matthewfortuna

At the intersection of Lahser and Grand River, Old Redford is a diverse neighborhood that can seem uninteresting to the outside. This neighborhood is home to the New Rogell Golf Course, one of the first golf courses in the state of Michigan owned by an African American. Outside of the course, there seems to be little else, but this area between Telegraph and Evergreen Road does offer a number of other small surprises.

Many of the shops, restaurants, stores and bars in the area are less than a mile away on Seven Mile or Telegraph, and the golf courses nearby gives the residential areas a slight country club feel. In addition to these amenities, Old Redford is home to a variety of early 20th century brick houses that remain some of the most valuable and some of the most visually stunning in the city. Old Redford is perhaps most known for the large Redford Bowl and Sports Bar – which now sits empty and in decent shape, waiting on and interested investor, entrepreneur or local trying to revive the area and the building - and for the Artist Village, which is a community center and meeting place for local artists and local activists.

Nestled at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and McNichols Road, the Palmer Park neighborhood in Detroit is covers the areas adjacent to two of the city’s major recreational areas – the Detroit Golf Club and Palmer Park. Right next to each other, these two serene expanses of grass provide a needed relief to the drab that can define much of the rest of the city.

This area is among the most upscale in the city, and the Palmer Park community has no shortage of things to do – both within the community, and in the areas around the community. Palmer Park is less than a few miles from the University of Detroit Mercy, and is within a short drive of the many recreational opportunities on campus and around the university. There is no shortage of bars, restaurants, shops and stores, and if these are not to your liking, you can spend a quiet day on the golf course (if you can find a member), or around the park.

Palmer Woods is among the most upscale of all Detroit neighborhoods. It is not far from the State Fairgrounds, and provides one of the safest and most peaceful experiences in the Detroit metropolitan area – as well as one of the most scenic and serene. The Palmer Woods neighborhood is just northwest of the intersection of Woodward and Seven Mile Road. It is near Chaldean Town and Sherwood Park, and features some of the most expensive and most breathtaking houses in the city.

The real beauty of Palmer Woods is in its lush surroundings and its tree-lined streets. Many residential communities offer large houses with big yards and natural vegetation., Tree gardens are a common theme, and this city is among the highest in home value and incomes. Accordingly, it has also maintain a low crime rate, a higher education rate and a lower unemployment rate. It is within a short drive of a number of the city’s best schools, as well as a variety of entertainment and dining options.

Living in Palmer Woods gives you the ability to squeeze the most out of your experience in the city of Detroit, and the Music in Homes Concerts and a number of other soirees define the upscale entertainment of the area.

The Park in Detroit is one of the simple delights of the city that is taken in more by residents and local visitors than by tourists or suburbanites. The Park is just off of a few of the major freeways, and is more an expanse of land than a neighborhood. It is home to one of the few 18 hole courses in the entire city of Detroit, and the course stands up as a respectable public course, alongside other alternatives like Chandler Park.

The park is visited by people throughout the city, and children can be seen around the area, playing in a number of varied playgrounds, enjoying nature, or hanging out at any of a number of picnic areas. With so few parks in the city, it is a comfort and a delight for locals to take in the green grass and the open fields of a city that is for the most part paved, and deserted and broken in many other places. Intersected by the River Rouge, the park is among the biggest in the city, and in the metropolitan area as a whole, and brings a level of calmness to the area. If you’re interested in hitting some golf balls without leaving the city, the course at the park offers a challenge and a fun round in the sun.

Petosky-Otsego in Detroit is a neighborhood that is just off of the I-96 Jeffries Freeway. It is within a short walk of a number of small municipal parks, but these hardly add to the run-down nature of the community. Filled with quiet residential streets, the community is mostly filled with broken down homes and abandoned houses and complexes. It is an area that has attracted both the homeless and the undesirable, and has a higher level of crime than residents would like to get used to.

This neighborhood is a part of the legacy of the city that has dwindled in the past four decades. It has become somewhat of an eyesore for some of the nicer nearby neighborhoods – though there are not many in the immediate area. Petosky-Otsego does feature a high number of hard-working people, pulling themselves up by the bootstraps and doing what they can to live in an area that has not always been considered desirable.

Opt for one some of the neighborhoods farther north or farther east if considering this community, or plant yourself amongst the right people in the area and enjoy the company of the best of the city who have braved the worst of the city – just stay away from the crowds and the crime.

Named after the Polish immigrants that for so long inhabited the neighborhood, Poletown East in Detroit is not among the most pleasant communities in the city. Quite the opposite, the neighborhood is home to the auto assembly plant constructed in 1981 and borders Hamtramck. Today, it is largely abandoned due to the moving of residents because of the assembly of the auto-plant. The community has become the poor little sister of the neighboring Hamtramck, and features very little desirable aspects for people in the surrounding neighborhoods or communities.

Poletown East is just off of I-94 and I-75, not far from the Medical Center or Island View, and just northwest of Gratiot. It is in the heart of the broken down and abandoned areas of the city, and has come to represent one of the areas that has given the entire city a negative connotation around the country. While there is still a strong Polish presence in the area, mostly older inhabitants, this is dwindling and the area has long been overrun by crime, drugs, noise and debris.

Just off of East 8 Mile Road, Pulaski is the neighborhood sandwiched between Grosebeck and Gratiot on the city’s east and north sides. Pulaski is not generally looked at as one of the nicer neighborhoods in the city, and can be noisy and busy with traffic and crowds from 8 mile or Gratiot. A number of fast food and dining options, as well as shopping opportunities, are within just a few minutes walk of the neighborhood, but so are a number of areas known to be infested with crimes.

Home values in this neighborhood have remained low, similar to Regent Park right next door. As the neighborhood moves away from Harper Woods from east to west, the communities become a little poorer and a little more bleak. It is more Detroit than suburbs, without the charm and entertainment of the inner city. The Pulaski neighborhood is far enough away from the Eastland shopping center and the nicer neighborhoods of Eastpointe to give it a negative connotation – which it has mostly earned.

The Pulaski area, though, does have a good connection to the rest of the city through Gratiot, offers many bus stops, and is not far from both the De La Salle and Regina schools, as well as East Detroit High School in Eastpointe.

Just off of I-94 and incorporating a section of the Chandler Park area – including the popular golf course – Ravendale is home to Harpo’s Concert Theater and is in one of the most unque areas of the city. This neighborhood of Detroit is void of any of the many schools in the city, but does feature a number of businesses and interesting buildings and locations. Chief among these is the aforementioned Harpo’s Concert Theater, which has hosted many legendary local performances.

Because of its incorporation of a busy stretch of the interstate, traffic is often high in the area, as is the noise from traffic and from people at the restaurants, gas stations and stores surrounding the freeway. But, because many state troopers and Detroit policemen can be seen around the Interstate and the surrounding exits, it is a relatively safe area. Just across I-94, as well, is one of the most famous and most-oft played golf courses in Detroit – Chandler Park.

Because of the metropolitan nature of the city – and the plethora of courses outside of the metro – not many courses are actually within the city proper. Chandler Park, however, can be seen by anyone driving on I-94, and provides a view and a sense of recreation that many other neighborhoods in the city do not enjoy.

Regent Park represents a neighborhood on the true Northern border of the city. Just off of the major 8 Mile thoroughfare, the community can get noisy from traffic and population around the six lane road. With a major shopping center and a to major streets – Kelly and Gratiot – bordering it, it is not short on entertainment or dining, and the area is even catered to by a number of Public schools both inside and outside of the city limits.

The neighborhood is within walking distance of a recreation center, the Eastpointe City Center, and is not far from Warren, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe and Eastpoint. With a Target and a Lowe’s, a major shopping mall (Eastland), and a number of apartment and condominium complexes very close by or within the neighborhood, Regent Park is one that continues to thrive.

The atmosphere is a bit bleaker right off of 8 mile, or just a block inward, but further South the community opens up into a number of relatively safe residential areas, and places filled with families and often many children. East of the areas known from Eminem’s “8 Mile” movie, it is one of the safest outside of the immediate downtown area, and is one of the busiest on the periphery of the city.

Telegraph is one of those major avenues in Detroit that isn’t known by visitors or tourists necessarily, but it is a street that everyone in town knows how to get to. This road goes throughout the city, and takes on different looks and vibes as it winds North to South. In the Riverdale neighborhood, it is intersected by Grand River Avenue, and is just a few minutes from the Five Points, from Redord Township and from Eliza Howell Park.

The Riberdale area – lined up just east of Telegraph – goes from good to bad as it moves West to East. The nicer areas of the neighborhood are confined to the few blocks just off of Telegraph. This busy area features a number of eating and dining options, as well as shopping and entertainment locations. The streets are mainly tree-lined and the residential areas maintain home values in the $90,000, a number higher than many other neighborhoods in the city. As you move east, however, the streets become somewhat of eye sores, and the area trends more toward its downtrodded neighbors farther east or farther north. It is an area that does not appear to be on the mend, but still keeps some find-looking communities.

The Rivertown neighborhood in Detroit is bordered by the river – and is just across the water from Belle Isle Park and from Canada across the border. This neighborhood is home to the city’s marina near the MacArthur Bridge, and to the high rise and upscale condominiums at Harbortown. It is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city, features some of the lowest crime, and gives some of the most scenic views of the downtown area, of the neighbor Canada to the north, and of the water stretched out in front of it.

Rivertown is touched by a stretch of Interstate 375 and is the ending point of the major thoroughfare Gratiot, also known as M-3. The immediate surrounding area is one of the most happening in the city, and supplies the largest collection of dining and entertainment options. A number of festivals and events are within the Rivertown neighborhood, or just outside within walking distance. These include: the North American International Auto Show, the Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Motor City Pride parade, River Days and the Detroit Free Press Marathon. It is an upscale neighborhood that attracts tourists and residents alike, and one that represents some of the best that the city and the state has to offer.

Rosedale has come to mirror a lot of what the city of Detroit has become. This neighborhood in the city displays the goods and bads of what has happened to the large metropolitan since the 1960s. It is an area that has some of the city’s most elegant houses – but in one small area. The rest of the neighborhood brings out much of the dark and dirty of the city.

Rosedale is between the busy Southfield Freeway and Greenfield Road, and stretches almost all the way to the I-96 Jeffries Freeway in the south. There are recreational opportunities in the nearby Eliza Howell Park, it is intersected by Grand River Avenue, allowing quick access to many other nearby neighborhoods on a diagonal line.

The neighborhood is, however, just next door to the much more upscale Rosedale Park neighborhood, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The nicer areas of Rosedale are very tree-laden and feature brick houses that date back to the 1920s and a collection of residents that are mostly middle-aged and have been living in the city for decades in many cases.

Just east of Livernois avenue, and not far from I-96, the Russell Woods neighborhood of Detroit is one of many that brings many things – both good and bad – to the table. It Is in a busy area of the city, between Elmhurst and Oakman Boulevard, and is among the many neighborhoods of the city that features jam-packed streets and communities.

The area, though, features an older segment of the population that many of the other parts of the city – offering a high percentage of middle-aged residents, as opposed to the most teenage and adolescent areas nearby. Accordingly, the median income is a bit higher, and many of the crime-ridden areas are replaced with suburbs and residential communities.

Russell Woods does, because of its location, have a number of places to eat, to shop or to go for an afterparty. It is an area that is catered to by many of the Detroit Public Schools in the area, and has options for parking, public transportation and culture. With its proximity to the freeways, it can be used to access most parts of the city, and you can reach the downtown area with just a 5-10 minute drive.

Southwest Detroit, the area just off of the river, I-94 and I-96, can be one of the worst illustrations of the beauty of the city. Some of the worst of Detroit is brought together in this city, and that has worked to give other surrounding areas a bad name. The Southwest Detroit area has some of the worst crime in the city, some of the lowest education and graduation rates, and some of the highest unemployment.

The ages are lower in this area, the incomes are much lower and the house values are near rock bottom. It is an area that has been hit as hard as any in the country by the downfall of the economy, and one that is among the black marks of a city that has looked to revive itself.

It is just outside of the River Rouge, and not far from both Windsor and Dearborn. The neighborhood also has a very high Latino population, and surrounding spots have come to be characterized as Mexican town. It is a place that has shops, stores and restaurants catered toward the Mexican population, and a splintered population has partially owed to a high crime rate and some feelings of unpleasantness throughout the area.

Just off of the Dix Highway and Fort Street, the Springwells neighborhood of Detroit is bounded on one side by Waterman Street and by Woodmere Street on the other. It is a community that is older than many other neighborhoods in the immediate area, and features many housing opportunities in the Springwells Village Townhomes. The neighborhood has a more suburban feel that many surrounding areas, and the older population has kept noise down, crime slightly lower than average, and incomes a little higher than average.

Home in the area are just as prone to foreclosure and low values as other homes in Detroit, but the openings are less dilapidated and more livable. It is an area just outside of the heart of the city, and one that is developing a number of small business, building projects and housing opportunities. Springwells isn’t your typical Detroit neighborhood, and this has been a positive over time for many residents. It can be a good place to retire for some around the city, or a place to find a quiet break from the mostly young population, from the busy downtown area or from the crime of the areas farther downtown.

The Michigan State Fair Grounds host the state’s annual fair, which is the oldest such even in the United States. More than 150 years old, the Michigan fair was first held on the site in 1905 and has been there ever since. It is one of the most historic areas of the city, and sits between Seven and Eight Mile Roads, just east of Woodward Avenue. This area isn’t exactly a neighborhood, but is important for its cultural significance, and for the historic Detroit neighborhoods surrounding it.

At 164 acres, the fair grounds are also home to the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, and the site has been the host of NASCAR races in the past, as well as political rallies. With over 200,000 visitors flocking there for the state fair, it is an area that remains vibrant – and attracts a cultural melting pot of both guests and residents.

The Michigan State Fairgrounds are surrounded by some important Detroit neighborhoods, and these areas are filled with many of the city’s dining, shopping and entertainment options, as well as some of the downtrodden areas of the city. It is not, however, among the most glum areas of Detroit, and offers a great look into the city’s personality.

Between Seven Mile and McNichols Road, the Union District neighborhood in Detroit can be accessed from anywhere in the city. Likewise, if you are driving through the area, you can use these major roads to bring yourself wherever you’re going. If you’re staying put in Union District, though, you can enjoy the views and the golf on the Detroit Country Club right next door.

If you’re not a golfer, you can also go soak in the sights and enjoy the recreation of the Palmer Park right next door. With recreation abounding, it is also possible to find plenty to do at night around the campus of the University of Detroit Mercy. This large school features a prominent athletic program, and has a large student population taking in the nightlife of the campus and the surrounding areas.

Just east of the Bagley neighborhood, Union District is slightly more upscale than surrounding areas – and large houses for purchase or rent can be found. With incomes slightly higher than much of the rest of the city, Union District also features a higher median age, a lower crime rate and a bit less of the crowding that plagues some neighborhoods in the immediate areas.

Sandwiched between McNchols and Seven Mile Road, the Van Steuban neighborhood in Detroit is one of the large neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city. It is a 10-15 minute drive to the bustle of the downtown area, but is close enough to the large suburb Warren to provide plenty of activity for anyone interested. Not far from Outer Drive, Van Dyke and Gratiot, Van Steuban is a frequent pass-through for anyone traveling in and out of the city from the North, and can be a good stopping point for someone not looking to leave the city.

The Van Steuban neighborhood has a plethora of large and small dining options, and is not nearly as packed or dirty as some of the lower scale neighborhoods downtown. Middle-class in terms of Detroit areas, Van Steuban residents can reach Grosse Point, East Pointe or Steling Heights in under 25 minutes.

Alinosi is among the popular places for food or snacks in the neighborhood, as is Zorba’s Fina Foods – and there are ample opportunities for shopping, catching a bus or finding some nightlife along Gratiot and Seven Mile. Just a mile removed from the 8 Mile of Eminem’s fame, it is true outer Detroit as it was meant to be experienced.

Virginia Park is one of the many historic districts dotting the metropolitan Detroit area. It is situated in the area surrounding Virginia Park Street, and stretches from Woodward to the service drive of the bust John C. Lodge Freeway. It is just a short walk from Detroit’s New Center, and is among the many revived areas in the city. Though its past was plagued by the racial implications following the riots of 1967, it has since become one of the pleasant areas in the city.

Much of the layout and many of the houses dating back to the late 19th and early 20th-century are preserved within the Virginia Park neighborhood. Though it was upper-middle class in the past, it is far from that today. It is, however, not nearly as downtrodden as many other neighborhoods in the city.

Henry Ford Hospital sits within the neighborhood, as do many Revival, Neo-Georgian and colonial homes. The neighborhoods tends toward a middle-aged population, and household incomes are as much as $10,000-$15,000 higher than many of the other neighborhoods in the metro area.

People looking for one of the nicer areas in Detroit should look no further than Virginia Park – and the history within.

Between Joy Road and Ford Road, Greenfield and Rouge Park, the Warrendale neighborhood in Detroit is a part of what was once known as Warrendale Township. Though the area became part of Detroit proper once again in 1920, it has carried a distinct personality of its own ever since. It is on the edge of the city itself, and just off of the border of both Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.

It is one of the most culturally diverse areas in the Detroit-metro, surrounded by cities that are among the most populated areas in the country for both African Americans and Arab Americans. Warrendale offers the highest number of shopping and dining options perhaps in the entire city, and it is home to Rouge Park – which is the largest municipal park in the United States.

It has become a popular option for families and students alike, and represents somewhere to escape the bustle of the downtown area – while still enjoying the nightlife, the cultural opportunities and the feel of the city. It is slightly more upscale than many of the deep downtown neighborhoods, and Warrendale maintains a suburban feel throughout much of the former city – even though it is still very much Detroit for residents throughout.

Wayne State is not only a top three school in Michigan and a top 70 research university in the United States – it is also situated in one of the most pleasant neighborhoods in the Detroit metropolitan area. If you venture too far off of campus, you might find yourself in an undesirable area – but the many blocks on the school’s property, and the buildings and streets immediately surrounding are among the most festive, enjoyable and safest in the city.

The Wayne State area is a short walk from the Detroit Institute of Arts, Spartan stadium where the football team plays, and a number of famous restaurants in the downtown area. You can be sure to find specialty book and record stores just off of campus, and a number of fast food locations on campus itself. The buildings include some of the oldest and newest in the city, including the historic Old Main on the outskirts of the campus.

Filled with students and teaching professionals, the campus is a popular place for the 20s crowd, and parties, celebrations and social events can be found in the area most weekends during the spring and fall semesters. The cultural makeup is among the most diverse in the state, and some of the smartest thinkers in Michigan find their way through the Wayne State neighborhood.

Right next to the River Rouge Golf Course, the Weatherby neighborhood in downtown Detroit is just south of the I-96 Jeffries Freeway, and lies off of Plymouth Road. It is a short walk from the Plymouth Square Shopping Center and the Fitzpatrick-Warwick Playground, and is among the many crowded urban neighborhoods in the area.

With over 2,000 people packed into 1/3 of a square mile, Weatherby is a mostly young neighborhood, with a population representing the mostly African-American cosmopolitan of the area. Household incomes are generally low due to the young demographic of the area, and because of the crowds Weatherby does tend to get noisy. It is home to one of the city’s many famous Coney Island restaurants, the Olympia Coney Island, and has other original dining options such as the Thai Bistro.

Weatherby features a number of houses worth as little as $20,000, and is among the many neighborhoods in the city hit especially hard by unemployment, the difficult economy and layoffs among city employees and automotive companies. Though foreclosures tend to run rampant, Weatherby remains a suburban area in urban Detroit. The neighborhood is also served by a number of the nearby Detroit Public Schools.

Between 3rd Street and 126th Street, Detroit’s West Side Industrial neighborhood sits in a busy area of the city just off of both the Chrysler and Fisher Freeways. This neighborhood borders the river and Canada just across the river, and is busy with nearly 1,200 people jammed into just over one half of a square mile. The West Side Industrial neighborhood has mostly properties over $150,000, and is one of the most evenly split neighborhoods in the city between white and black residents.

Household income is mostly above $40,000, and much of the neighborhood remains upper middle class. It is an area of Detroit that is well above average in rent prices, median age and foreign born residents – and maintains a low crime rate and low unemployment rate compared to the rest of the city.

Though it is often crowded and noisy, the city maintains a middle-aged atmosphere, and there are plenty of things to do for the 30 and 40-something age groups. Not far from the industrial areas of the city, you may be plagued by noise and by pollution, but there will not be as many children running around outside of your house as you might find in nearby neighborhoods.

The West Village – just outside of the bust downtown center of Detroit – is in the middle of The Villages neighborhoods, and is the eastern Gateway to both Belle Isle and to the Detroit Riverwalk. As the boardwalk neighborhood of Detroit, it is one of the charming and historic plots of land within the metropolitan area. The West Village is home to young professionals, artists, students and families alike, and though it is not a large neighborhood, draws a large number of visitors and encourages activities and nightlife.

The neighborhood is bounded by the roads of Parker, Seyburn, Jefferson and Kercheval and is just west of Indian Village. It is in the National Register of Historic Places and is comprised mostly of residential areas that house just under 300 homes. Laid out over 20 square blocks, it is one of Detroit’s neighborhoods where Victorian and Colonial architecture can be seen side by side, and is one of the few areas populated by middle upper class homes.

House listing prices in the West Village remain higher than much of the rest of the city of Detroit, and crime and unemployment remain low in an area populated by residential homes, families and professionals. The area has been home to many prominent Detroiters, and though it houses few opportunities for shopping, dining and schooling, is within a short drive of a number of favorites of some of Detroit’s elite over time.

From Outer Drive to Schoolcraft, the Westwood Park neighborhood of Detroit sits just northeast of I-96 and is bordered by Evergreen on the west. The neighborhood sits well below city averages in home values and – spread over just .3 square miles – is home to nearly 1,500 people. A bit of a crowded neighborhood, Westwood Park has a media age of only 18, and has one of the lowest household income averages in the Detroit metro area.

Westwood Park graduates less than 50% of its residents from high school and, because of this and the youth in the city, is on the high end of crime occurrences in the area. Though renting space can get very affordable in the area, you may have to deal with loud or mischievous adolescents or teenagers on a frequent basis.

A short distance from the Fisher Building and the Redford Theatre, those living or spending time in Westwood Park can find ways to entertain themselves during the evenings, but will likely have trouble finding a variety of places to shop, park, eat or enjoy leisure time within the small neighborhood itself. Not an outlier in violence or unemployment when it comes to nearby neighborhoods, it is nonetheless not as esteemed as many of its other popular or historic neighboring areas.

Centered around the intersection of Trumbull and Merrick, the Detroit neighborhood of Woodbridge is one of the most historic in the city’s metropolitan area. The neighborhood is, in fact, a part of the National Register of Historic Places – and is dotted with mostly Victorian architecture that is absent throughout much of the rest of the city.

Bounded by Grand River and Warren Avenue, two of the most important buildings in the neighborhood are the center of the area’s entertainment at the Woodbridge Pub, and the Saint Dominic Roman Catholic Church – one of the many old churches in the area.

Woodbridge – as the home of the Eighth Precinct Police Station – maintains a crime level slightly lower than surrounding neighborhoods, and is also home to the famous Hunter House and the Trinity Episcopal Church. Median incomes and house prices are on the high side of Detroit averages, and – along with a nearly 82% high school graduation rate and only a 4% unemployment rate – the neighborhood is among the most successful in the area.

Known as one of the “hip” neighborhoods in the city, there is no shortage of aspiring 20 and 30 somethings, and is an area that has thrived even during the city’s downturns and difficult days.