[JoulesMSU]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but "close knit community with Midwest values" does NOT describe what Detroit is like.

However, "the best parts of Oakland county (Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills) are comparable to the worst parts of LA" is not true at all either. Oakland county is one of the wealthiest areas in the entire country. I think it would rival Malibu and Beverly Hills if you want to compare it to LA.

[Tekkie]

Parts of the metro area are thriving.

Royal Oak, Birmingham, Ferndale, Ann Arbor (if that counts), Plymouth, Northville, and Novi all have thriving downtown areas. Heck, we went to watch the UofM game in downtown Ferndale last Saturday and couldn't find parking downtown because it was so busy. I told my friend that they are going to need to build a parking garage there very soon.

I don't think you're going to find many metro areas quite like Metro Detroit. The major city is mostly dead with the exception of a few small areas and the suburbs are all extremely independent of one another. There is no regional transportation authority or spectacular public transit system, which helps to keep it that way. Out of all the major cities I've visited, I've never seen one so fragmented and independent from each other. Hopefully that sheds some light on the state of the Metro Detroit region.

[313Weather]

Originally Posted by ram2

If this is true, why are homes so expensive in Plymouth, Michigan?

Maybe by Michigan standards the housing prices in Plymouth are expensive.

In any event, the gist of PlymouthMI's post was correct. As the auto industry is a lot more leaner/globalized than ever before, the quality of life experienced by those around here post-recession won't be nearly as good as what was had prior to the recession, especially with the passage of Right-to-Work. The region is much poorer (Oakland County is no longer one of the wealthiest counties in the country and Macomb County has become one gigantic bedroom community of bitter Reagan Democrats), the major city is (more or less) "dead" in comparison to other major cities (see Tekkie's post), and it has experienced a fairly massive drain of young/educated people. Considering the aforementioned, it's no wonder the generation in their young adulthood now just doesn't have the same warm/fuzzy feeling about Detroit/Michigan that prior generations do.

[canudigit]

OP, if this is indeed a serious thread, then you need to come and visit the area before believing everything that you are told. There are parts of Oakland County that, for lack of a better description, look like the Hamptons, minus the beach. Seriously, cities like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills are much more the equivalent of Beverly Hills than "the worst parts of LA". There is still great wealth in Metro Detroit, come visit, drive around for a day or two, and see for yourself.

As for Detroit itself, I think this is a time to be optimistic about the possibilities more than any other time in recent history. Bankruptcy is forcing the city to dissect itself, which is a necessity because you will never fix what you refuse to admit is broken. There is great momentum in Downtown and Midtown, and more and more people are moving back to these areas and living and working in the "D"...and loving it!

Not that everything is paradise, obviously it isn't, but it also isn't the gigantic, burned out, war zone that the national media has sadly convinced a lot of unknowing Americans that it is.

Truly: Come and visit before making a rash decision. Oakland County is not what you are being led to believe that it is. Mansions, scenic lakes, and upscale shopping and dining are all there, along with safe, family-oriented middle class neighborhoods. Most people only dream of living in places like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. Come on out and see why!

[jonnynonos]

Originally Posted by canudigit

OP, if this is indeed a serious thread, then you need to come and visit the area before believing everything that you are told. There are parts of Oakland County that, for lack of a better description, look like the Hamptons, minus the beach. Seriously, cities like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills are much more the equivalent of Beverly Hills than "the worst parts of LA". There is still great wealth in Metro Detroit, come visit, drive around for a day or two, and see for yourself.

As for Detroit itself, I think this is a time to be optimistic about the possibilities more than any other time in recent history. Bankruptcy is forcing the city to dissect itself, which is a necessity because you will never fix what you refuse to admit is broken. There is great momentum in Downtown and Midtown, and more and more people are moving back to these areas and living and working in the "D"...and loving it!

Not that everything is paradise, obviously it isn't, but it also isn't the gigantic, burned out, war zone that the national media has sadly convinced a lot of unknowing Americans that it is.

Truly: Come and visit before making a rash decision. Oakland County is not what you are being led to believe that it is. Mansions, scenic lakes, and upscale shopping and dining are all there, along with safe, family-oriented middle class neighborhoods. Most people only dream of living in places like Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. Come on out and see why!

Oakland County isn't the only nice area in SE Michigan by a longshot and housing prices have dropped preciputously.

[magellan]

No.

[DTWflyer]

Housing prices were at unrealistic prices 10 years ago anyways.

[canudigit]

Originally Posted by jonnynonos

Oakland County isn't the only nice area in SE Michigan by a longshot and housing prices have dropped preciputously.

I'm not sure whose post you were reading, but I never stated that Oakalnd County is the only nice area in SE Michigan, in fact, I live in a small farming community about an hour from Detroit that is nowhere near Oakland County and I think it is a wonderful place to live, as are many, many parts of SE Michigan that are outside of Oakland County. I was only making the point about Oakland County because that is where the OP's job offer is located and where he/she would consider living if he/she accepted it.If they had inquired about my community, or any of many other communities that make life here so good, I would have gladly extolled their virtues as well.

I also mentioned nothing about housing prices, reason being that if you haven't noticed, housing prices have dropped everywhere in the United States since the Great Recession. Case in point: In 2011, we were able to purchase a beautiful oceanside condo in South Carolina via short sale for $135,000 that sold in 2008 for $484,000, and that is in the Sunbelt and on the beach, in an area that people would tend to consider highly desirable. Find me the place where housing prices didn't drop in some capacity along with the terrible economy and housing market crash. Oakland County is no different than anywhere else in that regard, and that in no way indicates that the quality of the housing went down because of it.

[snoopygirlmi]

Metro Detroit is far from dead.

Oakland County still has a AAA rating because of how well it manages its finances.

[MIEng]

Originally Posted by snoopygirlmi

Metro Detroit is far from dead.

Oakland County still has a AAA rating because of how well it manages its finances.

I don't know if the OP is even reading anymore but even Macomb County has a AAA bond rating and is less affluent than Oakland County, so is not like the entire metro region does not know how to manage the finances.