[northstar22]

If you don't want to live in the bland burbs, Ann Arbor and Port Huron are both within about an hour's drive of Southfield. If you prefer smaller towns, Dexter and Chelsea are reasonably nice towns west of Ann Arbor.

[netb2b]

Thanks all for your valuable replies.

How is the area looks like? I lived in Schaumburg, IL for 3 moths and I have a feeling about detroit suburbs are of same kind. I am mostly interested in Troy, Sterling heights, Rochester Hills, Farmington Hills as these will be near to Southfield. Which area should I prefer from these which is safe for a family, clean, new aparments, good pre-schools/kindergarten (and preferably near to mall).

I am still confused if moving from NJ to MI is a good decision. Sometime I think better to stay where I am. Moving to a completely new place where you went never before looks like a risk. Many questions comes to mind. I still have a job in NJ and also got offer from MI. Should I leave job and join in MI? Too much confused what to do.

One benefit I can see moving to MI is that its near to Canada and I still have ties to Canada. But making it a base to move to MI, am I doing right???

[stanman13]

Michigan is a nice state, I think you will like it. We are having some tough economic times right now, so honestly evaluate the best you can whether you think the job will be reasonably secure. Any of the places you mentioned are nice suburbs, and would be a resonable commute to Southfield. I don't think Southfield itself is bad, either. You could also consider Novi and West Bloomfield.

Detroit has its good and bad points. Like someone said, if you stay out of the neighborhoods for the most part you should be ok. Honestly though, I doubt you'll find yourself going there very often except for one-time events like museums and such.

[DaniellaG]

I know moves come with a lot of unknown and anxiety. I can't say if the move is right for you I would just look at the pros and cons and then make the best choice you can for the best opportunities. I know very little about Sterling Heights or Rochester. I did rent an apartment in Farmington Hills and it was about 10 min from the mall in Novi and near M5. I felt it was very safe and clean. I would suggest the apt and the area. In Troy it is very congested but near Somerset Mall and then you are also close to Roay Oak which people like for an evening out. I am not familiar with the school districts though but can say Southfield schools I have not heard good things at all about. I know West Bloomfield,Bloomfield Hills, and Birmingham have good schools. Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield,Novi are all family friendly areas. There are usually events during the different seasons etc

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by netb2b

Thanks all for your valuable replies.

How is the area looks like? I lived in Schaumburg, IL for 3 moths and I have a feeling about detroit suburbs are of same kind. I am mostly interested in Troy, Sterling heights, Rochester Hills, Farmington Hills as these will be near to Southfield. Which area should I prefer from these which is safe for a family, clean, new aparments, good pre-schools/kindergarten (and preferably near to mall).

I am still confused if moving from NJ to MI is a good decision. Sometime I think better to stay where I am. Moving to a completely new place where you went never before looks like a risk. Many questions comes to mind. I still have a job in NJ and also got offer from MI. Should I leave job and join in MI? Too much confused what to do.

One benefit I can see moving to MI is that its near to Canada and I still have ties to Canada. But making it a base to move to MI, am I doing right???

The communities that you list are simlar to each other. They are basically suburban sprawl. Lots of cookie cutter subdivisions McMansions and strip malls. Troy is more upscale and than Sterling Heights and Farmington Hills. Rochester Hills is a mix of middle class up to very wealthy. Rochester Hills abuts Rochester which has a nice small historic downtown. Farmington Hills abuts Farmington which has a pretty neat downtown (but just a small section).

DO schools matter? You can look up shcool data on Citydata and in several other places. However for schools you need to consider more infomration than just raw data numbers. I think that, of the four, Rochester probably has the best schools, Troy next Farmington Hills next and Sterling Heights last.

Give these options, I like Rochester Hills the best. The topography is very nice. THere is a lot to do in and around Rochester Hills, it is very clean, safe and has great schools. Being close to the City of Rochester is a big plus to me.

Troy is probably the next best, or it is tied with Farmington hills. Farmington Hills has more older (and therfore better built) homes. It is a bit more settled. Troy is somewhat "nicer" Troy has the prettiest shopping mall that I have seen anywhere. It is a lot of upscale schops, but it has plenty of "normal" places as well.

Farmington Hills is nice because it is well settled in. It is near Farmington.

THere are some very nice places around Sterling Heights that would be nice to live in. However for themost part I do not personally like Sterling Heights that well. It is more industrial than the other communities. It has less general appeal to me. However it still has some nice palces to live from which you can visit other commuities and share in their ameneties.

All of the places that you mentioned are basically suburban sprawl with no downtown, no real defined area that fosters a strgon sense of community. Depending on what type of living you like, there may be better options for you. I would suggest that you rent for a while look around maybe even live in a couple of different communities.


Michigan is a beautiful state with lots of character and mostly great people. We found people here to be initially suspicious and cold, but once they accept you, they will do anything for you and are truly wonderful. If you like to be outside and enjoy varying weather, it is a marvelous place to live. It is pretty, schools are great, people are great etc. If we have to tell you that the economy here is terrible, then you are an idiot and we do nto want you to move here. if you lose your job here, it could be very difficult to find another job (depenind on your field).

[MI-Roger]

Be sure to check out the traffic situation during weekday rush hours. I think Rochester is lovely, but Rochester Road - the primary link to the closest expressway - is 7 miles of strip malls, stop lights, and bumper-to-bumper traffic at peak times.

Traffic congestion can happen anywhere, so be sure to check out the traffic in each area that interests you during the time periods you will most likely be commuting.

I am nearly the only car on the road when I leave our neighborhood to go to work each day. My wife can barely exit the neighborhood when she leaves 3 hours later because of heavy traffic. Thankfully she doesn't have to make a left turn to exit!

[snowballjack]

Hi,

I have been in Michigan for three years now. We moved when my son was in first grade. I researched schools here very intensively and found that the Farmington Hills area was the best of everything for us. It is 10 minutes to Southfield (where I work), most homes in Farmington hills are literally minutes to Kroger, CVS, and other shopping included Target, Kohl's, Home Depot, etc. I have found that of all the nice suburbs, Farmington Hills is the most family oriented because it is so laid back. People are more friendly and open here than in other suburbs. My son goes to Kenbrook, which is a FABULOUS school, it is rated a 9 at great schools.org, but should be a 10. The community also offers dance, yoga, art, swim and other classes at a very reasonable price. It's a great way to meet people and the list is endless, they also have events in the park and a community theatre for adults and children. It's very active.

Honestly, I don't like Michigan. Mostly the weather, but I am from the South and used to much more friendly people as well. However, I have been much happier since we've settled into Farmington Hills. Detroit itself could be a nice city but I don't feel comfortable there still. There are nice things, Tigers, Red Wings, DIA, Detroit Science Center, and the Detroit Opera House, but the city is not nice and I don't even like to have dinner down there before or after a show. Royal Oak is fun though and so is Birmingham for going out. I feel very safe in all the suburbs. My son rides his bike through the neighborhood to his friends alone because it is so safe in Farmington Hills. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

Oh yeah, definitely don't do Windsor, your commute would be a nightmare! One of the guys I worked with in Southfield lived in Windsor and no matter if he took the bridge or the tunnel, he never drove less than 45 minutes and he came in at 7 AM to avoid the traffic! Windsor is beautiful to visit and has a nice river trail, but the commute would be awful.
Good luck!

[JGatti]

I grew up in Southfield and would strongly suggest NOT living in Southfield. It still has some really nice area's but I would not send my kids to school there unless I could afford private schools. I agree that Farmington/Farmington Hill's would be a nice and close fit. I personally hate the suburbs close to Detroit. ALL of them mainly because of traffic and congestion. I live way out away from the city and prefer it, but to each their own. If it came down to it Farmington is nice. So is Birmingham ( but pricey) as is West Bloomfield/Bloomfield Hills.
I've never been to NJ but if you give Michigan a chance you'll see there is a LOT more to it than the crap you see on the news.