Good Morning all. I think there are quite a few friendly Michigan people on this site.
My daughter just found out she has been placed for a year long residency at Henry Ford in Detroit. As a young single female, she will be starting to look for safe areas to live within about a 20-30 minute commute to Henry Ford. Any suggestions or advice welcome. Thank you
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Congratulations to your daughter. I’m in Michigan but not Detroit. I’ll defer to them.
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Royal Oak or Ferndale. Both are vibrant in different ways- approx 20 minutes north from downtown HF Main Hospital and great for young adults. Birmingham is quite upscale and just a few minutes north of Royal OaK. This is if she wants to live in suburbs with a quaint downtown area. Some young adults like living the downtown Detroit lifestyle - whole different feel. I am familiar with HF Health system and also areas I recommended.
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Agree- Royal oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Clawson even Huntington Woods if something affordable. Suggest looking at places within a mile or two of Woodward Avenue between 9 mile rd and 14 mile rd
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Calling @kelsmom
I don’t know the neighborhoods as much. But when she needs food recs come on back! And have her check out the Eastern Market. 
Downriver would be probably more like a 30 minute commute and not near as interesting to live. Congrats to her! Great health system.
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I second Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Clawson. Hazel Park and Madison Heights have areas where younger folks like to live. I suggest going north of town, sticking close to the Woodward corridor. There are nice neighborhoods in Detroit, but it’s a bit of a grocery desert, so she’d have to go out of the immediate area to shop - it would be easier to just live in the suburbs. I would avoid looking south of Detroit, because it’s a tough commute (and not as fun for younger folks). There are areas northwest that are fine, such as Farmington and Southfield (but they are a bit more suburban than RO/F/B/C. I would be willing to bet that there are other residents looking for roommates … maybe they have a group for the residents to chat?
If she is considering something and you want my opinion on safety, feel free to pm me.
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Thank you so much everyone. So helpful. It’s so nice to get input from people who know the area.
We are going to Detroit next week to get a feel for the area so food recs would be wonderful. I will write down Eastern Market to check out. Thanks.
Fast casual Frita Batidos Detroit
Sweet and savory casual bakery/lunch - AMAZING, creative pies https://www.sisterpie.com/about
Unique chocolate shop - great opportunity to get food gifts or stocking stuffers! https://bonbonbon.com/
Casual, cool Motown vibe: HopCat | Detroit
And people love Ferndale - worth the drive to check it out.
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My 20 something niece lives in royal oak. Very trendy place to live with lots of great bars and restaurants.
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Here is a great list, with restaurants that will appeal to a variety of tastes: The 38 Best Restaurants in Detroit, Fall 2023 - Eater Detroit. My favorite is Selden Standard. I agree with @basket about Sister Pie, which I visit every time I get my bangs trimmed or my hair cut (both Sister Pie and its next door neighbor, Marrow, are on the list … and my hair salon is next door to Marrow!).
Not on the list, but very good: Supino’s Pizza and Bert’s, both in Eastern Market. Bert’s is a jazz club, a but of an dive, and H & I have been lucky enough to catch a couple jam sessions when we had lunch there (Aretha Franklin’s chicken is great!).
I haven’t eaten in Ferndale or Royal Oak in ages, so I’m not sure what is hip these days. I don’t think you can go wrong anywhere in either downtown area.
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My son and his wife went to Marrow a couple weeks ago. I believe their chef is a former Top Chef contestant
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Vinsetta Grill is right on Woodward Avenue in Berkley and would be a good and fun stop for lunch.
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My daughter lived in Royal Oak for a year when she did her dental residency in Pontiac. Convenient to lots of things and safe. 2021-22.
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I agree with all the suggestions above, Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkeley, etc. I just wanted to offer one other idea. The city of Grosse Pointe Park offers a rent subsidy to students in area colleges and medical residents. Grosse Pointe Park is a 20 minute drive to HFH. It is a little more tranquil than some of the other places mentioned so might not appeal. It’s a lovely old suburb of Detroit that sits on Lake St. Clair so if she enjoys being near water in her off time and wants something more tranquil it might be worth looking into. Also, there has been a big investment in businesses that appeal to young adults in recent years, bars, restaurants, shops, etc. so there is definitely more to do than historically and it is very convenient to Downtown Detroit. If you are at all interested I would be happy to send you the link for the info about the rent subsidy program.
A few more restaurant recs in Detroit: Chartreuse- small plates featuring locally sourced food and cocktails, Ima- Asian noodle dishes close to Wayne State U., Apparatus Room- fun restaurant downtown that is remodeled from a firehouse.
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I didn’t know about the incentive for students. That’s cool! It’s definitely a nice, safe area.
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Farmer Frank’s is a fun restaurant in Eastern Market that’s great for breakfast. They use local fresh ingredients.
Edited to include the name of the restaurant!
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Campus Martius in downtown Detroit is a fun place to visit. It’s all decked out for the holidays, and there is a skating rink. There are plenty of restaurants in the area. If you like contemporary art, the Library Street Collective would be a neat stop (https://lscgallery.com/). Here is a description of the surrounding area with restaurants & things to do: https://visitdetroit.com/inside-the-d/check-out-detroits-most-artistic-alley-the-belt/.
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I agree with the city suggestions. Northville would be good as well and I know a few just out of college adults living there. I also like Vinsetta Garage on Woodward for a restaurant. It’s been a while but Green Lantern Pizza in Madison Heights was a favorite too.
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Thank you. I would love the information on the rent subsidy if you could send it. Appreciating all of the suggestions.