Thoughts on African American female moving to Detroit area.

[Maxine3]

Originally Posted by stiebs81

I would not recommend St. Clair Shores if your concerned about racism. The city is about 95% white. It's a tight middle class community. The police pull over African Americans more than other suburbs. A lot of retired folks live here. The community is steady, but I would not say vibrant and upcoming. Royal Oak would be a more acceptable community. It's not as racist and has a decent amount of brick bungalows. However the houses would probably cost about $50,000 more than St. Clair Shores. I'm looking to move out of SCS because it's too boring and can not stand the old people.

Of witch you will be one some day, if you're lucky

[usroute10]

Hello, Ms. Searcher. The economy is bad here, so it might be difficult finding a job. If you can find one, then God bless you.

Since I am a resident of the city of Detroit, I am going to recommend the city. Although, we have a LOTS of problems, there are still a good number of neighborhoods that are vibrant, safe, and unique.

Two neighborhoods that you should consider are Woodbridge and West Village. Woodbridge is within walking distance to the cultural center, arts scene, unique restaurants, colleges, etc. It has OUTSTANDING architecture!

West Village is very, very near to the riverfront Gabriel Richard Park, Belle Isle Park (a very, very large island park), downtown Detroit, the Riverwalk, Tri-Centennial Park, Eastern Market, and the new rails-to-trails project, the Dequindre Cut.

They are very diverse communities.

If you want to buy a bungalow in a safe outer neighborhood, there are many affordable ones in the SAFE and WELL-KEPT neighborhoods of Grandmont and Rosedale Park.
Below are some houses for sale.
Moderator cut: links removed, real estate advertising is not allowed

You will have to pay higher auto insurance if you live in the city, and maybe higher property taxes as well.

[citysearcher75]

Good Morning,

I checked the blog today and want to respond to the various new posts.

GinaJ - I left New York (ironically) because the office I worked for closed. I found out about Charlotte from a friend and gave it a try site unseen. I did have a job before moving here, so technically I did interview and see the city before I moved. I missed NY for a while, but I stayed. I worked in Human Services, as a social worker. The agency I worked for closed recently because of financial hardship. I am applying for jobs...but, no response from Detroit. I am in school now for Library Science and Adult Education (two different programs). Eventually, I will seek work in this area, but right now I am applying for anything I have experience in. It will work out though...: )

usroute10 - Thank you for the info. I love your post!

Forgive me if I missed a post.

[GinaJ]

Ok so I am lost. Where do you live now? In Charlotte? What makes you want Detroit out of all of Mi? Have you looked on websites of libraries for jobs or at schools? Don't forget craigslist too. You know another cute area with young people and may have more jobs is Ann Arbor.

[Jazzy Cat Daddy]

Let's be real for a minute. You did ask a question about racism in the Detroit Metro Area, right? Well, this is America and she has a history of racism. So, now that we've got that out of the way...All of the suburban cities that you have visited are what one might call affluent (Bloomfield Hills, St. Clair Shores) and don't have any significant amount of African-Americans. However, the city of Detroit does have a couple of suburban cities that might be to your liking. Lathrup Village and maybe Auburn Hills. Both are pretty small but nice. I can honestly say that it's very backwards in this area. Take for instance, the business and commerce sectors. You will see beautiful mega-malls constucted all the way out in Troy (The Somerset Collection) instead of being downtown on Woodward Ave. Now, if this were Chicago or New York City, it would not be like that, right? Even the downtown area has been allowed to go under by the overall business community. Reason why is because people still have hurt feelings behind something that Coleman Young said a long time ago. But, long story short & to answer your question, yes, Detroit as well as the rest of America has and always will have a problem with race. And you would think that with the largest Arab population in the country and a nice size latino community, Detroit would be one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.

[ericlecarde]

I would suggest you to try the following cities: Ferndale (very open minded and with lots of things to do), Southfield (there are tons of job opportunities in this city) or Royal Oak. Those three cities have lots things to do in their downtown areas, they are racially diverse and they are affordable to what you are looking for. And, you are close the most principal freeways (696, 75, Southfield fwy), so transit going to work won't be a problem. I think most people would agree with me on this one.

[zakian]

The only places in S.E. Michigan showing any signs of growth and racial harmony are the Oakland Co. subs or west around Ann Arbor/Chelsea. Chelsea might be a little too rural for you but check it out. IMHO.