It suffered a bit during the 70_s and 80_s but a hard-core group of loyal Ferndalians hung on to see it rebound in the 1990_s. Once the tonier folks moved into Royal Oak - the artist types were looking for new addresses and they found them in what is now called (somewhat tongue in cheek), _Fabulous Ferndale_.
The crime stats are low to moderate, and I_m sure you can more info about that on the internets. The pluses for Ferndale:
1, 15 - 30 minute commute
2, the woodward bus will take you straight to Wayne
3, you can rent a whole house for 800 bucks
4, small but interesting downtown - sushi, thai, italian, greek, dancing, a alternative movie house where you can drink beer and watch Citizen Kane
5, open minded folk ie, gay friendly if your interested
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the downers:
-It_s close to Detroit and that - sorry to say - effects your insurance rates and individual safety. Don_t want to make a debate about it, just to state the facts.
-Under utilized park system
- Spotty city services at times
- Political and emotional conflicts between the old-timers that hung tough through the down time and the new comers who_ve just _discovered_ Ferndale.
_...what you mean you don_t like my garden gnomes? go stick that latte in your ear!_
-New openly gay mayor welcomes new thinking, which freaks some of the family-centric folk. Council meetings are always a hit.
All in all, Ferndale is a neat little town that until 1936 or so was called _Urbanrest_ because it was a new suburb built to house those city apartment dwellers who wanted a little house with a backyard to grow some tomatoes and a front porch to watch the world go by.
However, you might want to check what the University has to offer. They have a housing service tailored for grad students and you might find the perfect match of price, location and safety right on campus.
Crime is not that bad on Campus so don_t rule out Detroit. You_ll have your entire life to live in plush green suburbs with pickett fences and crabgrass trouble. Right now, might be to only time in your life when it will make sense for you to live in city.
Don_t miss the experience just because of Detroit_s reputation. You own it to your 80 year-old self to look near campus.
When you_re 80, sipping metamucil pool-side in Boca Roton, you can look back and say, _I was pretty ballsy in my 20s, lived in Detroit ..._
Also, I wouldn_t rule out some of the nicer areas in the city such as 7 Mile/Livernois and East English Village.
A nice place would be West Dearborn, the people are pretty friendly and the area_s nice. Dearborn is closer to Detroit than the other places I_ve listed, too.