Any less populated areas left in SE Michigan??? (Detroit, Sterling Heights: buy, live in)

[snoopygirlmi]

Would Farmington be too suburban? I'm trying to think of something in the middle, along 696. That area tends to be more suburban, but it's also less high-end as well.

But I know what you mean about Rochester being status-conscious. Honestly, that's the only reason why I don't miss living there. However, if we had the opportunity to move back, we would because we loved the area and the schools. It's really just a wonderful community once you get past the "keeping up with the jones'" mentality.

My husband's kind of jealous, though, because when we left there was only one Tim Horton's and it wasn't on his way to work. Now, there's one on Crooks and 59, which would have been perfect for him to pick up a sandwich on his way to work (as he always tells me when the topic comes up.) But it really is amazing how many Starbucks they've fitted into the Rochester area.

And Arthur's right, Beck, Sheldon, Northville Roads all get congested. So does Wixom Road and Grand River. A lot of it has to do with the fact that there's a lot of traffic and just 2-lanes for the most part.

My husband says he gets caught up going North at 6 and Pontiac Trail because it's just a four-way stop light and everyone's trying to figure out when they need to go. Griswold is under construction from 8-9 Mile.

That's what I got. Hopefully, someone may be able to come up with some other ideas/info. Good luck.

[313 TUxedo]

Much of Monroe County (in particular, the part that is both north of Erie Rd. and west of Strasburg Rd., excepting Ida and Dundee).

For that matter, Sumpter Township (SW Wayne County) is sparsely populated.

[DTWflyer]

I'm kind of with the OP, I'm so sick of the sprawl-ville, crap-olaa, keeping up with the Jones mentality of most of Metro Detroit I have no idea where to go.

The places I want to go where its quiet have horrendous commutes to employment centers.

Metro Detroit annoys the heck out of me.

[313 TUxedo]

I'll throw a curveball here...

Parts of Southfield, like Strawberry Lane or Friar Drive. Locally subrural, yet near the center of the greater metropolitan area, with easy road access.

[brodie734]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

I'm kind of with the OP, I'm so sick of the sprawl-ville, crap-olaa, keeping up with the Jones mentality of most of Metro Detroit I have no idea where to go.

The places I want to go where its quiet have horrendous commutes to employment centers.

Metro Detroit annoys the heck out of me.

you should move to Washtenaw County... 75% of the population works either within the county borders or further west.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by DTWflyer

I'm kind of with the OP, I'm so sick of the sprawl-ville, crap-olaa, keeping up with the Jones mentality of most of Metro Detroit I have no idea where to go.

This is what happens when everybody abandons the city, and there is no regional planning, no regional cooperation, and no rapid transit.

[MS313]

Your wife works in Warren and you work in Novi and you BOTH want to live in a rural area and commute to your jobs without a high commute time and lots of traffic? pssh, yeah you are screwed. Warren is nowhere near the country so she will always have a bad commute if you guys want rural living. As far as your Novi job, I would look into Livingston county or Northern Washtenaw county. Your probably still going to deal with traffic out that way because of all the other people who live in a more rural part of a major metro but it probably won't be too bad.

Another suggestion I think someone already said here is there are some rural looking parts of Southfield which is between your jobs. Of course there's still 696 traffic but at least your wife will have her commute time cut down in half.

[reppin_the_847]

It's all relative. To someone from New York City, all of Michigan including most of Metro Detroit outside of the city may as well be country.

[NOLA101]

Northville? South Lyon? Milford? Those areas aren't exactly rural, but they're semi-rural in parts.

[Coldjensens]

Most townships or at least parts of them (Lyon. Plymouth, Ann Arbor, Salem, Northville, Green Oak, Huron). . Parts of Romulus; Flat rock; certainly Newport is very rural; parts of woodhaven; brownstown, New Boston,

Then there are parts of Detroit that are now pretty rural.