East English Village

[rencense]

Welcome Paul!

It actually almost seems against my best interest to encourage you to move to EEV [[since I'm similarly hoping to save up money to buy a house there while prices are so absurdly low lol) I've never lived there but have recently doing a lot of research on the area and considering a move there but I have a lack of income at the moment.

I personally think its a great area and would love to see you there, the city really needs a bunch more people interested in seeing the city improve

I'll take a crack at your questions:

1) I'd say the best part is either the stunning houses or friendly neighbors. One perk of EEV is [[unlike many beautiful Detroit neighborhoods) the house are gorgeous but not gigantic. Heating/maintaining a mansion can make you broke. EEV houses are generally pretty reasonable in size. Of course since I'm not a resident I don't have neighbors but I do know how well most people maintain their property and how tight the neighborhood association is; two things that make a big difference.

2) Ah crime, the constant scourge in Detroit. Lets say that by detroit standards it is very safe. If you want numbers and stats you can check out the crimemapping site [[crimemapping dot com) Its interesting to compare different areas. Generally I focus more on more serious crimes and you'll see that the majority of crime in the neighborhood is property/nonviolent and very rarely assaults etc. It may go without saying that street smarts are important in detroit and you'll likely have to come to terms with more bs than you would in other places/suburbs [[however i know for me my love of the city outweighs most minor issues like that) Crimewise EEV seems to be faring better than most other areas [[I was also looking at the rosedale park area on the west side though the crime stats seem to be worse than eev...I'm hoping these areas improve with the economy soon enough. *CAVEAT don't OVER analyze the crime maps toooo much, I lived in a place with a horrible looking crime map for years and never had trouble and rarely even saw it. A lot comes down to street smarts and good luck. Of course you can still find some especially bad areas on the maps with lots of assaults etc.

3) by car its probably 15-20 minutes to downtown. A serious biker could make it there eventually. One thing I like is there are busses along warren and mack that will take you downtown/midtown. I'm not sure off hand how long it takes but I think its really cool to have the option of taking the mack bus which drops you off right between midtown and downtown.

4)Never been to any bars in the area but have heard a lot about the Cadieux and I see there are a fair number of neighborhood bars along mack, warren, and harper [[i love neighborhood bars and EEV area has more than most areas of Detroit. I've also heard nice things about the blue pointe restaurant at warren and cadieux. Hopefully someone on here has experience to share. Also obviously you're right by grosse pointe which i imagine has a few as well.

5)A little tough to say. There may be plenty of foreclosures but EEV does a good job of making them not obvious. Occasionally you'll see a house boarded up but usually still in decent shape. Its very rare to see a torched or open house in the neighborhood but its still detroit [[I see a house has some fire damage at Cadieux and Wallingford. On the plus side the foreclosures can allow you to buy at a steal. [[I found a house I really liked for 20-25k recently)

6)N/A to my situation but seeing that, when given the option, i would move there from the burbs in a heartbeat) Detroit is kind of an enigma and I feel somewhat that either you're into it or not. Most people I know that are happy in the burbs I wouldn't expect to consider the city. You may know the drawbacks such as police response time, higher insurance, high tax rates etc but If you like where you live they hopefully aren't a deal breaker.

7) I'd say EEV is a pretty good fit if you want to get involved. Granted EEV doesn't really need much involvement but other nearby neighborhoods could. For instance the morningside neighborhood [[just west of eev across outer dr) is similar but a bit worse for wear. I'm SURE you could make a difference if you wanted to help out there, thats what I've planned if i move there. A group from eev and morningside could make a big difference cleaning up trash, securing/maintaining vacant properties, and setting up crime watch patrols.


Hopefully some of this is helpful and I imagine we have a poster or two from eev that can help more. My [[absurdly biased) opinion is go for it! EEV is a wonderful place and you can pick up an amazing house on the cheap. If you're passionate about the city its tough to beat. I walk through the neighborhood from time to time and its very well maintained and peaceful overeall. I love the "bring back the pride signs" you see in many yards [[ I can't recall exactly where but I saw someone flying a full size detroit city flag in front of their house!) Probably droned on long enough; let us know if you decide to move in!

good luck!

[DetroitPole]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your interest. I live in EEV, and fell in love with it for many of the reasons you mention. It is really an idyllic place to live.

Regarding bars and restaurants, Grosse Pointe has no shortage of them, and they are all bikeable from EEV. I don't hang out in GP much, but there are good ones in Detroit as well. Cadieux Cafe is an old Belgian place walking distance from almost anywhere in EEV, complete with an mussels, feather bowling, bands, and Belgian beer. I've been to Blue Pointe as well - excellent place for seafood, and again, walkable. A good neighborhood bar is High Noon Saloon on Warren Avenue.

Downtown would be probably a 40 minute bike ride. I haven't done it yet - one of the drawbacks for me in EEV is the distance from downtown/Midtown. This is relatively speaking though; I lived in greater downtown for several years so I was spoiled. It is certainly closer to downtown than the 'burbs.

Vacancy is low compared to the rest of Detroit[[I would say an average of 2 per block), but the vacant houses do really bug me. However you won't find the burned-out, kicked-in-door stuff you find in other Detroit neighborhoods. I also have witnessed the remarkable transformation of people actually buying these vacant houses and subsequently fixing them up really nicely and living in them. This is tremendously encouraging, especially for Detroit.

I'll put it in perspective for you: I have a friend from the downriver suburbs who comes over and we go drinking so said friend stays here about every weekend. Just from being here and walking around she grew to love the neighborhood and is now looking at buying a house here.

I do not necessarily believe Detroit will "come back" because the problems are so enormous and sometimes I feel it is too far gone - however places like EEV will thrive on their own merits.

Here is a little secret: We have a lot of high-up city employees in the neighborhood - so city services are impeccable. Police response may still be slow, but I haven't had to call them ever. It isn't as crime-free as the suburbs, but certainly nothing like the rest of Detroit. In addition, it is eerily quiet here at night; very peaceful.

EEV certainly does need involvement! And there are plenty of avenues for it. The neighborhood meetings are always well-attended.

Worth mentioning is the diversity. EEV is one of the most integrated communities in Metro Detroit. This is important to me and I think I'm not alone when I say this.

It sounds to me like you already know what you want to do. You should come to a neighborhood meeting if you can.