"So heres a song for all the lovers/Heres a tune that they can share/May they dance all night to the fiddle and the banjo/The way we did at the Roseville Fair." Bill Staines, "Roseville Fair"
Roseville is just 21 miles from Detroit, but it feels a lot more like a small town. Roseville is in Macomb Township, which is a down-to-earth part of the metro Detroit area. Roseville, along with St. Clair Shores, was once part of Erin Township, before that split up into its current cities including Eastpointe and the Grosse Pointes. This is a great place to be if you want to work hard, come home, and have a comfortable life. The advantage of Roseville is that its far enough outside of the city of Detroit, yet it's close enough that you can go into the city whenever you want. Even better, unlike some other burbs of Detroit, Roseville is actually affordable for working families.
If you want to move to Roseville, youre in luck
"So heres a song for all the lovers/Heres a tune that they can share/May they dance all night to the fiddle and the banjo/The way we did at the Roseville Fair." Bill Staines, "Roseville Fair"
Roseville is just 21 miles from Detroit, but it feels a lot more like a small town. Roseville is in Macomb Township, which is a down-to-earth part of the metro Detroit area. Roseville, along with St. Clair Shores, was once part of Erin Township, before that split up into its current cities including Eastpointe and the Grosse Pointes. This is a great place to be if you want to work hard, come home, and have a comfortable life. The advantage of Roseville is that its far enough outside of the city of Detroit, yet it's close enough that you can go into the city whenever you want. Even better, unlike some other burbs of Detroit, Roseville is actually affordable for working families.
Moving to Roseville
If you want to move to Roseville, youre in luck. Housing is very affordable here. Although the vacancy rate is lower than the national average, there are still lots of houses for rent. Many apartment complexes offer move-in specials and discounts, particularly for one bedroom apartments. In general, if you need a three bedroom apartment for rent in Roseville, it might be a little more difficult to find because apartments with more bedrooms are in greater demand.
Most apartments for rent require that you have a decent job record and rental history. In general, homes for rent require that your monthly income is at least three times greater than the monthly rent. If you have any weak spots in your history, like previous evictions or long periods of unemployment, you can probably still find a place to rent to you. However, depending on the rules of the apartment complex, you might need to spend a little more time looking or get a co-signer to vouch for you.
You might even be able to find all utilities paid apartments in Roseville. This would be a good thing: Roseville’s cost of living is low in every category except utilities. If you need help finding the right apartment, you can always ask for help from an apartment locator. With the cost of living in Roseville 22 percent lower than the national average, your housing budget is not going to be stretched to the breaking point here.
Roseville Neighborhoods
Gratiot Ave/Beaconsfield: With rents being 57 percent lower than the rest of Michigan, this neighborhood is extremely pocket-friendly. This area consists mainly of medium-sized homes, single family homes, and apartments. The commute averages from a light 15 minutes to a more tedious 30 minutes.
Tighe St/Martin Rd:An urban neighborhood with a vacancy rate of 2 percent, this is a highly sought after area--not surprising since it's one of the more affordable areas in Roseville. Over 90 percent of residents here commute--but drive alone. $$$
Waldorf St/Frazho Rd:This neighborhood appears attractive with a 10.5 percent vacancy rate, until you catch sight of the all the zeros. A majority of residents here work in clerical, assistant, and tech support jobs, making it a middle income area. Most of the homes here were built during the baby boom era, adding a little history to the homes.
Living in Roseville
Only 15 percent of residents actually work in Roseville, so there’s a whole lot of commuting going on. The vast majority of people in Roseville commute alone in a car, instead of carpooling or using public transportation. However, there are buses available in this area, too, if you want to let someone else do the driving. If you need to commute to other burbs in Detroit, youre in luck because Roseville is close to a lot of major highways, including I-696, I-94, M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) and M-97 (Groesbeck Highway). Both Gratiot and Groesbeck are major streets through the city.
Roseville doesn’t have a big city kind of nightlife per se, but its not a far commute into other suburbs or the city if you want to see a concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills or the DTE Energy Theater. Its also not far to go into the city of Detroit to see a Tigers game or enjoy the clubs downtown. Downtown Detroit is rapidly renovating and attracting new businesses, and is filled with vital new restaurants and nightclubs.
Roseville also has a mall so you can do some shopping here. The Macomb Mall is located just off Gratiot Road and has anchor stores and a movie theater. Roseville has all the usual chain restaurants you’d expect, but there are also a lot of local restaurants that you definitely dont want to miss, like Lazybones Smokehouse or Mr. Pauls Chop House. The Original Buscemis is rumored to be the best place in town for subs and pizza.
If you want to go for a drink, the bars in Roseville are the kind of unpretentious places where you can just come as you are. Theres no need to dress up and look fancy--remember, who really has the time to impress anyways. Eastgate Bar has new owners who have really improved the service, Club FT is a fun little dive bar, and Dooleys Irish Tavern is where all the car lovers meet for their own Gratiot Cruise every week.
Youll have a blast watching some rough-and-tumble tough roller derby chicks on skates if you see a match of the Eastside Derby Girls at the Great Skate. Steer clear if you're squeamish in the slightest.
St. Clair Shores is just three miles away, which is so close that you can practically consider it part of Roseville. Especially during the summer, there are resorts and beaches like Jefferson Beach along Lake Saint Clair where you can enjoy boating, swimming, and fishing, or a meal at a waterfront restaurant like Beach Grill or Mikes on the Water. You can also spend the day at Veterans Memorial Park or the Lake St. Clair Metropark (which is technically in Harrison Township).
The northern suburbs of Detroit may be more popular, but they also have a high price tag that reflects that trendiness. Still, you dont want to overlook the underrated charm of the eastern suburbs. From affordable housing to nearby lakefront views, this is a place that deserves a little more attention.
