[danteway]

I moved from London to Detroit after university. My family lives here but the area is really dangerous. I saw on the news 32 homicides in 15 days. It is dangerous here with burnt down homes. Where can I move to that isn't far from Detroit? I would prefer it to be a multicultural area. I would also like there to be some black people in the area.

[belleislerunner]

Southfield would be a good choice. It's the first suburb on the Lodge (M10) north of Detroit and is a predominately black city - yet is relatively safe, good restaurants, parks, library etc.

[animatedmartian]

Troy, Sterling Heights, and Dearborn are relatively multicultural as well.

[danteway]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Troy, Sterling Heights, and Dearborn are relatively multicultural as well.

I heard they didn't want black people moving into Dearborn. Though lots of Arabs moved there in the past few decades.

[Magnatomicflux]

Windsor? It's as close as you can get to downtown without being in Detroit. I don't know what hoops you'd have to jump thru to live here and work there though, if that's what you're after.

[animatedmartian]

Originally Posted by danteway

I heard they didn't want black people moving into Dearborn. Though lots of Arabs moved there in the past few decades.

That's the first I've heard of that. Was that something recent?

Maybe prior to the 70s that was said, but then they also didn't Arabs there either. And actually, most of Detroit's inner-ring suburbs have increasing black populations as well as a little bit of the exurban suburbs now.

[pugboy]

Dearborn has had Arabs for a long time, mostly christian, but in the last few decades Muslims have been moving in mostly.

[mostie]

We lived in Redford for a bit, and I really liked it there- multicultural, not too far from Detroit, at the time my son was in elementary school and I absolutely loved it-

[Retroit]

Eastpointe.

It's right on the northeast border of Detroit. 8 to 10 miles from downtown. Easy access with I-94 expressway or Gratiot Ave. (pronounced "GrassSh!t" -True!). Blacks make up around 25-30% of the population (which is representative of their proportion in the metro Detroit area). Most blacks have moved in in the past 10-15 years. Detroit's loss was our gain. From my experience meeting many of them, they are all very nice, family-oriented, hard working people. Many multi-racial families (at least three on my street alone). Also many other nationalities. Many old time Polish, Italians, Germans, and Irish (used to be part of Erin Township, the shamrock is prevalent around the city - on street signs and the team name for the high school). Newer arrivals include American Indian, Laotian (Hmong), East Indian, and just about every other.

The crime has actually been going down in our suburb. This, despite the fact that the number of police officers have been cut back, is indicative of the fact that people look out for one another, the quality of the people has increased, and people are more sensible about not inviting criminal activity (by leaving stuff out in the open, like unlocked cars full of expensive electronics).

The homes are extremely affordable. $25-50,000 can buy you a 1000-1500 sq ft 1950s ranch home. There are many vacant homes, but you would not notice just by driving by as they haven't been vandalized. We also have many apartment buildings along Kelly Road.

The city ranks high in "walkability" - 9th place in Michigan (source: Cities in Michigan on Walk Score). Within a half mile from my house I have a drug store, 3 discount stores, a bank, several restaurants and bars, doctors offices, and just about every other type of business. All the streets have sidewalks. All the sidewalks are repaired every 10 years, if necessary. All curbs are ADA (Americans with Disability Act) compliant, i.e. they all have ramps which makes walking and riding a bike easier.

Eastpointe is a small city (about 4 sq miles). We have a very well run government. It is very community oriented. Our schools are not the highest ranking (probably due to kids recently arriving from Detroit, where the schools are poor). We have some nice parks (Kennedy, Spindler, Memorial). There are many community activities and just about every civic organization you can think of.

Dearborn is nice to visit, but I feel like I am in the Middle East when I am there. Southfield is a little too modern for me, in the sense that everything is more spread out, and they have those high rise office buildings which makes you feel like you are not living in a small town. Royal Oak and surrounding suburbs are a too over-ranked and pretentious, in my opinion.

The Grosse Pointes (5 cities) would also be a option. They are more expensive than other suburbs, but are very high class places to live. Grosse Pointe Park is closest to downtown Detroit (about 5 miles). Blacks make up around 10-15% of the population. They are all a little too "sleepy" (i.e. quiet, tree-lined, and not very much commercial activity) for me.