[joefab2015]

I am comtemplating a move to Detroit from Buffalo and was hoping for some insight on what it's like to live there in Metro Detroit )Not Detroit proper, I think I know how crappy the city is

[StuffedCabbage]

City of Detroit vs the suburbs? Like night and day and has been for decades. Suburban Detroit area is nothing like the city - not in the least. Many affluent suburbs; numerous middle class suburbs. Many of them treed up and well kept - even areas built up 50 yrs ago. Most (but not all) suburban areas have very low crime. Well built houses (a tradition around there) even in middle class suburbs. In general, avoid areas directly adjacent to the city and keep away from Pontiac itself, and Southfield.

It may interest you to know, that the metro area (mostly outside of the city) is booming. The only thing you need to consider is rush hour traffic. Its back...and big time. You won't hear about that on MSNBC. Its top secret, I guess.

BTW, Detroit is now referred to as "Detroit Meadows." (Just thought I'd let ya know).

[Arthur Digby Sellers]

If you have a $250 - $275K budget for a home, you can live in some of the most affluent suburbs in the country.

And you can still do pretty decent for less than that.

[EugeneOnegin]

Extremely crowded (better do your shopping on weekdays), awful traffic, rude people, subdivisions galore with tiny lots with no trees full of manufactured houses with vinyl siding that all look the same. Tons of crappy overpriced chain restaurants. Some pretty good Chinese and Middle Eastern restaurants if you know where to look. If you want good Mexican food you might have to put on your bulletproof vest and drive into Mordor. There are a few areas left that don't have 10,000 people per square foot and haven't yet been infested by the plague of subdivisions and shopping centers. Most areas are relatively low in crime but there are some rundown high crime areas scattered throughout. Home prices mostly range from reasonable to very cheap, but rent is astronomical. For $300-400k you can find some really nice houses in some areas. For $200-250k you can find some very nice houses. If you're looking to rent you can get a 500 square foot shanty for about $1,200 a month or a small, modest house for $1,500-2,000.

[joefab2015]

Oh yea, 275-300 for a home give take.?? I could do that lol

One of the first cities I looked at for a relocation was Boston...then I looked up real estate and Cost of living.....HA...im looking at a minimum of 400k for a 3 bedroom mid sized house.

I also weighed Pittsburgh....I've been there numerous times being that it's close to Buffalo (3hr drive) and man....you always see Pittsburgh on these best places to live lists.....and who ever says that Pittsburgh is one of the best places to live in the country has obviously never been there.....I think the city proper is quite a gem, but the Suburbs and surrounding areas are quite dumpy.

[joefab2015]

Yea, the reason for the move is for job that I have lined up as a Respiratory Therapist with DMC ...I could not find a Full Time Respiratory Therapist job in Buffalo, Part Time/Per Diem...yes....and if anyone knows how the other health systems in the area stack up compared to DMC, that's appreciated.

I dont want to be too far from Buffalo and Detroit is only 4 1/2 hrs away.....a short drive across Canada, and im looking at Troy, or Birmingham....maybe even Ann Arbor if I really like it.

I never knew Detroit is the 17th wealthiest Metro Area in the United States $49,160 as opposed to Buffalo 138th $38,488 median annual income....but it seems like the media only focuses in on Detroit Proper...I felt like Detroit warrented closer under the microscope observation....

Buffalo is a city that doesnt even have nice suburbs anymore.....and we have NO also affluence here what so ever mainly due to our lack of economy.....when I say I mean no economy... Yeah, Detroit is not necessairly an employment hotspot lately, at least there is some economy there with some White Collar Jobs and Enginerring and the metro area has a few fortune 500 companies in the region......we dont even have that...the economy in Buffalo is built on State and Federal Government employment and thats it...it's pretty sad when a Supermarket is a top 5 employer....the only way you can escape making $10/an hour here is to work in Healthcare, the only other major source of employment here.

....Everybody here lives on a $8-10 an hr job and generally works a second job ....the only place you can live thats remotely nice here is Orchard Park, Clarence, Grand Island (if you like seclusion) and Williamsville....even our outer ring suburbs are infested with drugs and minor petty crimes and have only gotten worse .

On top of that, our sports teams suck, there's no dating scene here, and we have nothing here but crappy dive bars on every corner and our main attraction here is a shopping mall.

Buffalo is a also a city where everyone knows everyone.....literally, you cannot go out the door without seeing someone you know every day...and chances are, everyone you see here is connected in someway shape or form, chances are everyone knows at least 1 person you know.....you cant get away from anything here lol....which is nice for some who like that, but I like variety, and being able to explore new things and new people

I was wondering how Detroit compares to that?

[DaniellaG]

I think Birmingham is a really nice area. I hear Ann Arbor is as well. Birmingham tends to have small and older homes but it is a very nice area and many are in walking distance to downtown Birmingham. Birmingham schools are very good and it is overall a safe/upscale area. I have nothing against Troy but depending where I feel it is congested and not as nice as Birmingham but Birmingham is a lot more expensive. Though you mentioned those cities there are many suburbs that are nice and most of the cities offer homes in all different price ranges. I have lived in a few different states and grew up in MI. I feel MI winters are ruff. Other then that for affordable and upscale areas I think the suburbs of Detroit are very nice compared to other states I have lived because in other states it would come with higher price and often less safe.
Can you come to MI for a trip to see for yourself the different areas?

[EugeneOnegin]

Metro Detroit should probably even be a lot higher than 17th if you factor in the cost of living. Most of the metro areas ahead of Detroit on the list (Washington DC, San Fransisco, New York, Boston, etc.) have far higher COL. The median home price in San Fransisco is now over $1 million, for example. The median home price in Oakland County, which is one of the more affluent counties around Detroit, is about $180k. $49k in metro Detroit provides a lot more purchasing power than $63k does in San Fransisco.

Salaries are pretty high relative to the cost of living here if you buy. If you rent, not so much.

[joefab2015]

Originally Posted by DaniellaG

I think Birmingham is a really nice area. I hear Ann Arbor is as well. Birmingham tends to have small and older homes but it is a very nice area and many are in walking distance to downtown Birmingham. Birmingham schools are very good and it is overall a safe/upscale area. I have nothing against Troy but depending where I feel it is congested and not as nice as Birmingham but Birmingham is a lot more expensive. Though you mentioned those cities there are many suburbs that are nice and most of the cities offer homes in all different price ranges. I have lived in a few different states and grew up in MI. I feel MI winters are ruff. Other then that for affordable and upscale areas I think the suburbs of Detroit are very nice compared to other states I have lived because in other states it would come with higher price and often less safe.
Can you come to MI for a trip to see for yourself the different areas?

I have driven through there a few times, been to the Somerset Collection in Troy, been Downtown for Red Wings-Sabres game and especially to Ann Arbor, which is not technically a Suburb of Detroit, but more a part of the greater MSA

But of course living there and seeing it for 3 seconds is an entirely different thing

As an oustsider looking in, I do think very highly of the region and it offers a lot of pros, ....As long as you have job

But here's a question:

Does anyone actually think the City itself (Maybe just downtown and the areas around it) can be revivied?

And what are the taxes like? In NY State....the Taxes are incredibly high

[cdris7319]

Yes - the Detroit metro area has some very nice areas to live. The closer to the city, you'll find suburds are more like city blocks with well built solid brick homes, tree lined streets etc... The farther out you go generally gets you into the more tract-like cookie cutter subdivision housing. But even then, you can find some older subs with more character. As with any place - it all depends on what you want. I'd tend to agree with an earlier post that suggests being wary of some communities that immediately border Detroit (i.e. Southfield, Oak Park, Farmington, Roseville, Eastpointe). Particularly those just north of 8 Mile Road.

We do have some pretty horrific traffic (it is the motor city, virtually no public transportation or carpooling) - so you really should consider your drive... If your job is at the DMC proper - in the city - you don't want to live too far away.

I will say this - I lived in the city proper (Central Business District) - for 4 years. I loved it! I walked to work, restaurants, bars... There's lots of new business coming in there and it's quickly turning into a thriving young urban professional scene. And new restaurants, bars, parks, riverfront activities are popping up every day in support of that growing community. In fact - Ilitch (owns Red Wings & Tigers) just got approval to add another new stadium and mixed use community to a big swath of land there so it'll be transforming even more. It's actually pretty cool. It's the "neighborhoods" outside of the downtown area that are sketchy. Anyway... If you're in that demographic, it's certainly worth a look. The burbs are very bedroom like and family oriented. Basically only Royal Oak, Ferndale, and Ann Arbor will give you a social life (if that's what you're looking for).

You mentioned Troy, Birmingham and Ann Arbor... B'ham and Ann Arbor have actual walkable downtown areas with restaurants, shops etc... Nice - but can be on the pricey side. Troy... More of a city that developed around strip malls, big shopping centers and light industrial parks. Pretty non-descript, little character and even worse traffic than the bad traffic I spoke of. It's not a place I would live - but that's strictly my personal opinion. Many people live very happily there.

As for how the health systems stack up - we have what I think are some pretty advanced groups. There's Henry Ford - which is (or at least they advertise to be) world renowned. Then there's the U of M Hospital & it's outposts. The Beaumont system is pretty high tech as well. I'd say there's no shortage of work possibilities in the area. The DMC (proper) is a conglomerate of several hospitals. Detroit Receiving is the only major trauma hospital in the area so you get pretty much all your "crime" driven business there. Karmanos Cancer Center is there (but no longer considered part of the DMC "system") - people travel from all over the country to go there. Children's is the premier place to care for very sick kids. Nothing to sneeze at - the DMC. :-)

I love it here... I could do without the crappy snow, but if you like winter sports it's great. And there's nothing like a summer in MI! So much to do in every corner of the state. And really, with the exception of traveling to the Upper Peninsula, you won't travel more than 3ish hours to get to any of it should you get bored with all that the Detroit metro area has to offer.

Hopefully that helps?