[MBravo]

Hiya folks,

I’m a new user, longtime lurker, on the forums and I have used them before to learn about new areas I was moving to. Well it’s time to move again, or at least that’s what my employer said, so I thought I might seek your advice again, this time in a more direct fashion. Here’s my situation:

My family and I (wife, two kids and two big dogs) are moving to the Detroit area due to a transfer with my employer. I’ll actually be working in the Gibraltar area but from what I’ve seen and read here on the forums, I’m interested in Livingston (Brighton or Howell), or Washtenaw (Ann Arbor, Chelsea, or surrounding area) counties. That will certainly be a long commute but from what I’ve seen about these areas they seem like really nice places to live. The most important factors in choosing a new home will be safety for my family, the quality of the schools, and things for the family to do. We will be leasing a home as we just can’t buy in the current housing market. My wife and I both grew up in rural areas and we have lived in big cities, so either location would be okay as long as it meets the earlier factors.

Now to the meat of my question; where would you recommend that I look for our new home? I have a friend / former co-worker who lives near Grasslake and he really likes the area and has nothing but good things to say about it. But I’d love to hear your opinions as well. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this post and sharing your insights

[Coldjensens]

That is a crazy commute. You are looking at 60 miles from Brighton and about 45 milies from Ann Arbor. There is no easy way to get to Gibraltar from those areas. The only freeway serving Gibraltar is the I-75 and there is no ready way to get to the I75 from Brighton or Ann Arbor.

If you make it in an hour and twenty minutes you will be lucky (that is assuming that you find a house that is pretty close to a freeway and that your business is pretty close to the freeway and that you drive at least 75 mph on the freeway and do not get a ticket or encoutner traffic, construction, weather or other problems). You could be pushing two hours each way in the winter. Why spend a third of your free time on the road when there are perfectly wonderful places near Gibraltar?

You can find everything that Brighton has to offer and more in some cases (except a little ski hill made of trash), in several different communities that are within minutes, or at least within half an hour of Gibraltar. Howell is getting really distant. The Detroit Metro suburbs are absolutely loaded with really nice places to live. There are probably a dozen to tweny towns that can be described as ideal. Safety is not realistically an issue in most commuities. The major crime rates in the nicer communities are pretty close to zero. School quality is good in most communities and great in a few.

Keep in mind Brighton and Howell schools are pretty average. You can choose equivalent places to live that have exemplary school districts. Even if you go a little bit closer (Northville, Novi, South Lyon) you shave off several minutes of driving and move into better school districts). Novi is probably the most like Brighton with loads of strip malls and newer subdivisions although you will find those pretty much everywhere. Northville and South Lyon are more rural with small old fashioned towns.

If you are set on Brighton or Ann Arbor, then go with Ann arbor. Even there, you are looking at an hour or more each way, but it is a little bit closer and at least Ann Arbor has things that you cannot find an any community near Gibraltar (or anywhere else in the area). Chelsea is an amazingly wonderful little town with great schools, but that commute is just plain crazy unless you hate your family and do not want to see them. If you get over on the East side of Ann Arbor it becomes more managable (maybe an hour each way). Plymouth is a little closer but still really crazy.

When we lived in California, I cut my commute to five minutes and it changed my life for the better in a big way. I had so much more time with my family and we even met for lunch frequently. I had to work in LA for a while with a hour plus commute each way. That was awful. Luckily it was only sporatic not every day and not every week, and only for about two years. Still it was horrid compared to a 5 minute commute. My commute went from 5 minutes to half an hour shortly after we moved to Michigan and that was nearly intolerable. When they temoprarily closed a freeway and it went to 40 mminutes, it became a horrible commute in my mind (at least it is only temproary). I work at home as often as possible to avoid it. There are days in the winter when I have considered staying in a hotel rather than tackling the drive home because occaisionally I am looking at 2 hours of dangerous driving just to go 27 miles. There are a lot of days (mostly in the winter) when I just work from home becuase the drive is simply not worth it. I could not tolerate a commute over an hour each way for any length of time. The days that you start pushing 3 or 4 hours each way, you are eliminating all of your free time. Life becomes work, drive, sleep (eat in your car). But then I adore my family and enjoy being around them even if it is just stting nearby working on the computer. Other people may prefer driving on a freeway.

What are you looking for in a place to live?

It appears that you may be looking for water front, lots of space, good schools, somewhat rural living.

Is Grosse Ile too expensive for you? I think that Grosse Ile would be perfect for you both in location and what you are looking for (extremely low crime (at times designated the safest place in Michigan), outstanding schools, friendly community, water access, semi-rural in some parts, lots of commnity activities, very close to Gibraltar). I know of a house on the water (no dock, but you could launch a canoe from the shoreline) that is around $1200 to $1600 per month. It is just down the street from us and the former tenants kids were friends with our kids. It is an older house and not perfect, but it is pretty neat (I would try to buy it if I had extra money). The former tenants just moved out. It did have some plumbing issues, I assume that those are resolved. It also does not have a garage. I think that it is 4 bedrooms, that may include a large attic room that is usually pretty hot (the former tenants used it as a playroom). The lot is less than an acre, I do not know how much less, but there is plenty of room in the surrounding area. If you want me to find out what the actual rent price is, let me know.

Gibraltar itself is pretty decent, but the schools are not great (probably even below Brighton), but not terrible. Waterfront Places there are cheap. Same with Newport.

If you are not set on waterfront you have a lot more options with top schools that are fairly close to Gibraltar.

If you are set on waterfront, what kind of activities are you looking for? There are some decent places along the Huron River ont eh east side of Ann Arbor, but that is limited to canoes, fishing, windsurfing and tiny salboats. If you are looking for a water ski/jet ski kind of place then you need a sizable lake or a big and deep river.

If you end up commuting from the Brighton area or Ann Arbor, try going south on the 275 all the way to Monroe and then come back up the 75 and probably get off at Fort Street. I go that way sometimes from my parents house (South Lyon/Northville) and I like it better sometimes. It is backtracking a bit, but it may be faster. I am not sure if it is faster, I have never timed it, but it is not much different timewise than cutting across on surface streets. It is certainly less frustrating than crossing over on all those small roads with endless traffic lights, unless you are a very patient person. I prefer to stay ont he freeway becuase I like to drive fast. I do not mind some extra miles as long as I am moving. I get really impatient sitting at lights.

Good luck and welcome.

[MBravo]

Thanks for the great info Coldjensens! You have certainly given me other locations to look at and that’s exactly what I was looking for. Most of my info about the area is from my friend who lives there and what he is primarily familiar with are the areas west of Detroit.

Currently my commute time is about 30mins each way and I have driven for upwards of an hour before (when we lived in another location); nevertheless, I agree with you wholeheartedly, the less time I spend driving the more time I get to spend with the family. Now with that being said, I also have to consider a few other factors. The most important of which is my wife is not 100% behind the move, so I want to make sure I relocate us to a place she will fall in love with. Of all the many places we’ve lived in over the years, her favorite by far was a little town in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex called Grapevine. I would love to find a location that is similar. Of what I’ve seen, Chelsea seems to be pretty close and the schools there seem to be top notch. The only downside, the very long commute to Gibraltar.

My buddy / former co-worker / soon to be co-worker again lives over in Grasslake, he normally makes the commute in about an hour (east on 94, south on 275, and then through Flat Rock), granted he is heading east very late at night and back west early in the morning so I don’t think he gets tied up in much traffic. I would love to live somewhere that would give me a manageable commute time (30ish min) and still provide the great atmosphere and wonderful schools that I’m looking for.

Something else that I’ve heard, and mind you it’s just something I’ve heard and I have no direct knowledge of, is that drainage after storms isn’t the best in areas south of Detroit; lots of clay in the soil slowing the absorption of the standing water and in the summers, mosquitoes because of it.

In regards to what I’m looking for in a place to live, you’ve hit the nail on the head with the exception of a waterfront location. I’ve lived on the water before and I didn’t really care for it, and there is the added burden of flood insurance if we decided to purchase. Even with that being the case, I will definitely check out Grosse Ile and thank you for giving me a heads up about it! Currently we are paying $1700 a month for a lease payment and while I’d love to pay less if possible when we relocate, doing so again wouldn’t be a hardship.

Safety, great schools, community and outdoor activities, and somewhere my wife will fall in love with…the search continues but I’m one-step closer with your great advice! Thank you very, very much for taking the time to respond.

[michmoldman]

And just north/northwest of Chelsea, you have the beautiful Waterloo recreation area! I believe the biggest state park in lower MI. with tons of lakes and trails for swimming, hiking, camping...and some great fishing!

[Coldjensens]

Ann Arbor, plymouth, Grosse ile are places that she might fall in love with. There are tons of nice rural areas closer to Gibraltar.


If he can make it from Grass lake to Gibraltar in an hour then he must live right on the freeway and work right on the freeway and basically fly low when driving. It is over 60 miles. Grass lake is a neat place. Tiny and way out in Jackson County. It woul be a neat place to raise a family. However the schools are about the middle fr State ratings. Average. Tiny. The high scool has less than 400 students.

If you do nto mind driving an hour plus look also at Rochester, Birmingham, Grosse Pointe, Troy as well as the Cities that I mentioned before. You could also add Dexter, and Saline to your list.

Ijust cannot imagine that kind of a commute as a lifetime deal.

[Uhaul Is My Friend]

Ann Arbor is an amazing place to live but that commute really would get old. (same for Dexter and Saline) but if you do not mind that type of drive, I would vote for as close to Ann Arbor as possible, excepting Ypsilanti. I just do not care for that town one bit.
Either way. Ann Arbor is still worth a drive to visit. There is always something to do and lots of activities for families, especially if you like the outdoors.

[Cliffie]

Originally Posted by MBravo

Hiya folks,

I’m a new user, longtime lurker, on the forums and I have used them before to learn about new areas I was moving to. Well it’s time to move again, or at least that’s what my employer said, so I thought I might seek your advice again, this time in a more direct fashion. Here’s my situation:

My family and I (wife, two kids and two big dogs) are moving to the Detroit area due to a transfer with my employer. I’ll actually be working in the Gibraltar area but from what I’ve seen and read here on the forums, I’m interested in Livingston (Brighton or Howell), or Washtenaw (Ann Arbor, Chelsea, or surrounding area) counties. That will certainly be a long commute but from what I’ve seen about these areas they seem like really nice places to live. The most important factors in choosing a new home will be safety for my family, the quality of the schools, and things for the family to do. We will be leasing a home as we just can’t buy in the current housing market. My wife and I both grew up in rural areas and we have lived in big cities, so either location would be okay as long as it meets the earlier factors.

Now to the meat of my question; where would you recommend that I look for our new home? I have a friend / former co-worker who lives near Grasslake and he really likes the area and has nothing but good things to say about it. But I’d love to hear your opinions as well. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this post and sharing your insights

I have lived in both places. Horrible, horrible commute to Gilbraltar aside with gas going for $3/gallon, I have to point out that Brighton, Howell, and the Ann Arbor area are all great places to live indeed. The first two are not cursed with Ann Arbor's impenetrable maze of one-way, dead-end, back-winding streets, total lack of parking, or armies of students in Birkenstocks and woolly socks blocking the downtown intersections. Both areas are a little more affordable lately because of the long foreclosure lists at every bank, but the asking prices may still need to be haggled down because the housing boom in Brighton/Howell made most places ridiculously high, and Ann Arbor has been overpriced continuously for at least 2 decades. Ann Arbor is more left and Brighton/Howell is almost absurdly to the right. Ann Arbor is more Zen meditation and New Agey spirituality where brighton/Howell is overwhelmingly Pentecostal.

The restaurants are much, much, much more varied in Ann Arbor.

[Coldjensens]

I passed the Grass Lake exit on my way home from Chicago this weekend. I noticed it so I marked the time. It took 56 minutes to get to the West Road exit of the I-75. Traffic was moderate and I traveled at about 75-80 mph most of the way while I was on the freeways. If you went the same way that I did, you would be taking the next exit off the I-75 for Flat Rock. It is about another 5 minutes. I am not certain what the travel time from the freeway exit to Grass Lake is, but I seem to remember it being a bit of a drive at elast 10-15 minutes. You would probably hit some traffic going through Ann Arbor int he mornings. THat might add another 5 minutes or so. You may also hit some weekday traffic around the airport that would slow you down a bit more.

This is probably the best possible time that you could make. It is not as bad as I thought though.

The first exit for Chelsea was six minutes closer than Grass Lake, but I think that you have quite a bit of driving from Chelsea to the 94.

I took the 94 all the way to Southfield then a couple of miles on Southfield and jumped on the I 75.

You can also take any of the following alternatives: 94- Telelgraph - Telegraph to I-75; 94 - 275 (south) and then either go all the way to Monroe and come back up north on the I-75, or get off on Eureka or Sibley and cut across on surface streets. Finally, you can get of 275 at Sibley and then go south on Middlebelt, Inkster or Telegraph to King, West or Van Horn and then go accross to Fort and south on Fort.

We have found all of these ways to be pretty mcuh the same timewise. If you are lucky with lights and traffic, cutting across on surface streets can be quite a bit faster than going all the way down to Monroe.

I was reminded that it sure is pretty in the Grass lake/Chelsea area. Hilly and wooded - just a beautiful area altogether. Not worth the drive to me, but I can see the appeal for some people.

[daddythreepointoh]

I just have to jump in and say you would be much better served finding somewhere nice downriver to not have the commute. I'm from California, so I'm used to commuting, BUT remember that winter weather here will double your drive. And summertime means roadwork everywhere you go. IMO the commute from Brighton and environs truly would be too long. Take the advice others have given and that I give now...you DON'T want to commute so long...it truly takes away from quality of life.

I would personally advise Grosse Ile. If you are looking at Brighton ect., you should be able to afford GI.

Good luck!

[ew03]

I agree, I live about 2 minutes from Gibraltar and getting to those freeways is a pain. In the winter-forget it, snow removal is awful!! But if you're used to that sort of thing, then go for it. I tihnk it would be more of a hassle for you to try to get to those freeways, especially during rush hours, those freeways are sooo backed up and theres always a ton of accidents. Grosse Ile is definitely the place most of the people live that want the quiet, nice neighborhood. The farther north you go from 'downriver' will not be as nice-Romulus, River Rouge, Taylor, etc.