Moving to Detroit (Grand Rapids, Warren, Farmington Hills: apartment, rental, crime rate)

[JazzyBee]

I will be moving to Michigan next Saturday to attend Wayne State. When I arrive in Michigan I will be staying in Grand Rapids until I am able to find a place in Detroit. So I was wondering what are some safe areas in Detroit to live? I don't have a car so an area that has bus access or safe to walk to campus. And how is the public transportation in the area? Thank you for taking the time to read and respond!

[Coldjensens]

Just remain in grand rapids and take the bus to WSU.

[Northsider 248]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Just remain in grand rapids and take the bus to WSU.

... that's 153 miles.

There aren't really any good areas in Detroit around WSU unless you want to live Downtown, which is increasingly expensive as far as any dreams of rent go.

My suggestion is to rent a place in Hazel Park (**NOT Highland Park, remember this**) near Dequindre. There are alot of nice (and cheap) rental houses in Hazel Park in good neighborhoods. Plus, it's only a biking distance from Downtown Ferndale. You'd be able to get a quaint little 2-bedroom 1-bathroom house in HP for about how much it would cost to stay in a crowded apartment building Downtown.

Make sure you play it extremely safe if you choose to rent/buy along 8 Mile outside of Hazel Park or Ferndale. Alot of the rest of that 8 Mile corridor that would have decent bus access to Wayne State has some very shifty neighborhoods, especially RO Township and Oak Park, and parts of south Warren. HP and Ferndale are much safer and much quieter than most other cities along 8 Mile, and they're closer to the U as well.

That way you can hop on either the 494 (10/8 mile) bus or the 710 bus (9 mile). Both make a transfer stop but it's probably safer to get on the 710 (the 710 transfers in Ferndale, while the 494 transfers in Detroit).

Whatever you do, though, do not take the 495 bus on John R. It makes a transfer in Highland Park, which is somewhere you definately don't want to be standing outside for 15 minutes waiting for a bus in. Busses are usually safe in Detroit, but bus stops in bad neighborhoods are preying grounds for criminals.

If you also don't mind walking a mile or so to and from the bus stop, you can hop on the 460 bus in Ferndale and avoid the transfer you'd have on the 495 bus. You would have to transfer to 460 from 710, but it's up to you how you get on to 460. It would basically be a straight shoot to the University.

Whichever bus you choose to go on, just make sure to stay safe. Like I've said, most Detroit busses are safe to ride on, especially in the suburbs, but the neighborhoods change drastically once you go south of 8 Mile.

There truely isn't a bus you could go on to get to the University that won't make stops in bad neighborhoods, but as long as you don't give anyone a reason to harm you, they won't. Always keep any money you have on you in a secure place and never pull any out on the bus besides fare, which you should keep in a seperate pocket from your wallet. Even in Hazel Park or Ferndale, make sure not to show off any of your extra money, because you'll be on the same bus with the same people for a long commute and you don't know the people. Perhaps they're gang members commuting from a long day of nighttime work in Ferndale and the bus is picking up their 'homies' on the way home?

Also, you probably shouldn't use any fancy electronics during the ride. PDAs, Laptops, et cetera. Phones are fine, but just as with showing off the money, the people on the bus could be anybody really; and they could try to steal from you at any time.

~~~

Summary for those tl;dr moments:

- Rent a house in Hazel Park/Ferndale.
- Catch the 494 or 710 bus at either 8 Mile, 9 Mile or 10 Mile and Dequindre; or the 460 bus at 9 and Woodward
- Do not take the 495 bus on John R, it transfers in a very bad neighborhood
- Keep your money and devices secure and out of reach/sight while on the bus.

[danielj72]

I visited Detroit for the first time in 10 years last sunday. I expected the decay, but what I saw shocked me. The neighborhoods have been dead for decades, but now even the downtown skyscrapers are empty. From my seat in the new baseball stadium I could clearly see an abandoned skyscraper. On my way out of the stadium an army of beggars followed us, pleading for money. The place was so depressing, so run down, so pathetic it shocked me. My parents and grandparents called this city home when it was one of Americas boomtowns. How could it be destroyed in a few decades like that??? I have come to the conclusion that any attempt to revive it is a waste of money. The people who live there are now so entrenched in thier self destructive lifestyle that nothing can change it. The infrastructure is to far gone, only a total rebuild will help it. Considering how prone the residents of Detroit are to crime and lack of productivity, any rebuilding would be a waste. All new investments, sports stadiums, casinos, corporate headquarters should be in Detroits suburbs. A new clean downtown should be planned somewhere along I-696 or I-275. A clean slate is needed for Michigans largests city. The real Detroit is suburban Detroit. If I were the OP I would not go to wayne state, stay in GR or find a college in suburban Detroit. Do yourself a favor and stay out of Michigans little 3rd world.

[us66]

I agree. The real downtown Detroit is in places like Troy, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and several other edge city areas. For a metro of Detroit's size, the downtown, although a bit more interesting than it used to be, is a pathetic disappointment.

[Coldjensens]

My Neice goes to Wayne State. She has no problems. As long as you stay in the nice area immediately around campus (Do nto venture much outside the campus area except to come downtown). I would not have a problem living on or immediately adjoining campus at Wayne and I would not have a problem with my daughters living there. (Of Course I require them to carry pepper spray everywhere they go and never walk anywhere alone, but tht is anywhere, not just in Detroit). Wayne has their own security/police force. They also have telephones around campus where you pick up the phone and the security people know where you are and come even if you say nothing. Is there crime on campus? Sure there is. It is a college campus and it is in a major city.

Are there bullets flying around and robbers waiting to greet you at the ATM? No. In fact, the Wayne State Campus is safer than it was 25 years ago when I went there.

Your best bet, rather than taking advice from somone who visited downtown once in more than a decade, or from an old guy like me who only works inteh area, is to go to campus, find several people who live there and ask them what it is like. You will find some who live in terror and some who love it. Once again people find what they are looking for.


Parts of Detroit are really depressing and parts are really nice. It has a lot to do with your attitude and expectations. You will find what you are looking for. Some people come to downtown and are surprised by how nice it is after hearing all the negativism. Others come here and gasp in horror because a homeless guy asks them for a dollar. One thing that many people remark upon is there htere is very little graffitti downtown compared to many other cities. I am not sure why that is, perhaps becuase there are so few people here.

There are some empty skyscrapers. Some of them have been empty for more than ten years. THis is nothing new. Detroit is a dying city. There were about 2 million people here, now there are less than 900,000. That means that over half of the total buildings are going to be empty or gone. Howevr Detroit was one of America's greatest Cities and a lot of that history remains.

Personally, I love it downtown. If I did not have kids I would probably live downtown or within walking distance of downtown. There are a lot of great things going on that you will not find elsewhere. There are free rock concerts inthe summer on Friday nights in front of the Ren Cen. THere are regualr events and festivals like red bull air races, boat races, Freedom Festival, Winterfest, The Techno music conventio, concerts, a Country Music convention, a Jazz festival, then you have regular things like Eastern Market, Riverwalk, ice skating in Campus Martius . . . THere is always somethign going on. With so few people living here, a lot of things are not very crowded at all. Many of the resturaunts really appreciate their regulars and there are some great resturaunts and pubs. I am too old for the club scene, but I am told that there are quite a lot of great clubs downtown as well (just do nto wander inot the wrong ones).

You will have to make you own determinations, not just rely on what someone writes or tells you. I am confident tha you will find what you are looking for. If you come looking for a horrible place, you will find it. If you come looking for a great place, you will find that instead.

[fmax]

There were only 46 Crimes in the Wayne State area over this past week. And only 250 crimes between 4/2/2010 - 7/14/2010. Look and see. Type "Wayne State University, MI" into the search. CrimeMapping.com - National Map

[Dexterguy]

Originally Posted by JazzyBee

I will be moving to Michigan next Saturday to attend Wayne State. When I arrive in Michigan I will be staying in Grand Rapids until I am able to find a place in Detroit. So I was wondering what are some safe areas in Detroit to live? I don't have a car so an area that has bus access or safe to walk to campus. And how is the public transportation in the area? Thank you for taking the time to read and respond!

I agree with the poster that suggested looking at Hazel Park. Other suburbs that would be good to consider as well would be Ferndale and possibly Oak Park.

You could look into some areas of Hamtramck as well, but many are somewhat terrified to look there because it is surrounded by Detroit and some pretty bad neighborhoods on Detroit's east side. From what I hear, Hamtramck's crime rate is much lower than Detroit's east side neighborhoods and Highland Park.

[Dexterguy]

I'm also for living in Downtown Detroit, but you may find nicer and cheaper options in the inner-ring suburbs.

[Ann_Arbor]

If Detroit Metro wants a fighting chance to attract young, educated, creative class citizens, they better improve the city of Detroit. Royal Oak and Ferndale are only so big and few people outside this state have heard of them. There is a huge brain drain from this state to surrounding, exciting cities- Chicago, LA, NYC, Pittsburgh, Philly. College grads aren't geeking out about living in Oakland County unless they grew up there and have an affinity for it, sorry- if you build a 'new downtown' out there it will be as banal and soul-less as any other new-urban lifestyle center. Like Mayor Bing says, Detroit matters for SW Michigan and the whole state.

If were in Metro Detroit, I would be highly interested in the development and preservation of Detroit.