Detroit Area

[Sportbilly]

Hi,

I'm potentially going to be offered a relocation abroad (living in the Midlands in the UK) to work in Troy, Michigan.

The job seems to tick all the boxes, however, we like to live in a bigger city and the only one seemingly near, Detroit, would worry me due to the obvious safety concerns.

Detroit historically had a bad reputation, anybody know if it's improved and would be a safe city for a family to live (I know any city can be dangerous I'm the wrong places of course)?

Are there any other decent sized cities, with plenty for families to do, in commutable distance to Troy please?

Im not from this area but a similar one in the same region. Troy looks to be part of the larger Detroit Metropolitan Area, so not IN Detroit proper, but one of the suburbs that the city eventually runs into. Everything merges into one, you just see signposts (and the quality of housing/greenery may change) when you roll into another town. I see its between Bloomfield Hills and St Claire Shores/Grosse Pointe which are pretty posh with a high number of corporate executive types. A lot of major employers would be in these suburbs around Detroit rather than in the city proper, and will have their own services and the like.

You also have the two college towns of Ann Arbor and Lansing nearby if you want different cultural or college vibes. University of Michigan (at Ann Arbor) is a US top 20 school both generally and in many research areas. Their US football stadium is the third largest in the world - a game day weekend is pretty unforgettable.

Detroit has had a bit of a renaissance since the last financial crisis, and the city at the time was actively trying to shrink, clear out bad areas, and a lot of young people bought some of the big old glorious homes of the Gilded Age and did them up. You don't have to live in Detroit but its still the industrial belt of the Upper Midwest. It will be cold and slushy in winter/hot in the summer, it will be run down in places, it will still be heavy industry in others, and there will be pockets of people who were clearly left behind. Living out in the suburbs you will be insulated from a lot of that and the really bad areas will be miles away.

Next closest major metropolitan area is either Chicago, IL or Im guessing Toronto. However, Detroit does have its own art museums, heavy philanthropic involvement from the Ford Foundation, and its own pro sports teams. There is some amazing architecture around, is the home of Motown Records, and plenty of decent restaurants. It not some burnt out cultural hell hole wasteland at all. Michigan also tends to vote democrat most of the time.

Look up Troy and Bloomfield Hills in particular as places to live as I can imagine there is a TON for kids and families. Plenty of outdoor and indoor sports activities, there are lakes nearby, hell whatever you want to do can be found and easily accessed in the US.

Will you be offered a chance to visit before accepting the role?

Just wanted to add - in the similar area we lived in, while we also prefer living in a city, I was not willing to give up certain amenities in the suburbs for city living. No problem, we just drove in when we felt like it/there was a concert on/sightseeing and shopping. You WILL be in the car quite a bit more as public transport options in the US are typically thin on the ground or nothing you really want to be taking on a regular basis.

Thanks for the detailed feedback. I guess my worry is we're currently living in a small city (50k population) in the UK and one thing we hate about it is that there's not so much for families to do.

A lot of the places not in Detroit are not much bigger, so whilst they may be "safe", I worry if they will be a bit, dare I say, boring.

I was hoping for somewhere not so small, but no being in the middle of Detroit either.

Probably wanting my cake and to eat it ha!

My brother lives in Wixom, it is really nice there. When we visited we went to Ann Arbor and I thought I could live here. It reminded me of Battle in E. Sussex, not sure why.

I think its important not to see the suburbs and towns as 'separate' from each other. The Detroit Metro area is over 4 million people and includes all those north suburbs. Id say its more similar to how London came to be with different areas slowly subsumed into a much larger whole and are now contiguous, but still have unique quirks. A 10, 25, or 50 mile drive between places doesn't take as much time as it does in the UK either - it can be much easier to 'go' other places that look far on the map, but aren't really in actual travel time. Or enjoy activities that look like they are in another town but its five minutes down the road.

The company hiring you should have, though the HR department, contacts with local real estate agents who can help you find the right community/house for your needs and will know the local market on the ground. Its not at all like the wild west insanity of estate agents here, RE agents in the US have to take an exam, be licensed by the state, and are actual professionals.

I wouldn't live in Detroit proper but there's lots of nice suburbs. There's plenty of things to do though often quite spread out (you will be driving a lot). You can't go by municipality size in much of the US--it's meaningless. They run into each other. It's much better to look at what's nearby and how built up it is: some suburbs are more densely built while others are all big lots and privacy and nowhere to walk to. There's nothing in Detroit that's dense like a European city or SF/NYC.

Thanks, but do some of the bigger suburbs have everything you need to do in them (kind of a mini town in itself), or do you end up needing to go into downtown Detroit all the time.

I live very close to Troy, ask away and I'll answer as much as I can.

Detroit is much improved but it's not really like a big U.K. city and wouldn't, I don't think, be suitable for you to live in and commute out to Troy. Detroit public schools are woefully underfunded due to the way tax money gets collected and distributed.

Troy and the surrounding communities are great places to live and work in. Troy, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Birmingham, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak and Ferndale are very popular, depending on the type of living you want. Property prices here are more expensive than you might imagine, though, and renting can also be pretty pricey.

Sorry, I meant 'wouldn't, I think'!

You don't need to go into the city all the time if you live in an American suburb.

I'm in the Chicago metro area. A street separates my suburb from the city.

My suburb has its own police force, ambulance, fire department, school system, fantastic public libraries ( one huge, two branches), huge old main post office plus one branch office, parks and rec dept, two public swimming pools, a year round ice rink, multiple public tennis courts, basketball courts, beach volleyball courts, loads of playgrounds, grass and all weather pitches for soccer, baseball, etc.

Also has its own public health department, forestry department, streets and san/ snow ploughing.

There are easy public transport links to the city.

There's a thriving restaurant scene, live theatre, a cinema, multiple large supermarkets, little artsy shops, ice cream places, bars (but it was once a dry city so the next door suburb is still the place to go for pubs).

Older suburbs close to Detroit would be very similar.

You can look up Troy city hall and see for yourself all that is involved in a self governing municipality. Look up Troy, MI, schools, libraries, etc.

I work locally and really only go into the city for specific attractions - art, symphony concerts, occasionally to eat, meet friends for the theatre maybe once or twice a year, or trawl through specific shops in one particular area.

Is this a permanent move or for s limited time? If you have children, the most important thing is to work out which school district is best for you and then find s house in that district.

You say “we”, is there another adult in the household? And if so, will he/she be able to work here too? It depends on which visa you are on (unless you are USCs, of course). That will have a huge impact on affordability whether there is one income or two in the household.

We lived in Troy with our three daughters for ten years. It's a fantastic place to raise children. The school district (Troy School District) is top 5 in the state. Michigan has highly ranked schools nationally, as well. The local elementary schools were high quality and safe. I would recommend finding a home in Troy High School's catchment area, and living north of 16 Mile for the very best schools.

We lived down the street from Troy Aquatic Center, the public library, and the community center. The community center has a lovely pool with a water slide, a fitness center, basketball/tennis courts, and much more. The aquatic center has several waterslides, a swimming pool, a zero-entry pool for little children, and a nice play area. We rarely needed to venture far for entertainment. Detroit has some attractions (the Riverwalk, graffiti art, Detroit Institute of Arts), but you will have all of the restaurants, the shopping, and the children's activities that you need right there in Troy. Somerset Collection is a fantastic indoor mall located in Troy. I'd say we traveled down to Detroit once every year just for fun.

Troy is really one of the best places to live in Michigan, in my opinion. Rochester Hills is also worth looking into. Another lovely, family-friendly city close by. We left to live in the countryside, but I often miss being in the middle of everything. If you're looking for a city with a more centralized feel (Troy is a suburb and thus doesn't have a "center of town"), look into Birmingham. It's lovely, as well, but in my opinion, Troy or Rochester Hills are more family-friendly.

Best of luck to you!

My friend has recently moved here from Detroit. The reputation is to be believed drive by shootings are the reason she left one thing she misses is the music scene so it's not all bad

Drive by shootings really only happen in impoverished inner city areas, not in suburbs.

Well despite starting this thread in June 2022, I've only just got an offer through last week which I've verbally accepted, but want to try to push a bit on the package in the meantime!

First question is for anybody who has moved from the UK to the state of Michigan, how does the cost of living compare?

Putting aside all the relocation packages, and support with return annual flights etc, in terms of my base salary they've basically proposed me 1700 USD for every 1000 GBP I currently earn in the UK, I would also add the job is effectively the same level as I'm at now. Does that sound reasonable, if I go on LinkedIn and check similar companies in Michigan with similar jobs then the salary they've offered seems to be in the right ball park just don't want to be worse off than I am in the UK?

The second biggest "worry" is where to live. I've read again my original post, and all that stands, and all the previous helpful feedback. Will ask again as may get some new or updated opinions now.

My job will be located in Troy, and I've got a wife and two kids (14 and 4).

The only big city in commutable distance is Detroit, but I gather even in downtown that a family couldn't really live there? Has anybody ever lived actually in central Detroit and could comment here please?

We don't like a small city feel, and my wife doesn't drive (I will be at work all day Monday to Friday), so we're looking for a place to live with all the amenities (Shops, schools, restaurants, kids/family entertainment) that are potentially walkable or a place that has reasonably good public transport (appreciate most places in the US are car focussed!).

We're not bothered about being somewhere "posh", so not necessarily about being in the trendy districts, but having plenty to do around us and some sort of town centre (downtown?) even if a smaller city.

Any on the ground advice, tips or advice, be it positive or negative, would be appreciated.

You should forget competely about living in the city of Detroit itself.

Your wife needs to learn to drive. There is a good deal less fuss and bother about learning to drive and doing the test in the US. You will need two cars unless you are able to walk or bike to work or take a bus.

You need to forget your British ideas of 'posh'/ 'trendy' and so on, whether positive or negative. School quality depends on the income level in any given school district and district boundaries tend to be strictly enforced. Your children will need to go to decent schools so you will need to set your sights on a middle class suburban area. There is a hige difference between good schools and bad. You need to find good schools and then find somewhere to live within the catchment (aka 'school district'). Suburban areas outside major US cities have public (aka state) schools that rival or in many cases far outstrip even the top independent/public schools in England.

https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/search/best-suburbs/m/detroit-metro-area/
Troy has just over 85,000 residents. Community services, facilities, and schools are excellent.

Ann Arbor, pop. 122,000 is home to the University of Michigan and has everything you could hope or wish for

Does she not drive for medical reasons, or can she learn?

if she can, she needs to learn asap!

Maybe she can't drive for medical reasons. I'm sure there are other people living in Detroit suburbs that also can't drive.

OP maybe you could explain to your employers that your wife can't drive, so would need an larger salary for taxis.

I moved from the UK and I'm twenty minutes from Troy. Everything I'm used to buying (food, beauty products, cleaning stuff) is 30% more expensive after currency conversion, but that is mitigated by cheaper petrol and more favourable taxes. Things like Marmite and real cheese are even more expensive so they are now 'treats'.

I put on 10lbs the first year just eating the same food I usually did, so watch for the extra sugar in everything, even familiar brands, and especially in bread.

Not a driver either and many parts are totally unwalkable ie zero pavements. Very few crossings or bridges, or buses. Our road has wee dropped kerbs off a roundabout leading... nowhere 🤷🏻‍♀️ I found a job I can Uber to cheaply but it really isn't easy without a vehicle.

Happy to chat further via PM 🙂

I agree about downtown Detroit too. Look around the Metro area, Sterling Heights, Clinton Township and Mount Clemens especially for a more UK feel.

Why move to near Detroit if it’s not for more money or a promotion? Does the company offer more progression? I’ve lived all over the world and also near Detroit (in the 1990’s in a boom time). Driving was a must even for an 18 year old like me. The college towns offer a certain vibe. The lakes and outdoor lifestyle is spectacular. I wouldn’t rush back to live there now unless it was for megabucks.

Pavements or no pavements, walking any kind of distance isn't doable in the depths of winter.

Unless she has a medical reason not to drive (and there are plenty of people in the UK who don't drive purely because they have never needed to or have never been able to afford lessons) she needs to learn. Learning to drive in an automatic in the US is not the fraught experience of learning and facing the driving test in the UK. You can take the test any time after 30 days of learning and practicing. She will need to show evidence of legal residence in the US and proof of residence in Michigan.

OP maybe you could explain to your employers that your wife can't drive, so would need an larger salary for taxis.

I can see the eyerolls even from the other side of Lake Michigan.

My previous post from last year still stands.

How long are you intending to be here for? You say you have a 14 year old-there's no way I'd contemplate moving a child that age for a short term expat posting.

If you're intending to be here long term, you should research what happens when the oldest gets to university age. You probably wouldn't be eligible for UK home fees if they wanted to go back and study there. If you didn't have a green card by then, any child would also not be eligible for in state tuition rates at state universities.

Your wife not driving is going to be expensive for getting about by Uber/Lyft, there are a few buses around but not many routes. I'd say an American driving test is easier to take as an automatic is so much easier to drive, however it's like driving nascar on the local interstates.

Meijer have started a home delivery service and I think you can get people to effectively shop and deliver for you but I can't remember what they still called here.