  Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2007 |
Hello everyone. I am new here, and about to be new to the Detroit metro area. Now, I'll just get this out right away--I am going to be working in Rochester Hills, and so will be living there (please don't hate me right away!). However, I have a had great deal of interest in the city of Detroit for a long time, as I have family in the area, and look forward to exploring it and spending capital there. I am also extremely interested in and hopeful for the downtown revitalization, and plan to become a vocal supporter of restoration/preservation of the city's wonderful architecture. I've been reading this forum for several months as we prepare to move, and have been a fan of the Forgotten Detroit site for several years. That said, I am going to buy a house somewhere near Rochester Hills because that's where my job will be. What are the good, less-good school districts up there? Is Pontiac district a good school district? What about Rochester, or Avondale? I have no children, but want to know for the purpose of resale value. Thanks in advance. I can't wait to move to the Detroit area. Nice to meet all of you! | ||
Quozl Member Username: Quozl Post Number: 534 Registered: 07-2005 |
Welcome to the forum Motownbound, good luck with everything you seek. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 2 Registered: 04-2007 |
Thanks! I have loved all the pics especially...even though some of them depress me, like Slumpy. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 445 Registered: 11-2006 |
No children? Move to Detroit  Pontiac schools not so good. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 929 Registered: 10-2006 |
This might help for finalizing what areas are specifically what districts: http://www.michigan.gov/docume nts/CGI_SD04_P_OAKLAND_103326_ 7.pdf P.S. Rochester is off to the far right of the county about half way up. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 3 Registered: 04-2007 |
I would like to. However, we're interested in being able to bike/jog to work to keep from using so much gas. Commuting is not only expensive, but creates a lot of pollution. What about Lake Orion schools or Rochester schools? Avondale? I got the feeling that Pontiac schools were not so good. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1599 Registered: 10-2003 |
Rochester and Troy school districts are considered quite good. I think Lake Orion's schools are pretty good. Pontiac, no. Don't know about Avondale. (Message edited by Fury13 on May 03, 2007) | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 930 Registered: 10-2006 |
quite a drive really from Detroit to Rochester to do it twice a day, ten times a week... If you are really determined to spend a good bit of your time in downtown Detroit, you might actually want to be halfway between downtown an Rochester. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1600 Registered: 10-2003 |
"...you might actually want to be halfway between downtown an Rochester." That would put you in places like Royal Oak, Berkley, Clawson, Birmingham. All with decent schools, especially Birmingham. | ||
Crawford Member Username: Crawford Post Number: 73 Registered: 10-2006 |
Regarding school districts, Rochester is very good, Avondale is so-so, and Pontiac is bad. Other nearby districts are Troy (about the same quality as Rochester), Bloomfield (arguably the best in the state) and Waterford (about Avondale-level, maybe a bit worse). | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 931 Registered: 10-2006 |
There is a bike trail between Lake Orion and downtown Rochester! | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2007 |
This is very helpful, everyone. Also, this is a really heavy job I've taken on, and while I do appreciate ideas for how I might be able to move closer to Detroit--and it's an attractive idea--I need to be close to the workplace. It's the kind of job where I'll need to be there pretty much all the time the first few years. It needs to be ultimately convenient. It's not really a job, more like a lifelong vocation, really. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 5 Registered: 04-2007 |
"There is a bike trail between Lake Orion and downtown Rochester!" Oh, now THIS is helpful information! Thanks!! I know that a soon-to-be coworker lives in Lake Orion and property seems to be pretty reasonable there. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1244 Registered: 02-2004 |
One of the prettiest bike trails I've seen anywhere and the Lake Orion end has an Ice Cream store I'm not so sure you could bike it in the winter though. http://www.paintcreektrail.org/ What kind of work will you be doing? You make it sound like you're a nun with the lifelong vocation comment! (Message edited by Crew on May 03, 2007) | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 447 Registered: 11-2006 |
hehe, my thoughts too | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1601 Registered: 10-2003 |
The bike/walking trail is very nice. It's called the Paint Creek Trail; it runs along the creek for part of the time. It's an old railroad right-of-way. You can take the trail from Rochester City Park (one of the metro area's nicest small parks, right in the middle of downtown Rochester) to downtown Lake Orion, as Charlottepaul said. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 932 Registered: 10-2006 |
Where are you moving from? Not to get personal, but it might help us to help you narrow the search. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 933 Registered: 10-2006 |
http://www.paintcreektrail.org / | ||
Professorscott Member Username: Professorscott Post Number: 318 Registered: 12-2006 |
Then just south of the south end of the Paint Creek trail is an even longer trail, which goes west for a ways out of Rochester, and goes east for a VERY long way, all the way to Richmond except for a bridge over the M-53 highway which is to be constructed this year. In Oakland County it is called the Clinton River Trail; in Macomb County it is called the Macomb Orchard Trail. The whole thing is reuse of an abandoned rail corridor. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 6 Registered: 04-2007 |
LOL! I'm not a nun! And how can you people tell I'm female anyway?! I also don't really feel comfortable revealing exactly where I'm coming from, but I'll just say it's a midwestern city--not too far. Is there private messaging on this board? If you really want to know, you can PM me. I can't seem to find it, but this is my first day actually posting. I'm excited about the parks and trails! | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 934 Registered: 10-2006 |
No, it really doesn't matter where you are from. I was just really surprised and excited that someone was moving into the Detroit area that said, "we're interested in being able to bike/jog to work to keep from using so much gas." | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 7 Registered: 04-2007 |
I'd love to be able to walk to work every day. Unfortunately, I'm not sure whether that will really be feasible, year-round, due to weather (and the location of my workplace). But it would be nice to at least be able to do it most days, or at least to be able to walk/jog/bike to the grocery store, etc. I've been living in a totally pedestrian-unfriendly landscape for the last two years, and I'm kind of sick of driving EVERYWHERE. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 448 Registered: 11-2006 |
"totally pedestrian-unfriendly landscape" Welcome to Metro Detroit | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9035 Registered: 10-2003 |
http://www.michigan.gov/mde Michigan department of education site. They have listings for schools/districts based upon MEAP and Michigan Yes!(scorecards for schools), AYP (no child left behind) and school profiles. **My descriptions may be wrong - maybe a teacher can correct me** Remember there are good schools in bad districts and bad schools in good districts. Wherever you are looking you can find the info for the school if it is public or a charter. It isn't the most user friendly site but the info is there. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9036 Registered: 10-2003 |
Use this link: https://oeaa.state.mi.us/ayp/ ON the left there is a link for 'Download the Excel (tm) 2006 AYP/Education YES! State Status Report' that is a zipped .xls file that lists schools that did and didn't meet AYP (what that means to you may be the question) and the Michigan Yes! accredidation score per school. I would certainly research beyond that since some of the AYP just shows relative progress and Michigan Yes (I think) has some self reporting but it is a minimum starting point. | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 13 Registered: 12-2004 |
Pontiac's school district is worse than Detroit's, but just about anything else in Oakland County is fine. The best school districts in Oakland County are Birmingham (one of the best in the nation), Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, Novi, South Lyon, and Troy, so if you are moving to Rochester you'll have one of the better school districts for the money. | ||
Yelloweyes Member Username: Yelloweyes Post Number: 131 Registered: 02-2007 |
If you want to walk/bike to work I suggest looking for a house within 2 miles of your job location. All the School districts up that way are good, except Pontiac. Avondale might be a good choice if your looking for some diversity. | ||
Tkangas_23 Member Username: Tkangas_23 Post Number: 14 Registered: 09-2006 |
I grew up in Rochester, and the schools are quite good. There are some beautiful areas in this part of Oakland county, including the Paint Creek Trail vicinity. Also, downtown Rochester has a nice variety of bars, restaurants, retail, etc. Royal Oak might be a good compromise between Rochester and Detroit. It is about halfway between (only about 20-25 Minutes either way). It has pretty good schools, nice neighborhoods, and more vibrant nightlife. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 8 Registered: 04-2007 |
I want to thank everyone for their great input and help in this thread. Keep any more information coming, and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions later! | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 179 Registered: 04-2006 |
Are schools your only consideration? You're looking at a pretty broad spectrum of lifestyles there. Pontiac and Lake Orion are polar opposites, and Auburn Hills (Avondale district) is something else again. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 9 Registered: 04-2007 |
Nope, schools aren't my only consideration, but they were one thing my realtor suggested I "research" before giving her properties I might be interested in. (I initially gave her properties in Auburn hills, rochester hills, pontiac, and lake orion.) What should I know about these other areas? Please, do describe the lifestyles! I'd love to know anything else anyone can tell me. | ||
Frumoasa Member Username: Frumoasa Post Number: 15 Registered: 03-2007 |
Avondale schools are a nice compromise for reasonable housing stock and quality/stability of the educational system. Rochester and Utica schools are very good and some reasonable houses can be found in either district. Pontiac has been laying off teachers and consolidating schools, so I would avoid them. Anything north of Rochester makes is difficult to quickly access many of the great things the city has to offer because it is really the fringes of the metro area. Explore some of the inner suburbs like Royal Oak, Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge for a fun neighborhood atmosphere. Royal Oak schools are decent, and Ferndale is struggling with declining enrollment, so check out greatschools.org to get information on a particular district or neighborhood school. Also if you are looking at a home in the city, go to the DPS school finder : http://www.detroitk12.org/scho ols/boundarySearch.php Then look up the school of your choice and make sure that it is making Adequate Yearly Progress and is not on the list slated for closure. | ||
Spiritofdetroit Member Username: Spiritofdetroit Post Number: 450 Registered: 11-2006 |
Pontiac is a run down, crime filled city. Similar to detroit, except it doesnt have the revilization detroit is seeing! There are still some major operations and a few solid neighborhoods in the city though. I have heard only good things about Lake Orion, and it is a little more "country" than the other cities you mention. | ||
Ro_resident Member Username: Ro_resident Post Number: 228 Registered: 11-2003 |
Standard & Poor's does an annual assessment of schools in Michigan. You can check out a districts and individual schools here: http://www.schoolmatters.com/ If you want to stay close to your work in the Rochester area--the City of Rochester has a downtown with opportunities to walk around. There are also numerous parks in that area: Stony Creek Metropark, Bloomer Park, Bald Mountain, plus a few others within 10 miles or so. | ||
Jimaz Member Username: Jimaz Post Number: 2099 Registered: 12-2005 |
Utica Community Schools quote: | ||
Clark1mt Member Username: Clark1mt Post Number: 76 Registered: 06-2005 |
Avondale's not too bad, and has pretty good arts programs. That said, I'm biased, having spent my entire school life there. | ||
Bearinabox Member Username: Bearinabox Post Number: 180 Registered: 04-2006 |
Pontiac is probably the most different from the others--it's an old industrial city with some lovely old neighborhoods and a nice, if rather small, downtown. It's much poorer than the surrounding area, and it has some rather blighted neighborhoods as well. It's a bit like a mini-Detroit on hills. Lake Orion is an exurb--rural until very recently, there are still a lot of wooded areas and undeveloped land tracts, but new subdivisions are going up all the time. The village proper has some sort of downtown, but I've never spent much time there. Rochester Hills is probably what Lake Orion will look like in 15 years or so--less open space, more subdivisions, about double the population density, but the same basic idea. There's a downtown with some cool-looking 19th century brick commercial buildings that claims to be the first settlement in Oakland County. Auburn Hills is a more developed suburb and has more tech and office-type buildings. It's also got a huge mall and the Pistons' basketball stadium in the city limits. It's not as wealthy as Rochester Hills or Lake Orion but much wealthier than Pontiac. Depending on where in those communities the houses are and where you will be working, you could be biking a very long way, so you should also consider that. | ||
Peter Member Username: Peter Post Number: 63 Registered: 02-2007 |
Rent an apartment in Troy or Birmingham... you are close to Rochester and Detroit is also very close. From Troy or Birmingham it is a half hour drive either way. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 940 Registered: 10-2006 |
Some pictures of downtown Rochester. I know it is hard to get a feel for the lifestyle from pictures, but there is a small mix up there in Rochester, meaning nothing too extreme at either end of the lifestyle gamut: http://www.flickr.com/photos/d etroitsky/429720598/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/d etroitsky/421328139/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/d cmahon77/393640808/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/j durchenpano/18523909/ www.millracerochester.com/ | ||
Toolbox Member Username: Toolbox Post Number: 1066 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote: Resale value? In metro Detroit? It's a buyers market right now and will not change until the business climate changes in the area. | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 10 Registered: 04-2007 |
excellent information, everyone! I am on a budget, so if I can find a decent house in Rochester Hills in my budget, I think I'll go with RH. I am, as I mentioned, not from the area, and so I have no idea what the different neighborhoods are like. I thought Pontiac looked kind of run-down when I drove through it last time I was up there, but it's so hard to tell. I had no idea it was in such bad shape. And toolbox: yeah, I know the market is seriously in the doldrums up there right now. This should be a pretty long-term job, though, so I'm not too worried. I think that school districts really matter for resale (I'm experiencing that right now while I try to sell my current hom in my current city...I bought in a great school district, which is in a really great location, but still in the city. Hopefully it will sell fast!) | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9043 Registered: 10-2003 |
Motown - Go to the site realestateone.com. It has a pretty cool map feature where you can map in a small area and see everything that is for sale. That should help you get an idea of costs, number of homes for sale, ranges of prices, etc. With it being a buyers market you can lowball people and if they say no go to a home down the street and do the same. I believe it has most of the listing from MLS on the map but it might just be realestatone's homes for sale. http://www.realestateone.com/c ontent/compmap.asp | ||
Chris_rohn Member Username: Chris_rohn Post Number: 295 Registered: 04-2005 |
If you want a nice downtown close to your work in Rochester Hills with walkability to shopping, I would 100% recommend moving to a house in the City of Rochester. It's the best downtown in that area. Once you get into Lake Orion you have to deal with Lapeer Road and trust me, you don't want to deal with it. Also, Rochester schools are great. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1176 Registered: 11-2004 |
From what you say you're looking for, more pedestrian friendly and close to work, something near downtown Rochester is probably your best fit. It's an above-average suburban downtown with a solid yet low-key nightlife. You can't go wrong with Rochester Schools either. If you decide to buy in subdivision land in the townships, you'll end up doing much more driving than you want. To get a better idea of what the local cities offer check out www.metromodemedia.com. It's more of a rah-rah newsletter as opposed to a traditional newspaper, but there is a lot of good information in it. You can also look up stories in it by cities. Here's the link for Rochester: www.metromodemedia.com/cities/ rochester. Hope this helps and welcome to Detroit. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9047 Registered: 10-2003 |
What I have always wondered is why are Rochester prices so reasonable compared to so many communities in the area with less to offer? Rochester has always seemed like a great deal in the middle of a bunch of rip offs. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1603 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jt1, I was always under the impression that decent homes in the City of Rochester are fairly pricey, and have been that way for quite some time. Now, a fixer-upper, that would be a different story. But it's hard to beat the quality of life in Rochester. Oakland U is nearby too. | ||
E_hemingway Member Username: E_hemingway Post Number: 1177 Registered: 11-2004 |
It's kinda out of the way out on the fringe of the Metro area. It's not exactly close to the expressways. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1605 Registered: 10-2003 |
If you live in Detroit, it's on the fringe. But if you look at the entire population of the expanded metro area, Rochester is just outside the center. The center of population is probably somewhere around 16 Mile and Dequindre now. Yes, Rochester is hard to reach quickly via expressway. Some residents there see that as a plus. I will say that Rochester Road, from Big Beaver to downtown Rochester, is sheer hell during rush hour. | ||
Jt1 Member Username: Jt1 Post Number: 9049 Registered: 10-2003 |
Fury - Am I confusing Rochester and Rochester Hills? To me, for the size and actually being near stuff (by the Main street area) is a deal compared to some much of Oakland County. And it isn't too far from 75 or 59 if freeway access is a concern I don't have a clear picture on the locations of Rochester vs. Rochester Hills. | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1606 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jt1, the city of Rochester is pretty small. Rochester Hills is much larger and surrounds the city. Even Rochester High School is really in Rochester Hills, I believe. And yeah, you can still get a pretty good deal on an older house in RH. | ||
Norwalk Member Username: Norwalk Post Number: 69 Registered: 11-2006 |
YAAAWWWNNN! NON-DETROIT | ||
Motownbound Member Username: Motownbound Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2007 |
"Jt1, I was always under the impression that decent homes in the City of Rochester are fairly pricey, and have been that way for quite some time. Now, a fixer-upper, that would be a different story. " We're looking for an older home, not one of those new construction monstrosities...nothing built after, say, 1975, and that would be pushing it. And, we're not afraid of elbow grease, although there are things that would be dealbreakers. I'll ignore Norwalk's rude response now. I am so impressed with how polite and helpful everyone has been! | ||
Jdkeepsmiling Member Username: Jdkeepsmiling Post Number: 254 Registered: 01-2006 |
Fury, Last time I had heard, which was about a year ago, the population center was in northwest Detroit. People who live up in OC tend to forget about the tons of people who live Downriver. It tends to balance out. JD (Message edited by jdkeepsmiling on May 04, 2007) (Message edited by jdkeepsmiling on May 04, 2007) | ||
Fury13 Member Username: Fury13 Post Number: 1610 Registered: 10-2003 |
JD, I forgot too. You're probably right. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1246 Registered: 02-2004 |
Jd, please re-read your first sentence and tell me it really hasn't been a year! | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 1247 Registered: 02-2004 |
Jd, that's better. Thanks for correcting the typo. | ||
Rocket_city Member Username: Rocket_city Post Number: 247 Registered: 04-2006 |
Charlottepaul: "No, it really doesn't matter where you are from. I was just really surprised and excited that someone was moving into the Detroit area that said, "we're interested in being able to bike/jog to work to keep from using so much gas." lol...I thought, wow, this person must be coming from a very progressive city...and I'm glad we can gain some of that attitude and lifestyle here! I live and work downtown, so I know what you mean, motownbound. I ride my bike to work and for the time being, I wouldn't have it any other way. Sorry, I can't offer any value to the school district discussion, but lately it seems a lot of suburban schools are going through a lot of threats of attack, particularly in the Rochester/Novi Area. That can happen anywhere though and shouldn't be used to steer your school district decision. Warmest welcome to our area! I hope you enjoy your time here and all of the great things Detroit has to offer. It's great to know you can be a part of something so underappreciated yet so overly significant...Detroit. | ||
Hudkina Member Username: Hudkina Post Number: 14 Registered: 12-2004 |
Downriver only extends about 18 miles south of Downtown and not very far inland (about 6-10 miles) from the river. The northern suburbs extend about 30 miles north of Downtown and about 40 miles from east to west. I'd say that the center of population is probably closer to Hazel Park or Madison Heights, even when you factor in western Wayne County. | ||
Charlottepaul Member Username: Charlottepaul Post Number: 957 Registered: 10-2006 |
Chances are that the center is Southfield as that is where many communications TV and radio have their HQs. They like to be in the center of the metro area to reach as many as possible. |
