The company I just started working for won a 3-5 year contract to manage the state's modernization of their unemployment systems and I was told that I will have to eventually (1-6 months) move up there from TN.

While I love living in TN, I've never been to Michigan, so I'm trying to keep an open mind. I know that Michigan has the worst unemployment in the U.S. and the Detroit area has been hard hit and the resulting foreclosures, etc. I also know that Detroit has a high crime rate and the cost of living in Michigan is much higher than TN.

Here's what I've found out so far:

State and City Income tax (TN has no income tax)
Utilities are much more expensive
Property taxes are much higher
Food and gas are higher
My car insurance is going to go up $10,000 a year (for two cars)
Car registration is much more expensive.
Houses may be cheap, but crime is ridiculous in Detroit.

What I'd like to find out, is what suburbs are safe, friendly and not expensive to live in? What about Royal Oak?

Is car insurance much cheaper outside of city limits?

Are there neighborhoods that are relatively safe in Detroit, I'd like not to have to commute very far. I've heard the Midtown area is alright.

Are there dog parks and places to go hiking with my dog (a year and half old black lab). What kind of outdoor activities are prevelant? I do a lot of kayaking and hiking here in TN, but open to learning new stuff.

I'm excited about the car culture, but how much flack am I gonna get for driving japanese cars?

Are there areas that are more gay-friendly than others?

Any info you can give me about the Detroit and surrounding areas would be much appreciated. I don't really know many folks up there and I'm supposed to be starting the project around 1/25.

Thanks,

Seth

 

1-6 months - enough time to find a new job and stay put.

 

One of my friends lives in Grosse Pointe. It's a very nice place, I think there are 4-5 areas that make up the entire Grosse Pointe though. There are good schools and it's a nice like family area.

 

What city will you be working in? There are tons of nice areas to live in around metro Detroit.

Really, most of the suburbs north of 696, as well as west of 275, are going to have nice areas to live in. If you'd rather be closer to Detroit than that, Ferndale (9 mile & Woodward area) has a nice downtown district and nearby decent places to live. When it comes to being gay-friendly, I can't imagine you'd have many issues in the areas listed. Places like Ferndale and Ann Arbor (futher out) are likely to have larger gay populations. Ann Arbor in particular is uber-gay friendly, but then if you're working in downtown Detroit, that's going to leave you with a 1 hour commute.

As for car insurance, it is more expensive, due to MI being a no-fault state. I would shop around, though, $10k/year is obscene. For your cars (Element + Evo) I think somewhere around $2-4k/year would be more reasonable (full coverage), depending on your record and what area you end up in. I'm pretty sure that insurance will be cheaper outside of Detroit proper. Car registration is reasonable, about $100.

Outdoor activities - in the winter, the only activity in MI is drinking beer There are some dog parks scattered about. There are some local ski hills (emphasis on "hills".) Snowmobiling and cross country is big further north. There are numerous parks/nature areas in metro Detroit if you want to do the hiking thing and all that.

I don't get much crap for driving foreign cars. My neighborhood is mostly current/former GM/Ford employees. I'm the only house that doesn't have a single American brand car and I've never had an issue. The only "incident" I recall was a few years ago, when GM was on strike, some guys picketing on a corner started yelling and waving their signs at me. Just wave, smile, and go about your business. I would recommend that whatever place you rent has a garage for your Evo. Not because it's foreign, but just because if you're living close to Detroit, you don't want to tempt fate.

You could probably get better/more answers over at miEVO.net

 

imo all of the suburbs are safe, and for detroit itself, downtown, is very safe, its packed with undecovers, however, if u step outside of downtown, then ur on ur own..lol, its not as bad as i may make it sound, u coudl still do ur thing but dont be wandering around when its dark.
insurancewise, iam paying around $65/month full coverage on my evo,as for the living expenses are u comparing it to TN or nationwide? reason why iam asking is cuz i just got relocated to NC and Mi is alot cheaper interms of utilities, food, ....etc
and like otter said, it all depends where will u be working.

 

I'll be working in Cadillac Place in Detroit