Hamtramck (Detroit, Royal Oak, Ferndale: rental, violent crime, houses)

[niftydolphin]

I saw a previous thread about not moving to Highland Park, but what about Hamtramck? I have visited Detroit before, and once took the bus up Woodward from downtown to the State Fairgrounds. I can say the Wayne State area, and the midtown area looked okay, but north of that it got worse with Highland Park being really bad. I regret to not visiting Hamtramck. Is it really bad place to live and visit? I currently live in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee, and I get the impression Hamtramck would be similar. Riverwest is a historically Polish, ethnically diverse Bohemian area with lots of live music venues, located on the edge of the ghetto to the west, and just north of downtown.

I wouldn't want to live in Detroit proper, but don't want to live in the sanitized suburbs to the north. Hamtramck looks like it would have a close-knit neighborhood feel, and it would be easily accessible to downtown. I understand the city of Detroit charges an income tax to its residents. Does Hamtramck do that?

[mslr]

hamtramck is decent, but it is not for everyone. it is very diverse, probably the most diverse area in the metro detroit area. A good amount of restaurants, and bars and nightlife. It is close to Detroit, and not the best part of Detroit either. Therefore, it can get scary going down there at night. I have a friend who lives there and she loves it, but I get freaked out when i visit her even though nothing has ever happened to me.

another area to consider is Ferndale. It is also diverse, borders Detroit to the south and is a quick commute to the wayne state area of the foxtown area of Detroit. it has a cool up and coming downtown area and less crime than Hamtramck. there is not alot of live music venues in any suburb of Detroit. They are pretty well scattered all over the place. Royal Oak has a lively downtown with live music, restaurants and bars. However, it is largely a singles scene at night with 20 and 30 somethings.

if you can describe what you are looking for in greater detail, i can probably tell you where to look as I have lived here my entire life.

[tamcat16]

I love Hamtramck, and miss living there! Hamtramck I feel has a lot to offer. I first moved there when I first left home at 19 yrs old. My boyfriend and I had a huge duplex for only $460 a month. The area is cool, tons of bars, food, small shops. Lots of different kinds of people. White, black, polish, middle eastern, etc... I would say choose wisley where you want to live. Just like any other area, not all of Hamtramck is nice and safe. Whats cool about Hamtramck is its close to everything. The expressway is right there. My boyfriend went to Wayne State, and getting there was a breeze. Also Royal Oak is not very far. I think Ferndale is boring and not diverse. So.... I would check out Hamtramck.

[Cherry]

I live in Hamtramck and love it. Riverwest sounds similar, but doesn't appear to have as many immigrants. 40-50% of Hamtramckans are foreign-born and around half are Muslim. We have about 30 bars, several live music venues, and about 30 restaurants. We also host several festivals annually, including the Metro Times Blowout, Paczki Day, and the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival and Polish Day Parade.

Hamtramck has a 1% income tax for residents, and my husband also pays non-resident income tax to Detroit because he works downtown. I think the two combined work out to slightly less than the resident income tax in Detroit. We do have crime issues, but the average emergency response time in Hamtramck is 2 to 3 minutes.

[OhEdo]

Didn't Hamtramck recently get itself out of bankruptcy (maybe in '05?)? That alone is saying a lot given the state of SE Michigan's economy recently. And I also believe it is one of the few communities whose population has actually grown in the last few years. A friend of mine said it reminded him of Queens, and I thought that was a very apt description.
I don't live in Hamtramck but do go there occasionally for Polish food - there is one place, at the risk of being sexist, that is like a Polish version of Hooters! With better food and authentic Polish beer to boot. I think it's called Polonia...

[and the]

I love Polonia. Friend of mine married a waitress from there. If I were to, God forbid, get divorced and had to live cheap, I'd try to find a house in Hamtramck being sold by the estate of a long-time owner, or from a long-time owner who was leaving town. In other words, a house that hadn't been a rental for the past 20 years. I'd have no problem living in Hamtramck as a single guy. It's no place for kids though. Sorry.

One bad thing about Hamtramck: Not a whole lot of houses with garages or even driveways. Try parallel parking with a foot of snow on the ground. And you'd BETTER get your car out of the street before the ploughs come though (that's if you're fortunate enough to live on a street that even gets ploughed). Last time I was at Polonia a few days after a good storm, the streets were still just two ruts in the snow.

[theMighty]

good Polish community. I have a friend who after college moved back there from sterling Heights. I spent a few nites at his place, didnt worry about anything.

[niftydolphin]

Tamcat, what areas in Hamtramck are worse off? I would imagine any part that borders Detroit would be, especially to the north and east. I would also guess the areas closest to Joseph Campau between Caniff and Holbrook would be relatively better.

As for everyone else, thanks for the information. It would seem I'd enjoy the place. I am a single male, in my 30's and have no children, so schools wouldn't be an issue.

Suppose one did not own a car and lived in Hamtramck. Could he rely on bus service to downtown Detroit?

[tamcat16]

The areas that border Detroit are worse and the areas that are right off the expressway. I lived on Gallagher, and that street was really great. I had wonderful neighbors, and everyone on that block seemed to actually care about their neighborhood. I had a car there, and yeah it sucked parking, but not that bad considering I live in NYC now with a car. In the winter, it was bad, not going to lie to you because when they plow the snow, all the snow piles up, and nobody wants to move their car because they know it will be a pain to find another spot. But if you have a small car, and are good on parking its not that bad. On the bus issue, I would say Hamtramck, Detroit for that matter is not too great. There are buses, but Im not sure how often they come. I hope if you do move to Hamtramck you'll love it just as much I did. You cant beat the low prices on rent with such big spaces.

[Cheeto]

Hey, just reading this and figured I'd offer what input I could. Hamtramck is the most awesome and interesting city in Michigan hands down. Crime is worse than in most suburbs, but violent crime is relatively low. I would try not to move south of Holbrook. I lived there in the early 90's and that seemed to be where most of the drama was at. Anywhere closer to Jos. Campu and Caniff is good and still pretty cheap. I was born in Hamtramck in 1973 and at one time had much Polish family there. I lived there as a young punk in the 1990's and wish I never left. I live in Cali now, but if I ever had to move back home, I would want to live in Hamtramck even if I had to pay for private schools for my kids (Unfortunately not the best schools there). If you have the desire to live in a culturally diverse, true urban neighborhood that hasn't been gentrified beyond affordability then Hamtramck is probably worth giving a try. Good Luck!