Hamtramck

**rb336** · June-11-12, 09:15 AM

Originally Posted by kboust

I have to say that I disagree with the person who said that the houses are of much lower quality than RO or Ferndale. I bought a house in Hamtramck last year after an exhaustive search and, even though my house turns 100 years old this year it is rock solid. I bought this house because it was the best quality of all the ones I had looked at, including houses in Royal Oak that were 3x the price. Yes, hamtramck is an old neighborhood. The houses are old. There is always work to be done on 100 year old houses. But the underlying quality of craftsmanship is unbeaten.

yes. there are some nicely built homes in Hamtramck and some crappy ones in RO, but if you compare the total housing stock, Hamtown comes out on the short side of the quality stick. a huge proportion of them were thrown up very much on the cheap for immigrant labor

Shollin · June-11-12, 10:22 AM

In one thread people were complaining about all the malls and parking lots on Hall Road. People were also complaining about the parking lot in front of Whole Foods. Now people are saying Hamtramck doesn't have enough parking.

**Detroitnerd** · June-11-12, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Shollin

In one thread people were complaining about all the malls and parking lots on Hall Road. People were also complaining about the parking lot in front of Whole Foods. Now people are saying Hamtramck doesn't have enough parking.

I don't think parking is so much of a problem in Hamtramck. It's not as bad as trying to find a place to park in, say, Chicago or New York.

The problem is that it was originally served by the Baker Streetcar and, after that was removed, people in Hamtramck have to drive everywhere.

**antongast** · June-11-12, 10:38 AM

Originally Posted by Shollin

In one thread people were complaining about all the malls and parking lots on Hall Road. People were also complaining about the parking lot in front of Whole Foods. Now people are saying Hamtramck doesn't have enough parking.

Sometimes people disagree about stuff.

**hamtown mike** · June-11-12, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by kboust

But the underlying quality of craftsmanship is unbeaten.

Here here! you don't find 30 foot long true 2x4's just anywhere. There is solid housing stock in Hamtramck. True some have fallen in disrepair but to say that they were cheaply built is incorrect. Poorly maintained perhaps, but salvageable.

I think one of the biggest things that is keeping Hamtramck from capitalizing upon its potential is fear. Not many want to willingly become a minority. Oddly, in Hamtramck, everyone is a minority and I personally think that is fantastic. The field is level. Perhaps "young professionals" choose to live where they have a pre-established upper hand.

**DetroitPlanner** · June-11-12, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Shollin

Midtown didn't have a market. Ferndale and Royal Oak were dying suburbs. The lofts came before Whole Foods and Starbucks. I guess I hear yuppies talking about how they want culture, diversity, and walk ability, but the areas most dense and most diverse city doesn't appeal to them.

Midtown has always had a market. WSU & DMC brings in thousands of people. Royal Oak and Ferndale were always known to be good places to live even before the drunk yuppie food courts invaded their downtowns.

**JenniferL** · June-11-12, 10:15 PM

I've thought about moving to Hamtramck. The one thing that holds me back is that it feels like an island, surrounded on all sides by shark-infested waters. I like to walk, and I find Hamtramck very walkable. In terms of distance, walking from Hamtramck to the Cultural Center or even to downtown is very do-able. But there is no safe route. It's also not on any of the major bus lines. Thus, if I lived in Hamtramck I would always have to drive whenever I wanted or needed to travel more than a mile from my home.

**Brich** · June-12-12, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by JenniferL

I've thought about moving to Hamtramck. The one thing that holds me back is that it feels like an island, surrounded on all sides by shark-infested waters. I like to walk, and I find Hamtramck very walkable. In terms of distance, walking from Hamtramck to the Cultural Center or even to downtown is very do-able. But there is no safe route. It's also not on any of the major bus lines. Thus, if I lived in Hamtramck I would always have to drive whenever I wanted or needed to travel more than a mile from my home.

The DDOT Chene bus goes right up the middle of Hamtown on Jos Campau. It will take you downtown with no need to transfer buses. To get to the Cultural Center, transfer buses at Warren or walk.

**poobert** · June-12-12, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by Brich

The DDOT Chene bus goes right up the middle of Hamtown on Jos Campau. It will take you downtown with no need to transfer buses. To get to the Cultural Center, transfer buses at Warren or walk.

No, I think Jennifer is spot on. The Chene bus is a total piece of shit. Been there, tried that. Great if you never have to be anywhere, on time, ever.

I think greater downtown nets a lot of people who may otherwise live in Hamtramck because it has much grander things to offer, and there is no logical way a sane, time-pressed person can take besides a car to get to the Cultural Center or downtown from Hamtown. Thus the potential Hamtramckan has two logical other options - live downtown itself or move to the suburbs [[which are cleaner, safer, better schools, etc.) and sacrafice only a few more minutes on the freeway, which you'd be taking anyway.

Shollin · June-12-12, 10:47 AM

Does anyone who work at the Poletown GM plant live in Hamtramck? A couple generations of my family worked at the Dodge Main factory but they loved in Detroit around the 6 mile and Mound area.

**Detroitnerd** · June-12-12, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by Shollin

Does anyone who work at the Poletown GM plant live in Hamtramck? A couple generations of my family worked at the Dodge Main factory but they loved in Detroit around the 6 mile and Mound area.

I don't think so.

In the old days, Dodge Main was ringed with bars, barbershops, social halls and the like. The factory was literally surrounded by the community that worked there. That made union organizing easy. You knew your co-workers on a daily basis, ran into them at church, at the tavern, at the restaurant. That cohesive community was able to get the goods from management.

So I don't think it's a coincidence that the factory is right by the freeway, with the gates facing a service drive that there's no reason to go down unless you're there to go to work ... or picket a place nobody drives by. I doubt even a small percentage of the people who work there live in Hamtramck or the area. And I think that's by design, the way they wanted it: a diffuse work force that didn't fraternize outside the job. For instance, compare GM Poletown's out-of-town work force to Mexican-- I mean, American Axle: Before they shipped all the jobs to Mexico, several of my neighbors worked there.

**mwilbert** · June-12-12, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

No, I think Jennifer is spot on. The Chene bus is a total piece of shit. Been there, tried that. Great if you never have to be anywhere, on time, ever.

I think greater downtown nets a lot of people who may otherwise live in Hamtramck because it has much grander things to offer, and there is no logical way a sane, time-pressed person can take besides a car to get to the Cultural Center or downtown from Hamtown. Thus the potential Hamtramckan has two logical other options - live downtown itself or move to the suburbs [[which are cleaner, safer, better schools, etc.) and sacrafice only a few more minutes on the freeway, which you'd be taking anyway.

Hamtramck is probably the most clearcut example of a place in Metro Detroit that is seriously disadvantaged by bad public transport--the city itself is walkable, but you can't get to any other area without a car, or willingness to walk or ride through some marginal territory [[although the bike ride over to Woodward down Caniff/your choice of side street didn't look that scary to me when I was scoping it out--but I don't live there so maybe it's worse than it looks.) I know the DDOT is under severe pressure in any case, but a crosstown bus that was synchronized with the 53 down Woodward would probably be a big improvement.

**canuck** · June-12-12, 12:45 PM

Originally Posted by Shollin

Does anyone who work at the Poletown GM plant live in Hamtramck? A couple generations of my family worked at the Dodge Main factory but they loved in Detroit around the 6 mile and Mound area.

Did you mean "Loved around the sick smile and Mound area"?

**Baron_Haussmann** · June-12-12, 12:54 PM

You people are insane.

Hamtramck is the only true urban city in Michigan. It has great commercial and residential density, diversity [[over 30 languages spoken in the homes of the public school students), and is truly walkable.

Along with those amenities come urban challenges. There is a fair amount of crime, and most of that is a direct result of being completely surrounded by the worst parts of the City of Detroit. The big difference, is the response of the police.

Detroit's "average" police response time is 30 minutes but as we know in Detroit it is not uncommon for them to show up 12 hrs later, or even the next day. In Hamtramck, the police respond within 90 seconds consistently. This along with the police department actually having the resources to solve crimes makes all the difference in both the reality and perception of safety in the city.

While the City is rough around the edges, there is a lot of investment occuring. There is a thriving food, bar, music, and art scene. Many people are also surprised by the amount of young professionals living in the city. Lofts located above the storefronts on Joseph Campau range from $950 - $1600 a month and are 100% occupied and rarely are available on the general market for a day or, two.

There has been a ton of new housing development going on in the city the past two years through both the neighborhood stabilization program, and the general market. There are also many new homeowners, and long time residents fixing up their homes.

The Chene bus is not nearly as bad as the posters above make it out to be. There have also been articles in Model D about the city developing a shuttle between midtown, downtown and eastern market.

**detroitsgwenivere** · June-12-12, 01:38 PM

"You people are insane." Yeah you said it.

What I don't get is why, in order for an area to be regarded as desireable or "cool," it has to be overrun by yuppies and hipsters. Like as if all of us desire to live in a place that's constantly being critiqued by the likes of the "urban professional," and redeveloped to fit their needs.

Could Hamtown use a facelift in some places? Sure. The folks that live there would love to have a cleaner landscape and more attractive commercial corridor. But they have been reeling from the housing and financial crisis just like the rest of us, and had state intervention not long ago. Remember when they could no longer pick up the trash and the rat population outnumberded the residents 3 to 1? Hell, right now they have cops speedtrapping people on the service drive for going over 25 to make ends meet.

Hamtown has a cohesive neighborhood structure where people who arent scared of living around foreigners with headgarb can come to live like they choose, drink at one of their thousand bars, and stumble home without a problem. If you want to know your mayor, council, and policemen on a first name basis, this is the place for you!

When you have nearly 30,000 low to mid income people living in a 2 sq mile space, its just a matter of time before space starts to run out, and the building up process begins. It takes time, so give em a break.

**RickBeall** · June-12-12, 02:18 PM

Hamtramck is awesome. Get in while you cost is still low low low. The last few posts told the real story. I will just add that if you worry about bicycling in Hamtramc and nearby Detroit, bring your bike and try it! I love it.

**rjk** · June-12-12, 02:45 PM

"Hell, right now they have cops speedtrapping people on the service drive for going over 25 to make ends meet."

That's a scam and a dangerous scam at that. Trying to do 25 mph and having to tap your brakes on that decline by AMA just has an unnatural feel to it. Plus if you're doing 25 good luck with the cars zooming up behined you.

I don't have a problem with cops hiding out to catch speeders as long as it's a reasonable speed limit, but that 25 mph is ridiculous. For a city that needs people to visit and spend their money I just don't think it's a good idea to scam money off people on a ridiculously low speed limit.

**Hypestyles** · June-12-12, 03:48 PM

.. what are the good pizza places there?

**ismoakrack** · June-12-12, 04:16 PM

When you have nearly 30,000 low to mid income people living in a 2 sq mile space, its just a matter of time before space starts to run out, and the building up process begins. It takes time, so give em a break.

What are you trying to say? The population is around 20,000 and has shrunk every year for the since 2001.

**detroitsgwenivere** · June-12-12, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by ismoakrack

What are you trying to say? The population is around 20,000 and has shrunk every year for the since 2001.

According to cityhall, the 2010 census put the number at 22.5, add the 1,000 the city claims have moved here in the last 2 years [[i know 12 personally who have), and then tack on the couple of thousand people who's households are on the taxrolls but were either too scared or too illiterate to fill out the census. The city put the number around 28k. Their numbers, not mine. Considering those who work or own businesses in Hamtramck but don't actually live there, I figured rounding the number to 30k for the post was acceptable.

As for the yearly population drop, that just isn't true. The 2000 census put them at 23k. They have dropped between 10 and 20% every decade between 1930 and 2000 for sure, but in 2000 their pop. increased 25%. Staying on a upward trend makes sense.

And so does the under reporting to the census bureau if you talked to any of these folks, which I have done plenty of trust me. I used to go inside their homes when I subcontracted for DTE. Several households consist of a stay at home mom just arrived from either Yeman, Bangledesh, or Pakistan with 7 kids and no English. Dad would have to come home for me to get anything done.

I should mention the influx that is sure to come when the lawsuit settlement housing starts to fill up.

And there's talk that the immigrants living in the Detroit neighborhood north of Carpenter might petition cityhall to discuss a proprosed negotiation with Detroit an incorporation into Hamtramck . It's just talk though, for now.

**PaulieG63** · June-12-12, 07:16 PM

As a former police officer with the city of Hamtramck [[albeit 20 years ago), I can personally attest to the high level of dedication exhibited by the officers on a daily basis. Many of the officers lived within the city limits and took it quite personally when someone was up to "no good" in "their hood." Most had several personal relationships with members of the community, including [[and especially) within the business community.All of this is to say that most took a keen interest in the city and it's fortunes.

The pay was rather low, and payless paydays were looming on the horizon, so I left in search of [[and found) greener pastures in the suburbs. However, I never had more fun [[professionally) than the time I spent as a Hamtramck police officer! I will always remember my time there with fond memmories and a deep sense of pride. I also spent several years living in Hamtown while in college. A friend recommended the cheap rents, as his grandfather was mayor of the community in the 1940s [[I believe.)

Lastly, while I was employed in the city, UNLIMITED overtime was allowed [[encouraged) by the administration as a revenue producer. Any officer willing was able to work any hours he/she wished [[at time and half,) as long as he/she could produce 2 moving violations every hour. Hence, [[I suspect) the reason for the zealous enforcement of the traffic code today.

Paulie G

GUSHI · June-12-12, 07:42 PM

The outskirts of Hamtown are full or filling up, look @ the streets across from the pole town plant, miller , Dorothy, Oliver, winkle man, full of yemans, From Conant to Mt. Elliot full of people, didn't they even build a charter school next to ample car market,on Conant, they have their own little town w barber shop, store and restaurant, heck the old Resurrection church is a mosk , that serves the community.

GUSHI · June-12-12, 07:43 PM

Now the otherwise of mt Elliott is ruff, but between Conant and mt Elliott pretty full,

**rb336** · June-12-12, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

.. what are the good pizza places there?

as far as I can tell, it's just the chains left except for a Halal pizza place on Conabt

**Bham1982** · June-12-12, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Baron_Haussmann

Lofts located above the storefronts on Joseph Campau range from $950 - $1600 a month and are 100% occupied and rarely are available on the general market for a day or, two.

Based on this ridiculous comment, I assume your post contains nothing but promotional propoganda.

If this statement were true, the retail along Campeau would all be converted to residential, because that's higher than some of the current retail rents. The landlords can't get this for the ground floor retail, but they're getting it upstairs? Don't think so.

"Buy now or be priced out forever"!