Am I dreaming, or is it possible in SE Michigan? (Detroit: real estate, homes)

[Torn December]

Retiring from the military and potentially moving to Southeast Michigan between this coming Nov-Jan. I'm not originally from Michigan, but I was born in Cincinnati, OH and raised on a farm in Indiana so the region is familiar --distantly! This area is our top choice based on the location between my family and the in-laws. After 20 years away from family --I guess winter is a requirement! Plus I have researched and found enough Department of Defense jobs (currently) that I have a fighting chance for employment in the area after retirement.

I am really hoping to find a place with ample land (10-30 acres) and on the water if possible (doesn't have to be St. Clair's shoreline, but would be nice). However, after some intense "Google" searching, a lot of the southeast area seems fairly snuggled. Trying to stay within 45 minutes of Warren.

Are there any suggested counties, townships, cities, villages, etc. in S.E. Michigan that still have some hidden spots with a chunk of land, or am I dreaming?

Thank you for any advice at all -- links, the name of a place, or even some out-of-area thoughts that might still give me decent driving times if I worked close to surrounding Warren/Detroit areas.

Any advice on the social variety in that area is a bonus, and also appreciated. We dig it all... outdoor/indoor, jazz/rock, museum/parks, Christmas/Halloween, theater/fishing, community projects/volunteer orgs., snowball fights/quiet evenings...

Much appreciated.

-T

[Marty711]

I think you can rule out anything along lake St. Clair. You'd have to go a long ways north to find any serious acreage along there and Lake Huron. That said, you can find some acreage (not necessarily on water) in rural areas in Lapeer County, St. Clair County and the townships of northern Macomb County. I'd recommend looking into areas off of M-53 (Van Dyke) in Lapeer County and around Romeo. You just have to keep in mind these are pretty semi-rural areas and you wont find much in the way of nightlife and museums. The commute wouldn't be much fun in the winter but if you stay close to Romeo, it would be primarily freeway.

[Torn December]

Great advice, Marty! I'll dig into the housing/property market in those areas. I have a feeling my big score on land and water (together) will be between .3 and 1.5 acres --at least that's everything that I found along lake St. Clair. But, if I can move out of the area to find land and water, I would sacrifice the convenience of a short commute, as long as I can keep it at 45 minutes. I grew up on tons of land in SE Indiana and right on the Ohio River. But, once I joined the military, been living the "burbs" ever since. Now I'm trying to find "both" worlds combined. A little land, on the water, yet near all of the city action for the trips into town and employment. Just wasn't having any luck with Google searches, and not being familiar with the area wasn't helping.

Hey, thanks again for taking some time out of your life to help a stranger!

-T

[DTWflyer]

You might be able to find something like that along the St. Clair river off of M-29. I'd look at places around Algonac, Marine City, and Saint Clair.

I drive up there every so often and its a beautiful area (other than the power plants near St. Clair).

I have no idea what real estate prices are for waterfront property but there does appear to be some larger lots in places that back up on the river.

This area may be more like 45-60 minutes from Warren. However, if you are retiring from the military, perhaps there are some jobs at Selfridge ANG?

[snoopygirlmi]

There are also opportunities to be by the water in Northern Oakland County. Waterford/Lake Orion/West Bloomfield. However, you won't get the acreage that you want and prices tend to be more expensive.

Maybe Clarkston or Holly (I'm not too familiar w/those two areas, but they are more rural than the first 3).

[Marty711]

DTWFlyer and snoopygirlmi make some real good suggestions.

M-29 is one of my favorite drives in the state. The problem is most of the lots are pretty small and the largest ones tend to be closer to the power plants and oil refineries. You have to go off of there to find more room. There are some rivers and canals in that area that connect to St. Clair and would offer you more land but either way, you'd be pushing that commute.

I thought about suggesting Oakland County but between the lack of acreage and a tough commute, I'm not sure it would work for you. I'd imagine that commute would get real bad during rush hour. If you can avoid that, it might be worth it. An advantage of coming from North Macomb, Lapeer or St. Clair Counties is that your commute will be much easier as there's not as much traffic going south from those areas.

Bottom line, I'm not sure its possible to have 10-30 acres of waterfront land within 45 minutes of Warren. You'll have to make a sacrifice somewhere, either giving up the commute, the acreage or the water.

[Cliffie]

I would steer clear of Lake St. Clair -- it is croggled with homes and businesses. 45 minutes away, to the West, is Lakeland, MI -- just what it sounds like, zillions of lakes and lots of elbow room. There are similarly large places available in nearby Pinckney, Brighton, and so forth. Hop on I-96 and you'll be back in Warren within the hour.

[Tiger Beer]

You could always go for a cottage up the lake Huron coastline. Lexington Heights perhaps. Than buy some acreage inland a bit, to do your thing on.

[Bpobill]

Being 45 minutes to Warren is going to limit you. As other have mentioned north Macomb county will be your best bang for the buck for acreage and pricing. Look in Romeo and Bruce twp. That will keep you close to M53 and keep your commute as short as possible. Once you head west or East you wont have any other freeways unless you go very far east and hit I-94. Another option that someone pointed out is a cottage along lake Huron. Prices in the thumb haven't quite recovered like SE Michigan so you can save a few bucks there. If you buy a cottage towards the top of the thumb like Caseville, you can get there via Van Dyke which isn't a bad drive. I would keep Lake Saint Clair off your radar, because you will be hard pressed to find a decent sized lot there.

[ChrisCanDoIt]

How about Commerce Township?