[livstrong]

I was wondering if any of you would be able to shine some light on the conditions of living in downtown Detroit, specifically on the Riverfront. I am a 27 year old single white male that is considering a relocation to Detroit for work. I am also wanting to continue my graduate education at UM-Ann Arbor. Some of the issues I was wondering about where:

How is the crime downtown/on the Riverfront?
What is the nightlife like?
How bad of a commute is it from the Riverfront to Ann Arbor?
Are there specific properties/areas downtown to avoid?
Are there better areas for someone in my situation to consider?

Thanks for the help!

[sugarbeet]

Although I didn't live downtown during my two years in the area, I always wanted to. I was a 30 year old single woman at the time and was not at all concerned about safety. The one thing that kept me from doing it was the commute to my job in Southfield. And that's waaaay closer than Ann Arbor. Not sure where you're living now, but I would never recommend a commute from downtown to AA. You can find urban-ish settings in AA and not have the commute.

[livstrong]

I can appreciate your views. As for the cummute to AA, its really not that big of a deal for me. I have a "field" job where I work out of my home so driving around a lot is something I have to do regardless. From what I can tell, the distance/time from downtown Detroit to AA is about 45mins-1hr? I didnt think that would be too bad?

And what areas in AA are you referring to as "unban-ish"? While I have only been through the area twice (and it has been a while) I couldnt remember anything that resembled to what I could find on the Riverfront. Is there something I am missing here? Can it compare with what I have seen that Downtown D has to offer?

[Coldjensens]

You are looking at an hour to an hour and a quarter on good days. It depends on how much driving you have to do in Ann Arbor to get to your destination and how long it takes you to find parking there. My brother commutes from Plymouth to downtown. It is about 45 minutes for him in good weather with no traffic problems. Plymouth is about 15 minutes from Ann Arbor. You would be going the opposite way. Depending on the time of day, you may be going opposite traffic. Traffic in Ann Arbor can be nasty too, esepcially when there is a game.

Why would you not live in Ann Arbor? Ann Arbor has a lot more going on and is cleaner and safer. If I were single, I would not be reluctant to live in some parts of Detroit, but given the choice of Ann Arbor there is no contest.

I have a little experience with the Riverfront area in downtown. I work in the RenCen. Sometimes I go walk around at lunch or after work (8-9 p.m. ish) to see what there is to see. Lunch time is lively. There are a lot of people around and quite a few stores and restaurants open. At night during the week there is no one around and outside the RenCen not much is open. We found the same thing on Saturdays.

I was told that there are only about 5000 people living within a three mile radius of downtown (excluding Windsor). That is an extremely low population for this size area. This comports with what I have seen downtown at night and on weekends - nothing - nobody. It is kind of eerie. My daughter said it felt like being in New York after all of the people simply vanished.

I have never had any problem with crime downtown. The people who are not here have never accosted or approached me. I was asked for a dollar by a weird homeless guy once, but he left me alone when I said no. I do sometimes see car window glass in the streets or in parking lots/garages with no security where it is obvious that someone broke into a parked car. Do not leave anything valuable in your car, especially not in sight.

There are a lot of new condos and older buildings refurbished into condos downtown. I have no idea how many are filled. The people living in them certainly are not out walking around downtown at night.

The RenCen has several nice restaurants and a movie theater, as well as a couple of dozen shops and services. Aside from that, I do not know where you would go at night in this immediate area at night.

The area around Wayne State is nicer and has more going on. Greek town is supposedly more lively.
The area around Campus Martius (I think that is what it is called) has some life to it (not a lot). There is a skating rink there that is busy on Saturdays.
Campus Martius or whatever it is called is a short walk from the riverfront. Wayne State is a long walk.

There is a brewery with a restaurant (I think) Just upstream form the RenCen (near the Omni Hotel). They might have a little life at night. I have not been there and I cannot find anyone who has.

I imagine that the views from the riverfront condos must be spectacular. My contractor worked on some condos down here somewhere that sell for millions. He said that they are incredible. I am not sure where they are, he just said downtown, but he did mention water views. If millionaires find downtown suitable, it might be ok for us common folk.

You may also want to check out Ferndale, Royal Oak and Hamtrammack. They are all lively, but not close to Ann Arbor.

Alternately, you could give up on lively and choose somewhere between Detroit and Ann Arbor. Plymouth is really nice. Livonia is clean and safe (and boring). Same with Canton and Westland. Most of Dearborn is nice and has some life to it in places.

[sugarbeet]

Originally Posted by livstrong

And what areas in AA are you referring to as "unban-ish"?

Well, you're not going to find riverfront high rises, but there are some kinda cool lofts. By urban-ish I mean that central AA does not feel like a suburb, which most of SE Michigan does.

[Coldjensens]

No High rises? What are those tall condo looking things that I see just downriver from Cobo? I thought that they were high rise condos.

[sugarbeet]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

No High rises? What are those tall condo looking things that I see just downriver from Cobo? I thought that they were high rise condos.

The OP was asking what did I mean by "urban-ish" in Ann Arbor, not Detroit.

[livstrong]

I have been able to find a variety of condos/lofts all over the Riverfront. There are even some very attractive bronstones/townhomes in Midtown Detroit. Most of the ones I have been considering range from $900-$1200 a month for approximately 1,000 sq ft. This is A LOT cheaper from what I have seen in other cities I have lived in (Omaha, Phoenix) but then again, I havent visited these places yet.

From what I have been able to research about AA, your basically paying the same price for about half the space and amenities. Again, I have not visited these places yet and wont be for about a month, but it seems to me that Downtown/Midtown Detroit has a lot more to offer (living wise) than anything I've seen in AA.

And with that many museums, sports teams, theaters, bars, restaurants.....how can Downtown still be dead? Whats going on in Detroit?!?!?!

[mochic1]

I am currently living in downtown Detroit on Jefferson Ave. just East of the RenCen with my boyfriend. We are mid-40's, white, middle-class, with no children. In many ways the city is what you make of it. One the one hand it can be very deserted in the evenings and sometimes on weekends, but that just means you don't have long wait times at restaurants and I can't tell you how often I've had great commute times going against traffic! I don't feel "unsafe", but like any city you do need to take precautions.

As for socializing and entertainment there is a lot to do, but it helps if you're a little more "edgy" than "preppy". If you're more the latter, try Royal Oak or Ferndale which are really very decent, but still suburban.

As for why is the city dead downtown, there's more reasons than I can get into here. Suffice it to say it has to do with the fact that we made cars....urban sprawl was just inevitable!

Here's the local alternative paper. It should give you more ideas: Metro Times Detroit

btw, there is a lot of new condo construction downtown that should be checked out! They are close to the two brand-new casinos in town (MGM Grand, and Motor City) which, depending on your viewpoint, are pretty nice.

Good Luck!

[livstrong]

Thanks for the info. As for as living downtown goes then, do you know of any condos/lofts that are exceptionally nice or attractive. I have been making some headway searching on the internet but I thought I would ask the group and see what ideas there are. Thanks!