Which premier town is on the downfall? (Detroit, Livonia: tenants, schools)

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by 734accountant

Look at a map, it's pretty obvious the trend will be everything east of 275 & north part of M-5 (Haggerty Connector) — Livonia, Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield (except for lakefront) — will turn sketchier.

Based on what?

[brodie734]

Originally Posted by keraT

I am surprise these young adults who grew up in 2000 sq ft house with large yards in suburb are comfortable in tiny 900 sqft house.

Some young adults who grew up in sterile communities designed around the car and lacking any kind of public spaces are willing to trade square footage for urbanization. Just like their parents decided that cramped 900 sq ft bungalows in cities were too small and that every member of the household needed the equivalent of a studio apartment to themselves.

[zthatzmanz28]

I would think most cities that border Wayne County to the west and north will be at-risk in the next 10 years.

Mid-town may also start losing its luster once the tax-abatement are up, property rises and people realize a $10,000 tax bill does not make those mid-town $350,000 lofts so appealing.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Some young adults who grew up in sterile communities designed around the car and lacking any kind of public spaces are willing to trade square footage for urbanization. Just like their parents decided that cramped 900 sq ft bungalows in cities were too small and that every member of the household needed the equivalent of a studio apartment to themselves.

Until those hipsters have kids themselves. They'll be moving to the burbs soon enough.

[734accountant]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

Based on what?

They're already turning sketchy, dated housing stock, mediocre schools, it's pretty common for premier towns to be protected/divided by a major highway.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by 734accountant

They're already turning sketchy, dated housing stock, mediocre schools, it's pretty common for premier towns to be protected/divided by a major highway.

"They're already turning sketchy" is an opinion, not fact. Is crime getting comparatively worse there? Dated housing stock - do you have concrete evidence to suggest that housing stock in that area is aging faster than Canton, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, Walled Lake and Commerce Township or that there are fewer housing starts in that area?

[mgkeith]

West River is a busy plaza. I really do miss the Kohl's, though; especially handy for a family. It was about the same in terms of thriving when we moved here in '94. The Target is an especially nice one, as is the revamped theater on the corner.

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

"They're already turning sketchy" is an opinion, not fact. Is crime getting comparatively worse there? Dated housing stock - do you have concrete evidence to suggest that housing stock in that area is aging faster than Canton, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, Walled Lake and Commerce Township or that there are fewer housing starts in that area?

The only one I'm qualified to opine on is Livonia, to which I would say you are generally correct. Is it "bad"? No.

When I was growing up, though, it was really kind of *the* big west side vanilla middle class suburb -- enormous and probably having a lot of characteristics of what Detroit neighborhoods of yore would have been like up until the 60s.

I had tons of friends from there.

What I can say about it is that virtually everyone left and I cannot possibly imagine them coming back, ever.

From what I understand in a lot of cases the schools have gone over the last 20 years from decent to borderline crummy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/bu...pagewanted=all

"Over the past two decades, for example, the number of auto-related manufacturing jobs in Michigan has fallen 34 percent, according to Economy.com. The number of automotive jobs in Kentucky jumped 152 percent over that period."

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Sketchy

Another vague, qualitative term that has almost no value.

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

The only one I'm qualified to opine on is Livonia, to which I would say you are generally correct. Is it "bad"? No.

When I was growing up, though, it was really kind of *the* big west side vanilla middle class suburb -- enormous and probably having a lot of characteristics of what Detroit neighborhoods of yore would have been like up until the 60s.

I had tons of friends from there.

What I can say about it is that virtually everyone left and I cannot possibly imagine them coming back, ever.

From what I understand in a lot of cases the schools have gone over the last 20 years from decent to borderline crummy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/04/bu...pagewanted=all

"Over the past two decades, for example, the number of auto-related manufacturing jobs in Michigan has fallen 34 percent, according to Economy.com. The number of automotive jobs in Kentucky jumped 152 percent over that period."

I agree with you, but don't think anyone views Livonia as a top-tier suburb anymore. That's been true for around a decade and the home prices (post-2008) have adjusted to reflect this.

Livonia is the destination for families who can't afford Plymouth/Canton or (those who buy on the northwest side) Northville/Novi.