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Hi. I am looking for advice on whether I should move to Royal Oak or Ann Arbor. I use to go to school in the Ann Arbor area and I am familiar with the nightlife and the college scene, but I want something a little more diverse. They say Royal oak is more down to earth but I don't see much diversity. I mean, I see blacks and whites, but there are only like 94% whites and 2% blacks that actually live there. I am bi-racial and like a mixed atmosphere. What do you think? Do you live in Royal Oak? Which one is more down to earth and funner? Thanks in advance.
Either one is a great place. Ann Arbor has far better public schools if that matters to you (are you planning on children any time soon?
Royal Oak is closer to Detroit and offers access to sports and cultural activities in Detroit and surrounding areas. It also does not have the hordes of rowdy students (or mindless studens walking out in front of your car all the time). Although Ann Arbor has a lot more going on and is generally a nicer city, some things about it might get old after a while.
I do nto see how you can make a bad choice. Either way you will live in a great place. Good LUck.
I live in Ferndale, just 2 miles away from Royal Oak, and I like both towns (both Ferndale & Royal Oak). Royal Oak does have a fun nightlife, and if you're into shopping it's not far from some very nice malls (Somerset in Troy and Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills).
I think I'd call the area "diverse" just for the variety of kinds of people more than just black/white. I was at the DIY Fest this weekend and it had every kind of person I could imagine: young, old, punkers, hippies, hipsters, grandparents, moms pushing strollers, drunk-ass residents (oh wait, that was me), you name it. And they came in every color: black, white, Asian, Indian, etc.
I also think the bottom line is that around the Royal Oak/Ferndale area you may not have an even mix of 50/50 black & white, but everyone is so into doing their own thing that color really doesn't matter. How about coming on over for a few evenings out, or on one of the festival weekends, and seeing if you feel comfortable?
Ann Arbor is a great town, don't get me wrong, but it is very youth-oriented. As much as I enjoy the occasional visit, I kinda feel like somebody's housemother.
I live in Ferndale, just 2 miles away from Royal Oak, and I like both towns (both Ferndale & Royal Oak). Royal Oak does have a fun nightlife, and if you're into shopping it's not far from some very nice malls (Somerset in Troy and Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills).
I think I'd call the area "diverse" just for the variety of kinds of people more than just black/white. I was at the DIY Fest this weekend and it had every kind of person I could imagine: young, old, punkers, hippies, hipsters, grandparents, moms pushing strollers, drunk-ass residents (oh wait, that was me), you name it. And they came in every color: black, white, Asian, Indian, etc.
I also think the bottom line is that around the Royal Oak/Ferndale area you may not have an even mix of 50/50 black & white, but everyone is so into doing their own thing that color really doesn't matter. How about coming on over for a few evenings out, or on one of the festival weekends, and seeing if you feel comfortable?
Ann Arbor is a great town, don't get me wrong, but it is very youth-oriented. As much as I enjoy the occasional visit, I kinda feel like somebody's housemother.
LOL You are funny. Thanks for the info. Yeah I'm only 24, so I wouldn't mind the youth thing, but it just seems like in Ypsilanti, michigan, it gets kind of boring (in the ann arbor area). I would LOVE to live directly on Main street in Royal oak so I can just step out of my place to go shopping or handle business. I like that it is convenient. Can you tell me of some event happening in Royal Oak coming up soon?
You must live on the "good side" of Ferndale...meaning that it is closer to Royal Oak, because I havene't heard that many good things about Ferndale.....I'm coming in from Southfield and it just looks like Royal Oak has more to offer. Can you suggest a good area in Ferndale that is close to Royal Oak to live? They seem like they both cost the same as far as living. I found a decent apartment in Ferndale for $495 a month. That was lowest, but the average in Royal oak seems to be $550 for a one bedroom. IN southfield, we pay almost double that amount. I was paying $700 for a frickin one bedroom! That is why I want to move! LOL
Yeah, I do live in a very nice neighborhood! Basically the "good" part is on the west side of Woodward, not necessarily closest to Royal Oak. North of 9 Mile is more expensive (especially once you get into Pleasant Ridge), south of 9 Mile is less expensive. We just bought a house about a block west of Woodward and 1/2 mile south of 9 Mile, and it's SO great here. The neighbors are cool, we walk to downtown all the time, it's great. There are a bunch of rentals on W. Marshall near Woodward; there may be more elsewhere but that's an area I walk/bike/drive past frequently. Downtown Ferndale is a lot of fun!
When we were looking for houses, we found that in Royal Oak they were mostly too expensive and too far from downtown; in Ferndale we found better houses for less money and closer to the fun. I can ride my bike up to Royal Oak whenever I want, it's only 2 miles. Mostly there's enough to do here so that the only place I ride to is the Farmer's Market on Saturdays (my backpack is HEAVY on the way back). But, we may eventually get bored with our favorite Ferndale bars and have to expand the list of places we wanna hang out!
Unfortunately there aren't as many festivals going on with the summer winding down, the Funky Ferndale Art Fair and DIY Festival were the only thing on the calendar for this month in the 'dale. The only thing I see coming up in R.O. is an Oktoberfest at the Farmer's Market, I think it's the 2nd weekend in October? Even that doesn't involve all of downtown, it's mainly just at the market. Really any Saturday that has pleasant weather, you will find either town full of people with lots of fun places to eat & shop! I'm sure the bars won't be closing down their outdoor patios until there is snow on the ground.
Ferndale is pretty safe, you just have to decide how much you want to spend. The boundaries given by the previous poster are a good starter point for understanding price. Royal Oak is a lot more expensive, but safer. I like Ferndale better, though. It's a little more diverse, more fun.
Yeah, I do live in a very nice neighborhood! Basically the "good" part is on the west side of Woodward, not necessarily closest to Royal Oak. North of 9 Mile is more expensive (especially once you get into Pleasant Ridge), south of 9 Mile is less expensive. We just bought a house about a block west of Woodward and 1/2 mile south of 9 Mile, and it's SO great here. The neighbors are cool, we walk to downtown all the time, it's great. There are a bunch of rentals on W. Marshall near Woodward; there may be more elsewhere but that's an area I walk/bike/drive past frequently. Downtown Ferndale is a lot of fun!
When we were looking for houses, we found that in Royal Oak they were mostly too expensive and too far from downtown; in Ferndale we found better houses for less money and closer to the fun. I can ride my bike up to Royal Oak whenever I want, it's only 2 miles. Mostly there's enough to do here so that the only place I ride to is the Farmer's Market on Saturdays (my backpack is HEAVY on the way back). But, we may eventually get bored with our favorite Ferndale bars and have to expand the list of places we wanna hang out!
Unfortunately there aren't as many festivals going on with the summer winding down, the Funky Ferndale Art Fair and DIY Festival were the only thing on the calendar for this month in the 'dale. The only thing I see coming up in R.O. is an Oktoberfest at the Farmer's Market, I think it's the 2nd weekend in October? Even that doesn't involve all of downtown, it's mainly just at the market. Really any Saturday that has pleasant weather, you will find either town full of people with lots of fun places to eat & shop! I'm sure the bars won't be closing down their outdoor patios until there is snow on the ground.
Thats interesting...I always thought the "good" part of ferndale was the closest to Royal oak. Well, I have found that ferndale is a little more affordable...I mean I have found some flats either on or near Main road in Royal oak for like $550-$600, but there are a couple of spots in Ferndale that had flats for like $495-$520 which is really affordable! LIke I mentioned before, I am bi-racial and I don't want to stick out a like a sore thumb. I have to admit, it does worry me a little that both ferndale and royal oak only have like 2-4% blacks or other minorites living there and the majority is white. No problems here, just a little confused on how that is considered diverse. But thanks for your help, I'm definetly going to look into where you stay in Ferndale to see if they have any apartment avaliable.
Thats interesting...I always thought the "good" part of ferndale was the closest to Royal oak. Well, I have found that ferndale is a little more affordable...I mean I have found some flats either on or near Main road in Royal oak for like $550-$600, but there are a couple of spots in Ferndale that had flats for like $495-$520 which is really affordable! LIke I mentioned before, I am bi-racial and I don't want to stick out a like a sore thumb. I have to admit, it does worry me a little that both ferndale and royal oak only have like 2-4% blacks or other minorites living there and the majority is white. No problems here, just a little confused on how that is considered diverse. But thanks for your help, I'm definetly going to look into where you stay in Ferndale to see if they have any apartment avaliable.
Diversity is not limited to black and white. True diversity is a mix of Black, white, Asian, Hispanic, middle eastern, American Indian, (what else is there?). Many of these groups are recorded as "white" in census data. I am not sure how bi-racial people are counted in the census. Maybe they put them half in each category. Further, you are probably looking at 2000 census data. Things may have changed since 2000. I will leave it for the people who live there to tell you, but I think that the population may have become more mixed since 2000.
However in general, in this area, most places are pretty segregated. I see a few places that seem to be fairly evenly mixed between black and white (River Rouge and Ecorse for example) but those are not places that you would want to live. What you apparently want to avoid is some of the outlying suburbs where there are essentially no black people at all. For example, in our community of about 12,000, there are two biracial families and one black family that i am aware of. They are lost amongst a sea of "Whites" This is apparently what you are trying to avoid. It is hard to avoid. S.E. Michigan is pretty segregated, even amongst so called whites. Dearborn is mostly middle eastern people. Hispanics tend to concentrate in SouthWest Detroit, especially near the "Mexican Villiage" There are certain communities in north Oakland county where Korean people tend to congregate. Detroit is almsot entirely black as are certain suburbs (Inkster for example). People of Slavic and Polish descent seem to be concentrated downriver (if your last name does not have a dozen silent consonants, you may not fit in). I do not think that any group tries to make others unwelcome, it is just that they have congregate by background and continue to do so. People of other backgrounds do not always feel comfortable so except for a few pioneers, they do not go there.
Royal Oak and especially Ferndale do not seem to be one of those places. I am not aware to any prevailing cultural background. Further, their proximity to Detroit provides for a good mix of races, even if more black people live on t he Detroit side of the line. Still the business customers and city events seem to be fairly decently mixed. It is nowhere close to a 50/50 mix, but it is a better mix than in a lot of other places. Certainly more than 2%.
Ann Arbor is more mixed, but the surrounding suburbs are mostly white.
Nobody in Ferndale would care if you are a bi-racial couple. They probably wouldn't even notice. Just MHO.
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