OT - Moving to Detroit

AA to Dearborn really isn't that bad.  Outside of some construction in the DTW/275 area occasionally, it's not bad at all.  I previously drove through there almost daily during morning/evening rush our times, and can't complain too much. 

Althought living downtown sounds wonderful, I think I would take a 30 min trip twice a day, to ensure my car isn't stolen, I don't get stabbed, etc, but to each their own! 

Good luck, and welcome back.

is a township that is busy but nice to live in. I used to live in Allen Park but stay away from there right now since the town is having serious financial issues.

Dearborn is really a great town, if you can afford it, I would try to live in Downtown Dearborn. It gives you that downtown feel and the condominiums there are beautiful. Also, some great bars and restaurants on Michigan Avenue. If you are looking to lease a nice condo I do not seeing it being more than 800-1000 dollars a month. Also, if your looking for more of a bachelor lifestyle, the lofts are gorgeous on top of some of those restaurants, I used to actually stay in one.

Welcome to town! Hope that helps a bit.

Detroit has an income tax so that is something to consider.  No comment on safety but grocery shopping, etc can be difficult in Detroit.  I know a number of Ford exec's live in Ann Arbor.  Plymouth is nice if you want to be a bit closer to work.  If you are young and single I'd see if you could swing living in Ann Arbor even with a longer commute.

Both great and little to no commute. Of course Ann Arbor if you won't mind the commute. If you have kids, I'd go to Plymouth over Deraborn. If not, Dearborn. Very affordable and nice city. Ann Arbor schools are very good.

I would definitely be looking at the Broderick Tower if I were renting.  Good location and some of the units have excellent views of Comerica Park.

http://brodericktower.com/

The Kales Building is a good spot too.

http://www.kales76.com/

If you are, that's where I work. Awesome agency.  Anyways, people in Dearborn live all over Metro Detroit.  Ann Arbor is an easy drive to Dearborn.  Grosse Pointe, closer but 94 cross town traffic isn't great.  Same with Royal Oak.  Probably all are equidistant.  Personally, I wouldn't live in Detroit but I have a family.  Michael

Congrats on the job offer, but don't live in downtown Detroit unless you plan on living right around Ford Field and Comerica. I've heard that's a decent area. I wouldn't commit to an apartment in Detroit unless I knew it had 24-hour security, and was preferably gated off.

If you can find a nice place in Dearborn, I'd go there, honestly, over Detroit. Much easier commute, and at the end of the day, well, its not Detroit.

Detroit is in my mind the greatest city in the world.

Ferndale is pretty cool. Never spent much time there until I had a couple friends move right by the downtown area. Was just there this past weekend and had a good time.

Ann Arbor is of course my suggestion.  When I moved back to Michigan, I  specifcally accepted the job offer that was in Ann Arbor, so my circumstances are quite different though.  Canton is not too far away from Dearborn and is booming like crazy, so it may be worth a look.  Also, don't quote me on this, but if you think you can handle it (don't think I could), there are now cash incentives to move to Detroit.  I'm not sure if these are company based or city based, but it may be something to think about.

...like it's some sort of apocalyptic wasteland where you are 1000% guaranteed to have all of your earthly possessions stolen. 

I live in Chicago now, but if I were to ever move back to the mitt I would probably move to Midtown.  My sister lives there near Wayne State and loves it.  I don't know what it would be like to raise a family there and I'm not going to begrudge anyone living in the suburbs, but if you're young, aware of your surroundings, and enjoy city living then that's the place for you.  There's a vibrant music and arts scene, some great restaurants and bars, the riverfront and the new bike paths, the stadiums and campus martius, and a sense that people are really trying to make things better.  I think it would be great to be part of that.

that it has been an excellent city for services. 

Police EMS and Fire response time is terrific.  Library system is very good, though it took some hits in the last few years, due to the hit on property values.  Schools are ranked a little lower, but this is mostly due to the large bi-lingual population and english as a second language issue of haveing a very large Arabic population.  West side schools tend to be better performers than east side.

Housing may also be more attractive on the west side, with main very nice neighborhoods to choose from.  Real estate took a hit, so the market is a bit depressed, but on the other hand, if you pick a good location, you could make out quite well.  Levagood Park area, Dearborn Hills, homes by Ford Field are all very nice areas to live in.

Aribic culture and, thank god, the food is very much part of Dearborn and if you don't think you can deal with that than you should look elsewhere.

As others have mentioned, the apartments off of Michigan avenue near Monroe places you near a very happening area comparable to a mini Royal Oak. 

Good luck!

Detroit is ruled by guns, so you are more likely to get shot.

P.S.  I'll tell you how to get Capone.  He pulls a knife, you pull a gun.  He puts one of your men in the hospital, you put one of his in the morgue.  That's how you get Capone.

As a poster stated above, downtown West Dearborn is very nice.  Many cool bars such as Bailey's (my favorite) and good restaurants.  You will have both a nice downtown area and close proximity to your job.  Try this site:

http://westdearbornlofts.com/

I bought a house in Livonia last year and it is definitely not a renter's haven nor does it have a downtown presence.  It is a very nice city to live and raise a family, but if you are looking for a more upbeat, lively city, I think Dearborn or Royal Oak is a good place to start.  Good luck and congrats!

If you want to live in Detroit proper, midtown is the place to be.  I have a buddy that lives there and I hang out down there quite often.  Shoot, there are a couple units vacant in his building, you might be able to score a deal.  And it's literally right next to Slows-To-Go and a couple blocks walk from Motor City Brewing Works.  Great area.  Right by the Majestic/Magic Stick complex too, if music is your thing.

Otherwise, I'd recommend the Royal Oak/Ferndale area.  Not a bad commute and a ton of stuff to do.

When my wife and I were looking at homes back in 2004, we almost bought one in the area around Divine Child school - very nice neighborhood with some old craft homes in it. Of course, it depends on what you want - if you are single and want to live in a great city with much to do, then definitely consider living right in Dearborn as others have mentioned.

If you want to be a little farther out but still not a bad distance from either Dearborn or Ann Arbor, the Belleville / Romulus area (where I happen to live) isn't a bad deal, and it is fairly cheap from a property tax / housing standpoint, but there isn't too much to do right around here. However,  you're maybe 20 minutes from Ann Arbor (where my wife works) and 15 minutes from Dearborn via I-94. Going up and down I-275 ,which is easy from where I live, basically gives you reasonably quick access to some decent shopping too.

In my position, I often find myself going between my office in Belleville (or my house, which is in Romulus) and downtown Detroit and back, and it's about 25 minutes to Edison Plaza (our HQ) from my office (which is in the I-94 / I-275 area), so commute times to many places in Metro Detroit are reasonable from here.

Newly renovated, looks sweet. Brodericktower.com

West side of Dearborn in the Outer Drive, Cherry Hill area is beautiful.

Some are fine and nice and there are good restaurants and family and blah blah blah....BORING.  There are not many interesting things happening in these towns, even Royal Oak.  If you are a young person without kids you're going to live a more joyful existence if you live in Detroit. 

There are several attractive highrises in Detroit that offer plenty of security, views, proximity to fun activities, etc.  There a Whole Foods coming in (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/14/whole-foods-detroit-groundbreak... ) so that area will almost surely continue to 'develop'.  Detroit is where it's at. 

And...this isn't a lifetime commitment.  If you hate it for whatever reason, you can always move away. It's definitely worth a shot compared to the bland suburban existence that most people above are suggesting.  Don't settle for the unexceptional. 

Ann Arbor is nice, but spending a significant chunk of your limited free time driving in a car listening to bad radio is a huge waste.