[FordEngineer]

Hello, I am going to start work at Dearborn, MI in a few weeks as I accepted a job at Ford. We are moving from Texas. We have a small family of a one year old baby, my husband and me (and 2 cats).

We are currently trying to choose a safe neighborhood to live in - preferably buy a new house - in a good school district. From what we have researched Canton and Plymouth seem to be good options but I'm dreading the peak hour traffic. I read that it is horrendous. Are there any easier transportation option from Canton/Plymouth to Dearborn?

I would rather live in Dearborn just to spend that extra commute time with family instead. Is Dearborn a safe place to live in (a lot of Middle-Eastern movements are on lately it seems!)? Which family-oriented neighborhoods (in and near Dearborn) would be the best for buying a house in? Are there any new constructions around the area?

Thanks in advance for your response! I appreciate it!

[sithlord72]

It ain't safe if your white

[FordEngineer]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

It ain't safe if your white

Really? My husband is white & I'm Indian. Have you lived there? Which neighborhood/town near Dearborn would you recommend that is safe?

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

The west side neighborhoods are still very nice. Beuatiful 1940s architecture.

The east side schools are not good. Some of the west side schools are still OK....depending on what your criteria is. If you're looking for top-rated schools they're not in Dearborn. I know a lot of people who have moved out of there recently to get into a better school district.

This is why the majority of Ford employees live in Plymouth/Canton/Northville/Novi. The commute from Plymouth/Canton is not that bad. Depending on where you live, ~25-30 minutes each way.

There's also the option of living in Dearborn and going the private school route.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

It ain't safe if your white

Dumb comment is dumb. There are plenty of perfectly safe locations in Dearborn.

OP, check out the Cherry Hill area and the old Ford homes near the PDC. The perimeter encapsulated by Outer Dr., Monroe St., and Military St. (give or take) is what I'd look at if I were interested in a house in Dearborn.

[Coldjensens]

One daughter went to school there and both worked at Henry Ford/Greenfield Village. They also spent a lot of time in the downtown area and never felt particularly unsafe. They did sometimes feel uncomfortable at Fairlane at night. I am not sure why, but it may have been triggered by a gal telling one of them "Get out of here, it is not safe for you here at night" which I know occurred. I do not know if there were other reasons they felt uncomfortable at Fairlane at night.

I like Dearborn, it offers a lot for a city of its size. I have also been in various parts both during the day and at night. I have wandered about on foot both downtown and in some residential areas and did nto feel particularly uncomfortable in the areas where I was. There were some unusual things going on if you are mostly accustomed to an all white safest city in Michigan suburb, but nothing threatening or bad, just different.

Personally, I would not consider it ideal, or first tier of options, but there are definitely advantages to living in Dearborn, especially if you work there. I would not hesitate to live thre if there were reasons I could not choose a better suburb. There are a lot of awesome suburbs scattered around Detroit Metro and while Dearborn has some nice advantages and is acceptable, it is not one of the best suburbs.

Like a lot of larger cities, some areas are reasonably safe, some are pretty sketchy. Generally, the further you are away from the Detroit border, the better it is. That part of Detroit is not the best.

[FordEngineer]

Originally Posted by highlanderfil

Dumb comment is dumb. There are plenty of perfectly safe locations in Dearborn.

OP, check out the Cherry Hill area and the old Ford homes near the PDC. The perimeter encapsulated by Outer Dr., Monroe St., and Military St. (give or take) is what I'd look at if I were interested in a house in Dearborn.

Thank you so much for specifying the location for buying a house. The houses in Dearborn seem to be super old (we are interested in buying something newer) so we are considering just renting an apartment for now. How are Fairlane East Apartments? I really like their 2 bedroom apts displayed on their website.

[FordEngineer]

Originally Posted by Arthur Digby Sellers

The west side neighborhoods are still very nice. Beuatiful 1940s architecture.

The east side schools are not good. Some of the west side schools are still OK....depending on what your criteria is. If you're looking for top-rated schools they're not in Dearborn. I know a lot of people who have moved out of there recently to get into a better school district.

This is why the majority of Ford employees live in Plymouth/Canton/Northville/Novi. The commute from Plymouth/Canton is not that bad. Depending on where you live, ~25-30 minutes each way.

There's also the option of living in Dearborn and going the private school route.

Thank you for your response. My baby is only 1 year old right now so I'm not that concerned about school district as of now. Rght now we would need a safe day care with video cameras so I can monitor my baby. Now I'm considering just getting an apartment in the Dearborn area for the time being - any suggestions?

You are saying that the Canton to Dearborn traffic isn't that bad? I thought at peak office hours, it takes 1 hour instead of the 20-30 minutes that it takes without traffic. Are traffic from Novi & Northville as bad or better than the one from Canton/Ann Arbor direction?

[FordEngineer]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

One daughter went to school there and both worked at Henry Ford/Greenfield Village. They also spent a lot of time in the downtown area and never felt particularly unsafe. They did sometimes feel uncomfortable at Fairlane at night. I am not sure why, but it may have been triggered by a gal telling one of them "Get out of here, it is not safe for you here at night" which I know occurred. I do not know if there were other reasons they felt uncomfortable at Fairlane at night.

I like Dearborn, it offers a lot for a city of its size. I have also been in various parts both during the day and at night. I have wandered about on foot both downtown and in some residential areas and did nto feel particularly uncomfortable in the areas where I was. There were some unusual things going on if you are mostly accustomed to an all white safest city in Michigan suburb, but nothing threatening or bad, just different.

Personally, I would not consider it ideal, or first tier of options, but there are definitely advantages to living in Dearborn, especially if you work there. I would not hesitate to live thre if there were reasons I could not choose a better suburb. There are a lot of awesome suburbs scattered around Detroit Metro and while Dearborn has some nice advantages and is acceptable, it is not one of the best suburbs.

Like a lot of larger cities, some areas are reasonably safe, some are pretty sketchy. Generally, the further you are away from the Detroit border, the better it is. That part of Detroit is not the best.

Thank you for your detailed response. It's very helpful. We are now considering just getting apartments for the time being and from the online research I did, FAIRLANE EAST APARTMENTS (Fairlane East | Apartments in Dearborn, MI) look very good. The reviews aren't too bad either. Is that area particularly unsafe, since you mentioned "Fairlane" could make one feel uncomfortable. Any suggestions for some other good apartments?

[missbusybody]

My husband and I grew up in the Detroit/Dearborn area (they border eachother). Dearborn is not what it used to be that is for sure. Would NOT recommend under any circumstances (unless you are Muslim).