[flbrown54]

Hello all,
My husband's job will be relocating us from central Florida to Michigan this summer. We are a family of four, our two children are going to middle school. I'm trying to find information on school districts, particularly one with a good special education program. My husband's office is located near Livonia, some of his co-workers have suggested South Lyon, Northville, and Novi so far as housing options. I currently work as a nurse, and although I will probably not go to work right away until the children are settled with school and routines, I would like to look into returning back to work in the healthcare field early next year. I don't think I have any specific questions right now, I just wanted to introduce myself and any feedback on those area that you guys may have to offer I'm willing to hear! Our first house hunting trip up to Michigan should occur in the next couple of weeks, so I'm trying to arm myself with as much research as possible before then . I'll be reading through some of the older threads and may ask questions here in the very near future!

[belleislerunner]

Northville is a very upscale suburb of Detroit. Think of working executives/trendy restaurants. Livonia is a much more stable area - close to freeways/jobs/all the amenities while still being very family friendly/great schools, but more affordable. No reason to not live there - plus there are plenty of good nursing jobs there with Trinity Health HQ in Livonia. Even if you were to get a job at DMC or Henry Ford Hospital - those would only be a 20 minute commute to downtown. Kudos on the new gig!

[mgkeith]

Hi! The cities recommended to you are very nice, and have well-regarded school systems. Housing prices tend to be high for southeast MI. Families tend to be wealthier. It really depends on your budget and personal preferences. You can find other very good communities in and around Livonia at less expense. You certainly will want to live in a friendly community when resettling middle-schoolers. We did that once but purposely opted for a less tony community. Our family never regretted it.
In South Lyon there are many new subdivisions going up...perhaps an all-new neighborhood will make the adjustment easier, since everyone is new. Best wishes on your move!

[JStockton]

The suggestions above are great suggestions. South Lyon might be getting a little far west for medical jobs, depending on where you want to work. There will always be doctor offices and places like that local, but if you are wanting to get into one of the big health systems, you might have a bit of a drive from South Lyon.

For school information, I really like the site GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community. Great information on schools. Hope this helps!

[snoopygirlmi]

South Lyon is 15 minutes north of Ann Arbor. Super close to the U of M medical system and the other hospitals in Ann Arbor. So those reasonable options if you decide to live closer to South Lyon/Lyon Township.

(Granted, the closest hospital in the area is Providence in Novi.)

Also, South Lyon/Lyon Township aren't as unreasonable in terms of housing prices.

We bought in Lyon Township about a year ago because Northville is really overpriced for houses in the $300-350K range.

The houses we looked at were not move in ready and on the smaller side. Sellers tend to think they can charge a premium because they are in Northville. There is some truth to that because it is a desirable area, but you really come away with the feeling that people are trying to rip you off. You might luck out, but again, it depends on what school district the house is zoned to.

Some of Southern Northville zones to Plymouth-Canton schools which aren't as great as people make them out to be. (We moved out of that district after a year because our experience was just awful.)

Some zone to Novi or South Lyon district.

The rest zone to Northville. Boundary lines matter.

Novi is more of a mix depending on what school system they district to. If they are Novi schools - then you'll pay more. Still, Novi schools are a good choice.

Novi will zone to Novi, South Lyon and Walled Lake. I'd stick to houses zoned to Novi or South Lyon schools.

We almost bought a house in Novi, but then we found a house in Lyon that we liked better.

They were both move in ready and reasonably priced. We chose the one in Lyon because it was just home. You can find them, but because the market is "hot" in this area sellers try to get away with charging more than the house is actually worth. We looked at a lot of them that were overpriced and needed work to make them comfortable.

If the house is the right price and in good condition, then it moves fast. Don't wait to long to make a decision because it will be gone.

Ann Arbor is also a good choice for schools and housing, but while the houses are cheaper, it's the taxes which will end up making them expensive. Still, it's not a bad choice if you can afford it.

Good luck.