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Old 05-26-2008, 10:36 PM
 
10 posts, read 41,349 times
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A little background as I'm in a fairly unique situation. I currently live in Omaha, NE but that is going to change. I'm going to be taking a job that is going to require me to relocate. No big deal, right? Not so fast. I don't get to pick where I relocate to. I can rank their locations (there are over 50 offices,) in order of my preference and they will try to accommodate me, but no guarantees. They usually get you placed in one of your top 15 offices.

So, I'm trying to decide if I want to put Detroit in my top 15. Why Detroit? One main reason: Cost of living.

The first year I'll only be making ~$60K. I'm married and have a 6 year old. Business trips will be fairly frequent, so my wife probably wont be able to work. That rules out several offices from the get-go simply because it would cost too much to live. So Detroit starts to climb higher on that list. (Other minor pluses in Detroit's favor is it's fairly close to home, and they have the Red Wings.)

But price isn't the only factor I'm looking at. I'm looking for someplace affordable, but also safe to raise a family. I want to live somewhere my wife won't be afraid to go out shopping.

So after reading these forums, I know that living in Detroit is out of the question. I'm ok with a bit of a commute. (the office is in downtown Detroit.) I currently have a 40 minute commute but don't want to go to much beyond that.

So on $60,000 a year, is there anywhere I can afford to live that's relatively safe, a good place to raise a family, and is within 45 minutes of downtown Detroit?

Can it be done, or do I need to sink Detroit to the bottom of my list?
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Old 05-26-2008, 10:45 PM
 
Location: Garden City, MI
695 posts, read 3,398,762 times
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I would say you could definitely do it. I will tell you my house has an income of $20,000 less than that with about an hour and a half commute. The cost of living seems to be pretty low here; cheap houses, sort of high property taxes though. On that salary I would look into Garden City/Westland, Livonia, Wyandotte, Riverview, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Plymouth/Northville. All very nice communities. In general, pretty much ANY suburb of Detroit is safe and livable. The only cities I wouldn't live in are Highland Park, River Rouge, and Inkster.

What kind of community would you be looking for? Modern sprawl?(Livonia, Troy, etc) Traditional (Westland, Garden City, Riverview, etc)? Quaint walkable downtown area? (Royal Oak, Wyandotte, Ferndale, Plymouth, Northville etc) Detroit has some very interesting and diverse suburbs.
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Old 05-26-2008, 10:52 PM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,652,527 times
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The suburbs of Detroit fit all your criteria - except for the expensive, mansion-filled ones like Bloomfield, Grosse Pointe, perhaps to a lesser degree Birmingham.

I realize you have perceptions of "Detroit" in your mind, but the region taken as a whole is really a nice suburban-style city. You'd be hard pressed to find a better quality of life for what you seek. I know a lot of people all over the country who grew up in metro Detroit. They all say, "It's a great place to raise children." There's a number of really beautiful lakes all over the northern suburbs. A number of great neighborhoody "urban" style cities in the closer in suburbs. There's incredible schools - top notch private schools (the International Academy in Bloomfield was ranked best in the nation not too long ago) and really great public school districts. Most everybody has their half acre.

Actually, Huntington Woods might fit exactly what you're looking for. It's at about Woodward and 11 Mile. Incredible inner ring suburban community where the community pool (really nice) is filled in the summer with children and families and there's a real sense of neighbohood. Nice but relatively humble housing stock. Very decent, stable middle class culture. Close to shopping in Royal Oak, Birmingham, and the Troy malls (Somerset is an upscale mall and Oakland is a mid-market mall), and also a straight shot into downtown without much hastle at all, as it's right on Woodward Ave. (one of the main roads from downtown out through to Pontiac).
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Old 05-26-2008, 10:54 PM
 
Location: Garden City, MI
695 posts, read 3,398,762 times
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It's too bad Detroit can't break its stigma, because while the city is for the most part a cess pool, the suburbs are probably some of the best in the country.
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Old 05-27-2008, 12:49 AM
 
6,790 posts, read 8,168,058 times
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As a person living here it's shocking to hear someone is worried there wife won't be safe shopping in metro Detroit. No one will recommend you live in the city limits (although I do and feel perfectly safe shopping.) Anyway, you can live well in any of the suburbs on your salary except the super upscale northern and eastern suburbs. The suburbs are safe and comparable to any other US city. There is no need for a long commute, even most the border suburbs are safe. Let us know what you are looking for in a community and you will get many good recomendations.

To answer your question simply; yes, you can find a nice safe place with a short commute and live well on your salary so your wife won't need to work.

Last edited by detshen; 05-27-2008 at 12:57 AM..
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Old 05-27-2008, 12:51 AM
 
6,790 posts, read 8,168,058 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardwellave View Post
I would say you could definitely do it. I will tell you my house has an income of $20,000 less than that with about an hour and a half commute.
Did you mean half an hour? Aren't you in Garden City?
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Old 05-27-2008, 01:03 AM
 
6,790 posts, read 8,168,058 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardwellave View Post
It's too bad Detroit can't break its stigma, because while the city is for the most part a cess pool, the suburbs are probably some of the best in the country.
I don't think you mean anything bad, but it doesn't help calling the city a cesspool. There is a lot of bad areas, no denials, but I live in Detroit and enjoy many parts of the city. Detroit has much to offer, to write it off as a cesspool is a mistake.
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Old 05-27-2008, 09:28 AM
 
11,155 posts, read 15,652,527 times
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In making your decision, I think you have to look at Detroit like any other post-industrial city. For every bullet-riddled, barbed-wire fenced neighborhood in Baltimore, there's a city like Towson or White Flint or other upscale suburbs that are the epicenter of, amongst other things, the private school lacrosse culture. For every abandoned steel mill in Pittsburgh, there's a tree-lined neighborhood like Shadyside. The Baltimore area is not "The Wire" and the Detroit area (or even the city itself) is not... "Detroit" as portrayed in the shock-addicted media.

5 million people live in the metro area. 900,000 live in the city - hundreds of thousands more than live in Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco, and Miami. Wealthy immigrants from all over the world who could settle anywhere choose to build lives there. They don't like to be mugged as much as you don't like to be mugged.

Granted, Detroit's turn around has been slower than Baltimore or Pittsburgh or Cleveland or the industrial parts of Chicago. But the sheer size of Detroit and its role as the epicenter of the the industrial revolution put it in a position to collapse hard (especially with poor management and misguided automobile addiction).

Nevertheless, you will find a city and a region brimming with a surprisingly sophisticated level of culture, arts, sports, and top notch shopping amenities. I think you will find it to be a far more sophisticated and rich lifestyle than Omaha could provide, if you choose to engage on that level. Perhaps look at visitdetroit.com. They do a good job of portraying the city without sugar coating what it is.
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Old 05-27-2008, 10:05 AM
 
10 posts, read 41,349 times
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Thanks for all the replies, You all have given me some great information. Seems like there's no reason not to include Detroit.

As for what type of community I'm looking for, that's hard for me to say. I've lived in a small town, and I've lived in suburbia. I have no experience with urban life, but am not against it.

I lived almost 30 years in Omaha but currently live in a smaller town 30 minutes away. (I just say I live in Omaha to save time, because nobody's heard of my town.)

Right now where I live, there is no sense of community or neighborhood. Nobody talks to their neighbors, and you can have run down $25,000 houses next to beautiful $200,000 houses. I miss having real neighbors, so I'd like to stay away from that if possible.

I guess I'd like to live in a neighborhood that 'feels' like a neighborhood. One with enough families nearby so my kid can go outside and play with other kids. Nearby parks are more important than nearby malls. My current house is 100 years old, so I'm ok with an older neighborhood.

Once I find out where I'm going, I get a 10 day house hunting trip, so I'll probably tour alot of the suburbs to see what has a good feel.
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Old 05-27-2008, 02:01 PM
 
Location: Garden City, MI
695 posts, read 3,398,762 times
Reputation: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by detshen View Post
I don't think you mean anything bad, but it doesn't help calling the city a cesspool. There is a lot of bad areas, no denials, but I live in Detroit and enjoy many parts of the city. Detroit has much to offer, to write it off as a cesspool is a mistake.
I agree with you. The vast majority is bad, but living within the city certainly can be good for a lot of people. I have considered it. Probably a bad term to use on my part.

Quote:
Originally Posted by detshen View Post
Did you mean half an hour? Aren't you in Garden City?
Yes my mom commutes from here to Troy. In traffic coming home it is around an hour and a half.
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