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I was out of state for many years. we moved back to MI in 2006 (YAY!)
and love it, but I feel like we are languishing in the burbs, as lovely as they are.
I have two small children ages two and four, and wish for them all the wonderful things Detroit has to offer, cultural diversity, Festivals, DIA, Yacht Club, OPA!, and Belle Isle, just to name a few.
I just want everyone to tell me the truth. Is Indian Village a safe place for us to raise our kids? Or am I insane to want to move them there? Everything seems way more safe downtown today than it does when I was running around down there with a fake I.D. in the 80's....but am I just looking at it with rose colored lenses?
I am terribly fond of our great city, and want so very much to teach my children about it's history and give them an opportunity to be a part of it's future.
But not at the expense of their personal safety.
Any thoughts?
I will try to answer this as tactfully as possible.
Indian Village is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Detroit and has been very stable, but like most urban neighborhoods, Indian Village is not completely without crime. From what I understand, crime in the Villages has been down in recent years, but it is still existent. Most of the crime is property crime. I have a friend who lives in Indian Village (a single female) and she has never had any problems living there and really loves it. However, you really should talk to at least a few IV residents about their experiences living there. Most people will be very candid with you, and you should confront them about the crime situation. These neighborhoods, (especially the Villages) have weekly email newsletters that update everyone in the neighborhood on things such as crime, snow removal, city services, block parties, etc., so most residents will have a lot of information about the neighborhood even if they haven't had any problems.
While there is a theory that wealthier neighborhoods (such as Indian Village) have higher crime because of better opportunities for criminals, there are several reasons why I believe Indian Village will continue to be one the city's safest neighborhoods going forward:
1. The DPD precinct system was just restored and IV used to have a precinct very nearby that serviced the neighborhood. Hopefully, this will increase patrols and response times.
2. Indian Village is a primary target for Bing's plan to move cops back into the city. In fact, there are probably several DPD officers with plans to move into Indian Village by the end of summer. This will certainly improve safety and the diligence of police coverage.
3. Indian Village has one Detroit's strongest neighborhood associations. Seriously, they are hardcore. Foot patrols, private security, neighborhood watch program, improved street lighting, weekly mailers, etc. You can definitely take comfort in the fact that your neighbors will watch your house and your back.
4. Neighborhood notoriety and resurgence. Indian Village is one of Detroit's best known neighborhoods and has some the city's finest homes and architecture. For this reason, the neighborhood is very resistant to blight and decline. Housing values in IV are also comparatively high, so the neighborhood is resistant to many problems that often plague poorer areas.
5. Indian Village's location bolsters its desirability. It is close to Jefferson and many retail hubs. It is close to downtown. It is close to Eastern Market. These factors prevent it from being cut off and thus shielded from crime and abandonment.
You will probably also want to look into charter schools for your kids. While not all Detroit public schools are representative of the media's horrible portrayal, there are a lot of systemic changes going on within DPS and why be in the middle of all that if you can avoid it.
If I were you, I'd wait for the weather to warm up and then spend Saturday afternoon cruising IV, scope out the parameters of the neighborhood, talk to residents, go through some of the shopping centers, etc. Generally, familiarize yourself with the area and that will help you be more comfortable and knowledgeable in making the decision to move.
Good Luck!
By the way, you may want to talk to Remisc, as he recently made a move very similar to yours not too long ago.
Location: Detroit's eastside, downtown Detroit in near future!
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^Those reasons are why I love IV and the Villages as a whole.
I'd also add to what Forstarters said, that you should check into going on one of the neighborhood tours. These tours are very informative (from what I hear). Check out the IV site, there should be dates for the tours. Like Forstarters said, the neighborhood association is very hardcore. My brother use to stay in West village, so did one of my aunts and a couple of family members stayed in IV. That association has always been like that. From what I remember.
Also there is revitalization going on in the Villages. Islandview, West Village and East Village have had some revitalization and have plans for more projects this year.
There is a school, Nichols, that is in IV. From what I know it still is a pretty good school within the neighborhood. You might want to check into that. Worldof is also in IV, that's if you can afford it lol. Trust me, its expensive. Good school though
We considered houses in IV and in Boston Edison. We decided that it was not an option for us for the following reasons:
1. Terrible schools (Rennesaince HIgh and several other high schools are execellent, but what about elemntary ad Jr High?).
2. No place for kids to play, ride a bike, hang out. No forests, rivers etc.
3. Detroit Property and Income tax.
4. Kwame Kilpatrick (no longer an issue).
5. Watching a city council meeting where they blatantly told a Detroit businessman that they were not going to award him a contract beause he was white.
6. We had already done the inner city urban pioneers thing. (Santa Ana CA) It worked out well and we enjoyed it, but we were ready for something different.
7. Talked with a lady from IV. She said she felt like she had to remain barricaded in her house at all times, and told us her neighbor was mugged at gunpoint on her front porch while bringing in groceries (I took this as one perspective, not an overall representation of common occurances, but still it was a concern).
8. It was pretty clear that many of our family members would not come visit us if we lived in Detroit.
9. No place for the kids to play.
10. Distance to a grocery store, home deopt, target, etc.
11. At the time I was working at home and regularly flying out of State. I wanted to be closer to DTW.
12. We found an opportunity to live on an island, buy a house for $1 and appear on cable television.
13. No place for the kids to play (note: this was a really big issue)
Otherwise, we would have jumped at the opportunity. The houses that we were considering were incredible (we had a lot of money from selling our house in CA).
We discovered Grosse Ile (which we love). There was an 1836 house that was donated to the Historical society who in turn offered it for sale for $1. The only catch was we had to buy some land and move the house to another lot and restore it. HGTV was doing a show about moving houses. They chose our house move for one of their episodes. Although it was expensive, the overall package was too neat a deal to pass up. We stopped looking at other locations once this became a real possibility for us. We could have had a much larger and cooler historic house in the City for less or the same money and about 3000 hours less work, but as a package, there was no competition. It is really hard to pass up a chance to live in Grosse Ile if you have a family and can afford it. It is a really special place.
I am grateful for all of your input, and I thank each of you for taking the time to respond. I really value and am weighing everything each of you shared. I plan to take the advice you gave, participate in a few upcoming IV events, and continue my research. Please keep sharing your thoughts, opinions, and experiences with me if you are so inclined. I really liked learning, reading, and hearing from all of you, and hope it won't be the last of your correspondence regarding our possible move to IV!
I will try to answer this as tactfully as possible.
Indian Village is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Detroit and has been very stable, but like most urban neighborhoods, Indian Village is not completely without crime. From what I understand, crime in the Villages has been down in recent years, but it is still existent. Most of the crime is property crime. I have a friend who lives in Indian Village (a single female) and she has never had any problems living there and really loves it. However, you really should talk to at least a few IV residents about their experiences living there. Most people will be very candid with you, and you should confront them about the crime situation. These neighborhoods, (especially the Villages) have weekly email newsletters that update everyone in the neighborhood on things such as crime, snow removal, city services, block parties, etc., so most residents will have a lot of information about the neighborhood even if they haven't had any problems.
While there is a theory that wealthier neighborhoods (such as Indian Village) have higher crime because of better opportunities for criminals, there are several reasons why I believe Indian Village will continue to be one the city's safest neighborhoods going forward:
1. The DPD precinct system was just restored and IV used to have a precinct very nearby that serviced the neighborhood. Hopefully, this will increase patrols and response times.
2. Indian Village is a primary target for Bing's plan to move cops back into the city. In fact, there are probably several DPD officers with plans to move into Indian Village by the end of summer. This will certainly improve safety and the diligence of police coverage.
3. Indian Village has one Detroit's strongest neighborhood associations. Seriously, they are hardcore. Foot patrols, private security, neighborhood watch program, improved street lighting, weekly mailers, etc. You can definitely take comfort in the fact that your neighbors will watch your house and your back.
4. Neighborhood notoriety and resurgence. Indian Village is one of Detroit's best known neighborhoods and has some the city's finest homes and architecture. For this reason, the neighborhood is very resistant to blight and decline. Housing values in IV are also comparatively high, so the neighborhood is resistant to many problems that often plague poorer areas.
5. Indian Village's location bolsters its desirability. It is close to Jefferson and many retail hubs. It is close to downtown. It is close to Eastern Market. These factors prevent it from being cut off and thus shielded from crime and abandonment.
You will probably also want to look into charter schools for your kids. While not all Detroit public schools are representative of the media's horrible portrayal, there are a lot of systemic changes going on within DPS and why be in the middle of all that if you can avoid it.
If I were you, I'd wait for the weather to warm up and then spend Saturday afternoon cruising IV, scope out the parameters of the neighborhood, talk to residents, go through some of the shopping centers, etc. Generally, familiarize yourself with the area and that will help you be more comfortable and knowledgeable in making the decision to move.
Good Luck!
By the way, you may want to talk to Remisc, as he recently made a move very similar to yours not too long ago.
I actually read up on the Bing thing to move cops back into the city, as far as I understand, its only on forclosed homes and they will help them rebuild but not on private owned homes.
I actually pushed into buying a home because of the cop thing and I wanted to beat them to the punch, I'm currently waiting for my paperwork to go through, but in the end found out homes had to be forclosed and this will mainly effect Boston-Edison.
Those homes are close to 100 years old.
Poorly insulated and costly to heat in the winter.
Probably old plumbing/electric and tons of lead paint
Might even find asbestos insulating the boiler pipes.
The values of those homes are going down not up.
Would be difficult to sell in the future.
In return for paying high property taxes, you have to
pay for private security, private schools and worry
about the safety of your family.
Sorry to say it but your memories of the good old days are over.
Stay in the suburbs.
Why would you jeopardize the safety of your family?
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Wow!
