The people and places that make Southwest Detroit a great neighborhood to call home

Detroit is a wonderful mash-up of diverse residents and iconic neighborhoods that define its character and unique “city soul.” Each has a daily rhythm, a veritable “it” factor.

Here’s a closer look inside Southwest Detroit, an area that has been attracting interest and investment. With access to the Canadian border crossing, major expressways, proximity to downtown, leading medical institutions, colleges and universities, ethnic retail and restaurants and its vibrant arts and culture scene, there is no better time to call it home.

Southwest Detroit spans nearly 20 square miles and is comprised of distinct neighborhoods including Southwest, Core City (downtown), North Corktown, Corktown, West Side Industrial, Chadsey-Condon, Springwells Village, Delray, Boyton and Oakwood Heights.

It’s a “hot” location, according to Sherri Saad, broker and owner of Re/Max Leading Edge in Detroit.

Kraemer Design Group Co-Founder and Principal Bob Kraemer, who has been following Detroit’s residential property trends for over 10 years, says residential real estate is at a “crazy fever right now.”

This stunning Campbell Street residence is reflective of the architecture in Southwest Detroit.. Photo: Michelle & Chris Gerard

Homes in Southwest Detroit like this beauty on Hubbard Street (48209) get snapped up quickly. Photo: Michelle & Chris Gerard

“Interest is coming from everywhere and some surprising places. Today’s new buyer is not just a young millennial. There has been a real upswing in empty nesters and ‘urban cottage’ buyers, interested in purchasing city property that is close to it all,” notes Kraemer

Many of them are city of Detroit and surrounding area residents ready to downsize, Kraemer says.

“If you can grab something (property) here now, you would be lucky,” says Saad, who notes that competition between local and outside investors is increasing.

“The area surrounding Corktown is clearly the ‘next area’ for growth. Past perceptions used to be that Southwest Detroit was further outside the city’s center, but now there’s a growing realization that it’s actually closer than many think.

“You don’t have to manufacture a neighborhood in communities like Southwest Detroit,” adds Kraemer. “Its walkable streets, vibrant main streets, close-knit community and organized activities make it the kind of community many want to live in.”

“When we were here five years ago, the residential, bank-owned properties were going from $5,000 to $10,000 dollars. Today they’re selling from $35,000 to $65, 000,” Saad says. “We just put one under contract for $55,000 that was purchased for about $6,500 five years ago.”

“If you see something good, buy it,” says Kraemer.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

Live here and you can expect to receive a world-class experience in cultural immersion.

It’s a special place with a diverse population and a collaborative culture that offers a welcoming environment to immigrants and the influx of first-time Detroit residents. It is home to many young African Americans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, Asians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and other nationalities. More than half its population is 39 or younger and more than half is Hispanic.

Arab American Culture Celebration at Ford Resource and Engagement Center in Southwest Detroit.

The area creates a fine cultural line between long-time, often third- or fourth-generation neighbors and many newcomers attracted to affordable living in the community,. Officials and program leaders say there’s room for everyone.

At the end of the day Southwest Detroit needs to keep the residents it has and continue to attract and welcome newcomers, according to Rico Razo, manager of District 6, which includes Southwest Detroit.

This high-energy, very cool community knows what can be accomplished by pulling together to transform itself. It’s a community that knows what kind of revitalization it wants. What residents don’t want is adult entertainment, factories, and pollution, as they indicated in a recent Vista Partnership Survey. What most embrace are more green spaces, residential areas and locally-owned businesses.

ABUZZ WITH ACTIVITY

Southwest Detroit’s high energy residents and business leaders have also brought Detroit some of its most anticipated annual festivals and events like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Run of the Dead, Fiesta del Rio, and the “Holy Mole!” Mexican Mole Contest, all of which make the community a lively place to live.

EDUCATION

The community is not without challenges, including education, which residents and neighborhood leaders recognize as critical if Southwest Detroit is to advance and prosper. Vocal advocates for multi-lingual administrators and instructors can be found among the area’s concerned citizens, who also advocate for curricula that meets student need.

The advantages of a bi-lingual educational environment cannot be overlooked, says Lizabeth Ardisana, CEO of ASG Renaissance, one of the state’s largest Hispanic-owned companies. Ardisana sees an increasing number of employers looking to hire bi-lingual professionals at premium rates.

Lizabeth Ardisana, CEO of ASG Renaissance,

“Students in Southwest Detroit possess unparalleled cultural competence. They soak up the collective knowledge of the people and places that are a part of their everyday lives. It’s a priceless education,” says Ardisana.

Cristo Rey High School, a private Catholic school that sits on Most Holy Redeemer Church’s campus, boasts 100 percent college admission among students during the past five years.

Southwest Detroit also is home to César Chávez Academy, which serves more than 2,000 K-12 students, maintains a waiting list, and is the second-largest K-12 charter in Michigan.

Detroit Public Schools(DPS) also maintain a focus tailored to reflect the community’s makeup of youth.

The new High School Academy of the Americas (opened in 2015) is one of the flagships of DPS. The school offers Spanish language immersion, literature, honors classes and career exploration beginning in ninth grade, with particular emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math, according to Chrystal Wilson, interim executive director of communications.

Academy of the Americas, a pre-K through elementary neighborhood-centered, quality school, offers a unique dual Immersion, bi-lingual academic program in Spanish and English.

FRESH FARE

Fresh food grocers are abundant and the norm in Southwest Detroit. In addition to attracting loyal patronage from local residents, grocers attract customers from as far away as Toledo, who don’t mind traveling in order to get the highest quality produce and authentic ingredients offered by many of the local stores.

Fresh foods are plentiful in Southwest Detroit grocery stores.
Photo: Paul Engstrom

“We have the kind of variety that makes suburban stores jealous,” says Mike Fienman, a third-generation grocer.

SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY

The community also reports tremendous gains in improving safety among residents during the past two decades. Once known for much of the city’s gang activity, the area still battles that “stigma,” says Detroit Police Officer Thomas Denmark.

“Crime-wise, our statistics are very low,” says Denmark, a Fourth Precinct neighborhood police officer.

Domestic violence is a common problem the precinct works to address by encouraging residents to report the crime more frequently, but Southwest streets are fairly safe, Denmark says.

“The only thing I can credit that to is our community involvement,” he adds. “The community involvement here is excellent in Southwest.”

Volunteer and resident efforts range from AmeriCorps-sponsored citizen bike patrols to civilian patrols organized by the Congress of Communities on West Vernor Highway.

Southwest Detroit is indeed all about community, all about being part of a group of people who trust and rely on each other.

“This area is beautiful. It has beautiful churches, historical buildings and parks. The bakeries on Sundays are thriving,” says Saad, the realtor.

“The vibe, the feeling is spiritual,” she adds. “It’s amazing.”

There’s a palatable feeling about Southwest Detroit that sinks deep into your soul, she says.

“You actually can feel that it’s a community,” she adds. “You feel that its family oriented. It just gets better and better.”

LOCATION

Southwest Detroit is bounded by I-94 (N), the Detroit River (S), the Lodge Freeway (E) and City of Dearborn (W).

CULTURE

Southwest Detroit is one of the most integrated communities in the city. It is home to many young African Americans, Latinos, Middle Easterners, Asians, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and many other nationalities.

AIR QUALITY

This is one of Southwest Detroit’s major challenges as pollution from the Ambassador Bridge traffic and energy refineries have contributed to respiratory issues among residents.

Ambassador Bridge

Neighborhood-based organizations like Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, in collaboration with city officials, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies are working daily to make improvements.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and The Greening of Detroit are increasing installation of carbon buffers (carbon absorbing trees and plants) throughout the area to combat the impact of vehicle emissions.

There are also innovative grant-funded programs underway to replace outdated vehicle emission systems with cleaner zero emission models.

BLIGHT

Largely impacted by vacancies, some neighborhoods are burdened with housing decay. Citizen and block club-led efforts, aligned with Detroit Land Bank initiatives and city programs to help volunteers board-up dangerous properties, solutions.

SIGNATURE EVENTS

Southwest Detroit hosts many iconic annual festivals and events, including:

St. Patrick’s Day Parade (March)
Cinco de Mayo (May)
Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead (November)
Fiesta del Rio (August)
Holy Mole! Mexican Mole Contest (November)

NEIGHBORHOODS

Southwest Detroit is compromised of distinct neighborhoods including Southwest, Core City (downtown), North Corktown, Corktown, West Side Industrial, Chadsey-Condon, Springwells Village, Delray, Boyton and Oakwood Heights.

CHURCHES

The spirituality of Southwest Detroit can be felt throughout the community, but particularly within its many churches, some of which offer well-attended Spanish-language services that attract members from the region, who often stay and spill out into its streets on Sundays.

Holy Redeemer Church

St. Anne’s (1000 St. Anne St.)
Holy Redeemer (1721 Junction St.)
St. Gabriel’s Church & Rectory (8118 Vernor Hwy.)
Messiah Church (3816 Toledo St)
First Spanish Baptist Church (3495 Livernois Ave.)
Courage Church (1953 Military St.)
St. Hedwig Catholic Church (3245 Junction St.)
St. Francis D’Assisi Church (4500 Wesson St.)
First Latin American Baptist Church (6205 W. Fort St.)
Kainos International Church (6666 W. Fort St.)
Zion Evangelical-Lutheran Church (4305 Military St.)
St. Paul AME Church (579 S. Rademacher St.)
Motor City Missionary Baptist Church (4461 28th St.)
Latino Mission Society (1450 McKinstry St.)
Sts Peter & Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral (3700 Gilbert St.)
First Baptist Church (7642 Gould St.)
St. Stephen Lutheran Church (1235 Lawndale St.)
Holy Cross Hungarian Roman Catholic Church (8423 South St.),
Spirit of Hope (1519 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.)
Most Holy Trinity Church (1050 Porter St.)
Carter Metropolitan CME Church (1510 W. Grand Blvd.)
Trinity-St. Mark’s United Church (9315 W. Fort St.)
I am My Brother’s Keeper Ministries (1435 Brainard St.)
St. Aloysius Parish (1234 Washington Blvd.)
Second Baptist Church of Detroit (441 Monroe Ave.)
St. John’s Church Detroit (2326 Woodward Ave.)
Deliverance Bible Church (4731 Grand River)
Fort Street Presbyterian Church (631 W. Fort St.)

SCHOOLS

The majority of schools in Southwest Detroit offer bi-lingual education and related services. Area residents have a variety of educational options. All the parochial, charter and public schools detailed below operate within the community’s boundaries.

Detroit Public Schools
- Western International High School (1500 Scotten Ave.)
- Earhart Elementary-Middle School (1000 Scoten Ave.)
- Beard Early Childhood (840 Waterman)
- Bennett Elementary (1000 Scotten Ave.)
- Roberto Clemente Academy (1551 Beard St.)
- Harms Elementary (2400 Central Ave.)
- Maybury Elementary (4410 Porter St.)
- Neinas Elementary (6021 McMillan St.)
- Clipper Academy (1981 McKinstry St.)

Detroit Cristo Rey
Photo by Andrew Jameson

Private/Charter
- Cesar Chavez High School (1761 Waterman St.),
- Cesar Chavez Middle School (6782 Goldsmith St.),
- Cesar Chavez Elementary School (8126 Vernor Hwy.),
- Cristo Rey High School (5679 Vernor Hwy.)
- Holy Redeemer School (1711 Junction St.)
- Vista Nuevas (2051 Rosa Parks Blvd.)
- Covenant House Life Skills Center – West High School (1450 25th St.)
- Phoenix Multicultural Academy (7735 Lane St.)
- Voyageur Academy (4321 Military St.)

BUSINESSES

The promotion of the unique Mexicantown brand is critical to strengthening the commercial corridors along West Vernor and Bagley Avenues, which are important contributors to Detroit’s regional economy,” says Tahirih Ziegler, executive director for Detroit LISC.

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Tahirih Ziegler, executive director for Detroit LISC

Not only is Southwest Detroit one of the proudest and festive areas of the city, it has become a breeding ground for small businesses and neighborhood organizations throughout the years. From family-owned restaurants to independent clothing stores or local offices of corporate agencies locally products and services are generated across a broad spectrum. Aiding continued growth are efforts like the Mexicantown-Hubbard Communities Main Street Program, which has been reestablished after its service to the community from 2002 to 2008.

Funded by Local Initiatives Support Corp. and overseen by Southwest Detroit Business Association and Mexicantown Community Development Corp. Mexicantown-Hubbard Communities Main Street will provide marketing support, location mapping, and engagement support. Among businesses that will benefit from the program are these and others in Southwest Detroit.

“The promotion of the unique Mexicantown brand is critical to strengthening the commercial corridors along West Vernor and Bagley Avenues, which are important contributors to Detroit’s regional economy,” says Tahirih Ziegler, executive director for Detroit LISC.

Among businesses that will benefit from the program are these and others in Southwest Detroit:

Mexicantown Business Directory

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