What can you tell me about Detroit?

amother

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 8:37 am

What can you tell me about detroit? I have an excellent career opportunity in detroit and we are thinking about moving. It is a pretty long term commitment so I would like to have a better sense of what it is like. I have a few main questions:

1) What are the people like? Nice? Warm? Friendly?
2) For newcomers-how difficult is it to make friends?
3) Are the frum neighborhoods safe?
4) where are the frum neighborhoods
5) where do the young people live?
6) Kosher food/restaurants
7) What are the schools like?
8) People who live there-are you happy overall?
9) are there other women who work or will I feel like the only one?

Thanks in advance!

amother

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 8:52 am

amother wrote:

1. My Dh is from there and I go to visit a few times a year. In general detroiters are very nice. out of town warmth and friendliness.
2. cant say. but we always end up meeting someone while walking etc and they always talk to us and seem friendly. I know my IL's brought somethig over to a new neighbor when they moved (neighbor meaning down the block, not next door) and went to visit a few times to welcome them.
3. I believe they are pretty safe. they are not located in detroit but in the suburbs. detroit itself may not be as safe- dunno, but I think the jewish neighborhoods are in good shape.
4. southfield, oak park, west bloomfield.
5. I know of a number of young people in oak park's rue versilles apt complex (near the yeshiva) but think there are a number in southfield too.
6. there are a number of kosher stores and resturants. one stop. Jerusalem pizza. sarah's deli. zemans bakery. but nothing close to the selection in the east coast. in general detroit is not a big eat out kind of place.
7. Two bais yaakov schools. Darchei torah and bais yehuda/bais yaakov. there is also a more modern school.
8. cant say
9. there are def women who work. 1 aunt of dh's is sahm but the rest of his family (aunt, sister and mother) all work. plenty of his neighbors work too.

good luck

PinkFridge

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 9:19 am

amother wrote:

I think there are some threads already.
The people are wonderful
There's a junior Neshei as well as an umbrella community women's organization that are good starts for friendship.
Safety: we're in galus but I think it's as safe as anywhere. The frum community's not in Detroit city anymore.
As far as people live: Oak Park and Southfield within a mile of Greenfield Road. West Bloomfield is a nice place but far and generally for people who work there on behalf of the community - yeshiva, Chabad, anywhere.
Lots of kosher food. Restaurants, no fine dining.
I think the general quality of life is good.
There are lots of working women.
No time to talk about schools but again, search here for other Detroit thread.

amother

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 10:17 am

amother wrote:

Hey Detroit is a nice calm place to live. Its quiet here.. ppl from NY refer to it as "the country". There's a few jewish schools.. modern ones and more frum ones. The community is growing but people are nice here. There are a couple of kosher restaurants fleishigs and milchig. A nice big kosher store. In the regular supermarkets they have kosher items and kosher deli's in the supermarket. The 711's here have all kosher slurpee flavors. Since the community is growing fast its hard to know everyone here but as long as you are sociable you should be able to get along nicely with the people in the area. Its not more non safe then say NY. I wouldn't walk around alone at night but its pretty safe.

amother

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 10:29 am

amother wrote:

Thanks so much! So I understand from another poster there are three neighborhoods? Oak Park, Southfield, and West Bloomfield. What is the difference in the neighborhoods? Is there an area where there are more young people? We are in our late 20s.

thatgirl

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 10:36 am

MimiMommy wrote:

All I know about it is the very high crime rate! But I did know one person from there once and she was really sweet.

On the news they always put Detroit way up there when it comes to crime. However they are referring to Detroit iteself.. downtown Detroit which is not where the Jewish community is. The Jewish community is pretty safe as long as you aren't looking for trouble. At night when you go to the mikvah they have security who will watch you as you walk home to make sure that you are safe. There have been incidents of things happening but all in all its not anymore dangerous then other places. I am from Detroit so if you have any questions feel free to ask on here or pm me.

thatgirl

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 10:39 am

Yes there is southfield, oak park, and west bloomfield ( also other small areas as well where chabad is ).
West Bloomfield is a beautiful community about a half hour away from where most of the frum Jewish area is.
WB has bigger homes and is a more upper class area with great shopping areas. Oak Park and southfield are pretty much across the road from each other and that is where most of the kosher restaurants and schools are.

PinkFridge

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 1:35 pm

thatgirl wrote:

Not to mention most of the frum population.

thatgirl

Tue, Nov 20 2012, 7:43 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

thatgirl wrote:

Not to mention most of the frum population.

true

PinkFridge

Wed, Nov 21 2012, 9:05 am

nyer1 wrote:

Depends on your hashgafa. Sure, people are friendly, if u are like them. Modern orthodox are pretty much ostracized and I think it's awful. My sis lives there and she feels like she always has to keep up with jones in terms of frumkeit.

I'm sorry she had that experience. I wanted to share something to show that this is not always the case but I can't get this detailed. PM me if you want.

amother

Sun, Nov 25 2012, 4:35 am

amother wrote:

I am also curious if anyone can tell me anything about North Oak Park-whats it like? and what the boundaries would be considered?

Good question.Re N. of Lincoln: Many people might prefer to live as close to Lincoln and Greenfield as possible but there are some people moving onto the streets behind Lincoln closer to Coolidge, as well as moving further north, but still south of 11 Mile. It depends on a few things: how much of a Nachshon you want to be, etc. It might be best to try to rent first to get a feel for things.

As far as between 10 and Coolidge, again, YMMV. Some people might not mind being close to Coolidge, especially on Vernon, but some might.

It's hard to say what it's llike because with the community growing, people are moving everywhere. There are some older middle aged been there a while families, some young couples, the Aish families, Lubavitch. Great people but hard to categorize. Probably not the most yeshivish section, though, it's safe to say.

amother

Sun, Nov 25 2012, 4:35 am

amother wrote:

I am also curious if anyone can tell me anything about North Oak Park-whats it like? and what the boundaries would be considered?

amother

Sun, Nov 25 2012, 4:35 am

amother wrote:

I am also curious if anyone can tell me anything about North Oak Park-whats it like? and what the boundaries would be considered?