Trying to figure out Detroit suburbs... (Flint, Ann Arbor: fit in, salons, real estate)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

A lot of trashing of Canton, which is essentially just turning your nose up at people with different tastes than you.

INteresting. Where did you see trashing of Canton?

Certainly not the poster who said "it is fine for what it is"

Or my post saying "Canton is a very nice example of this lifestyle" nicer that what you find in most metros.

We did agree that As a city Canton has no real character. However that is not trashing the city, it i merely an observation. It is hardly arguable. If you are looking for a city with character - Canton is not the place for you. If you want nice safe clean suburbia and big box stores, it is hard to find a better place for this anywhere. Roads and traffic are a problem, but otherwise, Canton is pretty ideal for that lifestyle. Although if you hve kids, you want to make certain you are in the part of Canton that falls into Plymouth Canton schools, not the part that is in Wayne/Westland.

[Republic of Michigan]

You can live in Birmingham which has a wonderful downtown, great schools, beautiful houses, and very safe neighborhoods. It is only 20 minutes further from Columbus than say Canton. So, if your travels to central Ohio will not be so frequent, than choosing the most desirable place in Metro Detroit may be more worthwhile.

[brodie734]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

A lot of trashing of Canton, which is essentially just turning your nose up at people with different tastes than you.

Like a lot of suburbs it doesn't have a downtown and, yeah, there are a lot of strip malls. Beyond that it is basically just a suburb, a fairly well to do one on average if I remember right, in a pretty-to-very good school district and virtually no crime. FWIW, it also has a great public theater and library.

I have personally never lived in a place like that but being arrogant about it strikes me as similar to the same people who think anyone who doesn't want to live in NYC is an idiot.

There are millionaires who live in Canton, probably thousands of them.

As mind-boggling as it may be to 19-year-old art students, some people literally just want a safe place where they can get a lot of bang for their buck in terms of housing and not have to worry about a bunch of cr@p.

In fact it would seem a lot of people feel that way, as the overwhelming growth in SE MI continues to be out into the boondocks.

Some of us grew up in suburbs like that and as adults would prefer to interact with other people in public spaces. Different strokes, etc.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by Republic of Michigan

You can live in Birmingham which has a wonderful downtown, great schools, beautiful houses, and very safe neighborhoods. It is only 20 minutes further from Columbus than say Canton. So, if your travels to central Ohio will not be so frequent, than choosing the most desirable place in Metro Detroit may be more worthwhile.

I will check out Birmingham.

How isnthe commute to the City from New Boston?

[craig11152]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

INteresting. Where did you see trashing of Canton?

Certainly not the poster who said "it is fine for what it is"

We did agree that As a city Canton has no real character. However that is not trashing the city, it i merely an observation.

I can see one interpreting "it is fine for what it is" as a backhanded compliment. Especially since the whole quote was "It is tract housing on top of tract housing with big box retailers on every corner. It is fine for what it is, but what it is is character free suburbia."
And I would suggest that since "character" is a bit subjective to imply a place lacks character could be interpreted as a backhanded compliment.

This quote was also out there....

"Canton is bland suburbia with no sense of place. You can find a Canton anywhere in the country. It is as generic as generic gets. House after house after house after chain store.

So I understand where one might see some "Canton bashing" within the comments.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by craig11152

I can see one interpreting "it is fine for what it is" as a backhanded compliment. Especially since the whole quote was "It is tract housing on top of tract housing with big box retailers on every corner. It is fine for what it is, but what it is is character free suburbia."
And I would suggest that since "character" is a bit subjective to imply a place lacks character could be interpreted as a backhanded compliment.

This quote was also out there....


So I understand where one might see some "Canton bashing" within the comments.

Acknowledging the fact that it is bland suburbia is not bashing. Some people like ad prefer bland suburbia. One of the most commonly considered "nice" places to live is Irvine California which undeniably has absolutely no character at all. Not all cities have character, but that does not make them bad. Some cities have a lot of character, but that does not make them good. Canton is a great bland suburbia city. That is what it is and it cannot be changed. That is like saying someone mentioning that Fenton has no urban vibe is an insult to Fenton. Not an insult, it just is what it is.

If someone were to come in here and tell a person looking for a place that Canton has a wonderful little downtown, a lot of character, and a real sense of place - they would be lying. There is a difference between not lying about something and bashing it.

[jaynarie]

I disagree with Birmingham. It is very keeping-up-with-the-Jonses.
Unless you want to commute from Lake Orion, Clarkston, or Holly, I'd completely rule out Oakland County.

[HPY1]

Originally Posted by jaynarie

I disagree with Birmingham. It is very keeping-up-with-the-Jonses.
Unless you want to commute from Lake Orion, Clarkston, or Holly, I'd completely rule out Oakland County.

Thanks

[djmilf]

Originally Posted by jaynarie

I disagree with Birmingham. It is very keeping-up-with-the-Jonses.
Unless you want to commute from Lake Orion, Clarkston, or Holly, I'd completely rule out Oakland County.

If the goal is to be near an airport, then those communities might work...for Bishop International Airport in Flint.

If the goal is to be near downtown Detroit, a relative lived in Orion Township and commuted to downtown - he despised the commute.

It's looking like western Wayne County might fit the bill. As to how New Boston is - Wikipedia says it's about 8K in population, so the odds are that people on C-D have no experience with this rather small place.

[leroythelion]

Originally Posted by djmilf

If the goal is to be near an airport, then those communities might work...for Bishop International Airport in Flint.

If the goal is to be near downtown Detroit, a relative lived in Orion Township and commuted to downtown - he despised the commute.

It's looking like western Wayne County might fit the bill. As to how New Boston is - Wikipedia says it's about 8K in population, so the odds are that people on C-D have no experience with this rather small place.

I drive through New Boston every day. Spread out with lots of farms and two railways that cuts through the borders. If you like that kind of thing, it's right near I275. You'll fit right in if you own an F-150.