  Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 3 Registered: 12-2006 |
I've been perusing this board for some time, using it as a guide when I first moved to Detroit last year. Thanks for being a good reference! I just signed up because I'd like to hear opinions on purchasing in Detroit, as my fiance and I are looking to purchase our first place. I am currently renting in Woodbridge and I love it, but we cannot afford any of the homes that are on the market here. We have been looking at homes in Old Redford, North Rosedale Park and East English Village. We've seen lots of beautiful homes and I have a very good impression of East English Village (from friends that live there and have for years, and co-workers that also live there). But I am partial to North Rosedale for a variety of reasons. I just don't have any impression from others about the neighborhood. We are looking to start a family within the next year as well as possibly adopting, so schools are a concern for us as well. Any advice on purchasing in Detroit and/or general feelings of the North Rosedale area are appreciated. Thanks! | ||
Detroit_stylin Member Username: Detroit_stylin Post Number: 3418 Registered: 10-2003 |
Welcome to the forum if you have not been extended that yet... If I may ask...where did you move here from? | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1006 Registered: 11-2004 |
From Model D East English Village http://modeldmedia.com/neighbo rhoods/eastside.aspx Rosedale Park http://modeldmedia.com/neighbo rhoods/grandmntr.aspx | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 5 Registered: 12-2006 |
I was raised in and around Flint, I moved to Ann Arbor for school, lived in Ypsi briefly, then moved here. Thanks hemingway, I've read the Model D sites, still looking for other's 2 cents. | ||
Mossman Member Username: Mossman Post Number: 18 Registered: 08-2006 |
I lived in N. Rosedale Park for 9 years in the late 70's and early 80's. At that time it was a very cohesive neighborhood with lots of activities centered around their community building which is located in the park. Also, a much larger percentage of the residents belonged to the homeowners' association {NRPCA} then. Sadly, enthusiasm for community activities has waned over the years, but they still have a community theater group {Park Players} and the association sponsors other activities throughout the year. The downside of living in the Park is that the surrounding commercial streets do not contain attractive retailers and generally suffer from the same decline that plagues all of Detroit's neighborhoods. Crime is also a constant concern. | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 6 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thanks Mossman. Crime within the neighborhood or in the surrounding areas? And to what extent? (what should we be most wary of?) I don't mind the retail situation out there. We actually spend a lot of time out thataway. E. English doesn't win any extra points from me for its proximity to the "Pointes". | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1276 Registered: 11-2003 |
East English Village has a great housing stock. Just make sure you have an alarm on your house and the garage. | ||
Mossman Member Username: Mossman Post Number: 19 Registered: 08-2006 |
Crime within the neighborhood has been a problem for years. Car thefts and break-ins are fairly common. When I lived there, two of my neighbors were murdered in their homes. | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 7 Registered: 12-2006 |
This was in the 80s? Any gauge on the statistics nowadays? I can't seem to locate a source online for specific neighborhoods. By comparison, the homes in N. Rosedale are larger with larger yards than E. English for about the same price. | ||
Mossman Member Username: Mossman Post Number: 20 Registered: 08-2006 |
I doubt that murders are a regular threat now, but you can count on burglaries and car thefts. | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 8 Registered: 12-2006 |
Well, I have those problems to be aware of where I live now, and have dealt with those situations (and worse) in Flint and Ann Arbor. If those are the least of my worries...I think we'll survive. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7241 Registered: 10-2003 |
East English Village is fine, if you don't mind the sewer rats. Now West Village. THERE'S a neighborhood. Walkable, interesting, diverse, 1/2 mile from Belle Isle, 3 miles from downtown. | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 9 Registered: 12-2006 |
We did initiate our search in West Village, but heard terrible things about muggings. We would love to be close to downtown, but didn't get the impression that West Village was the best place to start a family. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7242 Registered: 10-2003 |
We've had problems with car break-ins. A police officer told me it's because the Wayne County Jail is overcrowded, so they have to let non-violent offenders out. They make a bee-line back to criminal activities. But I haven't heard anything about armed robberies. | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 1997 Registered: 06-2004 |
And located oh so close to itsjeff, Eastsidedog, Eric_c, Jams, Bob_cosgrove, and many others. Talk about a party -- you could go on all night just listening. And quite frankly, I am pretty sure with many in that collection, that is the only thing you will get the chance to do. If that alone doesn't sell you, I am not sure you will be happy anywhere. | ||
Itsjeff Member Username: Itsjeff Post Number: 7244 Registered: 10-2003 |
Also, although the source is drying up, I've enjoyed ready access to an inexhaustable supply of nuts & bolts. | ||
Neilr Member Username: Neilr Post Number: 411 Registered: 06-2005 |
If townhouse/coop living appeals to you, you might consider Lafayette Park or Elmwood Park. Our neighborhood school, Chrysler Elementary School is considered to be one of the best in Detroit. | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 1998 Registered: 06-2004 |
The best time to build a foundry and process bolts was 20 years ago. The 2nd best time is today. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 9061 Registered: 10-2003 |
Itsjeff sure is pushing HIS neighbourhood. But Itsjeff would make a great neighbour. | ||
Kiplinger Member Username: Kiplinger Post Number: 46 Registered: 06-2006 |
Polly - I have lived in North Rosedale park for 10 years. I have friends that live all over the city but most live in Sherwood Forest, University District, Indian Village, and East English Village. The problems we have experienced in N. Rosedale are no different than what my friends and others have experienced in other Detroit neighborhoods. I don't agree with mossman that the community involvement has declined as we have an extremely strong Community ACtion group and our children have been involved in the neighborhood athletics for 4 years (soccer, baseball, and basketball). City living in general has its challenges and I don't think any neighborhood is immune. There is also a large effort to update the shops on Grand River and within the last year Foodland has been updated into a nice grocery store and new stores are popping up all the time. I also appreciate the diversity. Plus we are very close to shopping in Allen Park (the new strip mall), Livonia, and Dearborn. | ||
Cambrian Member Username: Cambrian Post Number: 447 Registered: 08-2006 |
My uncle lives in NW Detroit, I belive he has line locks installed on his vehicles to keep them from being stolen. These keep the brakes activated, I don't know much else about them other than that. A nice feature as I hear the thieves are so advanced they use a flat beds to steal cars now a days. The line lock would give them a really hard time dragging the car onto their flat bed. | ||
Supersport Member Username: Supersport Post Number: 11039 Registered: 10-2003 |
Line locks eh? That's funny. One of my cars does in fact have a line lock on it, though it's for doing a burnout to heat up the tires for drag racing, a technique that I even had to explain to a judge once while fighting a careless driving ticket, but that's another story. Using such a system as a security deterrent is something I'd never thought of. For the system to work however I would think the solenoid would have to remain powered up while the car was off in order to maintain pressure in the brake lines, but perhaps the power drain is so minimal that it wouldn't drain the battery. | ||
Dabirch Member Username: Dabirch Post Number: 2000 Registered: 06-2004 |
Perhaps its done through the same technology that powers the transformers? | ||
Eric_c Member Username: Eric_c Post Number: 902 Registered: 11-2003 |
How did you hear about West Village muggings, Polly? I never thought to post about any other community since you asked specifically about Rosedale, but I can tell you that my wife and I were living in Woodbridge when we found our home here near West Village. We're actually Islandview residents (a scad more west than West Village proper) and the whole community is quite serene. | ||
Goat Member Username: Goat Post Number: 9072 Registered: 10-2003 |
24VDC valve (even 12 volt valves are available)will draw .5w of power while on. Some valves use only .3w but they need a pilot assistance to shift. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 237 Registered: 04-2006 |
I know someone whose car was stolen on a flatbed. I grew up near N. Rosedale Park and am partial to the west side so it gets my vote. My family has been in that area for over 30 years and has never once had a car stolen or our house broken into. This time span includes the crack epidemic of the 1980s... | ||
Rhymeswithrawk Member Username: Rhymeswithrawk Post Number: 204 Registered: 11-2005 |
I'm going to be a first-time homebuyer myself in the spring. It really depends on what you can afford. I'm looking at Boston-Edison and you can get nice, well-kept hopes that are 4,000 square feet-plus for under $243,000. Not that I want to spend that much, of course. I've also looked in Corktown, which I love. Maybe I'll check out the West Village and East English, too. How much and how large are the homes in those 'hoods? | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 10 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thank you for all the great responses! RE: The West Village muggings: Two people that I work with lived in West Village and when I mentioned that we were looking there, one of the women told me that she was mugged just walking to her car and the other person was mugged at gunpoint. She did say that it was probably the same person and that the cops caught him, but she warned me (as a women) to look elsewhere. These occurred summer of 05 or 04. I'm glad to hear so many accounts to the contrary regarding West Village, because we haven't totally excluded it. We did find a house in North Rosedale that we loved, and also found a house in E. English that we loved as well, but we haven't made any offers. And there doesn't seem to be a need to rush to do so. We are also very interested in Jefferson Village and the surrounding area, close to the parks and the water. But nothing is for sale currently! I had heard that in the early 80s that North Rosedale had a terrible heroin problem as well. I assume that the crack epidemic moved in just after, like it did everywhere else. Right now I live in a neighborhood well known for coke dealers. I'm really glad to hear Kiplinger's assessment. So relieved! I just got a better impression of North Rosedale. I like the community house, we would be close to there and the park, also close to the elementary school. I get the feeling that people assume the E. English is better just because of its neighbors. (Message edited by pollybergen on December 21, 2006) | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 11 Registered: 12-2006 |
Rhymeswithrawk: Boston-Edison would be fantastic, but even if we could afford the home, we would never be able to afford the up-keep or the utility bills on a home much over 2,000 sq. feet. We like Corktown and Mexicantown as well (my fiance is Mexican and has a lot of good memories of Mexicantown). For us, Corktown isn't as "family friendly" (with a large yard, few major streets nearby, fewer liquor stores and foot traffic to them, etc.). If we weren't going to have a family, I'd love to live there. With regards to Mexicantown, we have looked a few of the homes, new construction and old, condos and sinlge family homes. We found that the homes, both old and new, needed a lot of work and the condos weren't worth what they were going for. East English village has a lot of homes for under $150K for about 1500-1700sq feet. Many of them have large updates (roofs, furnaces, appliances), but many of them could use cosmetic help. North Rosedale has a little bit larger homes for around the same prices, same cosmetic situations. | ||
Savannahsmiles Member Username: Savannahsmiles Post Number: 5 Registered: 05-2005 |
Have you thought about River Rouge? I don't know anything about the area, as it has been a long time since I've been there, but it is easy to get to downtown from there. There is a nice 2-3 brm house w/finished basement,new floors (hardwood I think), new central, attached garage and separate garage all on it's own BLOCK, all fenced on a decent street for around $120,000. I believe the addy is 23 E. Anchor if you want to drive out and see. They used to have good schools. I don't know now. It might be worth a look. | ||
Savannahsmiles Member Username: Savannahsmiles Post Number: 6 Registered: 05-2005 |
(Message edited by SavannahSmiles on December 21, 2006) | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1278 Registered: 11-2003 |
If you don't know anything about the area, why suggest it? Seriously. | ||
Savannahsmiles Member Username: Savannahsmiles Post Number: 7 Registered: 05-2005 |
I thought it might be worth a shot. Oops. My bad. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 239 Registered: 04-2006 |
Umm, I don't think River Rouge is quite the type of neighborhood she's aiming for... | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1279 Registered: 11-2003 |
Not "your bad" I was just honestly wondering why you suggested it if you didn't know the area was like. I assumed it was because you saw that they have some cheap housing stock, but didn't want to assume. No worries. | ||
Futurecity Member Username: Futurecity Post Number: 410 Registered: 05-2005 |
I have two friends, both with families that live in East English Village and both speak highly of it. I don't know if this helps, but they both send their kids to St. Clare School there, which sits on the Grosse Pointe Park/East English Village border. Over the past several years, both have spoken highly of the school. | ||
Mackinaw Member Username: Mackinaw Post Number: 2278 Registered: 02-2005 |
Welcome, Polly. I find it interesting that you are going from a neighborhood in the core of Detroit to either a far west or far east side neighborhood. Both are good choices. I know far too little to comment on Rosedale, but I know all about EEV. It has most of what you'd expect in a suburb; safe, no blight, well-taken care of homes and yards, yet it is fairly integrated and has access to a nice array of basic services and some interesting shops along Mack Ave and East Warren. Mack Avenue between Balfour and Alter is quite eclectic with bars, restaurants, and even a few ethnic spots. In EEV you get houses, especially in the southern part of the neighborhood, that are really beautiful and almost the same types of homes that you see across Mack in the first few blocks of Grosse Pointe. It's under 5 minutes from I-94, and of course Warren/Mack/Jefferson are close at hand for a 15 minute trip downtown. Basically I'm trying to get you to lean towards the east side! | ||
Kiplinger Member Username: Kiplinger Post Number: 48 Registered: 06-2006 |
Another new thing going for N.Rosedale is we have a Farmer's Market on Thursdays. This was the first year and I was very impressed. Many farmers come with their food as does Avalon Bakery. | ||
Pollybergen Member Username: Pollybergen Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2006 |
Thanks for your post Mackinaw! I do like EEV (what a handy abbreviation), but I really think that west is more for us. My dude travels to Ann Arbor for work, so when we were checking places out on the east, he realized that adding 20 minutes onto his commute wasn't really worth it. Like I said above, if we could afford a home in Woodbridge (that wouldn't need to be completely gutted) we would stay! Kiplinger, N. Rosedale just keeps looking better and better to me! It would be great to not have to go down to Eastern Market every week! |
