Moving to Detroit

Ferndale has become pretty nice, I like it.

You commute to Auburn Hills may be crap for a long time.
http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...02/20/is-i-75-reconstruction-needed/80405272/

 

If you are a family man or think you might be a family man, live in Berkley, it has the best schools of of the areas you listed. It also has 2 or 3 decent bottleshops/party stores and several decent bars. Even if you are not a family man, the schools help the homes value if you ever sell

It is also a very short drive, bike ride or uber to Royal Oak, which for my money has the best beer in the suburbs. Holiday and Cloverleaf, both in Royal Oak, are my favorite bottle shops in town. Holiday is the best bottle shop in Metro Detroit, and it is a nice grocery store as well.

There are also 4 or 5, I've lost count, decent microbreweries, and Ale Mary's is a craft beer bar in downtown Royal Oak. Although I spend far more time in Berkley and may be moving there very soon, I do love Royal Oak. It has a very walkable downtown with lots of shops, bars and restaurants

Ferndale can be spotty, The southern part of Ferndale that borders 8 mile and Detroit has seen homes plummet in value and the schools are awful. Some of the north Ferndale neighborhoods are nice and it has a great downtown with plenty of beer choices. Ferndale schools are awful.


Good luck, South Central Oakland County is my favorite part of the Detroit suburbs

Cheers
Mike

 

I agree with much of what you said, Mike. I'd also add 8 Degrees Plato in Ferndale to the bottle shop list, and One Eyed Betty's in Ferndale as a good 40+ tap beer bar. Ferndale also has a number of great restaurants and an overall good downtown vibe.

Also, as a south Ferndale resident, I wanted to add a couple things because I don't want OP or anyone else to write Ferndale off as a great city to move to. Maybe I'm being defensive, but I want to share my personal experience since the area has a worse reputation than I feel it deserves. I have lived a block north of 8 Mile since 2010, and I have never felt unsafe (and I grew up in northern Michigan in far from a metro area). My neighbors are great, people tend to take good care of their homes/property, and there is a good sense of community. As for housing prices in my area, prices did in fact plummet along with the rest of the housing market in metro Detroit in 2008-2009. However, my home has appreciated over 30% (according to both an appraisal for a refi as well as my taxable value) since I bought it in 2010. I can't say for sure, but I'd guess the same can be said for much of Ferndale (even south Ferndale) considering how quickly houses are snatched up when they are put up for sale.

Regarding the school district, there is no arguing that it has a reputation for being a sub-par district. I have zero background in education and am probably not the best one to give an opinion on this, but my wife has been a teacher in a different district for about 10 years and she seems to think that the restructuring the district is doing, along with curriculum changes, are putting the district on a better path for success. Nobody cares more than us, as we have 2 young girls who we would like to go to school in the community they live in rather than my wife taking them to her district.

Just my 2 cents. OP, when you move to the area I'd be happy to have you over for a beer and/or grab a beer and some food in Ferndale.

Cheers,
Adam

 

Well said. I am looking forward to spending a good part of my weekend in your fair town at the DIY fest!

 

I'll be around. Hit me up if you wanna grab a beer!

 

For sure, for now the plan is to get there Friday night with some friends to go see Goober and the Peas, and then bring the kids back on Sunday to enjoy the art.

Sorry to thread jack OP, all 3 towns you mentioned are great, all have have great people, great activities and great beer spots.

Good luck OP!!!

 

As others have said, Holiday Market and 8 Degrees Plato are some of the best shops around. You can't forget about Pour or Mug n Jug either.

I live in Clawson (just moved here) and love it so far. It's the city directly to the north of Royal Oak. You can get a house here for a better value compared to Royal Oak even though it's essentially the same area. I'm a stone's throw away from RO, Berkley, Troy, etc. Great small town and great beer all around me. Ironically I work in Auburn Hills, too, and it's only a 20ish minute drive to work. Best of both worlds.

Cheers, and welcome!

 

B Nektar Meadery in Ferndale is a great place for meads. Kuhnhenn and Dragonmead in Warren are great breweries. Champagane's in Warren is a good bottle shop.

You didn't ask, but Lockharts, and Vinsetta Garage in Royal Oak are both great BBQ joints.

 

Agreed about Vinsetta Garage, but that one is on the Berkley side of Woodward!!!

 

No mention of Schramm's, sad.

MI BBQ has never knocked my socks off, but I have been to Lockhart TX a number of times (along with Austin joints), so I can base my opinion on experiences.

 

Woodpile in Clawson is fantastic....And agree on Schramms...There are no meads better than his..

 

In before the close!

 

B'Nektar was mentioned.

Maybe I will put that on my try list. The only thing MI BBQ joints have on the ones in TX is a much better craft beer selection. Shiner is good as it gets at some.

 

Been to Bad Brad's or the Union Woodshop? Two of my favorites in the area.

 

I have been to the Union Woodshop a couple of times.

 

The Woodshop's pork baby back ribs are the best in MI by far.
Now that doesn't help if you are looking for Texas BBQ, ut their brisket is damn good as well (note I have ever had good Texas BBQ, only crappy El Paso TX bbq)

 

West TX is more cowboy style, open flame.

Central TX BBQ is brisket and sausage. The smoker construction, the wood used (post oak for most of them), and the quality of the brisket, combined with the pit boss's skill make for some fine BBQ. I still haven't found it in MI, and to avoid disappointment, go for pork.

Last time I was down to Austin, some craft beer was appearing at some of the BBQ joints.

 

Holiday Market in Royal Oak is 100% legit, Ashely, the beer manager, posts daily updates on Facebook. He includes descriptions of beers, prices and limits. They get most things that hit SE-Michigan distro. If you have the ability to leave work for beer in the middle of the day, they will become your goto bottle shop. Also their singles selection is second to none IMO, they will break up six packs on things as well.

Second to Holiday, Plato's on 9 mile in Ferndale is good. Beer tastings every Friday and good FB udpates.

There are scattered liquor stores all across SE-Michigan that lso get limit stuff, but those were my gotos, I recently moved to Chicagao.

As far as mead is concerned, you are close to b-nectar and shramms, If you are a mead fan you'll love it.