chrisrodman1985

I lived in Hazel Park for a year of my childhood and went to school there for three. I don't have many distinguished memories of living in the city but I've kept in touch with people who I went to school with and have visited often. It's always struck me as a strange place. It's a little bit of a lower income place but the people who live there love it with a passion and even with how bad the property values fell after the financial crisis it never seems to have fallen apart.

In general, it's a pretty clean area. Every block has a small eyesore or two but there are very few vacant houses. Loud music is occasional, parking is plentiful, and the attitude on crime seems to be that people are worried more about young people misbehaving rather than any serious threats. The parks appear to be maintained fairly well, though some could use a fresh coat of paint. Traffic is average but it's a very easy city to maneuver around. The houses are a steal but the building inspectors are fairly strict so you should expect to put a few bucks into a house if you buy it in bad condition.

All in all Hazel Park is essentially "average", and that's something that needs to change. Other small cities like Berkeley and Clawson and Rochester (where I live currently) all have a central area where there is a thriving business community. Hazel Park does not have that -- the main intersection is a collection of shopping centers and the businesses that an average visitor would want to go to are scattered enough that you'd need a car to go between them. There are some excellent takeout/delivery options, but not really anything in the upscale dining market. Nightlife is limited to a few bars. If I had any advice for the city council in Hazel Park it would be to work on a "main street" area because it would certainly make the city much more appealing.

I have lived in Rochester for three years (since 2011) after moving out of Royal Oak and it's quickly become my personal favorite. The best way to describe Rochester is "laid back". The people are a little bit of a more mature crowd but the center of town is still very vibrant and can even get fairly busy sometimes, though traffic is usually mild.

The first thing worth noting is that it's a practically crime-less area. It's quiet and people in the neighborhood generally look out for each other. There isn't really anything to worry about when it comes to safety and the police have a clear presence in the community. The parks are well-maintained and the residential streets are in about as good of shape as you'll find in Michigan.

If I had a bone to pick with Rochester, it would be for three things. Firstly, Rochester Road can get fairly congested. That traffic tends to stay in the main corridor though. It's a long commute to pretty much anywhere, let alone to my workplace in Wayne County. Thirdly, the area is a bit conservative for my tastes, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who would prefer that over a similar more liberal area like Ferndale.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Rochester to anyone who doesn't mind living a bit out of the inner circle. The housing is diverse which means there's practically a section of town for anyone's tastes.

To break down my scores:
Neighborly spirit - My neighbors have always been very friendly and we all generally know eachother
Clean & green - People take good care of their houses and their yards and there's very little litter
Peace & quiet - If you want to live somewhere with a lot of noise, go somewhere else.
Nightlife - The selection of bars is fairly slim
Shopping options - There are plenty of nice shops in the downtown area
Internet Access - Most providers are available
Parking - Occasionally a bit tough but there are plenty of spots
Resale/Rental value - Home values are very stable and have gone up quite a bit since I moved in
Medical Facilities - Crittenton Hospital is just a short distance outside of downtown
Childcare - Not an expert on the subject but there doesn't seem to be any issues
Safe & Sound - If you buy a house without a deadbolt don't even bother to get one, you're good to go
Pest free - The bee population is a bit high but no issues with rats/rodents
Eating out - Food lovers look no further. Plenty of restaurants with diverse cuisine
Parks & rec - The parks are very clean and well maintained (and large!!)
Gym & Fitness - The only good gym nearby is in Rochester Hills
Lack of traffic - Rochester Road can sometimes be packed, otherwise it's fine.
Cost of living - It's a fairly expensive area
Public transport - There is none.
Schools - From what I know there are no major issues in the school district

I lived in Royal Oak for 5 years and I can say very honestly that I did not genuinely enjoy living there for anything past the first year. Yes, downtown is nice, when people move to Royal Oak they want to live near downtown, that's fine, but people who want to live in a regular neighborhood are going to be severely misled by other reviews

The first thing everyone needs to know about Royal Oak is that all of the trendy creative types, hipsters, young professionals, liberals etc. live mostly in or around downtown. The profile of the neighborhods is a lot different. In the neighborhoods there are some older people who managed to stick around during the financial crisis but when the property values fell it let a lot of unsavory characters in.

I moved in before the crisis and a lot of people moved in during and after the crisis because they thought Royal Oak was a safe bet but since then crime in the neighborhoods has gotten worse, the city has developed a drug problem and the curb appeal has gone down. I didn't have any major problems in Royal Oak (I could put up with the schools and the traffic and the overall rudeness of people) until the 5th year I lived there which was 2011, when in the span of six months my car was stolen, my house was broken into, and I witnessed my new 'neighbors' across the street selling drugs out of their house as well as alcohol to minors.

Before the crisis I paid $115k for my house, I managed to sell it for around $60k and worked out a payment plan. I got a lot of criticism for that decision until a year later when an elderly woman was killed in her home by a pair of homeless people near my neighborhood. A year later the police arrested a man for trying to stab his roomate to death about a mile from where I lived. This is the kind of stuff that doesnt happen in the downtown most reviewers talk about

If you want to move to downtown, more power to you, but I have to warn you that the price to live in downtown is not worth it. Parking is bad. Traffic is bad. Police will hound you wherever you go (which is another thing about the neighborhoods, its unacceptable that you can't get a cop car out to your house in under 30 minutes, yet the police are on nearly every street downtown). And honestly, the loft developers are ruining the architecture. The core of downtown is surrounded by ugly "modern" condos, there is nothing authentic about it.

To sum up my star ratings:
Neighborly spirit - I never even met most of my neighbors
Clean & green - There is a lot of litter and a good amount of grafiti
Peace & quiet - Cars drove down my street playing loud music on a daily basis in the spring/summer and it was even worse with the drag racing and motorcycles during the Dream Cruise
Nightlife - There are some excellent bars and clubs downtown, if that's what you're looking for. A bit pricey though.
Shopping options - A lot of good stores downtown. Not much in the neighborhoods.
Internet access - Most providers are available here and the bandwidth is good if you can pay for it.
Parking - A good parking spot is a needle in the haystack even in the neighborhoods.
Resale/Rental value - It's improved but probably wont stay that way for long. A friend of mine in real estate says it's a very volatile area to try to sell properties in.
Medical facilities - I was right down the street from Beaumont hospital, which is massive and well-run.
Childcare - Didn't have to deal with this one personally but there didnt seem to be a lot of shady daycare centers around which is a good sign
Safe & sound - It was at one point but isn't anymore sadly.
Pest free - I had a fair rodent problem for a while but it went away after my neighbors sold their house and had to clean up the garbage in the yard
Eating out - There is a good variety of restaurants for eating on the cheap or for fine dining.
Parks & rec - Parks could be maintained better. Patchy grass, dying trees, grafiti, etc.
Gym & fitness - There are several gyms as well as fitness and sports stores. Not bad.
Traffic - It's pretty bad even in the neighborhoods. On an average day downtown is bumper to bumper.
Cost of living - Unless you rent section 8, you are paying way too much to live there.
Public transport - The bus service runs on every major road and there is also a passenger train. No monorail or subway or anything like that.
Schools - The schools have a major problem with students abusing and selling heroin. Test scores arent always the best measure.