Living Around Detroit - So big...please help! (Ann Arbor, Livonia: for rent, condo)

[dfmovingsoon]

Hello-
My husband and I may be moving to the Detroit area. He is seriously considering a job offer at Wayne State University as a professor. Can anyone offer suggestions with the following criteria? P.S. If we had our choice ,we would move to the Ann Arbor area, just to give you an idea of what is "ideal" for us.

- Quiet neighborhood with green, open areas (if that's possible). We are in our early-30s and we are thinking of having a baby soon. We are looking into renting a house or townhome at first.
- Within a 30 minute commute to Wayne State.
- Seeking community that welcomes the arts and liberal attitudes.
- Close to great restaurants, shopping, the arts, and "things to do", but would like to reside in quiet area.
- Need trees and greenery!
- Willing to pay more for the listed items above.

Thanks for your help!
-D

[sbdude76]

Define close? Define green open areas? When I moved from California to Detroit, everything was green and open. But I'd think for your commute time demands then Grosse Pointe should be in your considerations. A little bit further out of your commute range would be Northville.

[dfmovingsoon]

Dear sbdude76 -
Thanks for the suggestions of Grosse Pointe and maybe Northville. As far as defining "close to good restaurants..", within a 10 minute drive is good. And as for defining "green open areas"...well, as green, cute, and spacious as you can get within a 30 minute drive. Thanks again. Any specific neighborhoods (street names) that you can recommend in these areas? Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it!

[cardwellave]

Perennial favorites are always Royal Oak, Ferndale....

Livonia has a lot of restaurants, but it's a lot more suburban (no real downtown type area). Westland and Canton are constantly building new restaurants and stores.

I don't know what your budget is like but I always recommend the Garden City/Westland area. It's pretty quiet, and a little lower in terms of prices.

[Nearborn]

If Ann Arbor is ideal for you, why not bite the bullet and just make the commute to Wayne from Ann Arbor? It's not that bad.

[usroute10]

If you are willing to give the city of Detroit a chance, please consider the older neighborhoods of Woodbridge and West Village.

Woodbridge is a 5 minute walk from Wayne State. It has SPECTACULAR architecture, and has a whole lot of foliage. More importantly, you would have fantastic neighbors

It is within the larger area of Detroit called "Midtown", which has a liberal, college town, artsy feel anchored by WSU and the College for Creative Studies. There are restaurants and cultural attractions within walking distance, plus other entertainment options within a very short drive in the nearby Downtown and New Center Areas.

The neighborhood of West Village is 4 miles to the east of downtown. It has some great architecture as well, and the people who live there care about their community. It is within walking distance to Gabriel Richard Park, which is a nice, renovated park on the Detroit Riverfront. Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park that is connected to the Detroit mainland by a bridge, is a 3-minute drive. Belle Isle, however, is not be to enjoyed on weekend evenings, as the crowd gets rowdy. Downtown, Midtown (WSU), and Eastern Market are 10-minute drives at the most.

Now what you'll have to deal with in Detroit is possibly high property taxes (but you'll be renting, and compared to Ann Arbor, they may be lower anyway), city services that are subpar (police, fire, etc), and a higher likelihood that you'll run into somebody shady. (you just have to be careful and lock your things up).

Here is a link to a condo for rent in Woodbridge. A little-pricey?

Discuss Detroit: Detroit condo for rent - Woodbridge/Wayne State (http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/65504/116974.html?1213738811 - broken link)


Also, if you want to live in either a low-rise or a high rise condo with an adjacent park and mini-shopping strip, please consider the neighborhood of Lafayette Park.

Lafayette Park, Detroit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[dfmovingsoon]

Dear usroute10,
Thanks for the highly informative post about Detroit neighborhoods. The proximity to Wayne State is a definite plus, along with the unique charm of the neighborhoods and proximity to cultural areas. We both have art degrees and would like to live in/near an area that supports and contributes to the arts.

Some concerns though: we love to walk (for exercise and leisure) and would definitely need a place where we could do so and feel safe. Also, shopping...how far might it be to, say, the nearest Target, if I felt inclined to venture to mall-type areas? I might be toting baby in hand, as well.

$1200 is about what we would expect to pay for renting a nice home around the area (less would be even better, though). Thanks again!

[cardwellave]

The nearest Target would probably be in Dearborn (Ford Rd and Greenfield) or somewhere north of 8 Mile. The nearest malls would be Fairlane or Eastland...both of which are not real desirable and are noted for gang activity...particularly Fairlane.

The nearest decent shopping would be probably Westland Mall.
There are a lot of nice shopping in Westland, Livonia, even Dearborn.

Midtown does have a lot of appeal, but big box stores and large shopping areas are harder to access, and that is the sacrifice you have to make.

Westland, Livonia, Garden City, Royal Oak, Ferndale...you could all get a house for rent of around $1000, or if you were to purchase, for far less.

[dfmovingsoon]

What are your thoughts about Plymouth, Livonia, and Birmingham? Mapquest tells me that Plymouth is about a 32 minute drive to downtown Detroit and Birmingham about 25 minutes. However, both seem like a longer commute to me. What do you think of the areas and commute?

[Nearborn]

All three of them area lot better than Garden City, Allen Park and Westland. You really have to see for yourself.

The nearest malls would be Fairlane or Eastland...both of which are not real desirable and are noted for gang activity...particularly Fairlane.

Can you post some news stories about the noted gang activity at Fairlane?