Tell me about the Detroit area...

In My Humble Opinion
1

For better or for worse, it seems I will be moving from Denver to Detroit by the end of the year. I’m not looking for areas to live in, just general information about the city, the social, political climate, and most importantly are there any decent Ethiopian restaurants? Actually, any pinions about Detroit will be appreciated.

I’ve travelled extensively throughout the entire country (was an OTR trucker for three years.) Detroit & Michigan in general seemed to be pretty much the armpit of this nation. Please, please change my mind!

Thanks.

2

In the first place, “the Detroit area” is really, really, really big.

and something for everyone, both to love and hate are there.

There’s some terrific museums, theaters etc. restaurants galore (tho’ I can’t say I know about Ethopian ones), the Greektown area has some fun things.

Detroit itself is relatively Democratic in nature (these are generalizations YMMV.), while nearby Oakland County is largely Republican (or was while I grew up there).

The biggest drawback to me, having grown up there and now transplanted in the Lansing area, was the amount of concrete. You could go through 10 communities, without seeing an end to the concrete. where I am, there’s lots of undeveloped land, farm land, trees and other fine things like that.

Best of all, though, is the attitude in MI that a few hours drive is nothing. You can make it up to itty bitty community fairs in Montrose (near Flint, it has an annual blueberry festival, they have a telephone museum and a festival museum where you can see the actual real dresses worn by prior blueberry festival queens), the Bavaian Festival in Frankenmouth, etc. pretty easily.

And cider, in the fall, outstanding!

Then, for your summer vacations, you go up to Mackinac (pronounced Mac-i-naw) for fudge and fun.

3

Actually I’ll be moving to Grosse Pointe. This thought fills me with dread because I resolved a long time ago never to live in an area where they use the little pretentious “e” in the place name. Plus, I don’t drive a Lexus SUV.

I know Harrisville (between Oscoda & Alpena) quite well. It’s pretty, though very provincial. And too many trees for a Westerner; I’m used to big views! I like the idea of little country fairs, though. And that there is a Greektown in Detroit. My impression; and what I’ve heard, is that the racial divide is very pronounced. Am I correct? Denver is wonderfully homogenized & well integrated, ethnically, and I like that.

4

Grosse Pointe???
I was just there yesterday (funeral).

Yes, there’s a lot of $$ which attracts a lot of snobs, but, one of my best friends also grew up there (although she contends that the blood transfusion she got at birth explains why she’s not like her siblings). My sister in law is from there, too.

racial divide? I’ve not really spent any time there in the past 15 years, so I dunno really. Sorry not more help there

But, look on the bright side, you’d be able to do the Flint Dope fest in June. :smiley:

(re the Lexus, my standard line about my brother, who lives in Farmington Hills - pronounced Fahhhmington- is ‘oh, you’d know him, he drives a Lexus, his wife drives a minivan…’)

5

Carina-

there are a couple of good Ethiopian restaurants in the Detroit area (both named, as all good Ethiopian restaurants should be, the Blue Nile). One of which is in downtown Detroit - fairly close to the Pointes. The other’s in Ann Arbor.

FWIW, I grew up on the west side of town- in the western suburbs. I always liked that side of town better than where you are gonna be, but I guess it’s what you get accustomed to. The Pointes always seemed too hoity-toity for me, but my blue collar roots are showing.

The suburbs have become much more ethnically diverse, but the divide between the city and the burbs is as bad as ever- especially with all the tax base having fled the city, so it is difficult for any improvements. The neighborhoods in the city in many cases are burned out shells, with only one or two houses per block- makes it difficult to plow roads or get decent lighting on the streets.

There are lots of cool places you can live or visit which aren’t too far from Grosse Pointe- Royal Oak/Ferndale has a substantial gay/lesbian population, and has lots of cool bars and restaurants.

Windsor, Canada has pretty damn good Chinese/other Asian food.

The external shots for the movie Grosse Pointe Blank were filmed in Grosse Pointe Woods, I think…

The Detroit Zoo is cool- but not actually in Detroit.

Absolute must-do list:

  1. National Coney Island- 2 with chili, onions and mustard (yum).
  2. Greektown- it’s in the city, good greek food.
  3. Hockey at the Joe- either professional, or the occasional college game that happens there.
  4. University of Michigan football in the fall- just you and 110,000 of your closest friends in the stadium.
  5. North American International Auto Show- you missed this year’s one, it always happens in like January or February, and is definitely worth the trip.
    For other things to see/do- just ask me. I lived in the area for most of my life (save the last 3 years in New Hampshire), and am desperately trying to get back. The divide between the city and the burbs sucks, but Detroit and its environs has a lot of character.

blanx- who is absolutely craving a chili dog…

6

As far as I know, blanx is correct in that there are two Ethiopian restaurants in the Detroit Metro area: one in Ann Arbor (which is a haul from Grosse Pointe), and one in downtown Detroit (in Greektown, matter of fact). I’ve only eaten in the Ann Arbor one, but I understand they’re under the same ownership, so they’re probably both good. (Of course, I’ve never eaten in any other Ethiopian restaurant, so maybe it’s not up to your standards.)

I suppose information on the political and social climate depends on exactly where you’ll be living and working. I live in Detroit proper, but the advantages and disadvantages of living in Detroit are not necessarily the advantages and disadvantages of living in the Pointes. For example, my brother- and sister-in-law live in Grosse Pointe. They like the relatively low crime rate, but my brother-in-law complains that people in his neighborhood are unfriendly. I, on the other hand, worry some about the crime rate in our neighborhood, but we’ve got wonderfully friendly neighbors.

As far as a pronounced racial divide, I’m not quite sure what to tell you. Detroit is still primarily Black, and many suburbs (the Pointes in particular) are primarily White, so there’s an inherent geographical seperation that isn’t, IMHO, conducive to racial harmony. On the other hand, there are some other suburbs and neighborhoods that are more mixed (so…maybe you ought to move from Grosse Pointe?). Additionally, I don’t have the sense that there’s a lot of racial tension, if that’s what you’re thinking. We live in an area that’s 80-90% African-American (we’re White, BTW), and I’ve never seen a hint of unfriendliness. Quite the opposite.

Reasons to like Detroit? I’ve got a lot of them, but they might be meaningless to you. Depends on what you like to do and what you’re looking for. To be blunt, Detroit ain’t Chicago or New York; it’s got a lot of improving left to do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a lot of fun things to do.

7

I have lived in fashionable Ferndale for almost a year now (nice to see it mentioned, blanx) and although I don’t love it here, I do like it more than I thought I would. wring is right about the concrete, though. Detroit is not a picturesque city by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand, the Detroit Institute of Art is nice and some of the art festivals downtown in the summer were fun. I have also been impressed with local ethic restaurants, although my taste runs to Thai, not Eithopian.

8

The Detroit area is fine. I live in Canton, a little piece of suburbia about 40 minutes outside Detroit. I like it here quite a bit. You will to. Detroit is on the rise and the area around it is fantastic anyway.

Michigan is not the armpit of the world… That’s Utah. Kidding!!!

9

Mahaloth-
what part of Canton? I grew up in the block between Ford Rd, Warren, Sheldon, and Lilley…

10

Oh, thank you guys! I’m feeling better about this move already. From what I know about Grosse Pointe it sounds like the sort of area that I generally loathe. Delighted to hear there are Ethiopian (and Thai!) restaurants, too.

This is a big move for me in a lot of ways. I’ll be moving with my SO (we don’t live together now.) We’ve discussed this move for a while. He got a job at a hospital there, and has two acres with an old house on it we will move into. (He wants to move back to the Detroit area to be closer to his kids & his aging mother.)Plus the lake property in Harrisville. :slight_smile: Soooo…I’ll be kind of living like a rich white person, :eek: but in a blue-collar kind of way!

So, I’ll have a very nice funky little house that I’ll be renting out here in Denver, pets allowed!

11

You’re moving into a two acre spread in Grosse Pointe? Really? I thought you had to be Edsel Ford to afford that.

Also, I just picked up last week’s edition of the Metro Times, which has their annual “Best of Detroit” survey that you might want to check out. (I couldn’t get their site up this morning, though.) Also found out that there’s two more Ethiopian restaurants around: one in Hamtramck and one across the river in Windsor. Don’t know nothin’ else about them, though.

12

A two acre lot in Grosse pointe.

you say you “generally loath” that kind on area huh?

Why not look in the “real” detroit area?

13

From what I remember, it’s more like Greek Block.

I spent 18 years growing up in Pontiac, just north of Detroit. Some of the coolest things I remember where the International Festivals downtown in the summertime, the Renaissance Festival in nearby Holly is one of the best I’ve been to, and the 4th of July fireworks over the river.

My summed up memory of the area: Great people, crappy weather.

14

Because that’s where my SO owns property. :slight_smile: Heck, if it wasn’t for him I’d be staying in Denver in my funky house in my funky neighborhood. But change is good…

15

Hey, hey, hey, missy! Everyone knows that the armpit of the nation is the entire Detroit and Toledo area.

Trust me, Michigan is much more than Detroit. Much. Once you get out of Detroit, you’re pretty much never more than a 1/2 hour from some body of water. Hope you like water sports.

Here’s a website that will give you more information on why Michigan is the best!

http://www.michigan.org

Honestly, it’s really a great place to live. [ul]
[li]Lots of lakes (the Great Lakes are something to be experienced!) and rivers to enjoy for:[/li] [li]kayaking[/li] [li]canoeing[/li] [li]waterskiing[/li] [li]jetskiing[/li] [li]fishing[/li] [li]ice skating[/li] [li]speed boating[/li] [li]laying on the beach[/li] [li]sailing[/li] [li]windsurfing or[/li] [li]tubing[/li][li]an incredible variety of fruits and veggies grow in Michigan so farmers markets abound (cherry capital of the nation, incredible variety of apples, etc);[/li][li]we have the best (?) skiing……in the Midwest (this is according to rumor - but is this saying much? ;))[/li][li]Close to lots of great places: Canada is close (take the train to Toronto, Chicago is only a 3-1/2 hour drive from Lansing, Montreal is 9 hours, you can get to New York State in 12 hours or less)[/li][li]great hiking and biking (Porcupine Mountains, Kal-Haven Trail, The DALMAC {The Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinac ride})[/li]
[/ul]

I’ve lived in San Diego and Tennessee and been in most parts of the country, but still love Michigan best.

PLUS, there’s the added benefit of a great group of Dopers! Put the Dopapalooza on your calendar for June 23rd and 24th. :slight_smile:

16

I’m a west sider so I don’t know a lot about the Pointes.

The entire metro area is diverse but the communities tend to be clustered together. I live in a predominately white neighborhood. If you go about a half mile south, it is a predominately black neighborhood. There is a stronger class divider than a racial one. Blacks, whites, and arabs tend to get along fine with one another. Communities are more cut along financial lines than racial lines.

Noticed I said arab. That’s because Dearborn has the largest Muslim popluation outside of the Middle East. There are many great Middle Eastern restraunts in the Dearborn area.

Understanding the current status of Detroit relies on knowing the past. (Only 22 but trying to learn) From what I know, the city was quite diverse until the race riots in the sixties. From there it can only be described as the Great White Flight. Upper to middle class families, mostly white, started moving out of the city in great numbers. The suburbs swelled while the city shrank. The basketball and football team went to the suburbs and many companies left. The financial base was gone.

In recent years, especially with Mayor Dennis Archer, there has been a renewed interest in the growth of the city. People are trying to make the city great again. Recent growth has included apartments downtown, two new stadiums being built, for better or worse three casinos, restraunts and businesses being opened and staying opened, as well as Compuware buidling their world headquarters downtown. They have been slowing tearing down old and abandoned building. Detroit is gaining respect but it takes awile. I don’t know if Detroit will be great again for a long time but there are many people working to see that happening.

Detroit has really strong suburbs. That is where most of the people, the money, and the shopping is. Helpful breakdown of the suburbs: Downriver - anything south of Detroit, West side - west of Downtown but not Dearborn, Dearborn - it’s its own area, East side - the Pointes up to St. Clair Shores, Oakland County - self explanatory.

I could spend time explain the general stereotypes of the areas but I don’t have that much energy right now. Quickly Downriver is seen as a poor, white trash, trailer park community. The Pointes as uppity rich folk. The rest is somewhere inbetween the two. The West side and Oakland County are more similar than either one would like to admit though.

Plusses for Detroit: The people, the food, events (electronic music festival, jazz festival, etc.), recent growth, quick access to Canada (as anyone 19 will tell you)

Cons: Traffic, crime, rebuilding has a long way to go, segragated communities