How's Harper Woods These Days?

[MicrosoftFan]

It's no question that Harper Woods has changed in the past 20 years. In 2000, the city was about 85% white. In 2010, whites held a slim plurality at 49%. Today, Harper Woods has a black majority with 56%, though there is still a significant White minority at about 38-40%. Beyond the racial figures, household income has remained relatively steady, and educational attainment [[bachelors' degree) is fairly typical of Wayne County suburbs.

With the changes that are happening, a few questions must be asked.

1. While the "GP North is declining" line has been discussed frequently on DYes, if a bit too much, is it true? Does GP North hold its own against High Schools in the area? While it has always been a step below GP South, is the decline enough to cause parents in GP to pull their kids out and send them to private schools?

2. My understanding is that most of the crime in the city is either along the Detroit border on Kelly or concentrated around Eastland Mall. Essentially, the city gets better as you move eastward from Kelly. Is that a fair assessment? Is property crime concentrated in specific pockets of the city?

3. White Flight has certainly happened in HW, as evidenced by the statistics. But is it accelerating to the degree as in other inner-ring suburbs such as Eastpointe, Redford, and South Warren?

4. Have neighborhoods on the East side of the city, specifically neighborhoods east of I-94 that touch GPW, gone downhill noticeably? Or have they held up relatively well?

Thanks in advance for any comments/thoughts. Would appreciate to hear from any Harper Woods residents on this forum.

[hybridy]

School district’s desirability translates to performance and home values reflect demand. HW’s big taxpayer was the mall, and frankly it’s been in decline since the mid to late 90’s.

For someone looking for a Wayne county housing option with Grosse Pointe Schools and commuting proximity to the CBD - it is an attractive option. If I were raising a family and buying a home, I would opt for GPP.

[softailrider]

I’ve been through parts of it lately, I think it looks fine. It’s not Country Club Lane in Bloomfield Hills but it seems like a pretty good city to me.

[Meddle]

Does GP North hold its own against High Schools in the area? While it has always been a step below GP South,

North is always above south.

This whole schools and towns thing is like the old 'My Dad's better'n yer Dad!'
'You want a sock in the kisser?'
'Make me'
'No you make me'
'No you'
'MOM!!!!'

[Honky Tonk]

North is always above south.

This whole schools and towns thing is like the old 'My Dad's better'n yer Dad!'
'You want a sock in the kisser?'
'Make me'
'No you make me'
'No you'
'MOM!!!!'

+5........

[SammyS]

North is always above south.

This whole schools and towns thing is like the old 'My Dad's better'n yer Dad!'
'You want a sock in the kisser?'
'Make me'
'No you make me'
'No you'
'MOM!!!!'

Yes but which way is down? 😜
https://youtu.be/Xc4xYacTu-E

[Bham1982]

GP South has always outperformed North, and there has always been a pricing difference, but that pricing difference has expanded since Harper Woods declined.

It wouldn't be my first preference to buy in a community commonly referred to as "Harper Hoods", and adjacent to the highest crime section of Detroit. That said, if you buy in the part going to GP Schools, you'll get a good district on the cheap.

Grosse Pointe Woods is pretty affordable, BTW. If you want a Pointe on the cheap, you can probably find a modest home in GP Woods.

[bust]

A friend's dad lived in Harper Woods on Eastwood and I was impressed with how much room there was to play in the back yard. There are a couple other streets like that. Too bad they're outside the GP school district.

I attended GP North and received an excellent education. It was when both North and South were among the top schools in the state. I keep hearing people saying in a certain tone of voice that "things have changed", but there's this too...

The biggest failing of my childhood education was in cultural diversity. There was very little, and it was not taught in school. Kids said things like "nigger pile" and "don't jew me". I can't remember any black kids except for one who lived in an orphanage that used to exist on Cook Road, and one from Nigeria who lived on Lakeshore. I wonder if his family had to pay for their house in cash. There were a small handful of latin kids. A small handful of Asians. They endured shouts of "chink" in the hall. There were a few jews, but they pretty much kept it a secret. It was only later that I realized there were more than one people talked about.

Grosse Pointe is more diverse now, and Grosse Pointe North, Parcells, and Poupard in particular. Overall that is obviously for the better.

Grosse Pointe schools offer incredible facilities, excellent teachers, and a great curriculum. We had a planetarium, science labs better than some universities, a theater worthy of professional tours, everything you could want for sports. If your child attends, and is motivated to learn, I am sure he or she can still get as excellent an education there as I did. Perhaps better. There are advanced classes where they won't be slowed down by the incurious. Now parents who want to isolate their kids among children of the same skin color need to live further out. And good riddance! That's better for Grosse Pointe too.

If you choose to live in Harper Woods in the part with Grosse Pointe schools, you can, for a bargain, provide a nice home and a fine education for your children. But don't stop there. I like Bham's suggestion: it costs more but look in Grosse Pointe too. If you have kids it's a bargain along the Detroit and Harper Woods borders, and not just in the Woods.

[stasu1213]

Does Harper Woods has a middle school or High School?

[softailrider]

There’s one street that runs through Harper Woods [[I think it’s Kingsville) where one side of the street is Detroit, the other is Harper Woods. Both sides look about the same, which I think is pretty nice. I think they only plow the snow on the Harper Woods side.

[Maof]

Does Harper Woods has a middle school or High School?

Harper Woods High is still open. I've heard there is now a middle school within the high school. Beacon and Tyrone are elementary.

[mikefmich]

Harper Woods High is still open. I've heard there is now a middle school within the high school. Beacon and Tyrone are elementary.

Jr. & Sr High have always been next to each other, going back to the old HS that was torn down

[mikefmich]

I grew up 120' from the border of GPW in HW.

The house 60' away got burglarized a few years back, the family who had been in the house since 1952 moved out.

While I'd rather live there then anywhere near Kelly.....if I had kids I wouldn't do it today. Live in the two block finger that extends to Harper, or north of Damman & Kenmore in HW & go to GPN

[One Shot]

It’s becoming q hole and the smart people know why. The ghetto is creeping in. What was once a nice city is going down the tubes. Most of Detroit is this way. Welfare, no morals, drug dealers, gang bangers, non law abiding, non contributing, disability fraud, entitled. Until an entire generation is skipped to stop the breeding of this culture it’s going to continue. WHAT ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS? Start acting like responsible human beings and success will follow! Sick of this shit! The law abiding hard working people are carrying these assholes and I’m sick of it!

[Maof]

Jr. & Sr High have always been next to each other, going back to the old HS that was torn down

OK that embarrassing because I lived in HW from 1970-1994 [[parents 2002)

[Wheels]

It’s becoming q hole and the smart people know why. The ghetto is creeping in. What was once a nice city is going down the tubes. Most of Detroit is this way. Welfare, no morals, drug dealers, gang bangers, non law abiding, non contributing, disability fraud, entitled. Until an entire generation is skipped to stop the breeding of this culture it’s going to continue. WHAT ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS? Start acting like responsible human beings and success will follow! Sick of this shit! The law abiding hard working people are carrying these assholes and I’m sick of it!

Excellent description of a democrat!

[stasu1213]

Harper Woods biggest support revenue was Eastland. It was really a neighborhood mall for one could literally walk from his house right the mall. Eastland Village was bigger and surrounded the mall. The complex range from Kelly where Home Depot sits all the way to the Freeway service drive. The fate of the mall was also due to the change of the surrounding communities. Also need owner had purchased it and put more urban type stores in it. Harper Woods had fallen to renters most whimsical are on section 8 and the the men or boys of simee if those families had started wreaking havoc in the city

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

Not long ago I read somewhere about an increasing gay and lesbian population in Harper Woods, due to its proximity to Ferndale at a lower price point. Does anyone know if that’s true?

[MicrosoftFan]

Not long ago I read somewhere about an increasing gay and lesbian population in Harper Woods, due to its proximity to Ferndale at a lower price point. Does anyone know if that’s true?

Harper Woods is 0.6% likely homosexual households according to cityData. 2.9 for Ferndale. 0.8 Hazel Park. Also 0.6 for Eastpointe.

[Danny]

How is Harper Woods these days...

It's 65% black, 33% white and it's once clean white neighborhoods is now a instant black ghetto hood via late white flight.

Eastland Mall is slowly dying.

There have been petty violent crimes.

And the rich white folks over the Grosse Pointes are really worried.

Now, how's Eastpointe these days?

[Danny]

Does Harper Woods has a middle school or High School?

H.W. has a new middle-high school on Beaconsfield St. filled with kids that act up in the streets. That's all. Most Black folks with money from Detroit, and suburbs rather send their kids to Chandler Park Academy. Best Christian school in Harper Woods.

[eastland]

About a dozen years ago, Harper Woods had three Catholic high schools, one Lutheran high school, two Catholic grade schools and two Catholic parishes. All gone now.

[jcole]

Not long ago I read somewhere about an increasing gay and lesbian population in Harper Woods, due to its proximity to Ferndale at a lower price point. Does anyone know if that’s true?

How is Harper Woods anywhere near Ferndale?

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

How is Harper Woods anywhere near Ferndale?

I was having a brain fart, as the article was about Hazel Park

[stasu1213]

Ferndale has a walkable community with most activity on 9 mile road between Livernois and Woodward. Harper Woods is bordered by more of driveable streets such as Kelley, Harper/I94 service drive, Beaconsfield, and Vernier. Harper Woods walkable areaq was Eastland Mall which the city was built around. I still feel that something could be done to keep some retail in the Eastland Mall site even if the mall itself is razed. All of this depends on which elected official of Harper Woods has the city's best interest in mind or which will have their greased palms in mind allowing businesses to continue to come into Harper Woods that are benefitng the city but continue to bring in stores that would attract a certain negative element