Live in Windsor / Work in Detroit (visa / detroit questions)

[MS313]

I doubt if it's that much of a pain in the ass to cross the border if people are commuting to the downtown Detroit area everyday.

[North 42]

Originally Posted by Monty870

^ Typical for someone from Toronto to describe Windsor as "tired and rusty". I suggest the OP should really explore Windsor. He will find cultural diversity and ethnic enclaves like no other city of its size has in Canada, a low cost of living, very safe and established urban neighbourhoods, one of the best waterfront park systems in Canada, and wonderful people. Windsor is not like any other city in southern Ontario. To really understand it though you have to fully explore it.

There are thousands of Windsorites who cross the border every day for work - these people are not "crazy". They have Nexus passes (which the OP should look into) and the vast majority of commutes are quick and painless.

Ha ha, I think Jim B is tired and rusty, not Windsor.

Seriously though, my husband commutes to work in Ferndale Michigan, and it usually takes him half an hour or so. Only the odd day it will take longer, he takes the tunnel, not the bridge.

[confusedinUSA1]

Originally Posted by canadian citizen

Your Wife can sponsor you under the Spousal Visa program, offered by the Canadian Government.

here is a link to that part of the Canadian Immigration website... READ and save it on your computer.

Family sponsorship

This is actually a program we've looked into and spoken with an immigration lawyer about. It is fine and would definitely work, the only issue is that there is a 17 month processing time. We realize that's not necessarily indicative of how long you would wait, but that's definitely longer than we want to wait... That's the dilemma we are facing, unfortunately.

[brodie734]

Answering your questions about Windsor specifically, it is a diverse little city but one that has declined substantially... 15 years ago, it was augmenting it's industrial decline with a booming nightlife and entertainment center but that aspect has declined substantially over the intervening years... it's now the kind of place where you can find a seat in a nice restaurant on a Saturday night without a wait.

[North 42]

Originally Posted by brodie734

Answering your questions about Windsor specifically, it is a diverse little city but one that has declined substantially... 15 years ago, it was augmenting it's industrial decline with a booming nightlife and entertainment center but that aspect has declined substantially over the intervening years... it's now the kind of place where you can find a seat in a nice restaurant on a Saturday night without a wait.

DT Windsor is much better now without all the 19 and 20 year old American kids coming over to get drunk and trash the place. It was out of control for years, and caused so many businesses to flee the core. There were broken storefront windows almost every weekend, puke everywhere and violent drunken fighting that scared our own residents from coming DT.
Things are much better in our DT now, more businesses have opened, high end restaurants and pubs have replaced almost all of the "kiddy bars", and both St. Clair College and the University of Windsor have built DT campuses that have brought a couple thousand students into the core. Foot traffic is up and things are looking much brighter now, and we still have a pretty busy nightlife scene, it's just that it's more diverse and less trashy.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by North 42

DT Windsor is much better now without all the 19 and 20 year old American kids coming over to get drunk and trash the place. It was out of control for years, and caused so many businesses to flee the core. There were broken storefront windows almost every weekend, puke everywhere and violent drunken fighting that scared our own residents from coming DT.
Things are much better in our DT now, more businesses have opened, high end restaurants and pubs have replaced almost all of the "kiddy bars", and both St. Clair College and the University of Windsor have built DT campuses that have brought a couple thousand students into the core. Foot traffic is up and things are looking much brighter now, and we still have a pretty busy nightlife scene, it's just that it's more diverse and less trashy.

I was in Windsor Saturday night.

I am in love with the Gourmet Emporium in Olde Walkerville. It's for the more mature crowd, and it's small, but its awesome on a Saturday night. You can just dance with ladies who want to have fun and there's NO cover!

I also went to Lefty's on the O in downtown, too. Love that place as well! A month ago I went to the Mamo Burger Bar on Ottawa (?). Pricey but good quality. Windsor is awesome! More Detroiters need to go on over there and enjoy what y'all have to offer.

(I'm still trying to figure out where the black ladies party in Windsor, I know the population is not THAT big, but there must be 1 or 2 spots where a preponderance of Canadian black folk go to have a good time in Windsor.)

[313 TUxedo]

As for national parks - Point Pelee NP is less than an hour away, Rondeau (an Ontario Provincial Park) not much farther, and a little less than two hours from The Pinery (a large Provincial Park with great beaches).

[North 42]

Originally Posted by usroute10

I was in Windsor Saturday night.

I am in love with the Gourmet Emporium in Olde Walkerville. It's for the more mature crowd, and it's small, but its awesome on a Saturday night. You can just dance with ladies who want to have fun and there's NO cover!

I also went to Lefty's on the O in downtown, too. Love that place as well! A month ago I went to the Mamo Burger Bar on Ottawa (?). Pricey but good quality. Windsor is awesome! More Detroiters need to go on over there and enjoy what y'all have to offer.

(I'm still trying to figure out where the black ladies party in Windsor, I know the population is not THAT big, but there must be 1 or 2 spots where a preponderance of Canadian black folk go to have a good time in Windsor.)

It's great to see our American friends exploring more of the city than just DT Windsor. Olde Walkerville is a great neighbourhood, one of Windsor's best. I love Mamo Burger also, pricey, but worth it.
Not really sure about where the local black ladies go, I would think they just go to the same places as everybody else.

[usroute10]

Originally Posted by 313 TUxedo

As for national parks - Point Pelee NP is less than an hour away, Rondeau (an Ontario Provincial Park) not much farther, and a little less than two hours from The Pinery (a large Provincial Park with great beaches).

On the American side, just a little over an hour west of Detroit, halfway between Ann Arbor and Jackson, are the 2 HUGE adjacent state "recreation areas" of Pinckey State Recreation Area and Waterloo State Recreation Area. Pinckney is 11,000 acres big. Waterloo is the 3rd largest state park at 20,000 acres. Combined, those two parks are 48 SQUARE MILES of forests, wetlands, prairies, lakes, streams, rolling hills, and open land that used to be farms. The 2 parks are connected by a 36-mile long trail that takes 2-3 days to traverse on foot.