ecorse and River Rouge are closest. I would not live in any of those cities.

Dearborn is nice in places, and yuck in places. It has a lot of neat cultural activities and the Henry Frod /Greenfield villiage. It has 2 colleges, an orchestra, community theater, lots of neat things. This is a big-ish city, but not urban. It is a suburban environment. It has some really nice neighborhoods. Dearborn is known as the home of Ford Motor Company and for its huge middle eastern population. THere are more people from the middle east in Dearborn than anywhere outside of the middle east. Lots of neat cultural experiences resturuants, shops, parades, etc.

Allen Park is close and decent. This makes sense if the other places are nto affordable for you. Allen park is not bad (except in places, but it is not really nice either. Just in the middle.

LIvonia is decent suburban living. Especially northern livonia. It is just within reach of the refinery, but if you are going that far, go to Grosse Ile instead (unless Grosse Ile is too expensive for you). Every other place I mentioned in a positive light is just as nice as livonia and closer, so it is probably not a great option.

If you are having money problems Taylor might be a decent option, ut I woudl look at Allen Park first.

Downtown Detroit is a fun place to live. Downtown is reasonably safe it is the rest of Detroit that is a problem. Schools are terrible and there is not shopping to speak of, you have to go outside the city to buy a pair of shoes or a coat. However that is balanced out by all kinds of neat stuff going on. Downtown tends to be a younger crowd and those who act younger.

[Coldjensens]

We live downriver. It is nice. There is no smog to speak of, pople are pleasant. My wife and kids all have asthma and have no major problems (they had more trouble in pristine Orange COunty CA whene we lived there.) There were some polluted areas that have been cleaned up ong ago. The Detroit River is now clean and swimmable (excpet for the current). Everyone in Detroit Metro drinks water from the River and it is the cleanest water of any municipality. The river is cleaner than it has been since the 1930s.

The river in cleveland did catch fire back in the 1960s or 1970s. They could nto put it out for days. Cleveland is 3-4 hours away. That river is cleaned up too.

The Marathon refinery does stink. I would not live near it. The stink is gone within about 1 mile.

There is no issue with acid rain (no more than anywhere else.). The factories that remain downriver are quiet and do not belch smoke or steam. there is a power plant the burns coal and gives off lots of steam. They have scrubbers for the smoke.

I think FMAx is living in the 1950s. Perhaps a little lost in time. Things are very different in this mellinium. Hippies are long gone (except the new "Occupy" hippies, but they are nt in this area).