The fight may not have matched the Hatfields and the McCoys, but Dearborn Heights had its own little battle going with the city of Inkster, a battle in which Dearborn Heights was named as victor.
Dearborn Heights has a long history of coming out on top, starting with the battle surrounding its incorporation in 1960
The fight may not have matched the Hatfields and the McCoys, but Dearborn Heights had its own little battle going with the city of Inkster, a battle in which Dearborn Heights was named as victor.
Dearborn Heights has a long history of coming out on top, starting with the battle surrounding its incorporation in 1960. On a map, the 11-square-mile city of more than 56,000 residents is shaped like a dog head and dog body connected together by a long, thin strip of neck. That neck strip travels directly through Inkster, which is why Inkster made such a stink fighting Dearborn Heights, even delaying its first mayor taking office for three whole years. By 1963, however, Dearborn Heights officially won the battle and this metro Detroit area city has been ballooning with pride ever since.
The proximity to Detroit, loads of amenities, Detroit Metro Airport and recreational areas make Wayne Countys Dearborn Heights desirable, which means rental rates will be a shade higher than they are in many other parts of Michigan. Expect to budget, with more in the budget if you want to rent a whole house instead of an apartment or larger digs rather than smaller.
Being too uppity may not go over too well in Dearborn Heights as the city features a strong base of down-to-earth folks who work hard and dont have time for putting on airs. Inkster jokes aside, you probably wont face Inskter wrath unless, of course, you do something to deserve it. Hurdles facing you during your new apartment hunt in Dearborn Heights and elsewhere include poor credit, a lack of solid references or insufficient funds to put down the required deposit.
Depending on what area of the city is catching your fancy, you might be able to find an place to live pronto. Other areas, however, often boast a low to non-existent vacancy rate. Several nabes are stocked with college students, so you might want to keep summertime available so you can swoop down when students are transitioning or graduating.
A sense of adventure will do you good, with the citys website boasting about the awesome variety of ethnic foods on the regions menu. Youll also want to collect a current copy of your credit report, references and proof of income for your new landlord or Realtor to secure your new home. Oh yeah, youll also want a car. Nearby Detroit isnt called the Motor City for nothing, and the nickname applies to the need for your own transportation throughout the entire state.
Your sense of adventure can start by choosing the neighborhood youll call home. Going back to the dogs head, thin neck and dogs body on the map, you are likely to find yourself bordered by a wide range of other neighborhoods. NeighborhoodScout tells us Dearborn Heights contains a mix of college kids and hard-working families with a big dose of yards, trees and established homes.
Inkster Road/Doxtator Street: Low crime rates, gads of college kids and a vacancy rate that frequently hits 0 percent grace this area, making it a desirable location in the middle of the dogs ear on the map. $$$$$
Gulley Road/Wilson Drive: Directly south of the desirable Inskter Road/Doxtator Street region youll find another low-crime zone, but one with lower rental rates, fewer single-family homes and more apartment buildings with two bedroom or studio apartments for rent. $$
Edward N. Hines Drive/West Outer Drive: Move out to the dogs nose and youre in the Edward N. Hines Drive/West Outer Drive neighborhood. As crime often likes the edges of town, crime rates are a shade elevated over here, but a low vacancy rate of less than 4 percent proves its still a place people dig to live. $
Edward N. Hines Drive/N. Beech Daly Road: The dogs eyeball area shares the Edward N. Hines Drive boundary with the nose, but this neighborhood has some of the lowest crime rates in all of Dearborn Heights. Older, well-established homes pepper the landscape, as do a few apartment buildings. $$$$
Gulley Road/Michigan Avenue: This zone is the infamous strip of land that cuts through Inkster. The place has an above-average crime rate for the area as well as a high vacancy rate of 11.5 percent, although were not sure if the historical stink Inkster made has any bearing on either one. Either way, youre likely to have little trouble finding an available rental home in Dearborn Heights if you stick around this nabe. $$$$
Annapolis Street/Pelham Street: Take a trek to the map dogs chest area and youll find yourself in the low-crime zone of Annapolis Street/Pelham Street. Youll again be treated to well-established, rental homes, many of which were built between 1940 and 1969 and some even pre-World War II. $
As with most Midwestern communities, work ethics are high in Dearborn Heights and people are constantly working. When theyre not working, residents are about 20 miles west of downtown Detroit, complete with its Renaissance Center, Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village as well as the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. Stick in and around Dearborn Heights and youll still have plenty to do.
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Shopping: Clear out your trunk so you can fill it with goodies, thanks to two notable shopping centers in the area. Dearborn Hights has River Oaks Square and Tele-Joy shopping centers, and the citys website says those two are just for starters.
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Enjoying the outdoors: You have at least one river, seven parks and one historical marker at your service in Dearborn Heights. The marker consists of a fancy sign pointing out the original location of Wallaceville School and Cemetery. If youre into historical jazz, trek out to the marker for a glimpse of the "old Wallaceville School," aka Little Red Schoolhouse, along with one of the oldest cemeteries in the entire area.
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Amusing yourself: If youre into amusement parks and arcades, you have two feasible options in Dearborn Heights. One is the amusement and theme park of Basketron and the other is the arcade of Dclnetworkmarketing Glowworks.
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What else should I know? Gas is the utility of choice for heating most homes in Dearborn Heights, with City-Data noting gas fuels more than 94 percent of the areas heating systems. And youre going to need that heat in the winter when the average temperature is below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
You may also be interested in knowing all those college students in the area can be coming from one of seven colleges and universities with a student body of more than 2,000 within 18 miles or fewer of Dearborn Heights. City-Data reports these include the 19,000 students enrolled in Detroits Wayne State University, the nearly 14,000 students enrolled in Ypsilantis Eastern Michigan State and the 5,000 or so students at University of Michigans Dearborn campus.
