Western Grosse Pointe Park (Detroit, Cadillac: apartments, crime, attorneys)

[BPtransplant]

Hello everyone,
My wife and I are seriously considering putting an offer in on a house we found in the southwest corner of Grosse Pointe Park. Love the neighborhood, and walkable type streets.
Only thing that concerns me is how close it seems to be to the edge of the city limit. It's next to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood and I was wondering, is that a pretty nice area?
Do you get any spill over of crime other than your typical burglaries?
I guess my issue is I don't want to purchase a home where my street is great, but two blocks away it's completely different and unsafe. Would that be the case here?
Looking for input from those who actually live in the area.
Thanks so much!

[Geo-Aggie]

I've got friends that live right on the border of Detroit, in one of the GPs. In fact you actually have to drive through Detroit to get to their neighborhood. As far as I know, they've had no trouble or problems with that. Be smart, lock your door, don't leave electronics in your car, things like that - you'll be fine. Plus, not all neighborhoods of Detroit are equal, and the ones that are close to the nicer suburbs are usually reasonably nice/stable parts of Detroit.

[ekman243]

You have to drive through Detroit to get to most parts of Grosse Pointe. Either down Jefferson, Mack, Kercheval, Cadieux, Outer Drive, Moross, Vernier . Grosse Pointers have been doing it for years, matter of fact many many GPers make their money in Detroit, Attorneys, Doctors, Nurses, Teacher etc. and are not afraid of Jefferson Chalmers which is improving quite a bit due to quite a few Grosse Pointers rolling up their sleeves helping. Now the OP is talking about the Windmill Pointe area of GP which is steps from the lake and has a large police precinct on Jefferson ave before it turns into Lake shore. You should ask them they are very helpful. Also contact the Grosse Pointe News (google it) which has had its finger on the pulse of the city for years.

[BedBathAndBeyonce]

Originally Posted by ekman243

You have to drive through Detroit to get to most parts of Grosse Pointe. Either down Jefferson, Mack, Kercheval, Cadieux, Outer Drive, Moross, Vernier . Grosse Pointers have been doing it for years, matter of fact many many GPers make their money in Detroit, Attorneys, Doctors, Nurses, Teacher etc. and are not afraid of Jefferson Chalmers which is improving quite a bit due to quite a few Grosse Pointers rolling up their sleeves helping. Now the OP is talking about the Windmill Pointe area of GP which is steps from the lake and has a large police precinct on Jefferson ave before it turns into Lake shore. You should ask them they are very helpful. Also contact the Grosse Pointe News (google it) which has had its finger on the pulse of the city for years.

Along the lines of this conversation, I take it everything east of the Chrysler Freeway and GP along East Jefferson is not desirable. Has this changed recently, or does anyone see it changing in the near future?

[ekman243]

Originally Posted by BedBathAndBeyonce

Along the lines of this conversation, I take it everything east of the Chrysler Freeway and GP along East Jefferson is not desirable. Has this changed recently, or does anyone see it changing in the near future?

Well for the out of towner which the OP is, to believe the nonsense is understandable considering they are basing their viewpoint on what they see in the media, second hand or read in forums.Evidently OP is fully aware that what people say on blogs or forums does not really present a true picture , thus they asked for someone who is familiar with the area by experience not heresay and blind bias data. To answer your question East Jefferson/ Larned/ Lafayette is only getting better in Detroit and Grosse Pointe has always been one of the best for decades.

[BPtransplant]

Originally Posted by ekman243

Well for the out of towner which the OP is, to believe the nonsense is understandable considering they are basing their viewpoint on what they see in the media, second hand or read in forums.Evidently OP is fully aware that what people say on blogs or forums does not really present a true picture , thus they asked for someone who is familiar with the area by experience not heresay and blind bias data. To answer your question East Jefferson/ Larned/ Lafayette is only getting better in Detroit and Grosse Pointe has always been one of the best for decades.

Thank you very much for your and everyone else's response. This is exactly why I posted on here. I can read all I want, but until I get info from people who live there to provide context to what I read, it really means nothing. What I'm gathering (and was my initial instinct/thought about the area) is that it is indeed a desirable place to live that is safe and welcoming. We have young kids so my two biggest concerns are safety and decent schools. Among other things of course.
Thanks again and any other info anyone else could provide would be great!

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by BedBathAndBeyonce

Along the lines of this conversation, I take it everything east of the Chrysler Freeway and GP along East Jefferson is not desirable. Has this changed recently, or does anyone see it changing in the near future?

This is incorrect.

-To the east of downtown just off Jefferson is Lafayette Park. Website for the district is below:

Mies Detroit

A brand new residential developed called Ducharme Place, just opened last month in the community. The insane prices people are paying to get into this neighborhood can be seen below:

https://detroit.curbed.com/neighborh...lafayette-park


-To the south and southeast of Lafayette Park is the East Riverfront and the Riverwalk. This is an improving district. Construction of a large new residential/retail development right of the Riverwalk, called Orleans Landing, is nearly complete.



-To the east of Lafayette Park is a long string 1970's and 1980's built townhome complexes, which are safe and inhabited by a lot of middle class people, except there are maybe one or two problem complexes.


-North of Jefferson and to the east of the townhouse city is a bunch of vacant lots and ramshackle houses and warehouses until you get to East Grand Boulevard/Belle Isle.


-From East Grand Boulevard to Cadillac Blvd is a very special, very awesome collection of neighborhoods called the Village. The website for this area is here


-East of the Villages, the landscape is bleak or industrial until the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood at the border of Grosse Pointe.

[jonnynonos]

If you want a real picture you'll have to talk to neighbors and cops. I know someone who lives in GP on the Detroit border there and they actually did have a pretty bad incident.

I mean I'm sure on average it's fine but if you're looking for absolute confirmation of a level of security on par with a burb 20 miles away etc., I'm not sure a query on this site really counts as due diligence.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by BPtransplant

Hello everyone,
My wife and I are seriously considering putting an offer in on a house we found in the southwest corner of Grosse Pointe Park. Love the neighborhood, and walkable type streets.
Only thing that concerns me is how close it seems to be to the edge of the city limit. It's next to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood and I was wondering, is that a pretty nice area?
Do you get any spill over of crime other than your typical burglaries?
I guess my issue is I don't want to purchase a home where my street is great, but two blocks away it's completely different and unsafe. Would that be the case here?
Looking for input from those who actually live in the area.
Thanks so much!

That's Metro Detroit in a nutshell. The divisions between good and bad neighborhoods are razor-sharp. I grew up in the area and lived in a very nice neighborhood where you could hear gunfire all day and all night from the scary neighborhood just over the line, but nothing ever seeped over into my section, not once in 22 years.

[drro]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

That's Metro Detroit in a nutshell. The divisions between good and bad neighborhoods are razor-sharp. I grew up in the area and lived in a very nice neighborhood where you could hear gunfire all day and all night from the scary neighborhood just over the line, but nothing ever seeped over into my section, not once in 22 years.

Just out of curiosity, what neighborhood just over the line are you referring to?