One of the main components of being a Challenge Detroit fellow is to live in the city, whether it be downtown or the neighborhoods. While I grew up just a ten minute walk from the city’s border, living in Detroit proper has offered me experiences and insights I know I would not have gained if I were to move back in to my childhood home. One of the biggest things I have learned is how dynamic and diverse Detroit can feel: from Brightmoor to Boston Edison, Woodbridge to West Village, some parts of Detroit are familiar to me while others still foreign, yet equally rich in culture. I will focus my perspective in this post on the neighborhood I have chosen as home, Elmwood Park.

Our home boasts a kitchen that has (barely) enough counter space for three culinary-inclined Challenge fellows.

First of all, let’s talk about real estate. I live with two other Challenge Detroit fellows, and since all three of us have host companies in the suburbs, none of us were too picky about where we ended up in the city. We simply had a short list of priorities, a budget, and constant email notifications from Zillow and HotPads. We decided upon an apartment in Elmwood Park with little knowledge of the area. However, the apartment fulfilled all of our top priorities and then some, including three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, onsite laundry, secure parking, a safe neighborhood to run in, friendly neighbors, a spacious common area, and a tiny balcony, all within our budget. Sounds pretty good, eh?

I often say that I live in Lafayette Park for simplicity and familiarity, but it is not a wholly accurate statement. Just slightly northeast of the more well-known neighborhood, Elmwood Park is mainly residential and acquired its name from its historic landmark, Elmwood Cemetery. In fact, the cemetery is my favorite part of the neighborhood; I love going for runs and walks along its paths and the serenity it offers the surrounding area.

Elmwood Park is in cycling distance from Downtown, Eastern Market, the Riverwalk, and even Midtown or the Villages if you want a good workout, and it is extremely easy to get to any desired freeway. There are several good schools in the area, and I can hear the Martin Luther King, Jr. High School marching band practicing on their lawn from inside my apartment if I get home early enough. There are a lot of families living in the area, which suggests a level of safety and care in the community.

The Lafayette entrance to the scenic Dequindre Cut is not far and offers increased bikeability (new word??) to the area.

The one downfall I have found in the area is its walkability to resources. I can walk to my bank and a CVS store with ease, but beyond that retail is extremely limited. I would love there to be a small bar or coffee shop close by that I could frequent, but instead I find myself often driving elsewhere for socialization or a study spot. Based on my observations there are a decent amount of middle class complexes and living units within the Elmwood Park and Lafayette Park area which would readily receive the arrival of more small businesses.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my living experience in Elmwood Park and recommend it to those looking to be close to the hustle and bustle of Downtown, but with a quieter surrounding area and much cheaper price tag. I love living so close to such a historic and beautiful pocket of the city, the cemetery, and feel privileged that I can walk its trails as often as I like, with high school band renditions of Earth, Wind and Fire playing in the background.

Do you live in the city of Detroit? What are some of the highlights of your neighborhood and aspects that need improvement? Every neighborhood is different and has its own gems!

Photos from autumn.