St. Clair Shores, MI

[stitch'sgirl]

I grew up in St. Clair Shores and still own our family home there, together with my sister (she lives in the home). I have lived in Sterling Heights (about 12 miles away) for the last 35 years. St. Clair Shores is a very nice community. You should be able to find a nice home with your budget. I can't really comment on the schools, as it has been a LONG time since I graduated from Lakeshore High School, but I think Lakeview is the better district. The commute to downtown Detroit from SCS should not be too bad - about a half hour or so depending on the time of day.

Good luck and welcome to Michigan!

Sidebar: my my DH is a "Shorian", class of '80!

Welcome to The Mitten OP!! Agree with most of the advice, I am a transplanted Eastsider ( from Rochester Hills to New Baltimore). The commute is fine with I 94, but the best part of The Shores, New Baltimore, and others is Lake St Clair!! Hope you figured a new boat in yourbudget! ((Wink))

 

[antmaril]

Hello fellow DIS Michiganders!

Just wanted to thank everyone again for the good advice and say that we LOVE St. Clair Shores! We had a crazy time last summer trying to buy a house, had to put offers on 5 houses before we got one accepted, the market there was on fire! We ended up with a much smaller house than we originally thought because the market back home in PA was so bad we decided to keep our house instead of selling it for the time being so we can hopefully at least get what we paid for it, but I love our new house.

The kids are happy with their schools (Lakeshore district) and we just really enjoy living here. My dad says it's like going back in time, a real community feel. I can't wait to use the parks and waterfront areas when it finally warms up!

Glad to hear that you are living happily in St. Clair Shores.

Welcome to Michigan! (I promise you the winters are not always this bad. This one has been brutal - the worst in many, many years.).

 

[Dismomof2boys]

I was born in St Clair Shores, but moved out as a toddler. My sister and Dad still live there however. It is an older area, but very quiet and charming. I have been reading a lot of posts here about the Westside. My only caution with that is the traffic. It is so congested when you get to Oakland County. My Mom lives in Novi and my 40 mile drive to visit her can take well over 70 minutes in that traffic. Why don't you travel a few miles north of St. Clair Shores to Harrison Twp? That is where I live now and it is a wonderful community. Homes range from the low $100's up to the Millions (depending on if you live on the water). There is a beach (Metro Beach), and some nice restaurants on the St. Clair River. Just take a look. You may be surprised. My children attend a private school so I cannot really comment on the public schools firsthand, but from what I hear, they are great. And, the traffic is not that bad. I work in a suburb south of Detroit and have to drive farther than your husband will be but because I-94 runs right through Harrison Twp, it is an easy commute. Good luck. Michigan is a beautiful place to live so wherever you decide you won't be disappointed.

 

[Dismomof2boys]

Sorry, I guess I should have read that you already moved to St. Clair Shores. Good for you. It is a great place. Just an FYI: if your kids are into Baseball, they have a great Little League that is run through the city (for boys and girls). You may want to check it out.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Thanks for all the welcomes! You Michiganders are so friendly

As for the winter, yikes! So glad to hear it's not always this bad! It's been a horrible winter back in PA, too, so I wouldn't have totally escaped it no matter what. What I can't get used to is the road conditions; back in PA and MD, the other state I lived in, if there was 3-5" of snow, schools were closed, or at the very least, 2hrs late so they could plow. Here we have gotten off for cold, but not for snow unless it's been really a lot. I am completely unaccustomed to having to unbury my car and take the kids to school on snow-covered roads, because they either haven't plowed yet or they don't set the plow low enough to actually clear the roads of snow. We're all getting used to it, though just like everyone else, I can't wait for SPRING!

 

[Colleen27]

As for the winter, yikes! So glad to hear it's not always this bad!

This winter is a crazy-rare event - it has been almost a century since we got this much snow, and decades since it has been this consistently cold. Really a once-in-a-lifetime sort of winter.

I'm glad you like your new home and are getting settled in. I graduated from Lake Shore ('97) and some of my high school friends liked the Shores well enough that they're now raising their own kids there. Welcome to Michigan, or as I heard it called at a conference I was at recently, "America's high-five".

 

[antmaril]

Michigan, "America's high-five".

Love it!