Posted: Dec 29, 2009 1:12 pm
or, NW side, where I grew up. You can get a mansion in Palmer Woods, CHEAP (and pay plenty for heating it).
University District (off 7 Mile), Golf Course, Green Acres (just off 8 Mile), Sherwood Forest. These are huge houses.
Hamtramack has a lot of duplexes, close together, but it also has a viable commercial strip. Not too far from MagicStick but never walkable.
Other neighborhoods near MagicStick are Boston-Edison, Canfield Street, New Center Area. Can be dicey down there. You may need a mean dog and be comfortable with handling guns for protection.
If you want to live downtown, Lafayette or Harmony Park has townhouses, etc.
for suburbs, Ferndale & Royal Oak are not that far out, and they're older. Royal Oak has become kind of a gourmet ghetto but there's a downtown which has bars, restaurants, etc. No crime/break-ins worries.
I tell you one thing --- you can buy a perfectly decent house in any of the above for $25K, maybe $50K in Royal Oak.
the city varies, it can be really tough, where just going into a neighborhood makes you break into a sweat. A lot of the middle ring of the city is gone --- empty blocks where every building has been knocked down, or just one or two left. But from what I've heard, there's hope.
here's a positive blog:
http://www.detroitblog.org/
Detroit and Memphis have a lot in common I think.
Ann Arbor is a nice option (and lots going on there) but depends on your commute.
GOOD LUCK!