Cobb

Cobb:

Welcome to Michigan!!

I am a native Detroiter. I live in the burbs now. Troy is a really nice area. Birmingham is a nice town with an excellent school system and is close to Troy. Troy itself is pretty good too. Check Rochester Hills as well.

Rosemary

Another native Detroiter here who lives damn near in the country now.

North of 8 Mile means you wallet better be way up north also. Oakland Country is the wealthiest and most affluent county in Michigan. They have a beautiful mall there called:

The Somerset Collection

And you dare not call it a mall. It's a collection.

I'm looking for Target and Sears. I can deal with Filenes and Lord & Taylor but not if there is no escape. Give me a place where everyone doesn't wear chinos and golf shirts. I don't think I can handle snootiness from Midwesterners, ferchrissake. There's got to be a decent NPR affiliate, some black anchorpersons on the local news. There's got to be some Episcopalians and a healthy kid's soccer league. If there's no Thai restaurants, forget it. OK if the Chinese takeout doesn't have Szechuan and Cantonese forget it. I can deal without the Thai. I don't even expect any decent BBQ, but I'll handle that myself.

Also I don't want to deal with completely idiot police departments. I expect there to be a decent number of sports fans and sports bars.

I don't want to be in a place where idiot kids take over a complete section of the shopping district. I want to live in a neighborhood where kids skateboard and cycle in the street. Where people drive Camrys, SUVs and the occasional hoopty & Benz. Where I can find a real hardware store and the dry cleaners is not in a strip mall.

There has got to be trees and parks with baseball diamonds and soccer fields. There's got to be an ooptiplex movie theatre and a Chuck E Cheese. There's got to be Applebees, Home Depot and new car dealerships.

Oh and how could I forget. There absolutely positively has to be a Comp USA. Not a Gateway Store. Micro Center would be ideal, but I don't know if they go up that way. Fry's is even better.

Now I've been to the Iranian part of Dearborn in the chillout district. That was decent enough.

As you can see I'm fairly deep into cultural geography. Part of my distaste for moving has to do with learning about all the politicians all over again, etc. Sigh.

so you ARE going to be in the city? email me.

Cobb:

I made my earlier recommendations based on proximity and good public schools and bicycle neighborhoods.

If you don't mind a bit of a commute then may I suggest Southfield, Novi or perhaps even Livonia. I have more personal experience with these areas.
They are really nice, good schools, good neighborhoods, Target is everywhere ;-), and less hoity toity.

Also, our local Fox affiliate has the very awesome Huel Perkins as news anchor.

Rosemary

Also, Thai food is EVERYWHERE here!!!!!

Yummy!

Pick your town - I'll give you a Thai restaurant!!!

See about Royal Oak, if you can.

Oh, and try Claritas on whatever ZIPs you get offered.