Moving From Quiet Suburbs of Western Chicago to Detroit

**Detroit_uke** · January-25-13, 05:16 PM

@iheartthed...I don't think it's fake...I think he might be concerned about his significant other....maybe she got more than one offer to do her residency. Just young adults weighing their options. The shifts will be long and if they live close to the hospital...that's more time for them to see each other. I'm sure he doesn't want to worry about her being out late - those shifts are horrible!!!!

**iheartthed** · January-25-13, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit_uke

@iheartthed...I don't think it's fake...I think he might be concerned about his significant other....maybe she got more than one offer to do her residency. Just young adults weighing their options. The shifts will be long and if they live close to the hospital...that's more time for them to see each other. I'm sure he doesn't want to worry about her being out late - those shifts are horrible!!!!

I dunno... just sounds like he's speaking Michiganese to my ears... I wouldn't expect Detroit's crime rate to be at the forefront of a decision to move from Chicago to Detroit...

**mwilbert** · January-25-13, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I dunno... just sounds like he's speaking Michiganese to my ears... I wouldn't expect Detroit's crime rate to be at the forefront of a decision to move from Chicago to Detroit...

Isn't the decision to move about the medical placement? Once you've decided that, you are trying to figure out where exactly to live, and crime would seem like something many people would consider fairly high on the list. Anyway, it seems so to me.

To respond to the original question, if they don't want to live right next to the Medical Center but they are open to urban living at all they might consider Hamtramck--you can get from one to the other in very little time.

If they want an actual suburb, there are a whole lot of them with reasonable access to the medical center. I guess I'd probably pick the Pointes, but what's the convenient route? Mack? Possibly not appealing to out-of-towners.

Shollin · January-25-13, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I dunno... just sounds like he's speaking Michiganese to my ears... I wouldn't expect Detroit's crime rate to be at the forefront of a decision to move from Chicago to Detroit...

Really? Detroit's murder rate is like 3 times that of Chicago and he's moving from the suburbs. Perhaps he doesn't currently work in Chicago or go to Chicago whereas in Detroit he will be working in Detroit.

**canuck** · January-25-13, 07:03 PM

I agree with the safety factor being uppermost in people's concerns on moving to Detroit. I mean, you'd have to be blind not to notice how many threads are devoted to topics related to this problem.

I think taking a taxi to and from work if the couple lived in midtown is a good option especially since hospitals will usually have a taxi queue. If the work schedule involves regular start times, a dedicated taxi driver in the morning would be a good solution.

**ajax1736** · January-25-13, 07:23 PM

Alright. More info requested. No kids. Prefer to live on the outskirts of Detroit. One bedroom for anywhere between 900-1200. Both have cars and will be driving to work. Have not considered speaking to a real estate agent. Never even entertained the thought for an apartment. For people who understand the Chicago area, we are outside of Naperville.
For iheartthed: No this is not fake. Don't know what about my original post made you think this would be fake. I am not coming on here bashing anything about Detroit [[And that is with being a Blackhawks fan).
Detroit_Uke nailed it. This is more considered for my information about the areas and safety for my wife. There may be a time period where I will out of the state for an extended period of time for training or stationed elsewhere. This is why I am looking at outer burbs for pure safety reasons.
Looking at locations in downtown Detroit, Google maps street view has not done it justice. When you see trash littering certain areas and torn awnings, it doesn't to counteract the run down city label. And yes Chicago has those exact images as well in certain areas. Just doesn't help for an outsider looking in. Just my opinion.
Thanks for all the replies so far.

**Detroit_uke** · January-25-13, 07:37 PM

Ajax - just go to: livemidtown.org and read all about it!

**Downriviera** · January-25-13, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

I'm guessing by "children's hospital" he means Children's Hopsital at DMC.

More info would be good, but you might keep on with the Dearborn idea. It's burby but older and has a lot of amenities and a nice housing stock. It's close to your work, too. West Dearbornites like to differentiate themselves from East Dearbornites, and as far as I can tell it's almost entirely racial animosity, although the areas closest to Detroit have more crime issues. Avoid Downriver. The Pure Michigan Downriver video sums it up.

Troy is great if you like malls, chain stores, chain malls, mall stores, and chain malls, and not much else, but I find it to be stifling and rather savage.

Metro Detroit, being so housing heavy, seems to have a stigma attached to apartments. You could probably rent a house in the Woodward Corridor of Oakland County very cheaply. Royal Oak seems too much of a frat party but places like Berkeley and Ferndale are quiet with affordable rentals, if you don't care about having a super nice house.

Apartments in Detroit outside of Midtown, downtown, the Riverfront, and Indian Village should probably be avoided. That said, I think downtown would be a nice fit for you, if you can find a place. Downtown is quiet [[oddly) and super close to your work.

Avoid Downriver? Are you serious? And you base this on a joke video? Downriver is perfect for what you need. Allen Park has easy access to major freeways, you can be to the DMC in 15 mins. You are 15 minutes from the airport. Shopping galore. Wyandotte, really nice quaint downtown right on the river. Great restaurants and shopping. Grosse Ile, pricey but beautiful, right on the water. All kinds of good choices downriver.

**Spartan** · January-25-13, 07:55 PM

You shouldn't have much difficulty finding something in your range in any location. Even downtown Detroit, Ann Arbor and Royal Oak doesn't run much more than that unless you get something really pricy. I haven't looked specifically, but I'd guess a city like Dearborn or surrounding, you might be able to get a pretty nice place, or even a 2br for $1200. I'd definitely say look into Grosse Pointe. Ferndale might be a good option too.

**wolverine** · January-25-13, 08:14 PM

I live on N. Michigan Ave in Chicago but work between Chicago and Detroit. I'd love to live in Detroit's midtown. But I know the city isn't for everyone. Otherwise royal oak. When I'm working in Detroit I'm staying in the suburbs and can't stand it. Rather be in the city.

**TexasT** · January-25-13, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

I live on N. Michigan Ave in Chicago but work between Chicago and Detroit. I'd love to live in Detroit's midtown. But I know the city isn't for everyone. Otherwise royal oak. When I'm working in Detroit I'm staying in the suburbs and can't stand it. Rather be in the city.

Ugh, I made that commute quite a bit when I was in the midst of moving from Chicago to Detroit - don't envy you! I was in Wicker Park before...I'm really enjoying living in the city now [[but I really enjoy the rate at which I'm paying off my student loans now that my COL has dropped dramatically!).

**Novine** · January-25-13, 09:06 PM

When you lived in Naperville, was your wife driving to downtown Chicago? Because the equivalent commute would be driving to Children's from Novi or Plymouth. I wouldn't want to be doing that drive on a daily basis especially if I was working the kinds of hours your wife will be doing. There's a lot of good suggestions for places to live but to live in a Naperville-like location, she's facing a 30 minute commute minimum.

**ajax1736** · January-25-13, 09:16 PM

Yes she would be making the drive from our area during her clinicals. That's one reason why she wants to be closer to the city since driving from here to the south side or north side and that was a terror for her.

**wolverine** · January-25-13, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

Ugh, I made that commute quite a bit when I was in the midst of moving from Chicago to Detroit - don't envy you! I was in Wicker Park before...I'm really enjoying living in the city now [[but I really enjoy the rate at which I'm paying off my student loans now that my COL has dropped dramatically!).

Funny cause my cost of living went down when I left Ann Arbor. While its expensive to live downtown, not having a car allowed me to pay off student loans and have more spending cash. In general I find urban rents to be about $100 less a month in comparable Michigan cities. I did the math since my employer allows us to switch living between cities. Living in downtown Detroit with a car had a much higher cost of living than being without one but living in Gold Coast. It just didn't seem right. Detroit needs more modern high rises downtown....with parking....for an appropriate price. I'm sorry but I'm not living in the Broderick for the same as what I pay now without a lakefront and an international shopping destination. Detroit's price points don't make any sense. Why? Because no one is building the 10,000 residential units on downtown Detroit that are absolutely necessary. The demand is driving up prices.

**Brian1979** · January-25-13, 09:47 PM

I live in the Bridgeport neighborhood on Chicago's Southside, I was in Detroit last Tuesday, the only few areas of Detroit I noticed that were in any decent living shape were downtown and midtown. Outside of that I don't think you want to live in Detroit, most of it outside of the downtown and midtown area remind me of most of the Southside and pretty much all of the Westside of Chicago.

Troy is pretty much the same thing as Schaumburg is here. If I lived in the Detroit area I would want to live in Troy.

**TexasT** · January-25-13, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by wolverine

Funny cause my cost of living went down when I left Ann Arbor. While its expensive to live downtown, not having a car allowed me to pay off student loans and have more spending cash. In general I find urban rents to be about $100 less a month in comparable Michigan cities. I did the math since my employer allows us to switch living between cities. Living in downtown Detroit with a car had a much higher cost of living than being without one but living in Gold Coast. It just didn't seem right. Detroit needs more modern high rises downtown....with parking....for an appropriate price. I'm sorry but I'm not living in the Broderick for the same as what I pay now without a lakefront and an international shopping destination. Detroit's price points don't make any sense. Why? Because no one is building the 10,000 residential units on downtown Detroit that are absolutely necessary. The demand is driving up prices.

We bought a house, so our mortgage note is about 1/3-1/4 of what we paid in rent. We didn't exactly live a frugal lifestyle in Chicago. We splurged on a shared car [[and necessarily, a parking spot), went out to eat/drink more nights than not, took cabs way too often instead of taking the el. We get to do the same thing here, but for way less [[ie a cab downtown is $5 instead of $20). It adds up for us.

But agreed, if you are renting, it's a whole different story. I mean, we never considered leaving Chicago until we were ready to buy, start a family, that kind of stuff. When I started looking at the cost of buying a decent-sized place for a couple kids in the city and near the el [[which I always took for work, driving wasn't much of an option), my head exploded. So we started looking around for places with an actual urban environment and where we could afford to buy a home near the core of the city...well, that narrowed it down quite a bit.

We could have bought a place a little further out in Chicago for less, but then what's the point if you're not close enough to take advantage of the city [[for people like us, at least)? Great place to spend your 20s/early 30s though.

You are correct about supply/demand and the pricing of downtown living. Hopefully over the next several years, that will rectify itself. We wanted to rent first actually - but we just couldn't find an available apartment in time.

**wolverine** · January-25-13, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by TexasT

We bought a house, so our mortgage note is about 1/3-1/4 of what we paid in rent. We didn't exactly live a frugal lifestyle in Chicago. We splurged on a shared car [[and necessarily, a parking spot), went out to eat/drink more nights than not, took cabs way too often instead of taking the el. We get to do the same thing here, but for way less [[ie a cab downtown is $5 instead of $20). It adds up for us.

But agreed, if you are renting, it's a whole different story. I mean, we never considered leaving Chicago until we were ready to buy, start a family, that kind of stuff. When I started looking at the cost of buying a decent-sized place for a couple kids in the city and near the el [[which I always took for work, driving wasn't much of an option), my head exploded. So we started looking around for places with an actual urban environment and where we could afford to buy a home near the core of the city...well, that narrowed it down quite a bit.

We could have bought a place a little further out in Chicago for less, but then what's the point if you're not close enough to take advantage of the city [[for people like us, at least)? Great place to spend your 20s/early 30s though.

You are correct about supply/demand and the pricing of downtown living. Hopefully over the next several years, that will rectify itself. We wanted to rent first actually - but we just couldn't find an available apartment in time.

Oh yeah totally different story. The joke is living downtown Chi and renting is like owning a place with all the frills but never having a mortgage. Realistically, I couldn't afford to buy in the central city. Good news is there is plenty of good real estate in the Detroit area, but your commute won't be as long as coming in from Naperville.

**illwill** · January-25-13, 10:59 PM

This is pretty disappointing to hear, that in all of Detroit, a family cannot find a decent and safe neighborhood to call home. Until now, I never knew that our city was in such bad condition.

The fact that Chicago has a countless number of great neighborhoods to choose from, to the point where most people living in Chicago cannot even afford to live in ANY of those nice neighborhoods is very startling. And are forced to relocate due to extreme prices.

It's really sad to read these post about Detroit.

**TexasT** · January-25-13, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by illwill

This is pretty disappointing to hear, that in all of Detroit, a family cannot find a decent and safe neighborhood to call home. Until now, I never knew that our city was in such bad condition.

The fact that Chicago has a countless number of great neighborhoods to choose from, to the point where most people living in Chicago cannot even afford to live in ANY of those nice neighborhoods is very startling. And are forced to relocate due to extreme prices.

It's really sad to read these post about Detroit.

Not sure where you got that. I can think of several such neighborhoods, iincluding my own. OP is not interested in living in Detroit just as I have zero interest in the suburbs; it is personal preference.

Nobody said you can't live in those Chicago areas and nobody was forced to relocate. You really misconstrued our conversation.

**hathorlive** · January-25-13, 11:45 PM

Welcome to Detroit. I used to live in the Marina Towers and in Oak Park. Moving to Detroit will allow me to be a home owner, which is nearly impossible in Chicago. I will say that you shouldn't rule out places like Midtown and the Central Business District. My friend just moved into the condos at Riverfront and loves it. She likes being next things without being in things, if that makes any sense. And she loves that wonderful view of the riverfront. Many nice places like the Broderick and the Kales have a professional set of tenants and good security. I looked at Harbortown and while I liked it, it was a bit too far from where I wanted to be.

We are both single women and we walk around the central business district and Midtown by ourselves. Not stupidly, but not cloaked in fear and desperation. Please give the city a chance. It's a nice place and while troubled, I really enjoy most of the people I've met here.

And the food. I love my Chicago favorites [[Garrets and Portillos) but I am finding myself gaining weight in Detroit. Just make sure you don't miss out on the great places in the D.

Unfortunately, there's no helping the Blackhawks thing. That's one of the reasons I moved. No affordable housing and my only NHL option were the freaking hawks. One championship in 60 years and they think they are special. If I was going to spend money on season tickets, I had to move to Detroit. But feel free to wear your sweater. My friend wears her Stars sweater to every Dallas game and people are fairly nice about it. Being that hockey in Dallas is just depressing.

**mwilbert** · January-26-13, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by ajax1736

This is why I am looking at outer burbs for pure safety reasons.

Just to clarify, what I would think of as "outer burbs" are places like Clarkston or Canton or Shelby Township. You shouldn't need to go anything like that far out to feel safe, even if you are a nervous type. Your wife isn't going to want to allocate unneeded time to driving, so I would think Troy would be more than far enough. Frankly, GP should be far enough, but I don't think it would take that much longer to get to the DMC from Troy.

**Armin** · January-26-13, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by Downriviera

Avoid Downriver? Are you serious? And you base this on a joke video? Downriver is perfect for what you need. Allen Park has easy access to major freeways, you can be to the DMC in 15 mins. You are 15 minutes from the airport. Shopping galore. Wyandotte, really nice quaint downtown right on the river. Great restaurants and shopping. Grosse Ile, pricey but beautiful, right on the water. All kinds of good choices downriver.

Agreed, poobert. Avoid Downriver like the Plague. I could never look someone straight in the eye and not break out laughing when advising someone new to Detroit that Downriver would be actually be a cool locale to call home. This guy is coming from a somewhat hip area of Chicagoland. Ajax, Coming from the area you currently reside in...If you don't want to search for a spot in Detroit proper, look at areas like Ferndale, Royal Oak, Berkley, or Birmingham. Detroit's metro area is limited in areas that outsiders coming from a cool urban area would actually find a genuine interest in. Downriver sucks for younger professionals.... Trust me.

**ajax1736** · January-26-13, 06:08 AM

Gotta say thank you to all you guys responding. You guys have thrown out a ton of info for me and I really appreciate it.
And hathorlive: boy am I going to be missing Portillos. I have always thought going to be rough to head to Joe Louis arena in hawks gear would end poorly but that arena is historic so it will be a must.
Thanks once again for all the information guys.

**illwill** · January-26-13, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by ajax1736

Gotta say thank you to all you guys responding. You guys have thrown out a ton of info for me and I really appreciate it.
And hathorlive: boy am I going to be missing Portillos. I have always thought going to be rough to head to Joe Louis arena in hawks gear would end poorly but that arena is historic so it will be a must.
Thanks once again for all the information guys.

trust me my friend, by the time you'll be heading back to Chicago, you'll be saying "it's gonna be hard giving up these coney's." And the Detroit Style Pizza.

**hathorlive** · January-26-13, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by illwill

trust me my friend, by the time you'll be heading back to Chicago, you'll be saying "it's gonna be hard giving up these coney's." And the Detroit Style Pizza.

Isn't that the truth? I crave the coney's when I'm not in the D. And I've found new awesomeness like Bucharest and Eastern Market. Also, Good People Popcorn is a nice change up from Garrets.

I do the original poster finds a nice place. It's an exciting time for them and for other people coming to Detroit. I'm always finding new places to check out, thanks to this board.

I would proudly wear my other team NHL gear. I think the fans at the Joe are the classiest. You'll get some good natured ribbing but most are fans of the game. Of course, the Blackhawks are not the most beloved rival. But it's not like you are wearing a Sidney F'ing Crosby one.

Best wishes to you and your wife!