Moving From Quiet Suburbs of Western Chicago to Detroit

[Brian1979]

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.

I've been to JLA plenty of times in Hawks gear and never had a problem. I don't know if I'd call that arena historic though since it was built in the 70's and the Wings played in the Olympia before that which was a historic venue.

[Stinger4me]

See how long it will take to get a CPL.

Take firearms training.

Become religious.

Always check and look over your shoulders.

There are a fair number of homicides in the "Murder City" and there are good reasons why so much of the city is vacant.

[poobert]

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.

I disagree. Sorry, I've had too many life experiences with people downriver acting rude and ignorant. I realize it isn't everyone but I think he can find a better fit elsewhere. I know we all want our home team to win but I guess that's the same old story of 80 some odd municipalities competing for an ever-shrinking pie, sadly. Cabbage Patch would be a good fit as well, I think.

[jj84]

Yes, I'm entirely serious. You can't possibly be biased, given your username. We disagree here, period. If he's going to pick a suburb out of our 80 or so he can easily rule out downriver, including Allen Park. And I'm sick of people trying to convince me Wyandotte is nice. The world view and actions of way too many people downriver are atrocious and straight out of Appalachia. Not all, by any means, but for too many people there seems to be no social awareness and with factory jobs the way of the dinosaur things aren't going to get better there economically. It may be fine for retired autoworkers but not the best choice for somebody becoming a doctor. And to put this in perspective, Detroit doesn't really sound like his bag either, except maybe downtown.

I disagree with some of your comments fact is Downriver has dramatically changed over the past 10 years which shows how out of touch you are. Most communities aren't even blue collar anymore. What I find funny is what Taylor is thought of but has similar demographics as Warren, Mt Clements, Westland, Waterford, Westland, Madison Hts. and even Southfield. Get into Southern Downriver - Trenton/Brownstown/Woodhaven/Grosse Ile and you have demographics that are similar to Plymouth twp/South Troy/Sterling Heights/Canton/South Shelby/Commerce. You will see even more thing change Downriver over the next few years as well. As for Wyandotte - I'd put it on par with Berkley, nice area but there are nicer places to live.

Getting back to this topic Dearborn is the best bet for him, nice area, low car insurance [[he should know that car insurance in Detroit proper is about 3-5k a year per car) In Dearborn he could get a nice rental house or Apartment near Greenfield Village, the Country Club or Oakwood Hospital be in his budget and be 10-15min from DMC have many shopping options and be close to the airport and train station..

[kanfar]

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.

You don't have to miss your Italian Beef sandwiches. When you live here in Detroit just go to the website www.tastesofchicago.com. You can have all the makings shipped to you. You get everything from the "broth", the beef, the rolls, both kinds of peppers, etc. along with instructions on how to heat each item. They come in a cooler packed beautifully in dry ice. Excellent service and it is the real thing! I've been gone from Chicago area a long time and still order my Italian Beef sandwiches on a fairly regular basis. Just typing this is making my mouth water!

[TexasT]

[[he should know that car insurance in Detroit proper is about 3-5k a year per car

I pay nothing close to this. I pay about $250 a month for both of our cars, full coverage. Am I just abnormally low? Do other Detroiters pay that much?

[JAYCR]

I pay nothing close to this. I pay about $250 a month for both of our cars, full coverage. Am I just abnormally low? Do other Detroiters pay that much?

Just got car insurance here and was pretty flabbergasted. First quote for one car was 2800 for SIX MONTHS. Got it down eventually to 1100 every six. Ins companies also informed me that 25 years of safe driving in Canada is virtually worthless here. It's just liability too. No collision, no comprehensive.

[wolverine]

I pay nothing close to this. I pay about $250 a month for both of our cars, full coverage. Am I just abnormally low? Do other Detroiters pay that much?

I seriously hope that Detroit rate isn't true. I paid $1150 a year back when when I did have a car in Chicago. I guess that's something I missed when I calculated my expenses for Detroit. I can't imagine paying 2K more. I guess the high cost of driving here isn't so bad....

[JAYCR]

I seriously hope that Detroit rate isn't true. I paid $1150 a year back when when I did have a car in Chicago. I guess that's something I missed when I calculated my expenses for Detroit. I can't imagine paying 2K more.

Michigan has no-fault insurance. Most expensive in the nation as far as I can deduce.

[kanfar]

I pay nothing close to this. I pay about $250 a month for both of our cars, full coverage. Am I just abnormally low? Do other Detroiters pay that much?

I pay about $ 1700 a year for full coverage on 2012 Impala.

[TexasT]

I pay about $ 1700 a year for full coverage on 2012 Impala.

Yeah we're $3000 a year for an 09 Escape and 2012 Focus [[and live in Detroit proper).

[ismoakrack]

fact is Downriver has dramatically changed over the past 10 years which shows how out of touch you are. Most communities aren't even blue collar anymore.

Haha! You've got to be kidding. Downriver/Western Wayne County is by far the most blue collar area of Greater Detroit. I went to the movies at the theatre in Southgate last week and there were competing pickup trucks doing DONUTS in a very crowded parking lot. Dangerous!

Anyway, Ajax, downriver isn't even on your radar. It's just like the blue collar burbs south of Chicago, except less dense and more hillbilly. Royal Oak and Dearborn sound like the best fit for you, although I think if you move there, you may eventually want to move to Midtown or Downtown after you see how cool they are.

[Downriviera]

Haha! You've got to be kidding. Downriver/Western Wayne County is by far the most blue collar area of Greater Detroit. I went to the movies at the theatre in Southgate last week and there were competing pickup trucks doing DONUTS in a very crowded parking lot. Dangerous!

Anyway, Ajax, downriver isn't even on your radar. It's just like the blue collar burbs south of Chicago, except less dense and more hillbilly. Royal Oak and Dearborn sound like the best fit for you, although I think if you move there, you may eventually want to move to Midtown or Downtown after you see how cool they are.

I'll agree with you that Midtown or Downtown are a good choice for this guy. But these attitudes about Downriver are so 20 years ago. Downriver is no more blue collar than Dearborn. In fact, many people count Dearborn as part of Downriver. You'll find guys doing donuts in pickups in Royal Oak too. And those summer Saturday nights in Royal Oak are really something with all the wannabe bikers hangin out, plenty of hillbillies in that mix as well. There are plenty of young professionals living downriver. I know a guy and his girl that moved from the Chicago suburb Park Ridge to Wyandotte and they love it. I like the easy access to the Detroit river and the airport. Royal Oak and Ferndale are good areas to live as well as many of the others mentioned. But you are doing anyone a great disservice by telling them to avoid looking at Downriver.

[ismoakrack]

I do really like Wyandotte. Drove through it for the first time after said movie adventure. I was surprised at how quaint and cute it is, and there were blocks and blocks of old, historic homes, and quite a few old industrial buildings. Downriver does have much more of an urban cache, and is more similar to Detroit, for better or worse, than anywhere else in the region [[excepting maybe Grosse Pointe Park). So at least it has that going for it. But the communities along the river are far better than the rest of downriver, IMO.

[Downriviera]

I do really like Wyandotte. Drove through it for the first time after said movie adventure. I was surprised at how quaint and cute it is, and there were blocks and blocks of old, historic homes, and quite a few old industrial buildings. Downriver does have much more of an urban cache, and is more similar to Detroit, for better or worse, than anywhere else in the region [[excepting maybe Grosse Pointe Park). So at least it has that going for it. But the communities along the river are far better than the rest of downriver, IMO.

Next time you have a chance, take a drive around the perimeter of Grosse Ile. You'll forget all about Grosse Pointe. I won't name drop but some of Detroit's biggest movers and shakers live on Grosse Ile. Lots of history with the rum running days as well in Wyandotte and Grosse Ile.

[buzzman0077]

Maybe I missed it but a plus for living in midtown is that as a DMC resident they would be eligible for rent assistance from the live midtown program.

[Honky Tonk]

Maybe I missed it but a plus for living in midtown is that as a DMC resident they would be eligible for rent assistance from the live midtown program.

What kind of rent assistance is offered?

[TexasT]

What kind of rent assistance is offered?

• New renters receive a $2,500 allowance of funding toward the cost of their apartment in the first year followed by additional funding of $1,000.00 for the second year.
• Existing renters receive a $1,000 allowance of funding for renewing a lease in 2012.

• New homeowners receive a $20,000 forgivable loan toward the purchase of their primary residence

• Existing homeowners receive matching funds of up to $5,000 for exterior improvements for projects of $10,000 or more.

http://www.livemidtown.org/incentives